Tire Thread...Let me be the first...

[switchback]

Have you read much on them or know more info about them... IE, wear, Etc ?

I hear the E-07s wear well, 8k+ on the reports I have read. Performance in wet conditions deteriorates but otherwise a good tire. Looking at the sizes, we may need to go with the e-10 at a much steeper price $180. E-10s specifically state they are tubeless and are in the Tenere's size.

 

[toompine]

Yea, please take pictures and give us your report and thoughts..... Ive read on many ADV web sites that guys are getting good mileage out of the front but the rears are a disappointment and im seeing post from 1000-2500 miles and that's about it for the rear...... I like the look, but if they are fried and bald when I get to my ride "states"... whats the point...

Here are a few photos

 

[tubebender]

toompine, like what you did to your SV :exclaim:

 

[toompine]

toompine, like what you did to your SV :exclaim:

Idle hands and curiosity can be dangerous.

Thanks, actually it was pretty easy and makes a good project while waiting for the Tenere and I knew I would need something to ride after I sold the Multistrada this spring. I will either turn it back to stock and sell it when the Tenere arrives or see if anybody wants it this way. The biggest change was swapping a DL100 front end to get better forks and a 19" wheel. That and figuring out how to move the pegs forward and down. They are forward 1" and down 2". Much more comfortable. Lots and lots of little fiddeling but no major engineering issues

 

[~TABASCO~]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo - I dig'em..... Let us know how they wear..

How do you like your SMART car ?

 

[EricV]

Must be something about Super Ten folks and good taste. I damn near had to check the garage. Our Smart is the same color as yours Toompine. Only 12k or so on ours and no issues. Gotta love the 40-50+ mpg for running into town and doing the week's shopping.

 

[toompine]

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo - I dig'em..... Let us know how they wear..

How do you like your SMART car ?

Amazing what people see in the pictures. I took them and didn't even notice the cars in the background. Smartcar is the wifes and she loves it. Convertible. I personally think it is annoying to drive. Actually it is a very safe, tidy, well engineered car and assembled really well, it just feels like a roller skate to me. We were on the pre order plan, I had a chance to test drive one 6 months before they came in and did not like it. Plenty big inside actually but hated the transmission and choppy ride. When it arrived my wife drove it and pronounced it way cool and wanted it so we got it. I think I have driven it twice in the driveway. Each to their own, she loves driving it and she is happy. It does get 4 times the mileage as my truck ???

 

[toompine]

Amazing what people see in the pictures.

By the way since people see things in the background of pictures that wheel sticking out from under the white sheet is my '73 Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, my favorite all time motorcycle (the Triumph Bonneville is a very close second).

 

[EricV]

There are lots of sub-compact cars that will get close to the mpg of the Smart, but my main reason for wanting it, aside from the simple practicality of a small car for our 15-20 mile runs into town, was it takes up less garage space. Less car space = more motorcycle space. > I have a lot more room between the car and the workbench now and can just ride the bikes into the work space to wrench on instead of playing moto shuffle around the blazer and ram before. But yeah, my wife doesn't really like driving the Smart. I've always been a small car guy. MGs, Miata, Scion xB, etc. The Smart meets our needs very well.

Now if the S Ten would get here so I can sort out if I want to keep the FJR or not... I'm really looking forward to exploring the many dirt/gravel/two track roads around here with the Heidenaus and the S Ten. (thread content!)

 

[colorider]

Now if the S Ten would get here so I can sort out if I want to keep the FJR or not... I'm really looking forward to exploring the many dirt/gravel/two track roads around here with the Heidenaus and the S Ten. (thread content!)

Simply build a separate stable, to park the FJR and the SuperT and all those spare Heidenau tires!!!!

 

[EricV]

Simply build a separate stable, to park the FJR and the SuperT and all those spare Heidenau tires!!!!

Doh! Why didn't I think of that! I think the HOA might get a little pissy if I did that, but the wife and I have entered into a serious discussion about extended the garage. (She has more motorcycles than I do) Damn, I'm a lucky man. 8)

 

[colorider]

Doh! Why didn't I think of that! I think the HOA might get a little pissy if I did that, but the wife and I have entered into a serious discussion about extended the garage. (She has more motorcycles than I do) Damn, I'm a lucky man. 8)

Lucky for me, no HOA and I had a plenty large back yard to build a 14' x 28' stable. It was first intended to be both for motorcycle storage and a small wood shop, but since I don't make much sawdust anymore, it has become mostly exclusive motorcycle stable. I've had 4 in there with plenty of room to move around and presently have just the FJR. The FJR is getting really lonely waiting for a stablemate (the SuperT)!!!!

 

[Salty]

Interesting dialog. I previously researched the Heidneau's and agree most likely the best tire for all around performance and wear. I will be ordering by the end of the month if not sooner, found them at one location in Ontario. About the Smart car my wife and I really liked the drive and roominess of this car, but here in Canada Mercedes discontinued the diesel verson which was a deal breker for us. We will continue to drive our VW tdi @ an average of 55 mpg. Now if Yamaha were to put their european patended twin MC diesel in the Tenere..... the best all around mc with the best torque and milage in the industry.

Salty tenere on order

 

[markjenn]

Now if Yamaha were to put their european patended twin MC diesel in the Tenere..... the best all around mc with the best torque and milage in the industry.

It would also make push an already extremely heavy adventure bike into FJR weight territory and give it KLR-like top-end acceleration. But this is a different thread.

- Mark

 

[Blue_eyes]

Here in Europe the Dunlop Trailmax TR91 wins every contest / test of all-road tires hands down. Once my OEM tires are to be replaced, these will go on next.

I have printed the individual testresults as a JPG file and uploaded them to photobucket. The test is in Dutch, but the tables and graphs will speak for themselves I guess.

Especially in the wet the Dunlop Trailmax TR91 is terrific, on secondary roads it is second. Check it out!
The test was conducted on 8 identical BMW 1200GS's where each rider changed bike every hour and did not know which tire was on the bike. Ech bike & tire was driven for 3500 miles (5500 km).

Secondary road:

Sedcondary road after 3500 miles

Threadwear front and back tire

Remainder of prifile on tire shoulders

In the wet

Conclusion

 

[Yamaguy55]

You beat me to it. The TR91 is really new here, I had a handout from Dunlop that I received at the New York motorcycle show in January. I went looking for them, even the Dunlop site doesn't show it yet. They come in the correct sizes for the Tenere, and it is just now showing up at various distributors. I see them at Dennis Kirk, and I'm sure they will be other places as well by the time I need them.
Since I plan on using my Tenere as a touring bike that can do off-road, rather than an off road bike that I tour on, I'm going to stick to this type tire. The Bridgestone Battle Wings are OK, and handle well enough on the dirt I've tried them on, but I have had better luck with Dunlops over the years, so plan on giving the TR91s a shot unless something better shows up when I go buy replacements.

 

[EricV]

Interesting stuff. FWIW, read those stats again, this time looking at the Conti Trail Attacks. The TR91 is only one point better over all. However, I have real world use of the Conti's and they will last 9-10k, even if used on full pavement 100% of the time, (worst case scenario). My wife used those for the IBR on her F650GS and they did the entire rally. She rode most of the length of the US in the pouring rain w/o a single slip in the wet. This is her second set, plus we have a friend on his third set with similar results.

Just saying, the Conti Trail Attack rocks and is a known commodity here in this house. YMMV

 

[Blue_eyes]

Interesting stuff. FWIW, read those stats again, this time looking at the Conti Trail Attacks. The TR91 is only one point better over all. However, I have real world use of the Conti's and they will last 9-10k, even if used on full pavement 100% of the time, (worst case scenario). My wife used those for the IBR on her F650GS and they did the entire rally. She rode most of the length of the US in the pouring rain w/o a single slip in the wet. This is her second set, plus we have a friend on his third set with similar results.

Just saying, the Conti Trail Attack rocks and is a known commodity here in this house. YMMV

Since it rains a lot where I live, the wet characteristics matter a lot to me. This is where the Dunlop really sets itself apart.
As for the conti's, they are second worst in the rain. Look at the stopping distance in the rain... When the Dunlop stands still, the Conti stpill travels for another 10 meters, that is 33 feet of extra room you need with the Conti.... I will praise myself lucky that when driving the Dunlop I do not need that extra space!

But my opinion is that you should choose the tire that gives you the most confidence, since most of us will never/seldom reach the limits of a decent tire, and a relaxed mind is what really matters when driving in not ideal conditions. So I understand your choice. Wear is less important for me as I probably not drive over 10 K kilometeres per year.

 

[EricV]

I spent most of my life living and riding in Oregon. I know a bit about riding in the wet too. ::015::

I appreciate your points, but can't help but wonder about that 33' of wet braking difference. I seriously doubt that number is hard and fast repeatable. Most riders don't do maximum wet braking very well. I suspect, even among the test riders, there was a significant variation on wet stopping distances. In other words, what the difference to you might be is unknown. Buying a tire based on just that may or may not prove out well.

I look forward to reading about your impressions on the TR91. Personally, I haven't had a lot of good experience with Dunlops in the States. Some of them grip well, but they don't last long enough to be worth my money. That said, I do ride thee or four times as many miles as you appear to, so longevity is a real factor for me with any tire. One reason why I'm running the Heidenau K60s now. At 4300 miles in the last month, they appear to be holding up well.

 

[spasm]

im putting these on mine next week http://www.michelin.co.uk/motorcycles/michelin-pilot-road-3 they do a 19 for the front 8)