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The never ending "which tire" dielema for the GS.

dougfollett

New member
So I have my new to me 1992 R100GS and she needs a new pair of shoes. I'm probably going to ride mostly on pavement but the little riding I do off road I want to have reasonable traction. Does it make sense to have a 50/50 tire for the off road traction even if you ride mostly on the highway? I'm looking at a pair of Heidenau K60s which seem some what similar in apearance to the Metzler Sahara's. Is that a decent tire for a guy who's only off road excursions will be logging roads? I like the Tourance but am wondering if it will be ok in gravel? I'm neither a fast nor a daring rider so I won't be dragging the pegs on the highway or in the dirt but I don't want to get the wrong tire. I think I have looked at too many tires and lost my way.
 
for mostly road riding with just a touch of true GS activity, i found the BStone BattleWings to be pretty nice. (Came stock on my F800GS). Got about 8500 miles out of them, probably could have pushed to an even 9K if i was feeling really lucky about life. the general knock on them is that they are not real good in greasy off-road conditions- mud, slick grass, etc. i got them into some deep gravel, minor mud and general use fire-roads and they were fine.
 
...I don't want to get the wrong tire. I think I have looked at too many tires and lost my way.

There is no "wrong" tire grasshopper. Pick one, use it, if it doesn't perform the way you want; pick another one.

Just remember; when you find the "right" tire, the manufacturer will discontinue it. ;)
 
At $250 a pair I think I would like to do a little more research and collect some more opinions. If it were tennis shoes I might. I tend to over analyze things but in the end I usually make the right choice.
 
for an inexpensive but pretty fine tire, try the Shinko 705. Best price i found for my F800Gs size was jsut under $100 the pair from Chapparell. not sure if still at that price, but certainly will come in under the $250 + of most other brands. it's about a 50/50, but you can afford to burn up a bit on the tarmac at less than half pricing compared to most others.
 
FWIW, I'm going to the Mefo Explorers next time. My Gripsters just don't have enough grip for me, and they don't last more than 7000 miles.
Tom
 
So I have my new to me 1992 R100GS and she needs a new pair of shoes. I'm probably going to ride mostly on pavement but the little riding I do off road I want to have reasonable traction. Does it make sense to have a 50/50 tire for the off road traction even if you ride mostly on the highway? I'm looking at a pair of Heidenau K60s which seem some what similar in apearance to the Metzler Sahara's. Is that a decent tire for a guy who's only off road excursions will be logging roads? I like the Tourance but am wondering if it will be ok in gravel? I'm neither a fast nor a daring rider so I won't be dragging the pegs on the highway or in the dirt but I don't want to get the wrong tire. I think I have looked at too many tires and lost my way.

Pretty much how I'd sum up my riding style too. Maybe we should meet up and ride the Olympics this summer.

I have been happy with the set of Avon Distanzias on my GSPD. I've also been impressed with how well TKC80s do on the street (currently on my F650 Dakar) though I did pick up a couple of MPG on the GS when I switched to the Avons.
 
Anakee for 3rd season now

After trying various tires over 20 years on my R100GS I currently like the Michelin Anakee. Very good grip on paved surface and straight handling on dirt roads. Lasts typically 9,000miles (rear).

The Tourance developed an odd wear after a few thousand miles and with this the front tire started to "sing" in curves. Not so the Anakee.

/Guenther
 
Now there's one I hadn't researched yet. The Anakee. It looks to be very well rated and most everything I am looking for including a decent price. I assume that the Anakee 2 is the replacement for the Anakee? Also if I have the tubless spoked rims on my 1992 R100GS which tire do I get? Is there a tubeless and a tubed version?
 
The Anakee is a great tire, softer than the Tourance, excellent offroad. Dunno about the /2 version.
 
I just ordered these:

1 x MICHELIN ANAKEE 130/80HR-17 REAR (AR51) = $122.30
1 x MICHELIN ANAKEE 90/90HB-21 FRONT (AF01) = $98.23

...from www.americanmototire.com.

They are tubeless, rated the right max mph for the R100GS.

/Guenther
 
If achieving 7K+ miles isn't the main goal and good road and dirt grip is what you are after I would say absolutely go with the TKC80's

I've run the Griptwister Olympic Loop numerous times and I can say that the TKC burns it up on the pavement and is waaaay ahead of the other "dual sport" tires such as the deathwings and anakee's in terms of dirt and gravel grip.

I am happy to buy a rear every 4K and a front every 7K to get the maximum grip these give on all surfaces.
 
I have been happy with the set of Avon Distanzias on my GSPD. I've also been impressed with how well TKC80s do on the street (currently on my F650 Dakar) though I did pick up a couple of MPG on the GS when I switched to the Avons.

I have been extremely happy with both the Avon Distanzia and the Avon Gripster. Both are excellent value for the money, with the Gripster a bit more aggressive for off pavement riding. The Distanzia is a very practical tire if you are doing more pavement than backroad/off road riding.

I have found an average of around 7500-8000 miles for either tire before needing to change.

Neither tire is really designed for completely riding off road in dirt/ sand/ mud, but can handle a bit of these conditions.
 
Finally ended up ordering a pair of the Michilen Anakee 2. The Anakee was replaced by the Anakee 2. I'm looking forward to trying them out. The price was right and from what everyone is saying, it's a good all around tire. They were hard to find though.
 
At least I thought I ordered them. Tuns out that the front tire is unavailable nation wide. I called several large distributors. Since I have the Anakee 2 rear coming, would it be advisable to purchase the original Anakee for the front? The Anakee 2 replaced the original Anakee. I think part of the difference is that the 2s wear better.
 
I just got off of the phone with Michelin and they said that they didn't have a date for when my tire would be available but that the same tire in an S rating (faster) would be available in July. I then asked them about the advisability of using the Anakee 2 on the rear and the Anakee on the front and they said it was not advisable. Guess I'll have to wait until July. Meantime I have some 50/50 Dunlap's that are in good shape that I can use. Bummer. The Gripsters on there now are shot.
 
Horenga,

that's the reason why I didn't order the Anakee 2: UNAVAILABLE, yet. And because I used the previous Anakee with satisfaction I didn't bother to wait for the -2 version.

/Guenther
 
I thought I had found a dealer with them in stock. As it turns out not all dealer's Web sites are up to date as to stock availability. The tires came up as available at check out but I was notified by email that the front was unavailable. It pays to call and confirm availability.
 
R100GS tires mix bias ply front with radial rear?

I'm researching new tires for my 1991 R100GS, and it looks like the best rated tires from Metzeler and Michelin (the Tourance, and Anakee) offer me a bias ply front 90/90-21 with radial rear 130/80-17.

After all of the warnings I have seen regarding mixing the radials and non-radials, I find this rather odd. Any thoughts?
 
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