Tires for the LC8 overview

you must have a smooooth throttle hand

The SE's on my 950 were new when I left for Alaska. Since most of the running was tarmac I set the pressure to 35psi on both ends. By 2800 miles in Fairbanks the front had noticeable cupping on the sides though the center tread was wearing flat and even. After 6350 miles it was toast and I changed for the only tyre in stock at Forest Power Products in Pr George, a TKC 80. The rear lasted for 7785 miles when I changed both out for a new set of Scorpions for the slab riding the rest of the way home.

i just got back from a 4 day twisty pavement ride, before i left i installed a coni trail attack front and a avon am 26 road rider on the rear in the stock sizes for my 04 adv s, i had a decent load with both gobies loaded and a pelican top loaded with my sleeping bag rolled up behind me (not the weee little sleeping bag either, this one is as big as a doorway unrolled and keeps me warm to 0 degrees....wait no keeps me sweating unless im down to my boxers till the 20 something degree mark then add some more clothes lol). i wasnt going offroad and i didnt plan on it at all these tires had to be good ON road thats it because i wanted a good sport touring tire for it. i can say they performed way better than i had thought they would, my buddy behind me on his zx14 said i was maybe 2" away from dragging the gobi's:eek1 in the corners, the tires had great stick and never spun up the whole trip, even with full throttle corner exits. on 1 day i did leave the side bags and sleeping bag off back at a hotel, and it was even better without the extra weight. 1 day was almost a full rain day and they worked nicely aswell in the rain, i did have 1 time where both wheels slid but i had just hit a gouge that was cut in the road by something so it wasnt the tires fault.

i was able to reach the tire edge on the coni on the front but that avon is realy realy optimistic on what kinda angles you can hit lol there is a good inch to 2 inches of unused tread out to the sides lol

ohh we crossed from the LP in MI to the UP and the steel grate made that avon realy nervous when i was on it the coni wasnt but the back was noticable, i crossed several other steel grate bridges on the way up and back from indiana and none of the others did i feel it on.

Anybody try these?



More info here.

Just ordered the 140/80-18 from moto superstore. They say they'll be here by the end of the week if they can get them from their warehouse.

And yes, I ordered the 140 because I'm a cheap fuck. It was $95 OTD rather than $192. According to the wiki page on tire codes, it's a 70R, so if I'm reading it correctly it's 740lbs @ 106mph.

Well, we'll see...

But the tire cross section will be incorrect because the rear wheel is about 2" too wide for a 140/80 tire. I know people do it for off road tires where where the cross section is less of an issue, but on pavement it could be a problem when you lean the big bike way over at speed.

No worries, I purely stick to the center part of the tire. When I come to corners I stop and spin the bike on the side stand.

I've been running the same dimension Tractionater over the last year and haven't had any problems so far (and yes, I've read the company says not to) even with high speed and high temperatures. I also plan on lacing up some new wheels with a more appropriate sized rim for this tire, so it'll make it on there before too long.

Speaking of cheap - I've read so many different answers to this I thought I'd just ask again. What range are people getting on the Scorpion MT90 A/T rears? I don't really like the tire, I ride off road in mud a lot, so the TKC80 works much better for me. But I am going on a 3700 mile (6000 km) straight highway ride, and I have two MT90's sitting in the garage, one is brand new, one has 2/3 of the tread left. I'd rather use up the old one, then sell the new one. Seems people are getting at least 5000 miles from them; this is on a 2005 950 Adventure. Opinions? Thanks!

How hard are you on the throttle? I get about 3000 miles out them - two up.

This will be an easy on the throttle highway trip; I've seen everything from 2500 - 7500 miles quoted on the site here, that's why I don't know which way to go. I don't want two partially worn tires after this...what front do you run with them? I was going to take off my TKC80 front as well, was thinking of putting a K60 Scout on the front, then change the rear to the same when I got back.

I have run all sorts on the two of these I have had.

For the last 6 months in North America I have used 3 sets of Scorps front and back (all two up) and now I think about it I got closer to 5000 miles out of them, 16,000 miles for those 3 sets (front and back) and another 7000 odd out of a set of K60s. The highways in the US are fairly gentle on tyres compared to Australian and Russian ones, I normally sit on around 70-80mph on the paved roads here and as fast as can on gravel roads without being stupid.

Normally in Aus I get 2000-3000 miles out a set of tyres depends on what and where. K60 was completely bald after 6000 miles in Russia and Kaz.

BTW I like the K60, it is a nice 50/50 tire.

Lots of people recommend T63 Michelin on the front for a good combo with the K60 Scout on the rear.
Cheers.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm going to put the used MT90 on, keep the pressure high-ish (38) and see if I make it. I looked at it again and it is probably closer to 3/4 new. This is sort of a banzai run, a work related excuse to ride 6000 km in 7 days. The bike is new to me so I want to test everything out in the US before Alaska or South America. The TKC80 on the front now has the weird wear pattern from under inflation, so probably will use the new one of those I have. Then a K60 on the back and try something different on the front.

I'll post the results when (if) I get back!

Recommended pressure for the front tyre on road use is 34psi.
Just saying.
Cheers

Went from the scorps to the k60 scouts. I like them for the most part, way better in the dirt than the scorps. I am confused on one thing though. I ride the pavement twisties hard and am using all of the front tire up while having quite a bit left on the rear- 1/2" to 3/4"chicken strips on rear. Never had tires this far off front to back. When leaned over the k60s rear does step out nice though but can be spooky sometimes.



Buggy

Yeah, that sounds more reasonable. Mounted the MT90 tonight, looks good, but I am re-thinking putting the TKC80 on the front. Maybe get something more highway oriented for the ride. Looks like I'll be getting a lot of rain...the T63's would be good with a K60 rear, but what are people matching with a MT90 on the back for highway use?

Also Conti TKC80 has good road manners but supposed to be very soft-quickly wearing.
Cheers.

Conti's fronts wear almost twice as fast on the pavement as a T63. I found them to cup really bad compared to the T63 even when pressured properly. I know this from personal experimentation. 5000 miles of HOT pavement on a T63 vs 3000 on a Conti. A rear combo for a T63 would be users discretion... Depends on what you plan to ride. Dirt I'd run a 908 or 606 if you have a skinnier rim than the stock rear rim. If not a TKC80 or Karoo T/Karoo 2. 50/50 riding I'd take a Sahara or Heidenau again for a skinnier rim.

Which Heidenau are you guys fitting? 140 or 150?
Im torn on what to get. The 150 handle gravel ok with the center tread?
Or do I get a Mitas 150 to match the Mitas front?
Prices here are K60 150 $300, K60 140 $218, Mitas 150 similar.
990, usage 80/20 road/gravel

Depends on your rims. Do you have the stock 4.5" rear rim? If so, stick with the 150 as the slimmer you go the less round the tire will be. Off road you want a round profile for improved contact with the ground. Stick with the recommended tire size for the rim and you'll be good to go. Get a skinnier rear rim and you can run all the fun knobby 130/80/18's you want (but they won't last on pavement, lol!)

If you are 80/20 road/off road I would suggest something less aggressive even. Tourances, Conti Escapes, Michilin Anakee's or Metz Karoo T's (if you absolutely HAVE to have a knobby looking tire) would be an 80/20 tire for me. They will last LOTS longer on pavement and gravel is rideable with all of the above. Just don't get in the mud with the Tourances, lol! Fwiw, if the bike lives primarily on pavement I would lean my tire choice more towards that end than to sacrifice handling and live with knob-roar just for the sake of having knobbies on. The 990 is a beast on any surface so tune it for what you ride, Just my 0.02

Cheers!