Getting blinged up, now need tyre advice.......

[greg]

My '04 is undergoing the transformation from standard to 'desert bling special' for the Timbuktu trip, I now need to sort the tyres.

The going will include proper roads steadily getting crapper finishing with piste and some soft sand.

Your tyre choice would be.................?

Your advice gratefully received :D .

[Jim S]

It's got to be TKC80's , for tar roads I would recommend Michelin Anakees but for more offroad use definitely Cotinental TKC80's.



Just my opinion, but heaps of folk are going over to them, I might consider a set for next year to do the Stella Alpina!

[greg]

Cheers, will give them a try, will be doing some mucky stuff  :twisted: in October and will report back.

[Advwannabe]

Hi Greg,



Surprised you haven't been innundated with advice from all these off road tigger riders  :D



I started my trip with Tourances and finished with Anakees. They were both fine on hardpack and over the rocks with about 18 psi in them However........



On the Gibb River road the corrugations were nasty, 4-6" deep in places. I spent hours standing up in the saddle. The Tourances didn't give me much confidence. It was a battle to keep the rear hooked up, definately needed something nobbier.



They were also not much chop in bulldust or sand. I didn't try anything more offroad oriented because the trip was only 1500ks of dirt and 11500 of bitumen. Wear was good on both sets, 14000k for the Tourances, Anakees still have plenty of life at 9000



Short answer, you need something more dirt oriented than these for your trip.



Cheers, Russell

[TigerTrax]

At the Durango Tiger Ride-In a rider from Salt Lake City showed up with some VERY NARLY Czech tires called MITAS... they looked like they would paddle in water.... I cannot se him getting stopped by mud or rock...

$250 a set deliverd to USA.

[tcowjww]

Another vote for the TKC80s here.



I've a friend who takes his 1200GS and his girlfriend's 650GS offroad regularly and both are shod in TKC80s.  I've got his word for how good they are offroad (certainly one of the best offroad tyres you can get in 19") and I had a go on the road with them and was *amazed* at how good the grip was for knobbies.

[greg]

I will be going with the TKC80's as I have been off road in the mud with Tourances and realise they are not the answer, thanks for all the input.

[JRO]

..... crapper finishing with piste and some soft sand.

Your tyre choice would be.................?

Your advice gratefully received :D .

I wish you the best of luck, but I wouldn't advice anyone to take a Tiger into sand, whatever tires.  I've found that to be a no-no for my '06.

[travelinbob]

TKC80's. I use them on my KLR600. They require effort to break them away. Very predictable. I've taken them all through West Viginia USA-dirt roads, logging roads, hiking trails, through 1 foot deep mud bogs-always sure-footed and they stick. I have about 6000 mi on them, rears are down to 3mm, but still good traction-fronts look new.