Tire time?

[Brick]

+1 Metzler Tourance. Liked them enough from new/stock in 2012 to put on another set. Very good road manners (especially in rain), yet enough grip for careful gravel/dirt road exploring. Replaced both sets around 7,500-8,000 of moderately aggressive riding, nearly all one-up, but with some significant tourring miles put in. [I'm 180lbs]. They never let me down and were predictable, HUGE in my book.

I too loved the original Tourance... They were made in Germany. After a couple of sets on my 2012 Tenere the third set only gave me about half as many miles. I looked at them and saw that they were made in China. So I stopped using them.
I just put 5,165 miles on the Avon trail runners. I was on a trip and only got 4,500 miles on the rear. The front still has lots of tread. Perhaps these are a two rear to one front tire.?!? I do like how they handle however.

 

[EricV]

So your TCS light is going crazy because you tires are constantly breaking loose in the rain? That's a tough pill to swallow, knowingly giving up safety to gain tire life. What is your TCS fails? Nanny controls are nice to have for emergencies but I wouldn't want to rely on them to keep me upright for everyday use.

Ahh... NO. The TCS isn't going crazy unless you are playing hooligan with your right wrist. For goodness sakes, it's a TIRE. The worst tire out today still has pretty good traction. Everyone's conditions vary, as does their use and riding style. The Super Tenere has enough power for a rider to break the tire loose under nearly any conditions if they choose to flog it at higher rpms. Any tire, not just K60s. Safety isn't about tires, "nanny controls" or anything you bolt to the bike. It's about the RIDER.

 

[Bigbore4]

So your TCS light is going crazy because you tires are constantly breaking loose in the rain? That's a tough pill to swallow, knowingly giving up safety to gain tire life. What is your TCS fails? Nanny controls are nice to have for emergencies but I wouldn't want to rely on them to keep me upright for everyday use.

_

Not what I said, I said I don't have issues. BUT if the light is going ape, the electronics are doing their job. Don't sweat the petty things.

The traction control and ABS on this thing are other worldly, if you DO want to be a hooligan, trust the electronics and have fun. But don't bad-mouth the tires.

 

[Checkswrecks]

::026::

Ahh... NO. The TCS isn't going crazy unless you are playing hooligan with your right wrist. For goodness sakes, it's a TIRE. The worst tire out today still has pretty good traction. Everyone's conditions vary, as does their use and riding style. The Super Tenere has enough power for a rider to break the tire loose under nearly any conditions if they choose to flog it at higher rpms. Any tire, not just K60s. Safety isn't about tires, "nanny controls" or anything you bolt to the bike. It's about the RIDER.

 

[Mtbjay]

I too loved the original Tourance... They were made in Germany. After a couple of sets on my 2012 Tenere the third set only gave me about half as many miles. I looked at them and saw that they were made in China. So I stopped using them.
I just put 5,165 miles on the . I was on a trip and only got 4,500 miles on the rear. The front still has lots of tread. Perhaps these are a two rear to one front tire.?!? I do like how they handle however.

Brick, O.P.

I gravitated towards a more aggressive tire for my 3rd set, Continental's new TKC70. They rock on improved dirt/gravel roads, noticeably better control than the stock Metzler Tourance. Not at all loud or buzzy on the pavement. I don't feel as confident cornering at high-lean angles, but that was to be expected. They've been acceptable in the rain with the mossy - leaf covered roads of the Pacific Northwest. The rear's about shot after a year and 6,500-ish miles (80/20 street/dirt, 3-4,000K of it touring). I kept the pressure up to 33psi front, and 40-42 (43-44 touring) on the rear in hopes it would minimize the minor cupping I had with the Metzlers. It worked. Front looks good for another 2-3,000. They have been a great tire and work as advertised for 70/30 street/dirt riding. NO complaints.

 

[oldbear]

Got 7600 miles out of the Metzlers. New set of Michelin Annakee's going on in the morning.

 

[WaltM]

Bridgestone Battlax A40 is a very good tire.

Just ordered a set today. Should be on the bike Wednesday or Thursday.

 

[Davesax36]

Just ordered a set today. Should be on the bike Wednesday or Thursday.

I have 9000 miles on mine since June 27. Across the south in crazy heat, up to Duluth and across to Newfoundland. I would buy them again, I think. Lots of miles left, but cupping as expected from tons of blazing hot road miles.

 

[jmcgilroy]

I got horrible mileage out the the Metzler Exp's ( rear should have been replaced at 6,000 miles, due to remote location I was able to stretch it to 7,100 with cord showing).

I went with the Battleax A40 and it's good to hear about the favorable reviews as posted above.

 

[CentralCal]

I got horrible mileage out the the Metzler Exp's ( rear should have been replaced at 6,000 miles, due to remote location I was able to stretch it to 7,100 with cord showing).

I went with the Battleax A40 and it's good to hear about the favorable reviews as posted above.

Yep me too. Had to replace the rear at 3000 miles. I was watching the tread disappear before my eyes. But it was a 2013 that I bought in 2015 so don't know how old the tires were.

 

[WJBertrand]

I've just fitted a set of Anakee IIIs to my bike based on my previous favorable experiences with Michelin tires in general. They seemed to take longer to feel scrubbed in and grippy than I expected, the PR4s on my ST1300 only seem to need about 50 miles. I wasn't feeling comfortable on the Anakees until I had a couple of hundred miles on them. Either they've finally come in or I've adapted, but now I'm liking them on the road. They drop nicely into corners and seem to hold on well. I haven't had an opportunity to try them off-road yet. I think they are considered more of a 90/10 road/off road tire anyway. They do hum a little on pavement, but I have to pay attention to notice. All said the jury is out until I've put several thousand miles on them.

 

[Salty]

I had Metzler Tourance mounted when I recieved the bike. Road theses out to 14 k when they cuped and then mounted Michelin Annakee III's . They have been very good and I have paid more attention to tire pressure as well as stiffening up the suspension. I have 14 k on these and it looks like the front will see 15 k the rear maybe 18/20 k. My only complaint is the front tire wines at speed. For replacement of these I will be looking at Wilds, K60 or go back to Metzler's. I have very little off pavement K' s. So primarily hyway and urban stop and go.
Salty

 

[Checkswrecks]

Be careful of the Anakee 3 when really leaned over, as the bike can lean further than the tire has shoulder rubber. As long as you don't slam the bike into max performance turns really fast you'll notice the rear sliding out before losing control.

 

[WJBertrand]

Be careful of the Anakee 3 when really leaned over, as the bike can lean further than the tire has shoulder rubber. As long as you don't slam the bike into max performance turns really fast you'll notice the rear sliding out before losing control.

Thanks for the warning. I've had the left foot peg grounded and there's still an 1/8" of chicken strip left on that side of the tire. I'm running a 30% stiffer spring than OEM as well so ride height is correct. I've never grounded anything on the right side so far with any tire. I try to ride smoothly and avoid "slamming" any bike at any time unless there's an emergency. I actually had no chicken strip on either side of the rear OEM Battle Wing I took off, and that concerned me a little.

 

[decooney]

Bridgestone Battlax A40 is a very good tire.

Hey Tim, did you end up getting a set of these A40s for your S10? I'm using my S10 for 95% road, and the 501 Husky for my offroad ventures. A40 seems like a candidate, and like the idea of more tire patch on the ground, but I have a key question. I truly love the S10 for long tour coastal road rides and rough paved bumpy back roads in the mountains near us. I'm sort of wondering how A40 feels with the stiffer sidewalls, does it take away the amazingly plush ride of the S10 being so stiff? I'm noting what ZLA is saying in this video about stiffer sidewalls, https://youtu.be/PLsA4NAajeM

 

[Use2btrix]

Ordered a tkc 80 front to go with a new E07 for the continental divide. Hoping the front can make it for a 5000-6000 mile loop. We'll see.

 

[tomatocity]

Hey Tim, did you end up getting a set of these A40s for your S10? I'm using my S10 for 95% road, and the 501 Husky for my offroad ventures. A40 seems like a candidate, and like the idea of more tire patch on the ground, but I have a key question. I truly love the S10 for long tour coastal road rides and rough paved bumpy back roads in the mountains near us. I'm sort of wondering how A40 feels with the stiffer sidewalls, does it take away the amazingly plush ride of the S10 being so stiff? I'm noting what ZLA is saying in this video about stiffer sidewalls, https://youtu.be/PLsA4NAajeM

I wore a set of A40's out in 8,000 miles and was not disappointed. In the beginning the sidewalls wee very stiff and I was not happy. I went as far as to reduce the tire pressure to 25 and rode them for maybe 100 miles on river roads. Don't know if that helped but eventually the A40 came around to being a smooth tire on smooth and rough roads. Rode them a lot in the Redding area... 101, 1, 36, A16, marijuana country east of Garberville, Leggett,20, Mendocino, 253, Skaggs Springs Rd, 175, Butts Canyon Rd, westside of Berryessa, 128, 121, Pope Valley, Carson Pass, Ebbetts Pass, Monitor Pass, Luther Pass, Sonora Pass, Echo Summit, 49, 395, 50, Mosquito Ridge Road, Wentworth Springs, Foresthill Rd, Cool, Georgetown, Lost Coast, and so many more roads. Wore the nubs off the front tire before the rear. Wore the rear tore to the wear bars and although the front tire had tread it was starting to give up high speed grip in the entry to turns. The rear tire became squared off that reduced the smoothness of the rollover. I am happy with the Battlax A40.

 

[TomZ]

The last set of Anakee IIIs got 12,800 mi. on the rear and 14,000 on the front before they hit the wear bars. I had changed out the rear just before a cross-US trip this spring because I did not want to have to change a tire on the road. The previous four Michelin PR4 rear tires wore out at 6500 to 7500 mi. Found both the Anakee's and PR4s to be smooth running tires with easy turn in and no notable issues. True, the Anakees can 'sing' a little on some pavement, but that's minor over the normal clatter of the ST engine. An advantage of the Anakee IIIs is that they don't hold gravel; I was always digging gravel out of the PR4 treads. Have to admit, I haven't run the edges all the way to the sidewalls to test the traction out there, but I suspect that not many others have either.

 

[firstgendsm]

I got the Anakee III's at 12k miles about 1 year ago and I am now at 33k miles and still have tread left, not much in the front but the rear is about half way through but I am all highway about 80 miles a day. Good tires but they are noisy at certain speeds.