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Conti TKC80s?

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delbuort

delbuort

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I need some opinions here;

I've got a '14 Ducati MTS1200S/GT. It's definitely more of a road bike than a dirt bike but it's still and ADV bike and it's not horrible on the dirt. I just spend about 95% of my time on the tarmac. I've been thinking about putting some Conti TKC80s on it (or something similar) but I don't want to completely ruin the handling on the road. It's got a much smaller front tire than something like a GS has, but that's what makes it handle so well on the road. Anyone used these tires, or the like, on a similar bike? What is your opinion? Would you do it again?
 
I just put them on my KTM 690 and road 300 or so miles with the group through Davy Crocket forest. They did really well on pavement, pretty well on dirt roads, but scary on sand and mud. So it depends on your intended use. I'll have to get something more aggressive for heavy dirt.
 
delbuort said:
I need some opinions here;

I've got a '14 Ducati MTS1200S/GT. It's definitely more of a road bike than a dirt bike but it's still and ADV bike and it's not horrible on the dirt. I just spend about 95% of my time on the tarmac. I've been thinking about putting some Conti TKC80s on it (or something similar) but I don't want to completely ruin the handling on the road. It's got a much smaller front tire than something like a GS has, but that's what makes it handle so well on the road. Anyone used these tires, or the like, on a similar bike? What is your opinion? Would you do it again?
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Have you looked at the TKC-70's? Conti claims they offer the best of the -80's and Trail Attacks.They go up to 170/60 on the rear in 17's.
 
The ones I had on a KLR lasted forever. They were a good dual sport tire but mud is not their friend. :doh:
 
I have used them on an 1150 GS and both of my 1200 GSs. On the GS, they are a fantastic tire. I like them for everything. In mud, you are fighting a big bike with big knobbies, so things aren't so great right from the beginning... :wary: I find them to be great in sand, gravel, dirt, and they are excellent on pavement. The biggest issue for me is that I rarely get more than about 2500 miles out of a back tire and maybe 5000 out of the front. I will admit that I run them pretty hard on pavement though.

This is running a casual pace in Northern Arkansas on the 1150. It was easy to drag the pegs or the Jesse bags with the TKCs on the bike.
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You CAN do mud, you just have to be careful!
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I made it through on my 1150 with TKCs, this 1200 was not so lucky :lol2:
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But... if you play the game long enough... :doh:
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You find out that one of those collapsible army shovels comes in REAL handy!! ;-)

There was a "wee" bit of mud on the climb up this mountain, but it was worth it!!
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But sometimes, even on dry ground... things don't go as planned :doh: :flip:
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The knobs are big, so you feel them when the tire is rolling slow. Once you get moving, it smooths out. There is a bit of noise at speed, but nothing like a regular knobby on a dirt bike. There is no howling.

I have a set on my 07 1200 GS right now.

I rode a LOT of these kinds of roads in North Carolina on the 05 1200 GS with the TKCs and we were running a pretty hot pace at full lean. No problems.
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On my 05 1200 GS, I most recently used the Heidenau K60s for a trip to Utah and Colorado. If you are going to be doing more 50/50 with maybe more street, these are good tires. I found them to be a bit noisier than the TKCs and not as good in sand, but otherwise they did quite well over a wide range of surfaces. Like the TKCs, you will want to avoid any serious mud... The good thing is that they last considerably longer than the TKCs.

Here's a sample of the roads from Utah

US 550 with ice and sand on it, I did tip toe through this because the bike was wiggling around at lean
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Those are K60's on an 09 1200 GS. It was dry packed dirt with ruts and rocks. No problems.
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Same bike on loose crunchy gravel, a wee bit of sliding, but that was fun
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My bike in a mix of sand and small gravel a few inches deep, no problems
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Dry red sand, no problems, but if it had been wet... :eek2:
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Rocky ledges and big loose rocks in dirt, no problems
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Smooth coarse dirt, total blast!
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ONE HUGE ROCK... no problems...
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Loose gravel on hard packed and steep surface with rain, no problems
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Hard packed sand mixed with rocks, no problems
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Miles of DEEP and LOOSE sand with LOTS of ruts... hang on and NEVER let off the gas!!! I was really wishing I had the TKCs here, and this is the smooth easy part where I was able to stop and catch my breath!
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**** tourmeister has been putting them thru yhe ringer!!

Ive got a TKC80 front and a Hinendau K60 rear on my KTM1190, Ive got maybe 200 miles on them so far but they have great road manners. Will put them thru some off roading tests this weekend. A lot of guys on ADVrider love this combo.
 
byrdman said:
**** tourmeister has been putting them thru yhe ringer!!

Ive got a TKC80 front and a Hinendau K60 rear on my KTM1190, Ive got maybe 200 miles on them so far but they have great road manners. Will put them thru some off roading tests this weekend. A lot of guys on ADVrider love this combo.
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I'll vote, too, for that combo, but the new TKC70 on the rear seems at least as good at the K60...
 
Wow, Tourmeister, that's an amazing ride report for the tires.

What kind of ranges do you guys average for the K60s, TKC80s, or TKC70s? I guess I can just experiment around a bit. My stock rear tire size is 190/55 17 and the front is 120/70 17. I haven't really looked at the TKC70s but I'll have to find some reviews of em now I guess. I've got about 3500 on my Pirelli Angel GTs and they've got a LOT of life left on em. They're dual compound so wear really well in the middle of the tread and are crazy sticky on the sides. I ride them pretty hard and they hold up well. They're a phenomenal tire, just not made for dirt is all. Can do wet pavement all day with comfort though.
 
I currently have a TKC80 on the front of my Wee with a Tourance on the back. I have ran that set up before and had no issues with handling. It's a pretty common combo for street with some off road. I haven't tried the TKC 70 yet

Earlier this year I ran K60's front and rear when I headed up north. When I pulled them off they had 9200+ miles on them. I could have probably kept the front on and the rear still had some life in it.
 
Man, all those folks making Starbucks comments about GS riders need to take a look at Tourmeister's pix. Ridin it like he stole it! Awesome.
 
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