I'm going touring around Europe for 3 months covering something like 3k to 4k miles and I'll certainly encounter some light off road. I don't need a better-than-the-Scorpion dirt tyre, I just need something than can cope with a bit of gravel and ruined tarmac. I know my Angel GT will definitely struggle with that and I really don't wanna risk it when I'll be heavily and preciously loaded with missus + full luggage. I also don't wanna lose the thrill and the confidence on road (especially when cornering) and I know the best option would be the Scorpion Trail but I've got the feeling they won't even last for the length of the trip... it would be nice at least to get back home with the same set of tyres, right? The only other alternative for us Multi owners seems to be the Continental TKC80. Like the Pirellis, they are performance tyres and surely they're not famous for endurance... So my questions to whoever has the Conti, whenever applicable, are: How many miles have you done so far? At what mileage did you change them (without counting the miles you squeezed after they became illegal )??? Performance wise, I read they're quite off road orientated but how do you actually find them on the tarmac? How would you compare them to the Pirelli Angel GT (or any other touring tyre) on road in dry/wet? Eventually, how would you compare them with the Scorpions in general? Cheers.
I went to morocco with a guy on TKC's on a BMW R1200 GS, they lasted the trip with not much tread to spare, that was about 3,500 miles, but they are more an off road tyre than the scorpions or angels. I remember he was ok in the dry but not as confident as usual, in the wet though he was really nervous, would I put them on my Multi - definitely not although others might have good experiences.
Cool, thanks for the answer So they last very little too!? I'm more keen on the Scorpions now. The problem with them is I can't figure out an average... I'd say between 3k and 4k although someone has even mentioned 2k miles and that scares me... I should just risk it, shouldn't I?
Not sure from your original post if you've got a route planned or are going to head where the mood takes you each day? If it's the former and you have a rough idea where you'll be at certain mileage, why not do a bit of homework before you depart on bike/tyre dealers in the vicinity at 2000, 2500, 3000 mile points etc? That way, if the tyre(s) are looking seriously dodgy, you have an option of replacing them en-route rather than running on wires on the trip back home?
TKCs are proper knobblies - high speed tarmac use wears them out very fast indeed, they're also speed rated for 99mph. I got about 3k out of the set my GSA came with. What about their TrailAttack 2s?
That's exactly what I'm going to do, thanks! The only thing I need to understand now is: are the Scorpion effectively better off road than the Angel GT? Is it actually worth fitting them to face some light dirt? Will I really notice a difference on gravel or shall I just stick with the touring tyres? Sorry for bombarding you guys but I'm getting nervous more and more
I am toying with the idea to get a set of TKC80 for my planned run into Xinjiang province... decisions ~ decisions... Ducati and TKC80 review: Continental TKC 80 Twinduro Tire Review | Canyon Chasers Motorcycle Sport Touring
Got 2700 miles from the OE scorpion tyres. Actually really rated them for wet and dry grip (once warmed up). Problem was dramatic and uneven wear on the front tyre at the sides. Performance dropped away suddenly around 2k as well. In defence (of the tyres?) 1200 miles were fast progressive miles around Scotland on a long weekend tour/blast. I have read that the roads are more abrasive, not sure if this is true and the tyres 'could' last longer. I was lightly loaded though and think you may run in to longevity problems with the miles and load you have planned.
Wow, I didn't consider the TrailAttack 2. Oddly if you search by manufacturer they're not listed for the Multi... but apparently they've got the 120/70x17 and the 190/55x17 At this point it's Scorpion vs TrailAttack and apparently the general opinion is that the Contis are better in performance on road (but still enough for gravel and stuff) and should also last longer then the Pirellis... mmm
I'm confused again I phoned the tyre guy and he thinks that the TrailAttack2 won't offer a big improvement off road compared to the Angel GT so he suggested I stick with the touring tyre. Shyte... what do you guys think? Anyone had experience with the TrailAttack?
Ok... final thoughts: Some mates whom I like to consider touring masters told me that, practicly, dual sport tyres are a bit useless. Compared to touring tyres, they offer shorter milage, worse on-road and pretty much same off-road peformance. Do you agree?
It really depends on what you are going to do. How much time are you going to be on the road compared to off it be it gravel or broken tarmac. I'd rather have a good sports touring tyre Pr3's,BT30's etc and enjoy the road element. Just look at where Nick Saunders or even Teapot 1 have been and that's on sportbikes with road tyres. Don't get caught up with the GS Ewan/Charley thing unless you need or want to. Just my humble opinion of course.
Thanks to everyone who opened my eyes... Actually, my final decision is: I'll stick with the beloved Pirelli Angel GT Cheers
It's amazing what you can do when the bike isn't yours and/or you don't give a shit about its condition.
Hi Slug, Without knowing your route and plans it would be hard to give you concrete advice on what tyre would suit best, however from experience it is highly like that you will have to cover a high percentage of your planned mileage on good tarmac just to get from the channel to any interesting gravel or broken roads and then back therefore you might be best considering a decent touring tyre as that is what you will do most, particularly 2 up. Just to give you an idea, in 2012 i went on my MTS to Russia, covering 6000 miles over 10 days riding of a 16day trip to the WSB in Moscow Raceway. I knew i would be riding through the mountains in Ukraine between the border and Lviv on much the same route as LWR and I subsequently covered roughly about 200miles on gravel roads and broken tarmac, doing something the same in off the beaten track areas in Russia, but I still chose the Michelin Pilot Road 3, which was superb for everything. The PR3 performance throughout the entire trip was faultless, high speed autobahn runs through Germany, scratching on the Nurburgring and Eiffel region, high speed touring in blistering heat through CZ Rep & Slovakia, gravel and broken roads in parts of Ukraine, generally crap roads in Russia and then fast motorway runs in torrential rain (awesome tyre for this) through Finland, Sweden and Denmark to get back home and the PR3's took them all on in its stride, and even took me through to the next service 650 miles after i got back home. It's all up to what you feel most confident with under your bike, just do the maths with a good degree of realism about how much time you will really spend of road, bearing in mind that the MTS is first and foremost built for tarmac. Have a great trip whatever your choice. Ogie
