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Another Tire Thread (new rider)

7286 Views 30 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  fasteddiecopeman, 
A
Hello Everyone,

I have a 2012 Versys 650 I just bought and it is in need of some new shoes. I will be riding in Colorado for the better part of 3 seasons rain or shine. I'm new to the bike and new to the street but have been riding dirt for a couple years. This bike will be nearly 100% street with a very rare fire road. I've read that it's hard to beat the Michelin road series but I was hoping not to spend that much. Anything close as far as performance/longevity goes for less? I ride and like Kenda tires on dirt but they don't seem to have anything for this bike.

I'm open to any and all suggestions so long as they are primarily a street tire.

Cheers,
Andrew
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NeilInPacifica said:
Was in the link you sent. That 17" front tire just doesn't cut it. Also, too heavy, not enough suspension travel. etc. ok, if you are doing easy dirt roads, not ok on true dirt. IMO. However, one of the best bikes for city, mountain roads, and highway with no changes required between. My favorite bike.
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WTH is that cheeseburger thingy?
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M
1 thing I NEVER skimp on is tyres. Michelin Pilot Roads are my favorite
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A
I never followed up on this thread, but I ended up with the Dunlop Road Smart 3 front and rear. I got pretty good deal on them since the 4 had just been released. I have been happy with them so far and have not had any issues. As I progress as a rider they are still holding well. I have managed to use the entire tire and they felt confident all the way trough.
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Exiled2earth
My tires are Metzler neotechs. I think...
They run about same mileage as the Lazer techs do. So rear tire 4-6k miles. Front about 4-9k.
Not super cheap but they hook up good on pavement.
Otherwise the Michelin pilot 6 is a great tire. Also not cheap. Almost 2x what Metzler is. But hell of a good road tire.
I do t tend to say shinko. But kenda seems pretty decent as long as you can get some not made in China.

Have fun!
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Itsgordo
My Vx300 is a commuter for me. Very happy with my Avon Trailriders. Despite the name, it’s more of a 90/10 tire. Excellent on wet pavement. I can scrape a peg with confidence while cornering dry. They fun on dirt roads too. Rear is radial, I run tubes in them. Tri-compound: harder center, softer sides, and another for the carcass. My local Triumph dealer distributes them, handles the mounting for me.

Avon Trailrider - Avon Tyres

Official website. Avon trailrider is an aggressive appearance for your road biased dual sports bike. State of the art dual tread compound with superb grip, on- and off-road.
www.avontyres.com www.avontyres.com
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jaaklucas
Itsgordo said:
Avon Trailriders
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I ride pavement mostly and these tires are excellent for grip, wear, noise and cornering. Very sticky rubber compound with rain snipes. M&S rated for all our NW mountain pass surprises. 90/10 is my take as well.
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Itsgordo
Forgot to mention, much of the freeway I’m on has rain grooves. On straights and turns, no wandering with the Avons
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Automaton25 said:
I never followed up on this thread, but I ended up with the Dunlop Road Smart 3 front and rear. I got pretty good deal on them since the 4 had just been released. I have been happy with them so far and have not had any issues. As I progress as a rider they are still holding well. I have managed to use the entire tire and they felt confident all the way trough.
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I've run the the heck out of few sets of these. They do seem to perform as new right up until the end. I do use all of the tire as very little riding takes place in the flat lands. Heading to CO on 22 May via MN for about six weeks of wonderful mountain riding.
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fasteddiecopeman
SteveJ said:
I've run the the heck out of few sets of these.
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I've ridden w/ Steve a few times - he MIGHT be UNDERSTATING in his post..!

;)
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fasteddiecopeman said:
I've ridden w/ Steve a few times - he MIGHT be UNDERSTATING in his post..!

;)
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Who me?

Hiya Ed. I was planning to come out to BC this year until gas got a bit crazy. We had planned on maybe hooking up with y'all in AZ in early Feb but our RV got rear ended on I-10 about an hour east of Quartzite. We lost fresh and black water capabilities. A real "crappy" day for the folks that ran into us while we were doing 60mph.

View attachment 187876 View attachment 187876
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fasteddiecopeman
Well Steve - MAYBE soon...? [As I'm aging a little bit .... we'll see.]
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