TIRES!...Who's Running What & WHY? - Page 3

Motomech · 04-10-2006, 06:40 AM

I've run the Saraha 3's on my GS pretty low for dirt road riding, 18 to 20 p.s.i., although I wouldn't recommend this. 22 p.s.i. is probably a safer # for these tires. Having had a flat on the frt.(not related to low pressures) and ridden the bike on a frt. flat, I can testify that these tires really don't want to come off the rim(and they are a bear to mount on the rims). Picked up a nail in the rear the other day in the rear and rode several miles to my shop with less than 10 p.s.i. The tire stayed put, but I had the feeling that if I gassed it much, the torque could pull it off the rim.
My commute entails a combo. of fast, hardtop twisties and dirt and gravel farm roads and I've settled on 26 to 28 p.s.i. as the best compromise for these tires. Any lower and the stearing gets heavy on the asphault, any higher and the dirt road ride gets rough(and the frt. tire feels like it wants to wash out).
For pure hardtop riding, I run 32 p.s.i., frt. and rear and I wouldn't go up to 36 p.s.i. on the rear unless the bike was really loaded down.

Slope'r · 04-15-2006, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCal gsrider

Try taking some air out. Most people who ride in dirt like to take some air out beforehand. I typicall do not, so I can't really recommend what pressure would work best. And I have some phat Sahara 3s on mine. I don't think Tourances were meant for any real off-road duty. I think they are meant for fireroads or small stretches of unpaved road.

Question about your Sahara 3s... are you running the tube or tubless versions?
Metzeler's web site fitment gude doesn't show any tires for a R100GS??? I know my original '93 Pd came with tubless Sahara 3s on it.

I'm away from home now...does anyone know the front/rear tire sizes on a "94 PD?

Firestorm · 04-16-2006, 05:32 AM

Im running TKC 80's, thats what came on the bike when I bought it. Im going to buy a new set as soon as I get around to spending the money. I was thinking of putting on a less aggressive tire to see if the road performance would get better, but I don't think I want to lose the traction they provide off-road. The tire does really add to the looks of the bikes.

StephenB · 04-16-2006, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpub

Question about your Sahara 3s... are you running the tube or tubless versions?
Metzeler's web site fitment gude doesn't show any tires for a R100GS??? I know my original '93 Pd came with tubless Sahara 3s on it.

I'm away from home now...does anyone know the front/rear tire sizes on a "94 PD?

90/90-21
130/80-17

Slope'r · 04-16-2006, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StephenB

90/90-21
130/80-17

Thanks!!!

whtelefant · 04-16-2006, 10:55 AM

Hello all and Happy Easter,
Having to deperately fix a set of new tires on my '81 R80 G/S, and having several US motorcycle distributors' catalogs available to me I set about looking carefully at features, cost and sizes that would do the the job. That job is basically street duty, but with some off-road capability and confidence. Sahara 3's are/were at the the top of the list. I had great success with them on my '01 KTM Adventure R. Also- Bridgestone Trailwings were tried on the KTM and I thought they were OK, maybe even better than the 3's in the dirt I rode, but not as tenacious on pavement as the 3's. You could feel them letting go...plenty of communictation about what they were up to, but with a lower threshold. Both tire types gave acceptable wear life.

I bought a set of IRC GP-110's for the BMW. They sorta look like Sahara 3's but with a blockier center section that almost has a WWII Jeep utility tread pattern (think of a zipper....). I installed 'em yesterday, went for a 70 mile ride on the rain-slicked and muddied roads through the coastal mountains here, and they are just fine, thank you very much. Grip is good both on, and off the pavement. They can sing a bit... like the opening RRRRrrrrr of an air raid siren, but only at higher speeds and leaned over on particular types of real smooth pavement.
Great price on these too!

That's my two-cents.

Firestorm · 04-17-2006, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpub

Question about your Sahara 3s... are you running the tube or tubless versions?
Metzeler's web site fitment gude doesn't show any tires for a R100GS??? I know my original '93 Pd came with tubless Sahara 3s on it.

I'm away from home now...does anyone know the front/rear tire sizes on a "94 PD?

I just saw some pictures of this tire in a motorcycle magazine, the Sahara 3. Do they still make this tire tubeless? Every where that I have found that sells it says that it takes a tube?

Slope'r · 04-18-2006, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

I just saw some pictures of this tire in a motorcycle magazine, the Sahara 3. Do they still make this tire tubeless? Every where that I have found that sells it says that it takes a tube?

Metzeler's web site shows them...I'm calling my dealer in the AM to find out.

I thought they were great on my old PD...both on the pavement & dirt

Firestorm · 04-19-2006, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpub

Metzeler's web site shows them...I'm calling my dealer in the AM to find out.

I thought they were great on my old PD...both on the pavement & dirt

Just found this tire guide: With reviews for many tires : Tire Reviews.

Lets us know what they tell you.
Sahara 3

Slope'r · 04-19-2006, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firestorm

Just found this tire guide: With reviews for many tires : Tire Reviews.

Lets us know what they tell you.
Sahara 3

Called my dealer and he said the Sahara 3's were available in a tubless front and a tube rear. He didn't know the details on why that is ($168 R, $149 F)

The Metzeler Karoo (T) were available ($86 R, $74 F)
They looked pretty good.

huhwhye · 04-19-2006, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcpub

Called my dealer and he said the Sahara 3's were available in a tubless front and a tube rear. He didn't know the details on why that is ($168 R, $149 F)

I hope that is Canadian dollars. Sounds like a ripoff to me.

http://arizonamoto.com/Merchant2/mer...y_Code=Sahara3

Slope'r · 04-20-2006, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huhwhye

I hope that is Canadian dollars. Sounds like a ripoff to me.

http://arizonamoto.com/Merchant2/mer...y_Code=Sahara3

Nope, not Canadian dollars

They charge $25 to mount & Balance (each) if you buy from them...$50 if you bring in your own rubber

So that's pretty high from a local dealer...I was think'n it was...

RocketJ · 04-20-2006, 03:06 PM

Oddly, the best deal I have found on about any tire is from a local repair shop. Pay the Parts Unlimited retail, mounted and balanced, no shipping,(no tax) cash, bring him the wheels. Example : $200 for new AM24 gripsters.

jmensing · 04-20-2006, 06:04 PM

I've found Tourrances great road tires for the R100 GS, and passable off-road at 22psi on badly rutted, rocky or washboarded fire roads. In mud they're not so good. I've run Sahara 3's down to Baja and have found them pretty good, even in fairly soft sand with 2-up.

My question is this: I'm looking to run a more agressive off-road tire this summer and am trying to choose between the three mentioned in the title -- any thoughts? In my neck-of-the-woods (San Francisco) the TKC's and Sahara 3's are running about $110 each, while the Karoo's are about $60 each.

Suppermotodd · 04-21-2006, 02:02 PM

TKC80's are the best tire for 50/50 IMO. Tourance for the street and light gravel only.

04-10-2006, 06:40 AM	#31
Motomech Adventurer in Latin Amer. Joined: Dec 2005 Location: Playas del Cocos, Costa Rica Oddometer: 337	I've run the Saraha 3's on my GS pretty low for dirt road riding, 18 to 20 p.s.i., although I wouldn't recommend this. 22 p.s.i. is probably a safer # for these tires. Having had a flat on the frt.(not related to low pressures) and ridden the bike on a frt. flat, I can testify that these tires really don't want to come off the rim(and they are a bear to mount on the rims). Picked up a nail in the rear the other day in the rear and rode several miles to my shop with less than 10 p.s.i. The tire stayed put, but I had the feeling that if I gassed it much, the torque could pull it off the rim. My commute entails a combo. of fast, hardtop twisties and dirt and gravel farm roads and I've settled on 26 to 28 p.s.i. as the best compromise for these tires. Any lower and the stearing gets heavy on the asphault, any higher and the dirt road ride gets rough(and the frt. tire feels like it wants to wash out). For pure hardtop riding, I run 32 p.s.i., frt. and rear and I wouldn't go up to 36 p.s.i. on the rear unless the bike was really loaded down. __________________ Motomech "One modification a day" '92 BMW R100GS Bumblebee '91 Suzuki TS 200R '96 KTM 300EXC Playas del Locos "The BMW Airheads, riding yesterday's technology the day after tomorrow".

04-16-2006, 10:55 AM	#36
whtelefant n00b Joined: Dec 2005 Oddometer: 6	Wait and see- IRC GP-110's Hello all and Happy Easter, Having to deperately fix a set of new tires on my '81 R80 G/S, and having several US motorcycle distributors' catalogs available to me I set about looking carefully at features, cost and sizes that would do the the job. That job is basically street duty, but with some off-road capability and confidence. Sahara 3's are/were at the the top of the list. I had great success with them on my '01 KTM Adventure R. Also- Bridgestone Trailwings were tried on the KTM and I thought they were OK, maybe even better than the 3's in the dirt I rode, but not as tenacious on pavement as the 3's. You could feel them letting go...plenty of communictation about what they were up to, but with a lower threshold. Both tire types gave acceptable wear life. I bought a set of IRC GP-110's for the BMW. They sorta look like Sahara 3's but with a blockier center section that almost has a WWII Jeep utility tread pattern (think of a zipper....). I installed 'em yesterday, went for a 70 mile ride on the rain-slicked and muddied roads through the coastal mountains here, and they are just fine, thank you very much. Grip is good both on, and off the pavement. They can sing a bit... like the opening RRRRrrrrr of an air raid siren, but only at higher speeds and leaned over on particular types of real smooth pavement. Great price on these too! That's my two-cents.

04-20-2006, 06:04 PM	#44
jmensing Adventurer Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Berkeley, California Oddometer: 16	TKC v. Karoo v. Sahara 3's I've found Tourrances great road tires for the R100 GS, and passable off-road at 22psi on badly rutted, rocky or washboarded fire roads. In mud they're not so good. I've run Sahara 3's down to Baja and have found them pretty good, even in fairly soft sand with 2-up. My question is this: I'm looking to run a more agressive off-road tire this summer and am trying to choose between the three mentioned in the title -- any thoughts? In my neck-of-the-woods (San Francisco) the TKC's and Sahara 3's are running about $110 each, while the Karoo's are about $60 each.

04-21-2006, 02:02 PM	#45
Suppermotodd Tag Thief Joined: Apr 2004 Location: Snobnal Mountain, TN Oddometer: 1,018	TKC 80's TKC80's are the best tire for 50/50 IMO. Tourance for the street and light gravel only.

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04-16-2006, 05:32 AM	#33
Firestorm . Joined: Aug 2005 Location: Between the Ocean and Mountains Oddometer: 5,220	Im running TKC 80's, thats what came on the bike when I bought it. Im going to buy a new set as soon as I get around to spending the money. I was thinking of putting on a less aggressive tire to see if the road performance would get better, but I don't think I want to lose the traction they provide off-road. The tire does really add to the looks of the bikes.

04-20-2006, 03:06 PM	#43
RocketJ Studly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2005 Oddometer: 674	Oddly, the best deal I have found on about any tire is from a local repair shop. Pay the Parts Unlimited retail, mounted and balanced, no shipping,(no tax) cash, bring him the wheels. Example : $200 for new AM24 gripsters.