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@NeverSatisfied I bet I could find the answers if I reread this or searched the forum, but I'll just ask you. 1) What tires do you have on your Versys? 2) Are they good both highway and dirt/gravel roads? 3)Where did you stay while you were in the Deals Gap/Cherohala area? 4) Camp? Hotel? 5) How long were you in that area?"
Hi
@GeoGator,
I've been running the Shinko 804 front, (which has a very similar tread pattern to the Metzeler TKC-80), and versions of the Mitas E-07 for the back tire. I started using that combo back when I had my V-Strom 650 and have stuck with it since then.
Mitas now calls it the Enduro Trail, along with the Enduro Trail Plus, as well as "Dakar" versions of each. Dakars are only made in sizes larger than our bike calls for; 150/70-17 for the Enduro Trail Dakar, and 140/80-17 for the Enduro Trail Plus Dakar. Seeing as how these tires are quite heavy, I'd rather not add all of that extra mass onto a bike which already has rather limited horsepower. Here are some photos:
The "regular" Enduro Trail. I have tried that front tire but it seemed to really weave on grooved highway pavement, plus its traction on gravel roads was not as good as the more open tread of either the TKC-80 or Shinko 804 fronts.
The Enduro Trail (not "Plus") is superlative on gravel for the first few thousand miles, but will quickly wear down to expose a center rib designed to improve mileage on pavement, which makes it less optimal in mud or loose gravel "offroad" conditions. Therefore I'm sticking with the "Plus" version from now on.
@KawaGeezer, who lives in Colorado, has also endorsed the Enduro Trail Plus as a rear tire.
My memory is a bit foggy on some of the history, but apparently Mitas
had made a 140/80-17 size in the Dakar version, for what was then called the E-07. There's no way I would've installed a 150 on the Versys. But, the longevity was phenomenal; I got just over
15,000 miles on the E-07 Dakar!
Here's a worn-down
non-Dakar E-07, just to show the center rib design, (on the left), next to the Enduro Trail Plus on the right:
For the front tire, I think it's more important when going "offroad" to have something fairly aggressive. The Shinko 804's are great on gravel. They grip quite well on pavement, last about as long or longer than the similar TKC-80, and cost a lot less. They usually go about 5,000 miles before the back side of the knobs start to slope off, and I've been replacing the 804's around 7,000 miles. These have about 6,000 miles on them now:
I run 32 PSI for the Shinko 804 fronts, and 36 PSI for the Mitas rears. Those tires have certainly been a good combo for the many adventurous miles I've put on this bike so far, and they won't break the bank, either. (P.S. Just my luck, but I've ridden in thousands and thousands of miles of rain with them, as well- no issues.)
(Edit:
FYI, I've also tried a set of Shinko 705's in the past, but they're much more street-oriented and were not very good on gravel. I also tried a Heidenau Ranger K60 front, which did last maybe 1,000 miles more than the Shinko 804's, but as far as traction was similar to Mitas E-07 fronts, and the last few thousand miles of their life they felt pretty sketchy on gravel. For what it's worth.)
When I was in North Carolina in May of 2021, I stayed for several days at the Quality Inn, in Robbinsville. FYI, May seems to be a rather rainy month there (well, almost
anywhere, actually.) For last week's trip I stayed at the MicroTel in Bryson City, NC. Either location seemed to be ideal for the various local roads and attractions. Both motels had pretty cheap nightly rates, ($73/night at the MicroTel), but of course that was during "off-peak" seasons, so I don't know what summertime rates would be.
I stayed four nights in Bryson City, and there are several good places to eat there. I found pickings to be a bit more slim in Robbinsville, as far as decent restaurants.
I only had one day of rain on this last trip in September, however it was hard to get an early start from Bryson City because every morning there was a lot of wet fog and mountain mist that took a couple of hours to clear.
I did see several totally-primitive campsites in the national forest, both on FR 81 and FR 217, which looked fantastic if you're self-contained and want to camp instead of stay at motels. I'm sure you could find more such sites if you're so inclined.
Good luck with your trip planning, Geo!
Safe travels,
Paul
