| Author | Message | ||
     Bigme007 |
ive done quite a bit of research on tires for the Uly, most of what I find is a 2 or more years old (go figure).. so without further ado.. I ride a good amount of dirt/gravel roads (50% or more) and am looking for input from those using dual purpose tires - Shinko 705 - TKC80 - 616 - Others?? Shinko 705 - I am really happy with these on my other bikes, but the widest available is a 150 - anyone using these currently? Any issues with the bead seating due to its narrow size? No fronts fit - but I have used rear tires up front before with no adverse effects - has anyone raised the fender on their bike to accommodate a taller front tire? TKC80 - right sizes, HIGH price, short lifespan on pavement - anyone using these? thoughts on pavement - handling? D616 - I know this came OEM on my 06' so the fit is right, but I question their effectiveness in gravel, dirt, mud - thoughts??? What am I missing - are there any tire or tire combos I should be looking at?? thanks | ||
| Luftkoph |
Only one I had was the 616 ok on gravel roads,but sand or wet ground,not so good | ||
| Harleywern |
The Conti TKC80 is an unbelievable tire. It sticks to the road like hell. Much better handling than the Scorpion Sync`s. My rear tire is worn about 40%, front @ 30% after 1.600 KM (1000 Miles). So the lifespan is shorter. I expect the rear to last @ 2500 miles. Off road they are also great, even with the 17" front wheel. Mud should be avoided. (Message edited by harleywern on November 23, 2013) (Message edited by harleywern on November 23, 2013) | ||
| Dtaylor |
TKC's are nice. I wore out a rear in 4500km -- but that was a couple of days of really fun off road, and lot of pavement. I'd guess the front has 80% left at 4500km. I mounted a Pirelli Scorpion Rally 150/70-17 on my extra rear wheel this fall. It seated without too much drama. I might have had to tourniquet the tread circumference to get it started, but I can't be positive. I rode on it a little bit before putting the street wheels back on, and I found handling to be quite acceptable. The 150 tires appear to offer less protection to the rim than the 180s. The Rally currently goes for CDN$140, and the TKC CDN$200 I see that the Kenda Big Block 150/70-17 can be had for CDN$120. I might try that one next. | ||
| Ramman4x4 |
I ran a set of TKC80s on my DR650...they handle equally well both on and off-road. The rear tire started to wear very quickly but it slowed down a lot after the first 50% of tread was worn off. I thought I was going to have to replace them at 2k miles but the rear ended up lasting 4.5k miles and I'm still running the TKC on the front with over 7k miles. The DR is much lighter though, so I wouldn't expect to get that kind of mileage with them on the Ulysses. I like the TKC 80, but it's too much of an off-road tire for what I plan to do with my Ulysses...then again, I have a DR if I really want to get in the rough stuff. At $225 US it's also a lot of money for a relatively low tread life. A good compromise tire is the Avon Distanzia. Lots of Uly owners running them and they get good reviews. From what I have read, people are getting 5-7k miles on them. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/5306/i/avon-a m44-distanzia-rear-tire Metzeler makes the Karoo 3 in a 170/60R17 which is only 0.25" taller and 0.5" narrower than the OEM tire. I can't find any information online of these tires mounted on a Uly so tread life is unknown. http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/57061/i/metze ler-karoo-3-rear-tire?WT.ac=SLIsearch (Message edited by RamMan4x4 on November 23, 2013) | ||
| Goldtooth |
Not a fan of the Scorpion Trails. Crappy mileage (less than 3K) and bad off road. Most likely going back to 616's nate | ||
| Arry |
I'm having better luck with the Scorpion Trial (rear). 5k so far, and I think it will go 2 or 3k more. Still, naming it "Trail" is a bit of a stretch, does OK on gravel, but I would avoid mud, snow,... | ||
| M2nc |
First set of Scorpion Trials on the Uly now. I find them better off road, better wear, but do not stick as well on pavement as the Sync. The Syncs have never failed me on pavement. I have had more sets of Syncs on the Uly, just short of 65k, than any other tire. Tar snakes, wet pavement, cold morning, the Syncs have always felt planted on pavement. Off pavement I found them to dance around more than the original D616 tires. Their side to side traction was not as good, requiring a lot more bar input to keep the front tire gripping. I also found them to be far too thin for any real off-road riding, leaving me to plug several rear tires. I usually get about 4 -4.5k miles on rear Sync (flat spot in the middle). The D616 is still the best wet pavement tire for traction, really not sure about the Trails here. The D616's odd pavement handling characteristic of the tread pattern (lean over and wait for the tires to settle) just did not do it for me. Wear was equal between the D616 and the Sync. Presently, I have 4k miles on the Trail set with about 4mm of tread on the rear tire to the wear bars. I have not done a lot of off road on the Trails but they did impress me in deep gravel and loose dirt the few times I was on it. The bike was stable with very little washing out of the front end. Side to side traction on loose surfaces seems better than the D616 and Sync. Some have stated the Sync tires are no better than any other street tire on dirt, but I found that not to be true on a ride with another Uly rider, with his on PR2. Though the Sync front tire was washing around on a wet mud/gravel road, his front end just gave up all together with no hope of saving it. I think the Trails would do even better in this situation. Like I state before, the pavement traction doesn't inspire as much confidence though. In dry, warm conditions the tires do great. The profile of the tires are better than the Syncs allowing for better line control and modulation. But on tar snakes, cold weather and especially wet weather, the Trail definitely feel like a harder compound tire with some slips, though recoverable. They are not quite as bad as the Stradas, which were on the Uly the day it went off the Dragon, but not the all inspiring feel of the Syncs. With that said the Stradas were good for 5-5.5k miles, which the Trails seem at least on par with. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Carlos, the Syncs are NLA, correct? Sorry to hear the Trails don't seem as good on pavement. I've been running PR3's for the past couple of years and had planned to go back to Pirellis. | ||
| Bigme007 |
thanks for all the replies. FWIW - I am leaning towards the TKC80's or the Avon Distanzia. Both seem like the better options for the type of riding I do. I had the Scorpion Trials on a Tiger 800 and wasnt really keen on them in gravel. I really like the Shinko 705 but not sure I am ok with mounting a 150 where a 180 came from. The Distanzia is a 160 and that is why it lags behind the TKC80 in my decision making. Otherwise it would be the winner in terms of tread and lifespan. Now the decision of whether or not to upgrade to the 2010 wheel with the tire change???? Decisions, decisions, decisions......  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Anybody running Continental Trail Attacks? | ||
| Kag |
Saw this and it does have me thinking...... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85 0805&highlight=groover | ||
| Buewulf |
Saw this and it does have me thinking...... Way too much work for me. It may save money, but the time is more valuable to me. Pretty cool result though. Go with the Distanzia. No issue with the 160, and they look great on the bike. The TKC80 is the best off-road option available by far, but it is overkill for gravel and dirt roads unless you just want the stud-factor that knobs bring to a 500-lb bike. | ||
| Kag |
It might be work but I am thinking of trying it when I order new tires. Just not going to spend the money on some of these high priced tires when the Shinkos have been performing so well. But then again i have always found doing things like as interesting so the time factor is not an issue as I figure I am learning something new. When i am done I will have to post up some photos and a report. I like the TKC80's but its just too much $$ for what you get.....but thats just me | ||
| Bigme007 |
I have to agree that modifying a tire seems like quite a bit of work... although I do also enjoy "projects".. currently I have enough going on to rival a one legged man in an a$$ kicking contest though  I am not going to get into the tires (and possibly wheel) until after the first of the year... hence the research. | ||
| Jetranger_2000 |
love my TKCs handle great feel good love the dirt/mud! and decent on hwy I got them from dual sport plus near hamilton ontario. | ||
| Harleywern |
 The TKC80 was my best investment so far. These tires are "Top of the Line" Ride safe Werner | ||
| Zac4mac |
I was really thinking about a set of TKC-80s but I saw a set with ~3.5k and they were looking rough. Bummed the Syncs are obsolete, I really liked them. zero chicken-strips. Picked up a set of Scorpion Trails wholesale. Can't wait to see tarmac again and get them mounted(we're buried in snow, more on the way). Z |
