Tyres - alternative to stock - reviews?

[Landsurfer74]

Kenda tyres look good here in the UK ...

 

[johnedlt]

So I just finished a 580KM ride. My new shinkos (e705) were barely broken in after 200kms. At one stretch in a twisty asphalted segment I was slipping and sliding (3-4 times most of them on paint) the rear on very wet and many times dirty road conditions.

 

[Rednine]

Metzeler Tourance Next 2's made in Himalayan sizes have got good revues, not sure that China is the only factory producing them though.

 

[Napom]

While I don;t need new tires yet with 1,500 miles on the stock Ceats, I am looking at them as I will put a new set on before my Alaska run. I was lookng at the Dunlop Trail Max Mission tires - anyone try these yet??

 

[madbiker]

Just fitted a Michelin Anakee Wild 3 to the front and a Kenda K761 Dual sport to the rear of my Himalayan. Done just about 1,000 miles on them so far. My initial observations are that the front is a very good road tyre in both dry and wet but slides a little on road paint in the wet. It is good off road but only in the dry and on forest tracks (not done anything else off road on it yet). Anything wet off road and it is all over the place with almost no grip. The Kenda is good on and off road but slides easily when cold on cold wet roads. I will update this more fully once i have done a lot more miles and been off road in different conditions..

 

[Robc76]

Nice update. Looking forward to more.

RobC

 

[petespace1]

Metzeler Tourance Next 2's made in Himalayan sizes have got good revues, not sure that China is the only factory producing them though.

I replaced the OE Metzeler Z8 interact on my BMW F8R with Tourance next in July 2021 and it’s great on most roads other than full off road. It’s a 60% / 40% tyre according to Australian Motorcyclist magazine when they ran 6 Large adventure bikes like the big GS, KTM adventure, Multistrada, 1000Vstrom etc. etc. up to the snowy mountains over a few days. They gave the tyre top marks in 60 road and 40 off-road conditions. So I reckon the TN2 will suit the Himalayan fine if you ride mainly on tarmac.

I wouldn’t worry about it being made in China as a problem. Tyre manufacturing is more automated these days and the country of manufacture may not be such an issue.

 

[Roy Gavin]

Yep, 95% of companies like Mitas's production is sold under other Brand names, including Conti and another brand whose name starts with Mi----.
So brand name has little connection to manufacturer or country of origin
Main machine used in tire manufacture is called the Banbury? where the components are loaded by hand into molds and then steam cured into a tire and it hasn't changed much since day one!
And a Tourance Next is either 95/5 0r 90 /10 depending on who you ask, so it is tarmac and hardpack graded gravel roads, not off road.

 

[Justinitforthesnacks]

Most 80/20 or 90/10 tires are excellent on road, the 21" front restricts your choice in road tires .
I run 80/20 Anekee Adventures and they are excellent on road.

Just fitted some of these to mine, what PSI’s are you running road / lite off-road?

 

[Roy Gavin]

22/29 - I have a TPS and they run cool at these which is fine as the grip on DOT approved tires does not change as the temp changes!

 

[TN_twowheeladdict]

Unless you are running mudholes and slick soupy roads all the time just about any tire that fits the rims is going to do the job. The difference is going to be how fast do you want to ride when the conditions get a little slippery? I liked the OEM Pirelli's and replaced them with Shinko tires.

I am pretty happy with where the OEM supermoto tires on my KLX300SM have taken me.

 

[TN_twowheeladdict]

While I don;t need new tires yet with 1,500 miles on the stock Ceats, I am looking at them as I will put a new set on before my Alaska run. I was lookng at the Dunlop Trail Max Mission tires - anyone try these yet??

View attachment 4099

A friend of mine is running those on his Tenere 700. He is very happy with them for doing the Mid Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route (MABDR). He says they have the best combination of traction and longevity.

For more adventurous riding he prefers his DRZ400S with more aggressive rubber.

 

[pineygroveshop]

Shinko 804/805 is my go-to.

 

[Napom]

What kind of mileage do you get with the Shinko's?

 

[madbiker]

Just fitted a Michelin Anakee Wild 3 to the front and a Kenda K761 Dual sport to the rear of my Himalayan. Done just about 1,000 miles on them so far. My initial observations are that the front is a very good road tyre in both dry and wet but slides a little on road paint in the wet. It is good off road but only in the dry and on forest tracks (not done anything else off road on it yet). Anything wet off road and it is all over the place with almost no grip. The Kenda is good on and off road but slides easily when cold on cold wet roads. I will update this more fully once i have done a lot more miles and been off road in different conditions..

Just an update on these tyres as promised. 7,000 miles on both front and rear. on both on and off road conditions.

Whilst the Michelin Anakee Wild 3 is a decent road trye on both wet and dry tarmac, it is absolutely of no use when ridden on loose surfaces such as gravel or stones. It is also completely useless off road on any wet surface. On the above surfaces it easily looses grip and the front end wants to tuck under when it has any load on it, such as going downhill.

Also, since fitting it I have suffered no less than 5 punctures whilst using this tryre (all of htem on road) which is more punctures than I have suffered in over 40 years of riding bikes. I can not recommend this tyre in any way. It is the worst tyre that I have ever had fitted to any of my bikes.

The Kenda rear was competent off road but spun up easily in mud or loose dry stuff. No punctures or cuts to it in and with 7 thousand miles on it, it had a good wear rate as it is just starting to square off now. I would recommend this trye as a good 70 on road 30 off road tyre.

 

[Napom]

I finally got the Dunlop Trail Max Missions on Jipci. After about 300 miles of mostly road, some dirt roads etc, I really like them. THey do have a slight hummmm, but are quite grippy on the road. I will test their off road capability when I ride down to the Overland Expo next week and try them on their courses. Will report back then.

 

[Roy Gavin]

Just an update on these tyres as promised. 7,000 miles on both front and rear. on both on and off road conditions.

Whilst the Michelin Anakee Wild 3 is a decent road trye on both wet and dry tarmac, it is absolutely of no use when ridden on loose surfaces such as gravel or stones. It is also completely useless off road on any wet surface. On the above surfaces it easily looses grip and the front end wants to tuck under when it has any load on it, such as going downhill.

Also, since fitting it I have suffered no less than 5 punctures whilst using this tryre (all of htem on road) which is more punctures than I have suffered in over 40 years of riding bikes. I can not recommend this tyre in any way. It is the worst tyre that I have ever had fitted to any of my bikes.

The Kenda rear was competent off road but spun up easily in mud or loose dry stuff. No punctures or cuts to it in and with 7 thousand miles on it, it had a good wear rate as it is just starting to square off now. I would recommend this trye as a good 70 on road 30 off road tyre.

Anakeey 3s and Wilds are completely different tires, one 90/10, the other 50/50
The Anakee Adventure replaced the 3s years ago.
Both the Wilds and the Adventures performed very well in the definitive Chapparel comparison, in the top two or three in each case.
But of course they had to sense to fit a pair and compare like for like , no comparison of a 90/10 to a 50/50.
Both Anakees are built on a massive carcase, which I founds stiff enough to limp home flat when I picked up a nail in the rear which yore the tube.
My puncture history is similar to yours , 7 in 60 years, including the one nail in seven sets of Anakee, 2s 3s and Adventures.
They all had excellent wet grip, none were mud or sand tires , but few who buy a 80/20 or 90/10 tire will have expectation of excellence in mud or sand.
My Adventures were still in good shape at 15,000 km, front still had a fair bit life left but I like to change early and always a matching pair, with new Michelin HD tubes every second change - perhaps your tubes were the reason for your spate of punctures, or perhaps incorrect pressures!

 

[Pressureangle]

I'm very surprised at the performance of the stock CEAT tires, particularly in the wet. They'll be finished by 5k miles even with easy riding, but they're only $41. In India, of course. I don't know if they're available in the US.

 

[Eatmore Mudd]

I'm very surprised at the performance of the stock CEAT tires, particularly in the wet. They'll be finished by 5k miles even with easy riding, but they're only $41. In India, of course. I don't know if they're available in the US.

I've been trying to figure out how to get them here for months, no luck yet.

 

[MikeM]

My stock rear tyre is almost done at just over 9k miles - the only real off road Ive done is in a gravel car park . I ride tarmac (usually wet - in UK) has anyone got any decent recommendations for a premium alternative which is more road focused but without upsetting the balance or weight of the bike? ANy experience of using them and if they worked out better than the stock MT60s?

If most of my riding was wet pavement Id just put street tires on it. I put Pirelli Scorpions on my Africa Twin since it probably will not see any serious off road now. Bike rides way better on tarmac, next tires might be just straight up street tires.