best tires for klr 650

The Michelin anakee is awesome, but pricey. I have Avon gripsters on my 08; very affordable and they stick really good. I'm the same as you; 90% road, 10% off. Not sure on how long the avons last yet, but they're really good so far after 3000 kms
 
happycrappy said:
The Michelin anakee is awesome, but pricey. I have Avon gripsters on my 08; very affordable and they stick really good. I'm the same as you; 90% road, 10% off. Not sure on how long the avons last yet, but they're really good so far after 3000 kms
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Have a look at the Kenda 270. I rode 8,000 kms on a set of these this past summer on the Trans Lab and East coast.

Deals Gap and Tatham gap in 2010.

They're great tires.

If you want to ride a gravel road only and never take the bike offroad, go with Kenda 761's.
 
I also like the Avon Gripsters. My rear lasted me from Vancouver to Mendoza, Arg. (26,xxx km's) and only changed the front in Africa to TKC 80's. They are great for hard pack gravel but will suck in soft sand and mud. Dualsport Plus had them at a fair price when I bought.
 
If you want something a bit more road oriented than the gripster the distanzia is another awesome tire.
 
+1 to the Shinko 705's for that kind of duty. Just keep the PSI up to 36 for road use. I didn't like the Kenda 761s in the wet.
 
tat2 said:
+1 to the Shinko 705's for that kind of duty. Just keep the PSI up to 36 for road use. I didn't like the Kenda 761s in the wet.
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Yeah, they suck in wet mud and grass, but rock on the Cabot trail in the wet. :P
 
Looking for a knobby street tire, anyone used the dunlop 606's?
 
stevie t said:
Looking for a knobby street tire, anyone used the dunlop 606's?
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They are supposed to be pretty rough on the street. I am going to try Michelin T63s next on my DR650. I have TKC80s right now, and they are pretty good, but I am looking for something a little more knobby without sacrificing road manners. I beat the crap out of my TKCs on southwood 13 and the 518 this year with no issue.
 
nokturnal said:
... I am going to try Michelin T63s next on my DR650. I have TKC80s right now, and they are pretty good, but I am looking for something a little more knobby without sacrificing road manners. I beat the crap out of my TKCs on southwood 13 and the 518 this year with no issue.
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The T63's are on sale until end of Feb for 62 bucks each at dsp...well at least the klr sizes...I like the look of the TKC80's and think they would be a good off road capable street tire...how many km's do you get on the TKC's...beating the crap outta them and all...
 
stevie t said:
The T63's are on sale until end of Feb for 62 bucks each at dsp...well at least the klr sizes...I like the look of the TKC80's and think they would be a good off road capable street tire...how many km's do you get on the TKC's...beating the crap outta them and all...
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Thanks! I will be ordering a set if they have my sizes.

By "beating the crap out of them" I meant I rode the roads like I would have on my sportbike. They held the road tight. The front TKC is not very worn, I would guess it would last 2 rears. The rear will probably last about 4000-4500km, it is getting close to the end now. I don't like the front in anything too dirty, but it is what it is. A good compromise tire.
 
They are good off-road, but I didn't like the D606 front on the road. Rear is noisy, but not scary on pavement. Wife just bought T63s for her Sherpa, will install for Spring. For more aggressive off-road, but better on than a D606, you might try MT-21s.
 
jonl said:
They are good off-road, but I didn't like the D606 front on the road. Rear is noisy, but not scary on pavement.
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...what didn't you like about the front 606...as far as noise is concerned....the bike is a thumper so I am not too concerned....I am leaning towards Trakmaster II for off road...but hear they are not too kind on the pavement..
 
I'm a fan of my Bridgestone Trailwings personally. The more road oriented version is fantastic (TW22 I think.) Now I wouldn't recommend riding in the swamp with them, but for fire roads and hard pack dirt they work just fine. I've had to go through a few muddy and loose sand sections with them, and they were sketchy but held up no problem. I'd love to get a set of D606s for mashing the trails, but I couldn't justify it with the amount of road riding that I do.
 
I installed Heidenau K60's on my XR650L a few weeks ago. I've only had them on the road so far but with everything I've read about them expect they will be excellent in the dirt as well. I've been pleased with how they handle wet roads too, very stable.

I've been very impressed so far; they are head-and-shoulders over the Scorpions I previously used. I got them from GP bikes and paid less than $200 all-in for both front & rear.
 
DarylinAjax said:
I installed Heidenau K60's on my XR650L a few weeks ago. I've only had them on the road so far but with everything I've read about them expect they will be excellent in the dirt as well. I've been pleased with how they handle wet roads too, very stable.

I've been very impressed so far; they are head-and-shoulders over the Scorpions I previously used. I got them from GP bikes and paid less than $200 all-in for both front & rear.
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"Dirt", they'll load up quick in the mud, and stay away from the ruts if you can. They're an awesome gravel road tire, that's for sure. I did 1,000 km of gravel following three bikes that ran K60's. Plenty of push when you roll on, but not so great in the soft stuff as the front end doesn't have as much grip as you'd like.

Ooooh! I'd love to see some video of rear braking in wet grass! Pretty please? :P
 
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