K60: cheaper option to Mefo explorer 130-17" & 21" available now.

heads up to all you dr, klr, 650gs and other riders>>>

in case you thumper guys are missing this beast thread below.
like mefo http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productlist/765/ heidenau http://moto-amore.com/heidenau/index.html is a german company with a similar tread.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=463611
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=443958

here's a 140 on a strom
the beast crowd is chomping at the bit for the 150-17" & 19" to show.

...have similar tread pattern to the Explorers. The 110's are cheap as well. Another similar treaded tire is the Metzler Enduro 3 Sahara - but not so cheap.

I tried some two years ago when I needed tires and Mefos were sold out. Got less than half the mileage (about 3K from the rear). For me it was no bargain as the price difference was more than made up by the difference in longevity.

The 110's handled okay, but howled like a scalded dog on the street, so much so that once my buddy said he heard my tires long before my engine as I approached.

Never tried the Sahara, but I'm now on my umpteenth set of Mefos and I still like 'um.

thanks for the info.

the rear k60 mileage reports from euro boards indicate excellent mileage plus the dirt hookup is excellent.

the k60 rear is $100 whereas the mefo is $150. that's a bit of a jump.
i'm trying the k60 rear next (after my mefo wears out) and see how it works.

don't get me wrong, i love those mefo explorer rears (i use tck-80 front). i was one of the earliest adopters of those tires when klr650.net had only those 2 sizes available and the klr crowd was first tryijng them out. klr650.net was the only supplier in the us to carry em & then arrowhead fred picked them up and then klr650.net expanded the sizes available and now twisted throttle also has the full line. initially the 130-17" rear was much cheaper but the price has really gone up lately. the k60 is a similar pattern (like the mitas e-07, see below is). all 3 utilize a chevron pattern. this is not a new tire company but a new name to the us market. hopefully, in the future, we'll see distribution (beyond just knarlyparts in canda) for the mitas line .

k60:


mefo explorer


mitas e-07

i'm surprised more of you didn't pick up on this?

seems that the only way to order em at the moment is direct through moto amore. http://moto-amore.com/
i checked and couldn't find a single online seller in their dealer list???

so WHO is gonna step it up and carry this popular line???
mash/klr650.com/vstroma, adv moto stuff, tpi, twisted throttle, happy trails, murph, fred, jesse

i got one for my f650,love it so far...i cant believe the miles people in s.africa and aus. are getting out of the k60!

my buddy is putting a rear on his 650gs 130-17"
i'll report back.
like me he runs tck-80 up front but is looking for the same bite in the rear with much better mileage.

here's a 21" on a 800gs:




and a 140-17" (for visual sake)


i'm running a rear k60 when my mefo explorer wears out

what are the reports?

Wev'e been running the 140's for about a year now in south Africa. The mileage is excellent. Anything from 9000km to 12000km depending on rider and bike. The 950's seem to go through them quikest.

Currently the 150 is being real time tested here. It should be commercially available soon.

I have had 2 sets of these tyres already and as we don't have the Mefo, we compare it to the Continental TKC 80's. So far the consensus is that it is at least equal if not better on dirt and certainly better on tar.

On top of that it is half the price and have double the lifespan.

Unless something new and exceptional comes on the market, I will not buy any other tyre from here on.

metaljockey-

Thanks for the report.


b. eakins-

Got one on hand yet?

Sarah

waiting for my mefo to wear out then i will.
buddy has a 130-17" coming anyday for his f650.
i will report on that asap.

OK, I'll be on the lookout. Thanks

Sarah

I ride about 75% road and about 25% dirt and I commute 200 miles a week ( year round ) on Vstrom 1000.I'm going to start going offroad ALOT more very soon and I was thinking of a K60 up front and a Shinko 705 rear??.What do you guys think??.

Alan..

i actaully talked about that in the main k60 (in beasts)
if the mileage reports are decent for the rear 705 i'm thinking that is my next tire set for the strom. those 705 are sure a bargain & they have a decent amount of tread for offroad rides. the front k60 finally provides something between full out tck-80 knobs & tourance/anakee. etc tread.

if the mileage reports are so so & the rear k60 mileage reports are looking very good (plus the street price for the k60 is reasonable) then i might go k60 all the way around on the strom.

either way between the k60 & the 705 it's nice to have some new tire choices.

K60 rears are $40 less than mefo explorers!
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10311816&postcount=105

report from my friend is the k60 rear rocked.
he had a tck-80 rear previously & said the k60 perfromed just a well off-road.
i'll get a pic asap.

in the US we're NOT seing 1/2 the price from the importer
infact for the 19" front & 150-17" rear sizes for the big beasts, those tire are THE most expensive ones on the market. not sure if it's low yield numbers or importer gouging.

when comparing the k60 to mefos in the 21" & 130-17" the K60 are a deal. maybe the all the mefos sizes are steel belted whereas only the 2 big beast K60 are???

Hi Guys
I am new to the site and like all of the points the riders in different areas have.
My question is how much better on the street are K60's vs. TKC 80's?
I have a tricked out 08 KLR 685 that is used 80 street and 20 dirt and gravel roads. Once or twice a year I go to an area with fire roads and trails for a week and actually put the TKC 80's to work. My bike has Excell rims 17 rear and 19 front with tubeless seals by Woody's wheel so this tires being tubeless look interesting.

I just picked up a K60 today for my KTM 990 and will have some feedback in a few weeks.

I can tell you I do 60% dirt 40% street

I burn thru TKC's in 2500 miles
I burn thru Dunlop 908RR's in 3500 miles

100 HP Dirtbikes have been known to be hard on tires.

I've got a 2009 DR650, rear tire size, 120/90-17. Will the K60 ( 130/80-17) fit my bike okay?

Thanks