Tires

TKC80 Newb Review

Love these sneakers! Gas efficiency has taken a hit with them but the benefits justify this.
Those benefits so far include awesome traction on rocky, sandy, muddy conditions. Even a combination of them all at the same time is handled with confidence. I can carve berms, hillclimbs, rutted out downhills and off-cambers with enduro bike-like tractability.

On wet hairpin mountain roads I don't lose anything at all compared to the original Pirelli Scorpion tires the bike came with.

to answer my own question a few pages back: YES! metal grated bridges are not a problem. In fact the bike tracks straight as an arrow over these now without ANY fishtaily-squirrelyness at all! Awesome!

Of interest to all urban riders. Now that I'm back in the big bad city after a weekend in the mountains I hit my usual commute through the blasted wastescape of Philadelphia's so called streets. No longer do I have to tippy-toe through construction zones full of metal plates and bike swallowing potholes. Washboard, sinkholes, massive cracks and bone jarring uneven patches and joints are swallowed whole. I really believe in urban environments like this it actually doesn't make sense to ride street tires. These big knobby suckers are the way to go when riding urban blightways.

Here's some pics of my dirty **** back in Philthy sporting her aggressive new boots and looking oh so sexy.

philthymike said:

Found a potentially helpful comment on Revzilla regarding the MT60 RS

And naturally I found a counter comment elsewhere....

Go to love the internet. One constant I found is that people are saying the MT60 wears out really fast

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It does wear out fast. Mike, do you know why Pirelli invented the MT60 for?
It's a race wet tire. If you go to the track much .. specially on days where rain is possible ... you'll see many teams with a spare set of wheels with MT60's (or very similar type tire) mounted up, ready to go.

They are really quite good in the rain. Very soft, good wet grip for sure. On pavement they make a good SM tire as they will slide predictably ... but of course they wear out in NO TIME. They suck in mud or anything slippery or sand. Ran a rear MT60 in Baja. Useless there and nearly screwed me when it was worn out in 1500 miles. (It was a race take off ... free)

I've ridden A LOT and ridden with guys running TKC80's on a variety of bikes.
I mostly only use the FRONT TKC. But my BMW R1200GS buddies run them front and rear. Not so great on wet pavement on the big heavy GS. But on my
DR650 they are really quite good at everything.

Not a great "real" dirt tire but unless your racing they are just FINE for me and for many buddies who also run them. It's one of the few that comes in 17" street sizes to fit the Hyper.

On dirt roads the MT60 works quite well and is used some as a flat track racing tire. Get the pressure right, it's not bad. (low!)

Stymied On Tires!

I've now read quite a bit of this thread ...THANKS to all for contributing! But am going a bit in circles. I'm not new to sport touring bikes or tires ... but new to the Hyperstrada.

I tend to trust feedback from guys here from California when it comes to opinions on tires but I'm still not sure what to go with on the 'Strada.

I too want a rear tire that will go over 5K miles of hard use and a front that sticks like glue.

I ran a few different sets of tires on my long term 1050 Tiger. Tried Bridgestone ST's, Avon and PR-2 and 3. The Michelins lasted the longest ... Avon front stuck best, most confidence inspiring. I mixed the two.

My used (new to me) '13 Strada came with stock Scorpion Trail ll. Near new when I got them, but after only 1000 miles I can see these hoops won't last long ... and I'm not even pushing hard ... still tip toeing round, learning the bike, desperate not to fall off from an amateur mistake!

The Scorpion ll's seem compliant enough, grip well in DRY use I've ridden so far. (Not much of a trail tire, that much is for sure) ...I will avoid any serious off road on this bike ... even though the geometry seems good for sliding around fire roads.

The Metzeler's listed earlier sound promising as do Road Smart lll as well as the Angel GT's. But a friend run a pair of GT's his big Concours 14, wore out rear in 3 days. (he rides a bit quick/hard)

The Pilot Road 2 and 3 wore quite well on my 1050 Tiger. I got nearly 6K out of one rear tire, bit more from the front.

I think it's important to recommend tires run on bikes that are more or less in the same class as the HyperStrada regards weight, HP, intended use.

Trotting out a 700 lb. 160 HP BMW Six is really changing the game.
Having attended several manufacturer's tire tests, riding variety of bikes, it's evident tire performance changes depending on which bike it's mounted on.

Attended tests for Pirelli (Metzeler), Avon and Dunlop. Really fun time but scary trying to go fast around a track riding a bike you've never ridden before.

I nearly lost it on Aprilia V-4, did well on GSXR, CBRR1000 and ZX6. Pirelli donated a bunch of bikes for Journos to ride as some flew in from EU, Japan, Africa, S.America. I had my own VFR800 there but rode other bikes when available. VFR terrible on tight Willow circuit.

Test was held at Streets Of Willow (next to Willow Springs Raceway) Fun track, very much like our Cali roads.
I was nearly slowest guy on the track ... but near the FRONT for every street session. Now why is that?

Hyp Noob said:

They are really quite good in the rain. Very soft, good wet grip for sure. On pavement they make a good SM tire as they will slide predictably ... but of course they wear out in NO TIME. They suck in mud or anything slippery or sand.

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As it turned out the ability to handle sand and mud was an important factor with my recent adventure. And rocks, tons of loose rock of varying size as well as muddy rocks. The TKC80s did an admirable job even on the roughest rocky, muddy washouts I had to transverse.
I really was looking for more tame fireroad type riding but as luck would have it things were quite a bit more grisly than I anticipated.

Thanks for the 1st hand insights on the MT60's though.

philthymike said:

As it turned out the ability to handle sand and mud was an important factor with my recent adventure. And rocks, tons of loose rock of varying size as well as muddy rocks. The TKC80s did an admirable job even on the roughest rocky, muddy washouts I had to transverse.
I really was looking for more tame fireroad type riding but as luck would have it things were quite a bit more grisly than I anticipated.

Thanks for the 1st hand insights on the MT60's though.

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The part of my post you quoted referred to the MT60's, not the TKC80's.
TKC's are great considering so few options are available for wide 17" rims.
Not the very best traction but overall a very tough tire. But as mentioned, wear out fast riding FAST on paved roads.

Done a lot of Baja rides with TKC's, even put a front TKC on my old Vstrom
back in 2003.

I'm amazed and impressed where you've managed to go on your HyperStrada.
I would only take a magazine test bike into those conditions.

Hyp Noob said:

I'm amazed and impressed where you've managed to go on your HyperStrada.
I would only take a magazine test bike into those conditions.

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Thanks.
She held up great. Post ride inspection turned up split rubber boot on shifter, one of the panniers was stuck and I had to strong arm it to make it release. And just now my clutch cable snapped.

I really shouldn't have taken her where I did without a bash plate and folding gear and brake pedals. She'll have them next time though. Since I'm ordering a new clutch cable I might as well get those now.

I need a new set of tires, and I was whining about the scorpion trail 2s wearing too fast, but I thought it through and realized I have about 10k miles on them. I oughta quit whining.

They perform well on wet and dry roads, seem agile not squishy, and have never stepped out on me (except for a sand patch once on steep downhill curve but... ). Not much for real dirt, I guess, but neither am I. They've handled some tough roads, including dirt/gravel/mixed **** though, and done well.

I think I like them.

I think I'll get another pair. If I was pure street I'd look at the metzler roadtech 01, but I always end up in dirt at some point.

Wow, 10K miles! Wow!
I thought maybe I was the only one who thought the stock Scorpion Trails were OK.
Granted, not pushing all that hard at this point as I'm still getting used to the Hyperstrada, but yesterday I was out and picked up the pace a bit ... and those tires did just fine doing fairly steep lean angles and very confidence inspiring doing a few fast, smooth road race type sections. Very nice!

Not sure on wear/longevity as they were on the bike when purchased ... looked fairly new 1000 miles ago.

I've nothing to compare really but seems the Scorpion Trails are pretty compliant on nasty roads. Metzelers always good but in my experience but wear out fast and are expensive vs. some others.

I have fitted metzler m7 rr with a 190/55 rear. Bike handling is less sharp/twitchy in tight turns and very stable in high speed sweepers, they also heat up very quickly so far very happy with them. Cost was £260 fitted.

Hyp Noob said:

Wow, 10K miles! Wow!
I thought maybe I was the only one who thought the stock Scorpion Trails were OK.
Granted, not pushing all that hard at this point as I'm still getting used to the Hyperstrada, but yesterday I was out and picked up the pace a bit ... and those tires did just fine doing fairly steep lean angles and very confidence inspiring doing a few fast, smooth road race type sections. Very nice!

Not sure on wear/longevity as they were on the bike when purchased ... looked fairly new 1000 miles ago.

I've nothing to compare really but seems the Scorpion Trails are pretty compliant on nasty roads. Metzelers always good but in my experience but wear out fast and are expensive vs. some others.

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Riding style probably plays a big role on longevity. I probably don't ride as aggressively as you do, though as fast as I feel comfortable on bad twisty roads with about 60 - 70 pounds of gear.

But I keep digging into the throttle and finding more power - hmmm

Because of the relatively deep tread, they do have definite wear patterns: some puckering and asymmetric wear (probably due to road crowning). This can be discerned in low turn maneuvers, but not at road speed.

Just took a nice long ride, and hit some uniquely crappy roads while feeling locked in. Pushed it and they hung tight. A couple of surprise tight sweepers - on a rail.

My guess - lots of good tires out there - I'm boring - if it works I'll stick with it.

In our area, 99% of the roads are either paved or (less often) graded dirt/gravel. There can be some deeper stuff after a big rain, also not often. I've been riding various bikes with 100% street rubber for decades on these roads. Never had a problem with any quality brand other than some early Michelin radials that cupped terribly.

The Dunlop Q3s I run now have just as much traction on loose surfaces as the OEM Pirellis. They definitely have superior grip and stability, which is more important to me than wear life. I'm too old for a getoff!

I'm finding that all sorts of tires work well on the Hyper. Knobby tires certainly have limitations on pavement, especially wet. But, the single biggest improvement for me keeping constant tire contact with the pavement was suspension. Huge difference if the tire has constant contact.

Buy the best sticky tire in the world and if your suspension isn't able to deal with imperfect road surfaces and you are screwed.

True, less than ideal suspension can have you going off the road or losing control at inopportune times.
Modern name brand tires today are so good, it's hard to find truly bad ones.
But really, nothing will work at max until suspension is set up.

Pressures make a difference from what I can tell. Some riders may run pressures too high and not let tires warm enough before pitching it in.

Not all tires work well in the rain. (obvious) I start off slow, test for grip and little by little ... but wet roads can catch you out on some tires if you push too hard or try to get the power down too early. Tricky stuff.

I've fallen a couple times hitting sand or dirt at full lean. Lost the front in both cases ... instantly down. Some Dual sport tires will get through sand mid corner better than street tires.

I'm extra cautious on wet roads or turns I can't see through for this reason, I don't relish the idea of hitting gravel and crashing. I've hit a few unexpected gravel patches but I've been lucky enough to make it through with nothing but a little pucker.

I was pretty impressed with the Rosso IIIs in rain, haven't tested the Angel GT yet but I'm sure it'll get a chance.

I spent a day and a half riding in the rain in Oregon last year. I was able to maintain a reasonable pace and it seemed as long as I was smooth on the gas / brakes / corners there were no issues. That said, the needles that got knocked out of the redwoods offered no traction whatsoever when wet.

My back TKC80 just got destroyed by a big razor blade. The back was all worn down anyways.
So, do I stick with these or do I go elsewhere?
I like the traction off road but the lifespan is dismal.
Anything new out there?
Anybody have anything new to report on other options for dual sport tires?

I've always been a big proponent of the Metzler M7RR but after trying the Dunlop Roadsmart 3 I might be a believer. It doesn't have the ultimate grip of the M7, but better tread wear and similar phenomenal feedback/handling characteristics.

I have the T30 EVO on my VStrom and do not like them at all. Very strange profile causes nonlinear steering. Wasn't fond of the 'dead' feeling Angel GT's on the same bike. If only the RS3 came in a 19" front..

I need something a little more off-roady. Any experiences with the Avon AV84 / AV85 Trekrider?

philthymike said:

I need something a little more off-roady. Any experiences with the Avon AV84 / AV85 Trekrider?

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My review: http://hyperstrada.com/ducati-hyperstrada/3639-avon-trailrider-tire-review.html



This fall I will install these:

I ran a TCK80 on the back for a few thousand miles maybe 3 then put on a Karoo 3, it has maybe 2500 miles on it and is holding up well to the pavement and has no unusual attributes.

jerdog53 said:

I ran a TCK80 on the back for a few thousand miles maybe 3 then put on a Karoo 3, it has maybe 2500 miles on it and is holding up well to the pavement and has no unusual attributes.

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Those look like decent tires and generally positive reviews too. I wish I'd seen your reply a couple days ago as I already ordered the TKC80 again because I can't have my commuting bike out of action too long and I got a good deal on them.

I'll probably need new tires again in 3K miles anyway with how these wear.

But come spring if I follow through and buy an actual dirt bike it's likely I'll put street tires back on the Hyper.