Continue TKC 80 question

Has anybody ever ran these on a KLR? If so, any issues with fitment? What kind of mileage should I expect out of them

Thanks!

I can speak to the tire but not on a KLR. Front has good wear life. It will start to look funny like the knobs are changing shape due to breaking. And it will walk under "hard" cornering. They are soft so work well on asphalt just remember they are knobbies. Rear under normal conditions is used up in about half as long as front.
Again I can't talk to KLR but on 1190 R My rear was toast at 3500 miles for off road use. 1/8" center knob left was useless on dirt but could have taken me to work for a few more months.

Of course, subject to right hand.

Hope that helps.

That's not much more miles than I got out of a Shinko on the rear.
Maybe I'll just stick to the cheaper brand!

Thanks!

I ran a TKC on the front of a KLR for a lot of miles. The thing lasted forever. Finally took it off for a more aggressive knob. The only rear TKC's I've ran were on a loaded R1200GS over BDR routes in Colorado and Utah. It did well both on and off road. My only gripe was while going around twisties in the La Sal mtns. near Moab on warm pavement. Made it feel just like I had a front wheel bearing going out. Even pulled over to check. I'm told that's just their nature. My other rear TKC came stock on an 1190R. It did OK for all of about 1600 miles. Was worn out and then had a small rock go through it. I was not favorably impressed. My opinion... there are way better rear tires for the price.

Agree. I think my rear only lasted that long because 1200 of those miles were on dirt in Colorado. I don't think it would last 3500 on just pavement on a big bike. Just like any sticky soft tire. If your not too aggressive then a harder compound will last longer.

Thank you all for the input! I will definitely be doing more research!

I really liked the Dunlop 606s for my KLR. They had good grip on pavement/dirt and decent life. They were not real expensive either. On my KTM 530, I use the Pirelli MT-21s. They are slightly more dirt biased than the D606 and thus don't last as long, especially the rear. But that might also be a result of the KTM putting more power to the ground and me constantly whacking the throttle If I know I am going to be doing mostly dirt, I'd opt for the MT-16 front and MT-21 rear. The 16 has more dirt grip. I rode my KLR pretty hard on dry pavement and never had any issues with the 606s getting squirrely on me, even at big lean angles. The same is true for the Pirellis on my KTM. I used them on many TWISTY roads in Arkansas, Missouri, and North Carolina. I go easy in wet conditions.

For a long time now, I have preferred the TKC 80s on my former 02 1150 GS, 05 1200 GS and my current 07 1200 GS. Recently though, I have been running the Shinko 805 rear with the TKC 80 front. I really like this combo. I could barely get 2500 miles out of a rear TKC 80 if I was lucky. I usually get about 5000-6000 miles from a front. The Shinko seems good for maybe a few more miles, but it is MUCH cheaper than the rear TKC and has pretty much the same performance on dirt/pavement. I have ridden the TKCs pretty aggressively on pavement, to the point of dragging foot pegs AND panniers. On dry pavement, I have never felt them get weird on me. I do not ride them aggressively in wet conditions. They do hum when going down the road, but I expect that from a open tread style tire and it doesn't bother me like it does some folks.