Adventure tire comparison test

[Tom G]

Nice, you have to correct the correction. :facepalm

And I even have a set of Metzeler tires on my KTM right now.

Of course I have to correct you, you are insulting my avatar ;-)

 

[HadesOmega]

I'd have to say they are both close ADV tires the TKC-80 and the 805. I've never tried the rear TKC-80 I just know that they wear out kinda fast and the Shinkos are cheaper. Also the conditions I rode were like 80% dirt if that makes a difference.

 

[Jalopyshoppe]

I'd have to say they are both close ADV tires the TKC-80 and the 805. I've never tried the rear TKC-80 I just know that they wear out kinda fast and the Shinkos are cheaper. Also the conditions I rode were like 80% dirt if that makes a difference.

How do you know the 805 and the TKC are close if you've never ridden a rear TKC? Is there ever a time you give advice based on more than speculation and bullshit?
You buy cheap tires... Good for you. Unless you can objectively compare the performance of two comparable products, you're just a jackass running your mouth.

The 805 doesn't have nearly the same latteral grip as the TKC. The 805 doesn't stagger the knobs. They're substantially less stable when riding in ruts or other uneven hard pack. The 805 is also not nearly as high performance on pavement.

Shinko makes a good tire, and an they're an excellent value. But, they're not close to the TKC when it comes to off road performance.

 

[ScottRNelson]

How do you know the 805 and the TKC are close if you've never ridden a rear TKC? Is there ever a time you give advice based on more than speculation and bullshit?
You buy cheap tires... Good for you. Unless you can objectively compare the performance of two comparable products, you're just a jackass running your mouth.

The 805 doesn't have nearly the same latteral grip as the TKC. The 805 doesn't stagger the knobs. They're substantially less stable when riding in ruts or other uneven hard pack. The 805 is also not nearly as high performance on pavement.

Shinko makes a good tire, and an they're an excellent value. But, they're not close to the TKC when it comes to off road performance.

I have compared the two on a KTM 1090 Adventure R. I put 3200 miles on the TKC-80 and 2000 on the 805. The TKC-80 wasn't all that good in ruts and uneven hard pack either. I did a lot of off road miles on both tires. They felt the same to me on twisty roads. I had a hard time telling much difference between the two rear tires.

 

[Jalopyshoppe]

I have compared the two on a KTM 1090 Adventure R. I put 3200 miles on the TKC-80 and 2000 on the 805. The TKC-80 wasn't all that good in ruts and uneven hard pack either. I did a lot of off road miles on both tires. They felt the same to me on twisty roads. I had a hard time telling much difference between the two rear tires.

I found the 805 to be better in loose sand, but it was abysmal in rutted lakebed and sidehills. The rear of the bike had almost non-existent latteral grip.
On road the TKC is a much more competent tire while cornering. The 805 doesn't have much cornering grip, and it's not predictable when sliding on road. The large voids between the lugs are quite noticeable when canyon riding at a spirited pace.
My point of reference is running the 2 brands back to back on my Buell. The TKC's lasted 2500 miles before the rear was worn beyond effective off road tread depth, and the front was quite cupped from braking.
The 805's were similarly worn in 2200 miles, but the rear was very square. The front was less cupped, but I think that's a by product of the lower speeds in the twisties.
The next set of TKC'S lasted 3000 miles, decidedly more square at the end, but higher cornering speeds for sure.
I personally feel the TKC front has much better braking ability and gradual slip than the 805's off road. The Buell's giant rotor and no ABS make front tire grip and pressure much more critical. That bike likes to tuck the front off road, and the TKC's are a really good buffer.
I am currently running a K60 Scout on the rear of the Buell and a TKC in front. The K60 is very smooth on road, and at high speeds on lakebeds. Gravel performance is on par with the TKC'S, and the deep mud performance is also quite good.
The Scout rear is pretty shitty in the wet, however. It feels very unstable on smooth wet pavement. The rubber seems to be very low silicate.
The next 2000 miles will tell more.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I found the 805 to be better in loose sand, [etc.]

Thanks for describing the exact behavior. That is what is missing from a lot of tire opinions. I see way too many posts with this one is great, that one is crap, without explaining why.

 

[Jalopyshoppe]

Thanks for describing the exact behavior. That is what is missing from a lot of tire opinions. I see way too many posts with this one is great, that one is crap, without explaining why.

Thanks for the compliment. Riding lots of miles in the same places and conditions has the benefit of letting me try lots of tires and bikes and have pretty fair comparisons between them.

 

[Gary856]

That's a great tire comparison. I'm glad and disappointed that Shinko 705 is the clear 80/20 winner overall. Glad because they're cheap, and perform well on pavement in my experience (rear only, haven't used the 705 in the front). Disappointed because I'm not that happy with the mileage (around 4k mi) I got out of several 705 rear, and didn't think it was that sure footed on dirt (yes, yes, expecting too much from a 80/20 tire.) I was hoping some of the more expensive tires might be a better value and worth the money, if they performed better and last longer (at least 6k mi). This comparison essentially showed there's no better value out there than the 705s, not even close.

 

[ScottRNelson]

If you're almost all street, the 705 is a great tire. I don't like them off road.

I just finished watching a couple of videos from Revzilla on dual sport tires and adventure tires. Way less useful information there. The Chaparral Motorsports video has convinced me that I will be buying a set of Bridgestone AX41 tires for my KTM when the Karoo 3 tires are done.

 

[RRick]

Building a WR450 into a lite-weight ADV bike. Bought RockyMountain's Tusk D-Sport/adventure tires to try out. No real mileage yet. Only review is that they're heavy/sturdy and excellent price. Not sure if they're up to big ADV bike use.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Building a WR450 into a lite-weight ADV bike. Bought RockyMountain's Tusk D-Sport/adventure tires to try out. No real mileage yet. Only review is that they're heavy/sturdy and excellent price. Not sure if they're up to big ADV bike use.

The biggest rear tire I can get in a D-Sport is a 130. I need a 150. Therefore I'm calling the Tusk a dual sport tire, not an adventure tire.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Nobody asked for it, but I'm going to post the list of 50/50 Adventure tires that Chaparral had in the "Combined Value = Performance + Mileage + Price" category, in order, with best first. I've included price for the size the KTM needs, price for a pair, and some notes I've made to help me remember details important to me.

Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41

Front: 90/90-21 - $86.88 ($111.35 at Cycle Gear)
Rear: 150/70-18 - $143.88 ($123.83 at Cycle Gear)
$230.76 - (Looks knobby similar to TKC-80, bigger blocks)​

Dunlop TrailMax Mission

Front: 90/90-21 - $92.92
Rear: 150/70-18 - $185.84
$278.76 - (Unique big block pattern)​

Motoz Tractionator GPS

Front: 90/90-21 - $102.99
Rear: 150/70-18 - $195.99
$298.98 - (Similar to K60 Scout, but different rear pattern)​

MotoZ Tractionator RallZ Tubeless

Front: 90/90-21 - $107.99
Rear: 150/70-18 - $206.99
$314.98 - (Big block knobby)​

Avon TrekRider Av84/AV85

Front: 90/90-21 - $113.88
Rear: 140/80-18 - $146.88 [Note Size]
$260.76 - (Sort of chevron, bigger block, looks more street oriented)​

Continental TKC80 Tubeless

Front: 90/90-21 - $86.88
Rear: 150/70-18 - $165.97
$252.85 - (Big block knobby)​

Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tubeless

Front: 90/90-21 - $107.99
Rear: 150/70-18 - $202.99
$310.98 - (Kind of big block knobby, wider front to back)​

Michelin Anakee Wild

Front: 90/90-21 - $108.99 (Bias only for 21" front, Radial rear)
Rear: 150/70-18 - $205.99
$314.98 - (Curved knobby look)​

Kenda Big Block Dual Sport K784

Front: 90/90-21 - $70.88
Rear: 150/70-18 - $112.88
$183.76 - (Big block knobby)​

Shinko E-804/E-805

Front: 90/90-21 - $72.88
Rear: 150/70-18 - $116.88
$189.76 - (Kind of copy of TKC-80)​

Metzler Karoo 3 Bias (Radial available in other sizes)

Front: 90/90-21 - $85.97
Rear: 150/70-18 - $189.97
$275.94 - (Curved knobby look)​

Heidenau K60 Scout

Front: 90/90-21 - $92.00
Rear: 150/70-18 - $184.00
$276.00 - (Rib down center of rear, smoother, lasts longer, front chevron)​

 

[matty]

Building a WR450 into a lite-weight ADV bike. Bought RockyMountain's Tusk D-Sport/adventure tires to try out. No real mileage yet. Only review is that they're heavy/sturdy and excellent price. Not sure if they're up to big ADV bike use.

It's been a few months, how do you like them?

 

[D408]

It's been a few months, how do you like them?

Buddy and I put them on our DR650's a few weeks back. We took off on an overnight to big sur and the front tire on both our bikes was horrible! I run a steering damper on my bike, and its almost manageable, but my buddies bike was terrifying on the highway. We adjusted tire pressure, looked at wheel weights, did everything we could think of and finally he took his off and went back to a Shinko 244....feels fine now. Both of us had them professionally mounted and balanced. I really wanted to like them, the price is right, most say they hold up, but I can't deal with the constant shake (my last tire was a Scorpion so im not a newbie to running knobbies on the street). On grooved pavement they are downright scary. I just ordered a 244 and im replacing my front tire after less than 1k miles.

 

[matty]

Buddy and I put them on our DR650's a few weeks back. We took off on an overnight to big sur and the front tire on both our bikes was horrible! I run a steering damper on my bike, and its almost manageable, but my buddies bike was terrifying on the highway. We adjusted tire pressure, looked at wheel weights, did everything we could think of and finally he took his off and went back to a Shinko 244....feels fine now. Both of us had them professionally mounted and balanced. I really wanted to like them, the price is right, most say they hold up, but I can't deal with the constant shake (my last tire was a Scorpion so im not a newbie to running knobbies on the street). On grooved pavement they are downright scary. I just ordered a 244 and im replacing my front tire after less than 1k miles.

Geez! Good to know, sorry you were the guinea pig.

 

[Cabrito]

I just put another one of these MotoZ Tractionator Adventure on the rear.


The last one went 5275 miles and probably could have lasted another 1K, but I'm about to leave on a six day trip so I changed it out.

I'm real happy with this tire on all surfaces.

 

[D408]

So I swapped my front Tusk tire with a Shinko 244, the death wobble stopped almost entirely. I left the Tusk rear on and while I still feel a little bit of unsettling above 80, its nothing like it was before. If anybody is considering the tusk adv tires, I would stay away. There are a lot of people saying the set they got work well to 100mph, but that wasn't our experience. Im thinking its just a bad batch, but still not acceptable.

 

[ScottRNelson]

If you're riding very often above 80, you might want to check out the top speed rating of the 244. They're not designed for high speed running.

 

[D408]

If you're riding very often above 80, you might want to check out the top speed rating of the 244. They're not designed for high speed running.

Most of the time I stay around 70ish. On rare occasion we get the DR's up to 80, but its usually just to pass. That being said, maybe its back to another Scorpion or a D606.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41

Front: 90/90-21 - $86.88 ($111.35 at Cycle Gear)
Rear: 150/70-18 - $143.88 ($123.83 at Cycle Gear)
$230.76 - (Looks knobby similar to TKC-80, bigger blocks)​

Got the new tires installed today. Went for a short ride on them to go fill the bike up with gas. The price of the rear tire went up by a significant amount, but I needed the tires and wanted them mounted at Cycle Gear, so I just paid it (buy once, cry once).

The only thing I've noticed so far is that at 38 mph the tires put out a significant whine. Speed up by five or slow down by five and it goes away, but it's loud at the right speed. I probably won't even notice it when I'm wearing earplugs as I normally do.