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Continental TKC80 or Shinko 705?

25K views 40 replies 18 participants last post by  Lostonwheels 
#1 ·
Good morning all! I plan on using my V as my daily commuter this year, just as soon as the weather will allow. My shop is 50 miles from my house, with about 5 miles of loose gravel road, and the rest highway. I will also be riding a lot of ungroomed trails (all fairly flat, nothing too knarly), in search of the best fishing spots along the river. I definitely want a more aggressive tire and like both the TKC80 and 705. What's the better all around tire? I like the more aggressive looks of the TKC80, and a knob has to be better on the dirt, right? Will the Shinko's do what I want on the trails, and gravel roads? Will the TKC80's provide at least decent life on the e-way?
 
#5 ·
Is it bad in the rain? Kinda. It's definitely the slickest rear I've ever had in the rain. I wouldn't call it dangerous but you really aren't gonna be scraping pegs in the rain with that tire.

That said I still freaking love the k60 as a rear. My current setup is a 120/90 17 (rear) tkc80 up front and 150/70 17 k60 in the back. At the moment they both have about 10,500 miles on them and easily have another 3,000 to go and still have great road manners. My setup before this was the same but with a 120/70 front. The 120/90 definitely slows down the steering but it is a lot more stable in the loose stuff. You do have to raise the fender though.

My 2 cents.
 
#4 · (Edited)
My recommendation with 12K miles of ridden data behind me has to be the TKC80 (stock 120) front and the Mitas E07 (150) Dakar for the rear. I had run a K60 for about 8500 miles and never had any problems with it in the rain, maybe our Alaskan asphalt is different? It did well on and off road, but the Mitas has done better for me. The TKC is the only tire I will run in the front. I've always been an advocate of having the best possible traction in the front. For the simple fact if you loose traction with the front tire you more than likely will be going down, so set yourself up with the best chance for staying upright as you can. The wear on the TKC in the front will be 10K+ miles if properly balanced (I use Dyna beads) and inflated. They do make a TKC80 to fit the rear but you will be lucky to get 5-6K miles on it. Not sure why but that's what I've seen. The K60 or the E07 rear will give you 10-12K easy. You now have my .02 hope it helps :)
 
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#9 · (Edited)
Mixing bias and radial tires has been done ... more often than one would imagine.

For example, in the UK, it is legal to run bias in the front, and radial at the rear. The opposite (what you have mentioned) is illegal.

From Cycle World:

Years ago, back when radial motorcycle tires first hit the market, tire makers strongly advised riders not to mix radial and bias tires. Radials were new and offered significantly different handling characteristics than bias rubber, and neither the bike manufacturers nor the tire companies yet had enough model- and tire-specific data to predict how a combination of the two would affect the handling of any given motorcycle. So the best policy was to discourage mixng radials and bias tires.

Since then, radial technology has evolved dramatically, and the manufacturers have had years to develop a better understanding of the effects of mixing tire types. As a result, numerous production bikes, including two new models tested in this issue - the Harley-Davidson Rocker and the Yamaha Star Raider S - come from the factory equipped with a radial on the rear and a bias-ply tire on the front.


The Indian Chieftan and the Roadmaster run a E3 bias front tire and an E3 radial rear tire.

I have read somewhere that the OEM tires for the Triumph Bonneville and also the Thruxton are radial rear and bias ply front.

There are others but I'm not going to do an exhaustive search for them.

Note: I am not tempted to try it with my Versys but have done it a few times on my Honda Valkyrie without any negative effects. I was pleasantly surprised.
 
#8 ·
I'll check what's available in the stock size. I don't want to go bigger (except possibly the rear width). Looks like it's narrowed down. I didn't here anything about the Shinko 705's although I trust the members reviews as opposed to the big retailers. Thanks everyone! Go Pats by the way!!
 
#10 ·
Most decent 17" ADV tires seem to be in the 150 size for the rear, I've seen some 160 stock sizes but they are limited. The front tire selection is VERY limited in any 17" application. There has been a few more added recently Vee Rubber I know added some. As for the Bias & radial combo, it's not ideal but very doable. Many have done it with no problem. Maybe total street high HP and MPH bikes it's probably a bigger deal.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Mixing bias ply with radial - on a bike you can put a radial on the rear and bias on the front, but not the other way around, due to differences in skew - Mixing Radials and Bias-Ply

Avon Trailriders have been getting good reviews recently as an adventure tour tire and come in stock sizes for the Versys. They also are a radial design for improved pavement performance and longer life.

Coming to the Versys from a bike that had bias ply tires, I am not a fan of them. Yes they have tougher sidewalls but they are less confidence inspiring. They are also less flexible and are a nightmare on grooved pavement or steel mesh bridges. Radials are a significant leap forward in tire technology, I'm not sure why someone would want to forgo the benifits of radial tires unless they were in a position where on road performance was irrelevant and off road toughness was the main concern.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Some corrections from the start: you cannot fit a 120/80 or 90 without serious mod to the fender.
A 110/80 might fit, but I haven't found any model in 17".

You may live in flat land, and not have gnarly roads, but there is mud everywhere.

This below is not my experience but only my research as of today:

-TKC80 sucks for mileage (rear) and vibration (front). Not on the list at all for me.

-Shinko 805 (rear) (not 705! it's no typo) beats TKC80 in all but 1 aspect: it may slide a bit sideways.

-I have the k60 scout 150/70. I have not had any issue with the hydroplanning, but albeit the mileage, it squares and it has no grip to climb/brake unless you are leaning. It may be a bit useful in very soft terrain like mud of sand if the damn strip can be less of a factor. I don't like mine anymore.

-I have the heidenau k73 in front. Fair in packed dirt. Sucks big time on steel bridges and meaningless in mud (too small threads).

-If it wasn't from wanting more mud/sand grip, I would go for the mitas e-07 (rear). rounder, silent and good mileage.

-I will get a 150/70 Metzeller karoo3. it is like shinko 805 but even better mileage.

-I will get a shinko 705 as 120/70 front. It has a fair side grip judging by the threads shape. It is the only choice for front (I wouldn't bother with the pirelli MT60, I cannot get it and it's not getting good reviews.)
 
#18 ·
...-I will get a 150/70 Metzeller karoo3. it is like shinko 805 but even better mileage.

-I will get a shinko 705 as 120/70 front. It has a fair side grip judging by the threads shape. It is the only choice for front (I wouldn't bother with the pirelli MT60, I cannot get it and it's not getting good reviews.)
I ran a TKC80 120/70 x 17 front here in AZ, and got 8,467 miles out of it (got 9,750 from the Kenda BIG BLOCK 150/70 rear). I also ran a TKC80 rear 150/70 from Anchorage to Kelowna, but it didn't last much longer than that.
 
#15 ·
Interesting thoughts dddd:

As for the TKC80 front vibration, proper balance is KEY. Dyna Beads are the only thing I've found that will do the trick. My bike is vibe free since I put them in.
E-07 Mileage IS great but mine has started to give out a nice little hum at around 6K miles. Not too bad but NOT silent, it was at first though. As for mud grip
I've had mine in some pretty thick stuff here in AK and Yukon Canada and it's done very well keeping forward progress and throwing rooster tails 30' in the air through the slop!!
 
#19 ·
I'm currently running a tkc80 in 120/70/17 front and shinko 805 rear in 150/70/17 rear. About 5000km on them and the front is easily good for the season while the rear is about half cooked. For $128 canadian shipped to my door, I'm going to run another 805 when this one is done.
I do alot of gravel and trails that I shouldn't so traction is first priority, road manners and longevity are secondary considerations for me.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
#22 · (Edited)
Euh, no. Apples and oranges.

TKC80 is barely at most fair, as a fallback if you cannot find anything else. It's expensive and short lasting, and it looses instantly compared to shinko 805, metzeller Karoo3, or dunlop 606, in the same 50/50 (perhaps 60/40) category.

K60 scout is excellent --> for an 80/20! On the basis of lifespan and the humble grip in sand.
But no good for what it claims to be (70/30 or 60/40) because of the grip-less center strip in all other terrain.
(talking about a 150/70 rear of course; otherwise, without a centre strip, it compares yet beats the mitas e07).
 
#23 · (Edited)
the TKC does wear faster.... thats why it grips the pavement so well for a tire with big knobs. thats the price you pay. I liked the 606 on the back, not on the front. I don't have much experience with the Sahara 3 but it seemed like a good tire. I like the MT21 a lot. but none of that was the question..... its about the K60..... a tire that sucks donkey balls
 
#27 · (Edited)
ya, right there... I would say the K65 is better described as 80/20. the only thing they have going is long wear. I had them on my BMW1150 and F650 at one time and did not like them. I've run TKCs a bunch on my GS and KLR and have nothing but good to say about how they handle. 3k on the back is about all I could get, so ya, gets expensive. I have extra rear wheels though & run a Tourance when I don't absolutely need the TKC.

if you want an 80/20.... try a Tourance (on the back)... surprisingly good off road unless its muddy. they run as long as pretty much any tire out there. lot of GS guys run the Tourance on the back & TKC up front.

no front tire I ever used vibrated as bad, wobbled, or made more noise than the K60. I only ran the second set because they were new and someone gave them to me.

edit: I have a friend that runs TKCs until they are paper thin & gets like 5k miles out of the rear. he's 6'5" & rides hard on an 1150GS. I won't run them any tire that bald, so 3k, 3500 & they are done for me. the only big knob tire I trust and love as much as the TKC is the Pirelli MT21
 
#28 ·
After all I've read, I've recently purchased 705's for the front and rear. I figure I can switch up for the price, if I don't like them (under $200/set). I really want the knobby look of the TKC 80, but would prefer not to change the rear in the middle of the summer, due to the miles I drive back and forth to the shop. I'll be pounding the pavement for 50 plus miles one way, with just under 10 on gravel roads, depending on the scenery I want. Sounds like the Shinko's are the best mix. The boss (wife) only had a slight frown when I told her how much I spent, so BONUS! I figure now she'll let me get a skid plate to protect my now much safer, investment. Youngest was just accepted to MSU, so I have 6 months to accessorize before the well dries up!!!!
 
#29 ·
The well just dried up. Within the last 5 minutes, the boss (wife) just informed me we bought a new Suburban PREMIERE, because tuition to Michigan State obviously wasn't enough. You know, need the extra room with only the 2 of us left in the household. I guess the full size Silverado was just too small. @&$";:/--!!!!!!!!
 
#32 ·
Replaced my rear anakee 3 with a shinko 705 today and another tkc 80 up front. The anakee 3 is a great tire on the road but I need a bit more off road capability and the 705 should be good. I would prefer a 804/805 up front but currently not doable as it would require a front fender lift on my 2015 which is more difficult than the V1/V2's. Had close to 7k miles on the front tkc80 and 10k on the anakee 3.
 
#41 ·
Sorry for two years late.....

Yes I am/was running a tube on the 120/90-17. Don't know if they've changed, but when I got it the 120/90 required a tube where the smaller sizes didn't. Apparently you "can" run them without a tube but there is a risk of delaminating the tread so... I wouldn't :wink2: I use some beefy 4mm tube that has never given me problems. I think it was a moose racing tube.
 
#35 ·
TKCs are tubeless design. the only reason to tube them is if you have traditional spoke wheels that are not designed for tubeless
 
#36 ·
I run Avon Trailriders on my 650 and can speak about them.First,theyre not a real off road tire,probably a 90/10.But I don't ride off road much,the odd FSR and stuff when needed.My style of riding I favour is secondary pavement,with twisties which I love to get in there and attack with a fresh mind.They are great for that,very sticky if you hit some loose gravel on a corner for instance.Seem to grab better on tar squiggles.For my style,they are great.M+S,first rear lasted 20K,front still looks good at 25K..
 
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