R100GS - tyres recommendation
 

Hi;
I'm preparing a sahara trip - I have a R100GS - Seems the recommended tyres are the Desert Michelin (right Chris?) --- except that Michelin don't sem to do them in 130/80-17, which is what I need for the back of the GS, don't I?
Any suggestions?
Thx!

Michelin T63 (130-80/17 rear) has almost the same pattern as Michelin Desert and it's a good choice. The front is completely different but due to higher mileage I would rather use T63 then Desert.
Pirelli MT 21 (130-90/17) is also good!

Thanks for the reply AliBaba!

If anybody has any other thoughts or concur, please let us know!

Cyaround!

Didn't anyone tried with the extension that you can buy from Wunderlich or Touratech?

You might want to consider the Continental TKC 80 - it is made in sizes to fit the R100GS, and is a recommended all around tire with an 'off road' focus.

If you choose to use the extender you also have to modify/change the mudguard. Imho I don’t see the point as long as there are other good tires.

When it comes to TKC80 it can’t compare to MT21, T63 or Desert. It’s much more road-biased.

Thx AliBAba - that advice is full of common sense... although I still wonder why Michelin won't do the Desert in 130'...

OK - I've now know what tyres I'm gonna get - next, larger tank or jericans?, then navigation!

I think the MT21 is also pretty OK on tarmac as well as the soft stuff.

I road back from Morocco to the UK in 72 hours through pouring rain, fully loaded on a R100 GS doing 500-600 miles a day and they were fine - just need to be sensible.

MT21's are cool tyres.

------------------
Fuzzy Duck
(I'm quackers about bikes)

[This message has been edited by Fuzzy Duck (edited 03 June 2005).]

i found mt 21 more suitable for lighter bikes. try metzler mc karoo. they hate white lines but good in the dirt. if not conti tkc 80 are the billy whizz.....

The desert is what you need for anything on the dirt or sand. You can fit 140's on your 2.5" rims intended for 130 tires. Now you will have a problem with the tires rubbing on the swing-arm and when bottoming the bike it will eat away the inside of the mudgaurd. For the first problem you can offset the rim from the hub to the left to create enough space to the swing-arm, take the wheel to someone who does trueing. You will also have to fit a wider rear mudgaurd like the Accerbis Baja rear fender. For more information check with HPN in Germany. Their Site is www.hpn.de
Klause will also give you the exact offset for the rim trueing.

Whatch out for spacers when in thick sand, they greate a large gap between the hub and final drive for sand to enter the brake cavity.
Some more coments to add to my previose response on the Desert's, they will give you less milage, app, 5000km with a lot of tar streches but not less than Saharas which is probably the best dual purpose tires, with good dirt handeling as well as on the road.
The TKC 80's have proven themselfs in African conditions and give very good milage. You will also find them to fit your bike without modifying anything. I still would not fit anything to my bike other than Desert's I don't care how fast they run down.

Thanks for the feedback (here and on other threads). It sounds that the Deserts are the way to go, but I have already my hands full (and wallet empty) of other mods to do. I will therefore go for the Continental. A good compromise by the sound of it.

I recall reading in Chris Scott's book, when using wider tires, just cut off the knobs that rub against the swing-arm. Haven't tried it myself, but it seems to make sense?
BTW, to effectively cut rubber tires, use a fresh razor-knife continuously dipped in soapy water...like cutting through butter (how do i know this?...)

As to Mr Ron's comment above, I am currently running a 130/ 18 Kenda on my G/S (made for a thin 120 or 110 sized rear!). Not a great tire but the point is I had to slightly trim the side of the tire to clear the swing arm. This was easily achieved and has revealed no downside as of yet. I do not think I would do this on a road tire, where you would be trimming the carcass, but in this case it was just a matter of cutting off .5 cm the knobs. YRMV

Well, it would break my heart to buy new tires just to cut them apart... :-)