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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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The XT has a well-worn pair of TrailWings on, which I am not too keen on. They will need replacing before too long, so I'm up for a bit of advice.
I quite fancy the Continental TKC80s, although I have to admit this is for the looks more than anything. I don't do any serious off-roading, just the occasional bit of light green-laning. Most of the mileage is the daily commute on main and back roads, wet and dry, clean and filthy/muddy depending on the weather and what the farmers are carrying about this week. A few big names come to mind:
Michelin Anakee
Dunlop Trailmax
Avon Distanzia
Metzeler Enduro 3
Michelin Sirac
Metzeler Tourance
I have heard both good and bad about all of these. I suppose if I ignore the looks, then what I am after is grip on the tarmac. Mileage is secondary. But if anyone told me that the Contis were OK on the road, then I'd probably go for them  Bear in mind that my only big off was on knobblies in the wet, though - I get nervous around big gaps in the tread
Endo - have you any pearls to offer on this one? Or anyone else? All suggestions welcome.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 9th February 2010 23:22
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| Well, not having any kind of an off-road bent myself, I'd probably plump for Tourance EXPs. Mostly gleaned from the biking press, rather than my own experience, to be fair, but they seem to be the purest road tyre of the lot (although if you're green-laning, the Enduro Saharas would possibly be the better choice out of the Metzeler stable). The consensus seems to be that the TKCs are more off-road with some tarmac abilities, so possibly the wrong bias for what you're after: I'm not sure I'd want that tread pattern underneath me on-road! Usually hear Bridgestone BattleWings and Michelin Anakees spoken of as good primarily-road tyres, roughly equivalent to the Tourances but pricier. Again, personal opinion, but I've always found (modern, at any rate) Metzelers to be stable in all conditions with no hideous surprises to spring, so I'd be quite happy to go with one of their range.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Thanks for the advice bud. I had a pair of Tourances on the XT660R on which I returned to biking a few years ago. They didn't give any problems, but on the other hand I was getting back into riding after a ~10 year gap, so I was hardly throwing it about. (That came with the next bike, the Bandit.) I think I need to be honest with myself and go for road-biased tyres, although I just love the look of chunky knobblies on a trail bike. I have never ever ridden on Metzelers, so that would be a new one for me. I guess it will come down to price and availability. I do like the look of the Enduro Saharas, though. Perhaps they would be a good compromise between my actual and fantasy needs.
On another matter, I am feeling quite proud of myself just now. The rear wheel of the XT was very unstable with a lot of loose spokes. I tried tightening them up, but they were mostly seized, and then they started to break one by one. So I bought some new spokes and rebuilt the wheel, even making myself a truing jig out of wood offcuts to do so. That was a first for me - I've built bicycle wheels before, but never a motorcycle wheel. With the newly-painted hub and de-rusted rim, and 36 lovely polished stainless spokes, it looks marvellous. And it handles now, too A new set of boots would set it off perfectly.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 9th February 2010 23:22
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| Nice work - perhaps needs a picture post once the re-rubbering's done? If it was a vote on looks alone, the TKCs would win hands-down...it's almost a shame that that isn't the only consideration!
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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Yes, I'll post a piccy when I get it all sorted. Today, however, I have a mystery misfire which needs attending to first. I'll make a separate post on that; perhaps you might have an idea what's going on
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 9th February 2010 23:22
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| Speaking of new tyres...had my RF re-shod with BT020s yesterday and am busy enjoying the experience. I knew the Shinko Podiums it came with were rubbish (I mean, Shinko? Who???), but it took a comparison to realise exactly how utterly rubbish they were. Even unscrubbed and in the obligatory take-it-easy period, the Bridgestones are just serene and unruffled by (to be fair, not extreme) conditions that had the Shinkos scrabbling for grip and twitching all over the shop. I knew I hated budget tyres for a good reason! Look forward to seeing your handiwork, BD.
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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Well, here's the old one:
And here's the new:
I think I've got them the right way round The new one's had a couple of mucky journeys since I fitted it, so it doesn't look quite as shiny as I had hoped.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Oops - you were asking for a pic with the new tyres, and I have posted the rebuild with the new spokes. Sorrreeeeee.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 9th February 2010 23:22
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To be fair, I was more interested in the rebuild than the tyres! That's a neat job - looks so much better than the OEM shot...and I don't think anyone should ever worry about having a slightly less than pristine machine. They're there to be used. Very clean bikes make me think that someone hasn't learned that particular lesson yet...
>> ex silens nox noctis <<
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Supreme Being
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Last Login: 21st November 2009 09:38
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Heh, thanks. It was very good to have the hub separated from the rim, and be able to clean it down and repaint it. I like clean wheels, but the effort and skinned knuckles involved in getting them just isn't worth it, in my view. So my wheels tend to remain grubby - or at least as clean as they can be with a spray of Muc-Off and a pressure hose That's why I opted for stainless spokes - good looks, zero maintenance. I also took the opportunity to wire-brush some of the rust and crud from the 'crotch' of the swinging arm, where it had started to deteriorate, and put a fresh coat of paint on there too. It's only a patch, but it's better than nothing.
One day, I'm going to strip it down completely and refurb the entire bike. I think it's worth it. It won't be a showroom or concours effort, though. I will be rebuilding it for regular use, and make some modifications to make it more reliable and robust, and weatherproof (although it's all those things already).
I now have a new reg/rec on order, so by tomorrow night I should know if it is a goer again, or not.
--
2003 ST1300 Pan Euro
1995 Yam XT600E
http://goingfastgettingnowhere.blogspot.com/
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