What's next?

[haulin' daze]

Tire guide has been very helpful but I still need a little help. I use my 05 to go 50 miles roundtrip to work as often as possible. Pretty much all highway. Different hours, so some days are bumper to bumper, some 85 mph. 95% of my riding is doing just this.

I have 9200 miles on her and the Anakees are gettin'
really close to being done. Truthfully, they lasted a helluva' lot longer than I expected.

My question is: What should my next set of tires be?

I'm impressed by the mileage of the Anakees, but the grip in wet/dry has always made me wonder if there's something better. I barely ever venture close to "off-road" (at least not right now).

I'm looking for something high mileage, on-road, not a whole lot-o-twisties, money isn't too much of an object.

Could it be I need Michelin Pilot Road IIs, or Tourences? I don'tknow 'cause all I've known on this bike are the Anakees.

Thanks for all comments/suggestions.

Oh, and Boston traffic nearly kills me every day (Woman with cell phone in one hand, Dunkin' Donuts cup in the other, looking at GPS...).

[Dr. Mordo]

I have always heard the Tourance and Anakee compared as pretty similar, but the Anakee is sticker, so has slightly more grip but less mileage. (BTW, I'd stay away from the Tourance EXP; no one likes them including me)

I have Pirelli Scorpions on my F650 right now, it is seems like a very high quality tire, but is not high milage.  The most I've heard of anyone getting is 8k.

A tire on my short list is the Avon Distanzia.  They look a little lame in tire store pics, but in real life they are pretty tough.  They are supposed to be pretty high quality and medium mileage (about like the Pirelli).

[JetdocX]

The scorpions don't come in Tiger sizes.  

I would second the distanzias and maybe the Avon gripsters for your purpose.

I'll be trying the Trail Attacks for my next set, but they are going to have to be really good to beat the Anakees I have worn out after 10,000+ miles.

[Dr. Mordo]

The Scorpions come in one size smaller, so you'd have to buy a 100/90R19 and a 130/80R17.  

It's not ideal, but certainly will work.

[pit0rz]

I've got about 4500 miles on my Avon Distanzias.  A mix of commuting / sport riding / dirt-gravel roads (breakdown is probably 45/45/10) and I'm very happy with them so far.  The front still looks brandy new, the rear is showing a little wear but still looks great.
Also, I'm pretty good about keeping the tire pressure where it should be.  The key to long tire life AFAIK

my $0.02

[Sasquatch]

I am about as hard on tires as you can be.  I have never got more than 3,000 miles out of any rear tire.  I have run Scorpion ST, Tourance, Maxxis, and Michelin.  My last rear tire, the Maxxis Presa Detour, while I liked it, was showing cords at 1800 miles.

I recently installed a rear Continental Trail Attack to see if the more street oriented tire could last longer than 3k.  Well, I am at just over 3k now and it is just starting to flat spot.  I am probably only 40% into the wear of the tire.  That means I should easily be able to hit 6k on this tire.  That is amazing for me on my bike.

How does it work?  In a word, fantastic.  It is the smoothest tire I have used.  It allows me to drag pegs with confidence and still feels confidence inspiring in the wet.  Off road it is not as good as the Maxxis, but acceptable for light duty dirt road adventures if ridden accordingly.

[Mustang]

Tires that work very well vs. tires that last a long time are two completely different beasts .

a soft gummy tire will stick to anything dirt or tar , but won't last long and a tire with big ass knobs will work great in dirt and SNOW but won't last long on pavement .

So it boils down to what do you want out of a tire ? Mileage or grip !

[Sasquatch]

Tires that work very well vs. tires that last a long time are two completely different beasts .

a soft gummy tire will stick to anything dirt or tar , but won't last long and a tire with big ass knobs will work great in dirt and SNOW but won't last long on pavement .

So it boils down to what do you want out of a tire ? Mileage or grip !

On paper, I totally agree with this.  But I seem to have found the tire that does both in my post above.  It does lack in dirt though.

[Mustang]

I will have to try a set of the conti's ,steamer is looking for tires again !

[JetdocX]

But how does it compare to the Anakee in dirt?  My bike needs new shoes, too. 8)

[haulin' daze]

I've read a little more on the Trail Attacks since I've asked the question. Seem like they are the #1 candidates for me, unless someone has a horror story about them.

Oh, and I'll buy anything that Sasquatch gives a thumbs up to!  

[REGULATOR]

Ivebeen checking htem out, can't decide, I love the look of the TKC-80s but honestly I have no business takign a 500 pound bike off road anywhere that would require those...

so the trail attacks seem interesting.