widget verse apps & differance???? (nklr)

[Eric L. Green]

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004, randy wrote:

> what is everybody using for tires? i do about 300 freeway miles a > week and a few hours in hard packed dirt on the weekends. i'm sure > there will be many suggestions...all are welcome

I'm using the Kings KT-966 at the moment. Before that, I was using the Metzeler Tourances that the P.O. had put on the bike. The 966's whine at freeway speeds (louder now that they're scrubbed in) but otherwise are decent on-road tires. They tend to grab pavement grooves but otherwise work fine on the freeway, though I wouldn't expect to get more than 3000 miles from the rear before the knobs start getting down to where they are no longer so good off-road (I have about 600 miles on mine so far and you can already see the wear on the knobs). Off-road they are a bit squirrely in sand (though still stable and controllable as long as it's not *deep* sand) and you won't go as fast as you would with a real DOT-knobby but they do surprisingly well especially considering how well they do on-road. They're fairly cheap -- complete set, front and rear, cost me under $100 from my local motorcycle accessory shop -- so I'm not particularly concerned about replacing the rear when the knobs start getting worn. As for the Tourances, they were great highway tires, and stuck like glue to the twisties, but utterly useless offroad. When my 966 starts getting worn, I might try the Kings KT-967, which is supposedly more street-oriented than the 966. But I don't have any info on that. -E

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Sun, Sep 19, 2004 at 05:41:46PM -0700, mike torst wrote:

> Concur w/ Thor on Mud and Distanzias - what a fuc#ing tank slapping > piss/shi# my pants experience. It was the last straw for the front Distanzia > (Oh, if anyone wants to buy it, it is for sale - I have 60 miles on it - the > center seam and rubber-mold injection risers are still present - great > street and MILD dirt front tire, but forget more than mild dirt surfaces). > As to the rear - I still like it for mid-mild dirt work - great for flat > tracking and nicely readable in a power-slid, trustworthy on the street, > including wet surface, but when the dirt gets sandy or worse, like riding on > roller-bearing gravel - Geez, it will accelerate your digestion in a hurry > :-\

One thing I learned riding on wet bentonite in Wyoming last summer was that the Distanzia is so stiff that to get it to throw mud at all you have to air it down a _lot_. I did a couple of all-day dirt rides with the tires aired down all the way to 16PSI. *And no rim locks*. No pinch flats, no punctures; amazingly enough, with the HD tubes, I could even ride the last bit home on pavement and things were controllable and neither tires nor tubes suffered any visible damage (I used them for another 6,500 miles after that, most of it pavement riding with heavy loads). My conclusion: tubeless tires with HD tubes in them can be pretty weird.

[dooden]

--- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Eric L. Green" wrote:

> On Sun, 19 Sep 2004, randy wrote: > > what is everybody using for tires? i do about 300 freeway miles a > > week and a few hours in hard packed dirt on the weekends. i'm sure > > there will be many suggestions...all are welcome > > I'm using the Kings KT-966 at the moment. Before that, I was using the > Metzeler Tourances that the P.O. had put on the bike. The 966's whine at > freeway speeds (louder now that they're scrubbed in) but otherwise are > decent on-road tires. They tend to grab pavement grooves but otherwise > work fine on the freeway, though I wouldn't expect to get more than 3000 > miles from the rear before the knobs start getting down to where

they are

> no longer so good off-road (I have about 600 miles on mine so far

and you

> can already see the wear on the knobs

SNIP Estimate 3000 miles on a street orientated tire ? Geesh got a 1000 hard miles on a Kenda K270 and its hardly showing wear, and I normally just keep them at about 22 psi so I do not have to fiddle with tire pressures. And honestly think they kick in the dirt, even swamp muck has yet to stop me with them. Street ride is acceptable with slower speeds, which is a good thing. Goes the same for the brakes, I have no trouble with them sofar. Sure when the OEM lines give way put on SS sure. Dooden A15 Green Ape

[Eric L. Green]

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004, Dooden wrote:

> --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Eric L. Green" > wrote: > > On Sun, 19 Sep 2004, randy wrote: > > > what is everybody using for tires? i do about 300 freeway miles a > > > week and a few hours in hard packed dirt on the weekends. i'm sure > > > there will be many suggestions...all are welcome > > > > I'm using the Kings KT-966 at the moment. Before that, I was using the > > Metzeler Tourances that the P.O. had put on the bike. The 966's whine at > > freeway speeds (louder now that they're scrubbed in) but otherwise are > > decent on-road tires. They tend to grab pavement grooves but otherwise > > work fine on the freeway, though I wouldn't expect to get more than 3000 > > miles from the rear before the knobs start getting down to where > they are > > no longer so good off-road (I have about 600 miles on mine so far > and you > > can already see the wear on the knobs > > Estimate 3000 miles on a street orientated tire ? Geesh got a 1000 > hard miles on a Kenda K270 and its hardly showing wear, and I normally > just keep them at about 22 psi so I do not have to fiddle with tire > pressures.

The KT-966 is rock solid on the pavement. I considered the Kendas, but I do too much pavement riding to find them acceptable, the side knob squirm in particular is not acceptable to me. The KT-966 is more a 50-50 tire than a street oriented tire. They manage to get good street traction by using a slightly softer rubber composition, from what I can tell. They probably won't last as long as the rock-hard Kendas, but stick far better to the pavement. They stick almost as well as the Kendas offroad by having big deep lugs. They would still have some knob left at 3,000 miles, if my current wear pattern holds, but would probably start getting pretty squirrely in the soft stuff. Right now they do quite well on the soft stuff, though I haven't tried them in mud. -E

[Andrus Chesley]

A person need not to worry about what other people think about thier tires as all have thier ideas and preferences based on thier riding style and terra firma. As for tire price, that's not my concern when buying the tire I want to try. Or, the tire I want to stay with for what I'm riding at that time. I mix front and rears a lot as I find what I like for the riding I do. But at present, am contented with the tires I'm using on my bikes. They do most all of what I do on the bike. IRC GP1's F & R on the KLR Dunlop 604 F & Avon AM 44 R on the R1150GSA Dunlop 606's on the DRZ400S. I get most of my tires from SouthWest and install them myself. Last time I had to buy tires from a dealer was in Maine on tour when the Bridgestone Trailwings (oem) were at the wear bars at 8600 miles. ( I was use to getting 12K and better with my R11GSA and Avon 33/34's) So I lost a day and 330 bucks getting Tourances installed, front and rear as the front was cupping pretty bad. Never did like the tourance on the front from day one. Tried different pressures, ride heights, etc but never had it feeling planted like other tires I used. Dunlop 604 ( think) were next but to the wear bar in California with just 5000 miles on the tire( bout 1/8" ). Screw it, gonna run it to the threads gone before changing it. Made it back to Louisiana with just about 1/16 in of rear thread left. Hence the avon on the rear now. Trying that dude out to see milage vs preformance. Just love the Dunlop on the front so that's gonna stay. KLR. Ran stock tires till mostly worn, then to Avon gripsters which I loved in the curvy roads of the Ozarks. A bit fishy in the loose gravel even with aired down tires, put a Kenda 270 on the rear and left the front Avon on for a bit. Wasn't very bad and helped at the rear in gravel. Then to IRC 101 on the rear , still Gripster on the front in good health. Good tire but would scare the heck out of me tooling along and laying her over and getting that sudden howl making me think a truck was closing on me from the rear. After that worn down put the IRC GP1's. Had to get use to not pushing the front as much but good all around tires for what I do. The DRZ400 newest bike for my stable. stock tires, great on pave, not bad aired down in gravel, suck in dirt and wet stuff. So putting on D606's after reading lots of plus about them from different rider groups. But have run Knob tires on the street many times in the past and know thier limitations and mine. So it will be chill time till we learn each other i'm sure. Have a great day. Don't follow the Jones's off a cliff, go your own way. Abide by other peoples choises as it's their boat to float. Smile. Devon hang tuff Andy in Louisiana '43 model frist bike was a '56 Harley 165 in '58 Ride from swamps to pavement.

[Joseph Jones]

A tire is a tire is a tire, everyone has their opion of them, and sometimes it is good to get the opions of others! My thoughts on tires is as long as you don't run them too long. A guy here in SE Ky had a blow out on the rear of a goldwing a couple months ago. He was treated and released from the hospital, but his wife was DOA. Very sad!!! I talked to the wrecker driver that picked the bike up and he said the rear tire on the wing had cords showing in a couple places. It doesn't really matter which tire "you" ride on as long as it is in good shape, and has enough rubber between the air and the road. Joe A18 SE KY 8100 --- In DSN_klr650@yahoogroups.com, "Andrus Chesley" wrote:

> > A person need not to worry about what other people think about

thier

> tires as all have thier ideas and preferences based on thier riding > style and terra firma. > As for tire price, that's not my concern when buying the tire I

want

> to try. Or, the tire I want to stay with for what I'm riding at

that

> time. > I mix front and rears a lot as I find what I like for the riding I > do. But at present, am contented with the tires I'm using on my > bikes. They do most all of what I do on the bike. > IRC GP1's F & R on the KLR > Dunlop 604 F & Avon AM 44 R on the R1150GSA > Dunlop 606's on the DRZ400S. > > I get most of my tires from SouthWest and install them myself. Last > time I had to buy tires from a dealer was in Maine on tour when the > Bridgestone Trailwings (oem) were at the wear bars at 8600 miles. (

I

> was use to getting 12K and better with my R11GSA and Avon 33/34's)

So

> I lost a day and 330 bucks getting Tourances installed, front and > rear as the front was cupping pretty bad. Never did like the

tourance

> on the front from day one. Tried different pressures, ride heights, > etc but never had it feeling planted like other tires I used.

Dunlop

> 604 ( think) were next but to the wear bar in California with just > 5000 miles on the tire( bout 1/8" ). Screw it, gonna run it to the > threads gone before changing it. Made it back to Louisiana with

just

> about 1/16 in of rear thread left. Hence the avon on the rear now. > Trying that dude out to see milage vs preformance. Just love the > Dunlop on the front so that's gonna stay. > KLR. Ran stock tires till mostly worn, then to Avon gripsters which

I

> loved in the curvy roads of the Ozarks. A bit fishy in the loose > gravel even with aired down tires, put a Kenda 270 on the rear and > left the front Avon on for a bit. Wasn't very bad and helped at the > rear in gravel. Then to IRC 101 on the rear , still Gripster on the > front in good health. Good tire but would scare the heck out of me > tooling along and laying her over and getting that sudden howl

making

> me think a truck was closing on me from the rear. After that worn > down put the IRC GP1's. Had to get use to not pushing the front as > much but good all around tires for what I do. > The DRZ400 newest bike for my stable. stock tires, great on pave, > not bad aired down in gravel, suck in dirt and wet stuff. So

putting

> on D606's after reading lots of plus about them from different

rider

> groups. But have run Knob tires on the street many times in the

past

> and know thier limitations and mine. So it will be chill time till

we

> learn each other i'm sure. > > Have a great day. Don't follow the Jones's off a cliff, go your own > way. Abide by other peoples choises as it's their boat to float. > Smile. > > Devon hang tuff > > Andy in Louisiana '43 model > frist bike was a '56 Harley 165 in '58 Ride from swamps to

pavement.

[Krgrife@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/21/04 4:53:16 AM Pacific Standard Time, achesley@... writes:

> Andy in Louisiana '43 model > frist bike was a '56 Harley 165 in '58 Ride from swamps to pavement.

Same bike I learned to ride on at about the same time. Kurt Grife Vintage '44 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Don Bittle]

----- > A tire is a tire is a tire, everyone has their opion of them, and

>

I'm having a hard time with this discussion. IMHO, you should put on the best available rubber, within reason, since there is only a hand-sized contact between you and Hell (or with some of you, Heaven). Go cheap on the bike, accessories, even your underwear, but where it counts, spend. After all, it's only green paper. don a17 voyager CB125

[John Kokola]

> -----Original Message----- > From: Don Bittle [mailto:dbittle@...] > > Go cheap on the bike, accessories, even your underwear, but where > it counts, spend.

--John Kokola

[Eric L. Green]

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004, John Kokola wrote:

> > -----Original Message----- > > From: Don Bittle [mailto:dbittle@...] > > Go cheap on the bike, accessories, even your underwear, but where > > it counts, spend. > >

And where it doesn't count, DON'T spend. I buy quality gear whenever possible, but after putting 1500 miles on the tires, I haven't noticed any real difference in quality between my Kenda 761's and the Metzler Tourances that were on my bike when I bought it, other than that the Kendas work better in gravel and rain and are half the price. They probably won't last as long as the Tourances (more aggressive tread design, softer tread compound to compensate), but for what I wanted, this was the best tire, regardless of price. -E