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Conti TKC80
Just a quick question looked at the Conti TKC80's yesterday and really liked the look. Has anyone got any experience of them I am wondering what they handle like on the road and if they are prone to vibration at high speed???
Go forth and discuss!!!! |
tkc80
Check out this page F650 Tire Opinions FAQ and scroll down to TKC80, lots of opinions there.
Currently I have 130/80-17 KAROO as rear tire. Its very good tire, gets me out of mud/crap places easily, afterall it has big deep knobs. But its a bit more slippery on gravel roads than my previous MT21. I guess it wouldnt be if it had smaller knobs on the edges, like TKC80 has. |
Cheers for that link very interesting. I think I will go for set of the TKC80s see what happens. I have been tempted by the Anakee but feel I would like the off road option the TKC offer. And i think the XT will look better with propper knobblies.
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That's a great link Ilpoj - a really useful review and very comprehensive; would be worth putting that into an equipment review posting for tyres (no point in re-inventing all of that typing when it has been written already!). |
Be careful when scrubbing in the TKC80's. Yesterday a guy on a KTM950 was trying to keep up on a nice twisty road and low sided into a ditch. Apparently his near new TKC's had not been scrubbed on the edges, when he really leaned the thing over .....well...the rear tire just stepped out. No harm, no damage, no injuries. Very very lucky man. So gradually lean them over, little at a time, steeper leans as you go. Should be fine....other than wet roads where I would
go a bit easy till you get used to where they break loose. I've choosen a TKC80 for my front tire on my upcoming Cent. America trip. I'm hoping these tires work well on my DR650 both on and off road. I'm running a Pirelli MT90 on the rear. I'm hoping to get close to 10,000 miles with this combo, doing some dirt exploring, but mostly road work at relatively low speeds....not over 70 mph. Mostly 55 mph. Patrick :mchappy: |
"---------....not over 70 mph. Mostly 55 mph. -------------"
Yeah ,right !!!!!!!! |
Trust me, once I start seeing bald coming my way and no 17" dual sport tires for
1000 miles....that'll slow things right down. Patrick:mchappy: |
I totally agree with you on that point, when you know you have not got the RAC to come and rescue you or a nice and friendly ambulance crew to patch you up you tend to adjust your riding style. I wish you all the best for your coming trip and when the TKC's are fitted I will take it easy. Having dropped the bike once already through no fault of my own I dont fancy any more big repair bills.
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Yep, that's it. But crashed bikes are a minor inconvenience compared to crashed bones and shredded skin.
In '97 I hit a guard rail (snapping Tibia/Fib) and flew up and over it, falling 200 ft. to a rock creek bed below. The medical bills (thank God paid by insurance) for my complicated broken leg and some "other" issues involved six operations and about two years off work. Total costs ended up at around $200,000 USD. Today, those costs in the USA have at least tripled. My $10,000 brand new sport bike, was a minor figure in all this. I rebuilt the bike while on crutches and did numerous track days to erase my dread and fear that was keeping from riding well. In much of Latin America health care is free but not always and not always for foreigners. So bad crashes need to be thought over carefully. Patrick:mchappy: |
Mileage for TKC's on a loaded TT600R
I got about 9,000miles out of a set of TKC's before they were totalled. I have run two sets and got the same mileage on both.
The knobs either side of the centre on the front tend to wear before the centres so above about 5000miles you get a slightly weird cornering sensation as you 'fall off the knobs' into a corner, but you adjust naturally. Good tyres..... Im thinking about trying the Dunlop 908RR's as an alternative next time as they're pretty agressive but supposedly the rear wears very slowly. Good luck! |
I recently recorded 16000 miles on an Anakee rear...fullly loaded BMK K75s...400kilos...50% dirt...50% tarmac...
TKC 80 is somewhat over rated...the knobs will wear out quick on tarmac and the tread plies are too weak to handle sharp stones off road... The Anakee and Tourance may not look sexy, but they will get you there...adjust tire pressure accordingly to the terrain and that will make a world of difference. BUT...if you can get them...one of the best tire off/on is the Mefo StoneMaster...again...if you can get them. |
It may be the TKC knobs will be ground down quickly but for the front I'm hoping it is a bit better than a Tourance or Anakee in dirt. If I can get 5 to 7000 miles out my TKC front, I'll be thrilled.
Running a MT90 A/T on the rear of my DR650. Should go past 10K with any luck (and slower speeds) Regards the Anakee, I loved them on my Vstrom DL1000. But even carrying MUCH less weight than you, I only sqeezed 7500 miles out of my rear Anakee. The front went to about 10K miles. I liked them a lot however. Great grip, great in rain, very even wearing, even worked good when worn out. (now...THAT is RARE and worth a lot IMO) I've tried Tourance (on my Tiger) and on my Vstrom, I've also tried Stock Trailwings (2 sets) Dunlop D604's (crap), Avon Distanzia's (2 sets), Dunlop D607's and Pirelli MT90 ST's. High speeds and driving hard out of corners with 90 RWHP makes a difference I think. Or maybe we ride just a bit harder in California? :innocent: Patrick:mchappy: |
I there,
I'm using TKC80 on my DL1000 and i'm loving it. Feels great off-road and excellent on road ...! I'm going to Morocco in October and that's the set of tires I will go with. |
Ok...let me clarify my issue with the TKC 80.
Its a good tire and especially good choice up front. BUT tires are a complicated thing...wear depends on many factors...weight, road type conditions, heat, tire pressure, etc. BUT people get so caught up in the tread design and ignore these other factors...especially the need to adjust pressure for different road conditions...changing a couple PSI can make a big difference in performance and overall wear... I change my tire pressure often because the variables change often...if you don't feel like messing with the pressure...so be it...but your mileage will vary. TKC-80's in the front are fine but realize they have 2 ply sidewalls so stay away from sharp rocks...Tourance fronts offers 4 ply sidewall and tread...the only front tire to do other than stonemaster and ME880... Why this is important is that it allows the rider to drop the PSI to an even lower level than 2 ply sidewall and that will make a bigger difference in traction than knobs(except in boggy mud). I dropped my front to 20psi regularly in dirt and sand without punctures on sharp rocks. I wouldn't dare try that with TKC's or other 2 ply... Bottom line...tires are a complicated thing and choosing the right one isn't easy. And mixing brands and models between front and rear like MollyDog has done is a great approach to mitigating some of the tires shortcomings... |
Excellent summary on tires edde!
High ambient temp plus high speed = fast wear. Add heavy bike, rough Mex. roads (Baja pavement is like a cheese grater) and wear increases more. Changing conditions certainly requires pressure adjustments but that's not always practical or posible. With group dual sport rides sometimes we are switching from paved to dirt 3 or 4 time before lunch. And NOBODY is waiting around while you fiddle around with tires. If you know the way and are fast, you can stop to do this and ride alone all day. (which some prefer) In these cases I go with compromised pressures. On my DR I go with 18 front / 20 rear (stock pressurers are 22/25). On the DL1000 about 24 front / 28 rear. (stock is ? 34/36 ? ) On the DR this works OK, but on the heavier Vstrom the tires really heat up hitting paved twisties at speed. A compromise for sure and faster wear is the result. Going solo I can take more time to change pressures if needed. But if I have only a short dirt section I'll leave the stock pressures and ride accordingly. (slow and careful with the front brake) I didn't think about the TKC's being two-ply...a worrying point for certain. In my enduro days we went with 4 ply knobbies, usually Metzelers or Pirelli's that have (or had?) 4 ply and even 6 ply tires back then. These were like ISDE tires I believe. Not sure what's available now...but man ...these suckers are TOUGH....nearly impossible to wear out a front dirt riding and the rears lasted well unless you were doing serious rocks at speed. Impossible to change in the field. (for me) Not good motocrossers though. (too stiff) I'm hoping HD tubes will mitigate some of this 2-Ply worry. They should resist pinching better. Also, I won't be attacking the rocks too hard fully loaded, just keeping a good pace and trying to avoid the worst hazards. Half of survival off road is reading the trail and good vision. Most novice riders look about 10 ft. ahead. A huge and basic mistake. They also sit. Standing, breathing and looking about 50 yds. up the trail is the difference between picking your way along like a Burro and flying. Ask any desert racer. It's true, tires are very complex. I've been lucky enough to have attended several tire intros with the engineers with all the charts, graphs and power point shows. The Metzeler guys do an excellent job with this. Dunlop are a bit arrogant, Avon are great and just say...."get on the race track and we'll talk later...and don't forget your bag of free swag!" Gotta love that. Did you guys know the TKC is made in Korea? :rofl: Probably made in the same factory with Duro's, Kenda's, Maxxis ! :eek3: Patrick:mchappy: |
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Iv ridden with TKC80's and Anarkee's.
TKC's are a great tyre if you want to regularly ride the rough stuff but if your riding is mostly tarmac then think again. I currently use anakees as I ride about 80% tarmac. They are fantastic on the road where the TKC's are sketchy on wet tarmac. The anarkee's are fine on dry grass, unfinished roads and hard packed soil but not really any good on gravel or harsher offroad riding. Think Anakee for mainly road with light off roading or TCK's for a 50:50 road/ta combo. |
Hi Bonfireboy,
Did you put TKC'c on yer bike? if so how are you getting on with them, I'm thinking of putting them on mine and have been quoted £125 per set fitted to loose wheels. If you can get them cheaper let me know, it may be a good excuse for a ride down to Bognor ! Cheers Mike |
Tkc
I've got some spare TKCs for Africa Twins which are left over from the preparation for our trip to Africa. Send me a message and I'll send the sizes.
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Hi,
TKC 80 - Continentals front - 90/90-21 54S rear - 120/90 - 17 64S Would be interested (depending on price and where you are ) Feel free to email me mike.carson@hotmail.co.uk cheers Mike |
Not fitted the TKC's yet they will be going on as soon as I wear the last bit of tread off my current back tyre. Going to check this week on a price fitted will get back to you!
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Sorry..
Africa twin tyres are..[below] only selling as a pair.:(
front tyres 90/90 21 rear tyres 140/80 17 laters, Ed |
I'm on my first set of TKC 80s on my DL650. I just finished a 2000+ mile trip through Mexico and it was the perfect tire. It does great on the road (under 80 mph, more on that later), and when gassed down a little, great offroad. I only have slight noticeable wear on the rear.
Over 80mph.. wooo.. It is crazy. It starts oscillating a little... then more .. then more..... and if you keep giving it speed (like when you HAVE to pass on the highway), it starts to completely fail. I almost lost it the first couple of times it happened as I didn't realize that my tires were at fault. I'm planning a SA trip next year and I'll prolly put on a fresh set of TKCs before I leave, but will probably return to a more street oriented tire for my usual commuting and USA touring. |
I got 16k miles out the front and 9.5k miles out the rear of one set on my 1150GS in the Americas. I found that the gravel/dirt really ate them up quickly and after 2 days (Copper Canyon and then down to Choix) the rear was pretty well scrubbed but it did last on the tarmac after that for quite a while. It was very good at getting the bike out of loose sand/gravel as I've had the bike burried up to the proverbials in deep sand on more bald tires.
Since I came back to Europe before getting home (only last night, whaaa!), I found the lack of grip on wet tarmac (especially in the Alps) was pretty lethal and rather scary but generally ok on dry twisty tarmac. Unbelivably my bike got straight through its MOT the other day so the tread must have still been ok even though I've done about 7k Miles on the rear. This last set I just fitted them myself, its not that hard once you know how. |
The TKC's are good tyres but I feel people get a little obsessed with them. It just seems to be fashionable to recommend them to anyone as soon as they mention "overlanding"
There are loads of tyres out there and all suit bikes and applications in their own way. On my XT600, i found Metzeler Sahara 3's work much better on road than TKC's and only marginally worse off road. On my XR650, i found the TKC's unpredictable and unnerving even in the dry... In the wet was terrifying. Its amusing how many riders who ride 99% on tarmac, dont go for a more street biast tyre... |
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However, I just used them on an 18k km trip with mixed surface - desert/rocks gravel/tarmack and found them AOK. A little nervous in the wet on crap roads. Also got 18000kms out of the back and it could have done another 2 or 3k. The fronts deform (cupping) very badly unless the pressure is spot on so they were swapped out at 14000kms. John |
TKC80's
Hey guys,
Just my 2 bobs worth too! I had a set of Anakee's on my R1200GS which had done 5200km 2 up with luggage in the Middle east. They are only about half worn and I took them off to fit a set of TKC80's for a trip down through East Africa. Fitted the Conty's in Salalah (Oman) and travelled 2000 km tho Al Makha west Yemen. The rear is now nearly shagged! Has about 25% left on it! No this has been one up with luggage on a big bike and the ambient temp has been from 39C up to about 47C. So you can see that these tyres do not last in the heat or with weight. I have used them before in Australia on a R1150GS ADV and found the same with them there as well in Central Australia. Did a trip from Cairns to Cooktown (1000 km) then directly west to Alice Springs and by the time I got to Cooper Pedy the rear was again totalled. Personally I do like the Anakee and they do hold on well and wear well and yes the 4 ply side wall is much better. I have had no trouble with either sliding on asphalt but I do wear my tyres in before I go crazy in the corners. Ok guys, hope this helps as well. Cheers Ivan |
I think everyone has made a lot very interesting points on this subject. I have spent ages doing research and asking loads of questions a lot of people have got good and bad experiences to share which is great and what this forum is all about. You pay the money you make the choice! We all ride on different terrains and in different ways. It almost makes me want to buy another XT so I don't have to choose which tyres to fit. I am going to try the TKC's as my next set and see how it goes I will report back, coming from a sports bike background I personally think tyres for the XT are quite reasonably priced so will just change them to the Anakee if I don't like them. Thats if I can make my mind up!!!
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I've been following this thread and decided to jump in. Originally I had MT21's on my XT. I found them quite noisy on the hiway and the front wheel pulsed annoyingly.Since these tires were getting...well...tired.I swapped them for Kenda's 761s since I ride mostly to work at speeds up to 110kmh. Altho the front feels loose at this speed it's predictable.The Kenda's have been offrroad once..gravel, mud and loose rock. The loose rock was bad..very bad...fell twice:oops2:.I'm considering these TKC tires as a decent compromise. All the info here has been very interesting. Since I'm not a particularly aggressive street rider maybe these are an option.
Also, if anyone has some experience with loose, smooth rock about the size of baseballs, let me know.I had my tire pressure down to 18lb , down from 24lb. |
My opinion .....
I don't go for this get the tyre that suits the majority of your riding idea. If you enjoy riding offroad (even if its just 5% of your riding time) then you MUST HAVE KNOBBLY tyres or its not going to be much fun at all. So for on road you have to ride more carefully. I find TKC80s to be good offroad and really quite good on dry clean tarmac BUT much care is needed on wet or "gritty" tarmac. |
Last October I thought I'd try out a set of TKC80s no my BMW F800GS. I've gotten about 4-5000 miles on my TKC80s ridden entirely on the road. I still have some tread on the front but it's not far off needing new boots - perhaps another 1-2000 miles? The rear is now in dire need for a change. The front tyre has worn in a peculiar way; the off centre blocks have worn quicker than the central blocks.
http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/b64ac5f4.jpg http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/a...r/6f0146d8.jpg I think they've been pretty good on the Tarmac, take the usual extra care in the wet, especially if loaded up. You get a little uncomfortable vibration but only at speeds in excess of about 80mph. No problems with cracks or any other faults. The major drawback is the poor wear rate. I might get more miles in the dirt, which I'm sure they will perform excellently. I think I'll try the Heidenau K60 next. In the meantime I'm putting my old Bridgestone Battlewing back on to finish it off as it's still got loadsa miles left on it as my riding at the moment is a commute limited wholly to the road. |
For a 70% tarmac 30% light trail tyre go for a Michelin SIRAC.
It has a nice agricultural look. Also long lasting. |
If anyone is thinking of a TKC 80 the best price I've found is £55 (for a front) from Cheap Car Tyres Online » FREE DELIVERY » Oponeo.co.uk
Jack |
I personally cannot recommend TKC 80s for yamaha xt600. The weave is alarming compared to Trailwings or Pirelli MT21s.
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