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-   -   Which tires for Kaz + Mongolia (https://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/northern-and-central-asia/which-tires-for-kaz-mongolia-68588)

2499 29 Jan 2013 18:08

Which tires for Kaz + Mongolia
 
Hi

I´m planning a tour this summer to mongolia, through Ukraine Russia Kazackstan, mongolia. And back to Europe through Russia. Ca. 25kkm

I´m not sure about wich tires to use.

I would like to use TKC80´s the hole way. But they kind of wear out pretty fast. I was planning on starting with what ever i have on at that time and bring a fresh pair of Tkc80 on the back. And order a extra pair to be ready for me in Novosibirsk.

The Heidenau K60 is also a option, i would just prefere to have tires that will not limit where I'm going. Fx going down a small forest track to find the perfect camp site.


What's your opinion or experiences ?

klausmong1 29 Jan 2013 18:47

I do the same like you.

My plans are, that i drive a K6 Scout or Mitas 07 on my way to Mongolia.
Somewhere in the Altai before Mongolian Border i will change to the TKC80 and still take the old tires with me.

So i have new good Offroad Tires for Mongolia ( and we will need them there ) and still can change back to the old but not bad tires on my way back if i need to.

YGio 30 Jan 2013 16:15

I personally have switched to karoo 2 front and K60 heidenau for the rear (both bought in Moscow) before the Altai/Mongolia from anakee 2. The karoo 2 was dead after 6000 km the k60 heidenau lasted 17 000 km. Brilliant combo for the offroad of this country.
Both tyres have been through severe punishment and hold quite well.
Fortunately, knowing that the karoo2 wouldn't last, I carried my front anakee 2 until Ulaanbataar.

Now, having done the road, I would suggest a mixt: Tkc80 front and k60 rear,
Why? The Tkc front has a better grip then the k60 but the tkc 80 rear has a poor longevity. Any way, the k60 rear has better grip and longevity then the tkc.

I would advise to NOT carry spare tyres in Mongolia, the road is already pretty hard, you wouldn't want to carry extra weight. With the combo tkc80front/k60rear if you change before Mongolia (ie Barnaul) you will be able to do all Mongolia and get out of it and ride to a place where you can find new tyres... ( I have now changed my k60 rear... in Tokyo...)

2499 30 Jan 2013 18:49

Of course a mix is also not a bad idear. Tkc80 front And K60 rear. And then a extra Tkc80 front tire on the back.

I was planning to get a new set of tkc80 in Barnaul before Mongolia and leave the other tires there until we come back on the way home.

We will mostly camp. So we need some kind of tires to sneak around of the track to find a camp spot.

Gipper 30 Jan 2013 19:35

2499,

I got 15,000 kms out of a front TKC 80 on a DR650 2up in South America. With the Heidi K60 rear this is a good conbination, what bike are you riding?

2499 30 Jan 2013 20:53

Sounds good, i´m ridding a XT 600 3ds.

klausmong1 30 Jan 2013 22:03

My idea was, that i will need a good Offroad tyre when it comes to Mongolian roads ( can we call them roads? )

Thats why i will use the TKC80 Front and Rear for Mongolia.
Because I am staying there 3 weeks, the Tyre will be worn out after that.
Then i return to my old K60 Scout and drive back.

So i will have 2 pairs of worn out tyres, which we need for this ride

dan66 31 Jan 2013 00:03

Use mitas E-07's. Simple as that. There is nothing in Mongolia or the stans that you cannot ride with those on. They just last for ever, i got 15,000 miles out of my rear and about 10,000 from the front there last summer. Anything else just will not last on the Mongolia roads.

Dan

TravellingStrom 31 Jan 2013 01:54

I rode from Germany, through Russia, Kaz, Kryg, China, Mongolia all on a set of K60s, not problems whatsoever

I clocked up 18,000km, I just replaced the rear in SEA, the Mongolian steppe chewed some extra life out of the rear tyre on the corrugations.

The front K60 is still on there, it has at least another 10,000km in it although it is showing some cupping, but that does not bother me.

Whatever you do, there is no need to carry a spare front.

Cheers
TS

YGio 31 Jan 2013 02:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 409952)
My idea was, that i will need a good Offroad tyre when it comes to Mongolian roads ( can we call them roads? )

Thats why i will use the TKC80 Front and Rear for Mongolia.
Because I am staying there 3 weeks, the Tyre will be worn out after that.
Then i return to my old K60 Scout and drive back.

So i will have 2 pairs of worn out tyres, which we need for this ride

Has said before, the K60 scout rear is as good as the tkc80 for the rear and it will definitively last longer. Really no need to carry extra weight in Mongolia, it will only do thing harder ( lost balance...).

donuk 4 Feb 2013 23:29

No need to carry tyres at all TBH, Contact DeanRUS on here, he has a network of guys throughout Russia and your tyres would be waiting for you.

I did London > Almaty > Novosibirsk on tourances and then switched to TKC80's in Novosibirsk, rode those through Mongolia and then all the way back to Moscow, at which point i switched back to the Tourances, i probably could have made it back to London on the TKC80's, although they would have been slicks by then.

As others have said in Mongolia they key is lightness..

klausmong1 5 Feb 2013 05:31

I agree, i want to be at lightweights as possible.

The idea with tires an the way is the best, if we can work this out it would be my first choice

I also know, that i need good profile for mongolia

sushi2831 7 Feb 2013 01:46

Hello
I'm at the same point at the moment.
Once I have sorted out how to get my bike fro SEA to Vladivostok I will look for a set of new tyres.
My plan is TCK80 front and a K60 scout rear, instead of the original 130 size, a 140 or even 150.
I've never tried a K60 scout rear but for the longer life I will accept a little bit less traction.
I had a K60 scout on the front and it lasted for ever.
But, the traction, even of as new, was worse than the one of the previous TCK80 at 18000km with no nobbies left.
With the combo TCK80 front and a K60 scout rear, I should make it till the EU.
Then I can find something else if needed.
sushi

klausmong1 8 Feb 2013 19:27

I think I made a decision

I will try to find a place where i can order tires for my bike in Semeypalatinsk ( or a place between there and the Mongolian border, and luckily without Barnaul, because i would like to take a track from Semey to Mongolia which would not lead me through Barnaul )

Has anyone any Idea if there is a way to find a repair or tire shop in this cities where i can order tires?

has anyone any idea about a contact person tho check this there?

Atavar 9 Feb 2013 14:41

Have been in Semey last year, don't think you can get tyres there. Try to send it via DHL. That should work. Otherwise Barnaul if you come via Russia or Almaty if you come through Kazachstan.
In Mongolia try to contact the Oasis Cafe. I'm pretty sure they can organise some tyres there. We'll be in Ulan Bataar in May:clap:
TKC is perfect for Mongolia, all the rest you should use the K60. We travelled through whole Tajikistan with them, even in sand it's ok.

klausmong1 9 Feb 2013 16:11

Thanks for that.

I was thinking of sending tires via DHL to some place, i just dont know which place.

I contacted Oasis already, i also have relatives i Ulanbataar.

But the western border is about 2000km away from Ulanbataar, so they dont really know a good place.

I had this idea, if someone knows a repair shop or something in this area, i could contact them and organize sending tires there

Atavar 9 Feb 2013 16:27

In Dushanbe we did it as general delievery to the local DHL branch which worked fine. You can just pick it up there. You can contact them in advance and get informed about storage fees.

colebatch 12 Feb 2013 00:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 409952)
My idea was, that i will need a good Offroad tyre when it comes to Mongolian roads ( can we call them roads? )

Thats why i will use the TKC80 Front and Rear for Mongolia.
Because I am staying there 3 weeks, the Tyre will be worn out after that.
Then i return to my old K60 Scout and drive back.

So i will have 2 pairs of worn out tyres, which we need for this ride

Firstly, a TKC 80 is not a good offroad tyre. Its a road tyre with square grooves cut in it. It has about the exact same off road ability as a K60 - I have ridden a lot on both and I found grip about the same off road, but the K60 is much more directinally stable, especially at high speed off road. Both are OK off road tyres, but both are also less than "good" off road tyres. The TKC80 is a little bit better on wet asphalt than the K60, but it has worse life expectancy. In both tyre models, the Back is better than the front. The front TKC and the front K60 are the weaker links in the pairs.

If you want a tyre that is more off road capable, but still can get you 10,000 km, look for a pair of Mitas E09 Dakars.

If 6000 km is enough range for you, then get proper off road tyres like Michelin Deserts. If you want tyres that just need to provide maximum grip off road in Mongolia for 6000 km or less, then a TKC80 is not what you are looking for. Its a road tyre.

To be honest, a TKC80 or K60 is enough for Mongolia if you are not planning on riding fast and aggressive. If you wanted to keep it simple, I would just do the whole thing on K60s.

If you want maximum grip for 3 weeks in Mongolia, I would go for Michelin Deserts.

3 tyre pics below. TKC80, E09, Desert. Note that the TKC has almost no space at all between the knobs. The E09 has more space between knobs. The Desert has maximum. Raised tread gives grip on asphalt. Not off road. Its the volume of the gaps between the raised tread that gives you off road grip. A TKC has almost no volume between the blocks and doesnt give good off road grip.

http://images.motorcycleparts2u.com/...front-tire.jpg

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...rEpq0iIHYf9YvQ

http://images.motorcycle-superstore....nt_Tire_--.jpg

colebatch 12 Feb 2013 00:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2499 (Post 409746)
The Heidenau K60 is also a option, i would just prefere to have tires that will not limit where I'm going. Fx going down a small forest track to find the perfect camp site.


What's your opinion or experiences ?

I think you are kidding yourself if you think a TKC80 will go where a K60 cant. Or if you think a K60 will not get you to difficult to access campsites. I know people who have ridden the Road of Bones Old Summer Road and BAM road on K60s / Mefo Super Explorers.

klausmong1 12 Feb 2013 09:40

Thanks a lot, this is good information for me

2499 12 Feb 2013 17:49

Thank you for all the inputs , its has been very informative and help full. :thumbup1:

Kilian 26 Feb 2013 16:26

Hi guys,

I'm planning on doing Barcelona - Ulaanbaatar this summer through France-Italy-Hungary-Ukraine-Russia-Kazakhstan-Russia-Mongolia.

My idea was to start on road tyres (Anakee 2, as they seem to last quite long) and carry a set of K60s to put them on when the going gets tougher or the Anakees wear out.

I'm counting on putting the K60s on at Astrakhan before riding into Kazakhstan.

A few doubts:

Do you reckon the K60s can make it across Kazakhstan, into Mongolia and then from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk, or is that too long? I don't plan on riding like a maniac.

Would it be better to keep the Anakees in Kazakhstan? What is the road condition? I want to do Astrakhan-Aralsk-Shmkent-Almaty-Semey before heading to Barnaul.

Finally, how good are the K60s offroad in Mongolia? I'd like to take the northern route.

Thanks!

klausmong1 26 Feb 2013 17:01

I wrote to some guys, who did this traveling already and i will translate what they wrote me:

The Northern Route in mongolia is much greener, what means mud and in the worst case undoable river crossings.
Which causes most drivers to turn around and go a different route.
I know some who have done the northern route, but they are not much.

Southern route in from Makat to Aralsk is not a street its shit x 3
Next time i will go the northern route in Kazhachstan

colebatch 26 Feb 2013 17:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilian (Post 413276)
Hi guys,

I'm planning on doing Barcelona - Ulaanbaatar this summer through France-Italy-Hungary-Ukraine-Russia-Kazakhstan-Russia-Mongolia.

My idea was to start on road tyres (Anakee 2, as they seem to last quite long) and carry a set of K60s to put them on when the going gets tougher or the Anakees wear out.

I'm counting on putting the K60s on at Astrakhan before riding into Kazakhstan.

A few doubts:

Do you reckon the K60s can make it across Kazakhstan, into Mongolia and then from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk, or is that too long? I don't plan on riding like a maniac.

Would it be better to keep the Anakees in Kazakhstan? What is the road condition? I want to do Astrakhan-Aralsk-Shmkent-Almaty-Semey before heading to Barnaul.

Finally, how good are the K60s offroad in Mongolia? I'd like to take the northern route.

Thanks!

Whats your route in KZ? If its an all asphalt road, you dont have to change to your K60s until later.

Having said that your K60s should make it to Irkutsk from Astrakhan.

K60s are fine for Mongolia ... especially if you are not racing it.

colebatch 26 Feb 2013 17:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 413277)
I wrote to some guys, who did this traveling already and i will translate what they wrote me:

The Northern Route in mongolia is much greener, what means mud and in the worst case undoable river crossings.
Which causes most drivers to turn around and go a different route.
I know some who have done the northern route, but they are not much.

Southern route in from Makat to Aralsk is not a street its shit x 3
Next time i will go the northern route in Kazhachstan

Sounds like guys who really dont know much about off road travelling.

Northern Route is fine. I have ridden it a bunch of times. I rode it last year in 2 days and it was raining heavily. There was pretty much no mud that you couldnt avoid. Lots of wet gravel. Southern Route is semi desert and pretty featureless (read boring)

Any road in Mongolia is subject to undoable river crossings. Depending if its been raining recently flash floods can swell creek beds from nothing to uncrossable in hours. They can also go down overnight.

The Dane 26 Feb 2013 19:23

Thanx to all of you..!
 
Just finished right now, putting on my new Heidis' K 60 Scout on my BMW F 800 GS !!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experience and info...you all where a great help!

Leaving for Iran in 2 months.....and Mongolia in 2014

Safe Ride to all of you!!

klausmong1 27 Feb 2013 09:01

@ colebatch.

I have heard so many different things about northern and southern route.
All from people, who have been there.

I think it is also a question, how good are the driving skills.
Some say its easy, because they are experienced Enduro drivers, for some it is hard.....
The guy who told me taht is experienced, but never did the northern route himself.
And i have seen videos, where drivers gave up

But i heard warnings from people who live there.

The only way to find out is to go here and judge yourself.
It is only, as many say, an hour of planing is worth 10 hours of beeing on the road.
So what i mean, if i think about it before, and try to gather informations, that will help me.

for my part, i still dont know which route to go.
The same people told me that the southern route is semi desert, but also very beautiful.

I think, i will make my decision shortly after the border, when i have to turn left or right and listen to my stomach:rofl:

I have time, but not to much time, so i am still trying to find a good compromise between fast and want to see a lot:mchappy:

TravellingStrom 27 Feb 2013 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilian (Post 413276)
Hi guys,

I'm planning on doing Barcelona - Ulaanbaatar this summer through France-Italy-Hungary-Ukraine-Russia-Kazakhstan-Russia-Mongolia.

My idea was to start on road tyres (Anakee 2, as they seem to last quite long) and carry a set of K60s to put them on when the going gets tougher or the Anakees wear out.

I'm counting on putting the K60s on at Astrakhan before riding into Kazakhstan.

A few doubts:

Do you reckon the K60s can make it across Kazakhstan, into Mongolia and then from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk, or is that too long? I don't plan on riding like a maniac.

Would it be better to keep the Anakees in Kazakhstan? What is the road condition? I want to do Astrakhan-Aralsk-Shmkent-Almaty-Semey before heading to Barnaul.

Finally, how good are the K60s offroad in Mongolia? I'd like to take the northern route.

Thanks!

I put on Heidenaus in Hanover and rode to Ulan Batar through Russia and Kaz, Kyrg, China, and there was still a lot of tread on them, enough for me to ride Thailand, Laos and then back into Thailand

I rode the southern 'road' and the tyres were fine on a heavy Vstrom

Kilian 27 Feb 2013 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravellingStrom (Post 413360)
I put on Heidenaus in Hanover and rode to Ulan Batar through Russia and Kaz, Kyrg, China, and there was still a lot of tread on them, enough for me to ride Thailand, Laos and then back into Thailand

I rode the southern 'road' and the tyres were fine on a heavy Vstrom

That sounds great! Especially since I'm also going to be riding a Vstrom... How did the tires and the Vstrom perform offroad?

TravellingStrom 28 Feb 2013 00:07

It is a great bike and the tyres are brilliant

You can reasd my blog for more details ;)

I entered Mongolia around the 6th Sep last year, towards the end of the season

Cheers
TS

colebatch 28 Feb 2013 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 413347)
@ colebatch.

I have heard so many different things about northern and southern route.
All from people, who have been there.

I think it is also a question, how good are the driving skills.
Some say its easy, because they are experienced Enduro drivers, for some it is hard.....
The guy who told me taht is experienced, but never did the northern route himself.
And i have seen videos, where drivers gave up

I think the question of ease or difficulty is just as much correlated with the all up weight of the bike you are riding.

I have seen girls with very limited off road experience have no trouble in Mongolia on a nice lightweight 400 or 650cc single cylinder bike. I have also seen plenty of guys who are on 240 kg "adventure" tourers. with 25 kgs of metal luggage boxes and other add ons, then 60 - 80 kgs of luggage, then 30 kgs of fuel try to go there ... with a bike that weighs more than 350 kgs ... and they are ALWAYS the guys who have trouble and turn back.

I never saw a person on a single cylinder bike with light soft luggage have to quit in Mongolia. But I have seen and heard of dozens who hated it, or struggled, or quit, that were riding bikes that are not suitable for Mongolia.

TravellingStrom 28 Feb 2013 12:17

Which tires for Kaz + Mongolia
 
Deadlines. The only reason to be wary. Don't make yourself go somewhere in Mongolia by a certain date. We had no choice and paid for it by damaged bikes, personally worn out, all because we needed to be somewhere by a certain date

Take it easy, don't do 400km days like we did

klausmong1 28 Feb 2013 14:27

Well, i drive a Honda Transalp, i will have Aluminium Boxes, but i will take care about the weight and dont do me any stress.
If i want to ride 400km + , i will do it, if i dont want, then i rest on a nice river and relax.

Still, i want to arrive, but if its a day or two more, i dont care

TravellingStrom 3 Mar 2013 04:42

What I meant about the distance is 50kmh moving average is about the limit, it would have been so much nicer to limit the ride to 200km per day, so much less pressure and more looking around and relaxing

klausmong1 3 Mar 2013 08:43

If i do this i have to quit my journey , because then it is definitely a time problem.
There is no way to spend more time then 2 Month of riding

YGio 5 Mar 2013 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 413875)
If i do this i have to quit my journey , because then it is definitely a time problem.
There is no way to spend more time then 2 Month of riding

Just skip some part then.
You can easily get in 9 days to Mongolia via Russia from Europe.

klausmong1 5 Mar 2013 06:28

Sorry, dont want to skip.

I love to ride, and i will take the planned way to mongolia.
I am quite sure that works.

On my way home i will take a faster route.

About the northern route everyone says something different, also here.
Like you write, dont take it when it was raining recently, walter wrote i should be possible.......

YGio 5 Mar 2013 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 414208)
Sorry, dont want to skip.

I love to ride, and i will take the planned way to mongolia.
I am quite sure that works.

On my way home i will take a faster route.

About the northern route everyone says something different, also here.
Like you write, dont take it when it was raining recently, walter wrote i should be possible.......

DO NOT do the north road in solo if it has rained.
Colebach is on a light bike. I would also say the north road his doable if you were on a light single cylinder bike.
Transalp with hard luggage is not light.
You might attempt it if you find someone else to come with you...
And forget about doing 400km + a day in Mongolia... Unless you want to be severely injured or worst.

craig.iedema 5 Mar 2013 09:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by YGio (Post 414214)
And forget about doing 400km + a day in Mongolia...

I don't know about that - even two up we managed 300km very easily (southern route).

TravellingStrom 5 Mar 2013 09:23

Our whole group had no choice but to do 400km day,(southern route) but we ran into bike problems and severe fatigue as the corrugations just shook the bikes apart, and ourselves.

It is doable, it is NOT enjoyable, which is what I said before

Slow down and enjoy Mongolia, otherwise you are just wasting time and money

We only went there because of the China situation otherwise it would hav been a different planned journey, not the rushed and dangerous one we undertook to satisfy visa and entry requirements into China

Cheers
TS

colebatch 5 Mar 2013 09:54

Different strokes for different folks.

I enjoy averaging 650 km a day in Mongolia. If I went slower, I wouldnt enjoy it as much. I go for the riding just as much as the scenery and people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravellingStrom (Post 414229)
Our whole group had no choice but to do 400km day,(southern route) ...

It is doable, it is NOT enjoyable, ...

Slow down and enjoy Mongolia, ...

I would add that there are a lot of things you can do to your bike to eliminate the "not enjoyable" factor apart from riding slower.

- Use a bike that has 18/21 inch wheels instead of 17/19. Another reason that big adventure bikes (apart from the KTM 990) are much less suitable for the likes of Mongolia. Bigger wheels smooth out bumps. Road size wheels amplify them.
- riding faster actually makes corrugations disappear. Corrugations that can shake the bike apart at 60 km/h don't exist at 120 km/h. The bike skips over the top of them rather than falling into each one.
- good quality suspension. KTMs are reasonably well set up from the shop (but can still use improvement). Any other brand's OEM suspension is woefully inadequate for "enjoying" Mongolia. Most OEM suspensions will be lucky to "survive" Mongolia let alone lead to an enjoyable experience. In my opinion aftermarket suspension is a must (tho illegal if your bike is registered in Germany)

craig.iedema 5 Mar 2013 10:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by colebatch (Post 414231)
Different strokes for different folks.

I enjoy averaging 650 km a day in Mongolia. If I went slower, I wouldnt enjoy it as much. I go for the riding just as much as the scenery and people.

And I think if I on your bike I would be looking at doing the same across similar territory in parts of Australia this even possible on a 990 solo.

YGio 5 Mar 2013 12:15

Yes, all depend on your bike and the road you will take.

Personally went through the Gobi and then up to the north. Average 350km a day, most of the time it was due to the sand/gravel and the lack of track to follow + a connector to the batteries that kept getting loose...

Any way, my comment was for the first guy posting:
-A Transalp is not an high-tech light rally motorcycle, it his rater heavy. Just my 2 cent advise on Mongolia. Doing the north road or the Gobi solo with this kind of bike is dangerous.
-If you don't find any one to go with, take the south road.
-Keep in mind that Mongolia population his 2 800 000 people, with 1 200 000 living in Ulaanbator that give you 1 600 000 in the rest of the country or roughly 1 hab by square km.

If you fall down, you are on your own...

klausmong1 5 Mar 2013 19:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by colebatch
- Use a bike that has 18/21 inch wheels instead of 17/19. Another reason that big adventure bikes (apart from the KTM 990) are much less suitable for the likes of Mongolia. Bigger wheels smooth out bumps. Road size wheels amplify them.
- riding faster actually makes corrugations disappear. Corrugations that can shake the bike apart at 60 km/h don't exist at 120 km/h. The bike skips over the top of them rather than falling into each one.
- good quality suspension. KTMs are reasonably well set up from the shop (but can still use improvement). Any other brand's OEM suspension is woefully inadequate for "enjoying" Mongolia. Most OEM suspensions will be lucky to "survive" Mongolia let alone lead to an enjoyable experience. In my opinion aftermarket suspension is a must (tho illegal if your bike is registered in Germany)

I know that, thats why i choose a Transalp witz 21" front tire

I will also Take a aftermarket Suspension, i know that too
And i dont care, im Austrian, not german:rofl:

I like to ride and i dont have a problem to do a lot of riding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Y.Gio
Any way, my comment was for the first guy posting:
-A Transalp is not an high-tech light rally motorcycle, it his rater heavy. Just my 2 cent advise on Mongolia. Doing the north road or the Gobi solo with this kind of bike is dangerous.
-If you don't find any one to go with, take the south road.
-Keep in mind that Mongolia population his 2 800 000 people, with 1 200 000 living in Ulaanbator that give you 1 600 000 in the rest of the country or roughly 1 hab by square km.

If you fall down, you are on your own...

A Transalp is a reliable motorcycle and a lot of people have done this kind of journey with this bike.
Why do you consider "with this bike is dangerous" ?
I am not this stupid, and by the way, it does not matter, how many people live in a country, when you are alone and nobody is close to help you. You can also have a problem in the middle of paris and die

I dont drive on my own, we are two persons.
i am able to fix most of the problems on a bike by myself, i can take a bike apart to the almost last screw and put it together ( including engine )
I did Motocross driving in my younger days ( ok, at this time we drove the old air cooled 495 KTMs )
I still do Off Road, and for example i did the LGKS ( I dont know how you name it in english - the Ligurian border street, the old one ) with a regular street bike, because i wanted it this way )
The other guy is a trial driver.

My idea was, to ask here about tires, because i have never been there and i really dont know which tires to choose out there.
I thought, i ask experienced drivers.
And i get tips, where i think i dont follow them.

Walters information seem quite ok for me, here i can decide, what is important for me.

I know i will take care that my bike is as light as possible, but for some reasons i dont want to go with a single cylinder bike.
I also know that i have to keep my weight down.
The idea for alu panniers was, that the are waterproof, not that i fill them up with 30kg per side.

And i know, that tires are important, thats why i want to have good informations about that.
I`d rather plan my trip and get with good new profile into mongolia instead of worn out old rubber

and it does make a difference, if you drive sand or Rocks or mud......

chris 5 Mar 2013 21:12

With regard to the off topic discussions I agree with those who say bike suspension and rider's riding ability/experience are very important. In addition I believe soft, well attached luggage to be far superior to hard luggage, especially utterly unsuitable Givi boxes and sh!te oem rack (hint hint Yan :innocent:) for a Mongolian trip.

Yan, you never rode the northern route so aren't able to comment on it's suitability for any particular bike in any particular weather. Clearly riding solo off-pavement isn't necessarily the best idea in any country. The 2 English blokes Matt and Ed (riding ktm 950 and xt660 Tenere) at the Oasis GH said the Northern Route was fine in 2012, the worst summer in terms of rain in a long time: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...rn-route-66127

Answering the OP's question: In 2012 on my Central Asia and Mongolia trip I used Pirelli MT21 on my Transalp and rode a combination of Northern and Central route. The tyres were good for the job.

The Mongolian section of my RR will be posted soon. Link is in my signature.

YGio 5 Mar 2013 23:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by klausmong1 (Post 414306)
I know that, thats why i choose a Transalp witz 21" front tire

I will also Take a aftermarket Suspension, i know that too
And i dont care, im Austrian, not german:rofl:

I like to ride and i dont have a problem to do a lot of riding.


A Transalp is a reliable motorcycle and a lot of people have done this kind of journey with this bike.
Why do you consider "with this bike is dangerous" ?
I am not this stupid, and by the way, it does not matter, how many people live in a country, when you are alone and nobody is close to help you. You can also have a problem in the middle of paris and die

I dont drive on my own, we are two persons.
i am able to fix most of the problems on a bike by myself, i can take a bike apart to the almost last screw and put it together ( including engine )
I did Motocross driving in my younger days ( ok, at this time we drove the old air cooled 495 KTMs )
I still do Off Road, and for example i did the LGKS ( I dont know how you name it in english - the Ligurian border street, the old one ) with a regular street bike, because i wanted it this way )
The other guy is a trial driver.

My idea was, to ask here about tires, because i have never been there and i really dont know which tires to choose out there.
I thought, i ask experienced drivers.
And i get tips, where i think i dont follow them.

Walters information seem quite ok for me, here i can decide, what is important for me.

I know i will take care that my bike is as light as possible, but for some reasons i dont want to go with a single cylinder bike.
I also know that i have to keep my weight down.
The idea for alu panniers was, that the are waterproof, not that i fill them up with 30kg per side.

And i know, that tires are important, thats why i want to have good informations about that.
I`d rather plan my trip and get with good new profile into mongolia instead of worn out old rubber

and it does make a difference, if you drive sand or Rocks or mud......

If you go at two, no problem I though you were going to do it solo.

And Chris, I actually done part of the north road, not the beginning which is supposed to be the hardest part, but still bumped into Matt & Ed from "We come in pieces" on my way to UB. Also meet 2 italians which did the whole road in fiat panda on the way... The important thing is not to be solo.
I am sure you will appreciate to have someone help you pick up your bike once you let it fall in the river hey Chris? ;)

chris 6 Mar 2013 09:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris (Post 414322)
Yan, you never rode the northern route so aren't able to comment on it's suitability for any particular bike in any particular weather. Clearly riding solo off-pavement isn't necessarily the best idea in any country. The 2 English blokes Matt and Ed (riding ktm 950 and xt660 Tenere) at the Oasis GH said the Northern Route was fine in 2012, the worst summer in terms of rain in a long time: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...rn-route-66127

Quote:

Originally Posted by YGio (Post 414347)
I am sure you will appreciate to have someone help you pick up your bike once you let it fall in the river hey Chris? ;)

Sorry to the OP for more off topic drivel. Yan might tell you his opinion on tyres in Mongolia at some point.

I suppose I could say, at least there was a river to cross, rather than lost sandy dusty nothingness, but that wouldn't be relevant. :cool4: I helped Moritz edit the video. Glad you like it. Please write a RR of your trip to share with others.

I'm sorry if I was incorrect as to your route. The itinerary of the Dutch guided group you joined was definitely south in the desert. You were also texting/ facebooking to say you were (had been?) lost in the south somewhere and that your luggage was falling apart around you. So actually, you had no idea where you were. Fair enough. There are lots of tracks in Mongolia.

YGio 6 Mar 2013 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris (Post 414386)
Sorry to the OP for more off topic drivel. Yan might tell you his opinion on tyres in Mongolia at some point.

I suppose I could say, at least there was a river to cross, rather than lost sandy dusty nothingness, but that wouldn't be relevant. :cool4: I helped Moritz edit the video. Glad you like it. Please write a RR of your trip to share with others.

I'm sorry if I was incorrect as to your route. The itinerary of the Dutch guided group you joined was definitely south in the desert. You were also texting/ facebooking to say you were (had been?) lost in the south somewhere and that your luggage was falling apart around you. So actually, you had no idea where you were. Fair enough. There are lots of tracks in Mongolia.

I already gave my opinion on tyres, K60.
This is now totally off topic. We went to the Gobi. Left the "guided group of dutch" in the middle after spending 4 days with them, we refuel with the spare fuel we put in the car and then me& riding partner went our own way, all the way to the north. If you want more details PM.
Concerning the report, I will maybe write one when I am done with my travel. Still in Japan at the moment.

To resume all what I have said so far:
-K60 is enough in Mongolia, no need to carry extra set of tyres.
-If you have a light single cylinder bike with good suspension you can probably do all the roads in Solo.
-If you have an heavy bike, find someone to come with you and you can also do all the roads, but SOLO with such bike it is dangerous. If you are SOLO with that kind of bike better only consider the south road.

I don't think that, so far, anyone has contradict those points.

BTW thanks for the straps still have them.

Kilian 7 Mar 2013 09:01

Mmmm... This thread is kind of putting off the northern route!

I'm planning to enter Mongolia from the west (Tashanta) and take the northern route to the capital. It will be in August, and I will be riding solo on a Vstrom - the 650 one, so it's lighter than a 1000, although far from single cylinder bikes.

I have hard luggage and I have upgraded the suspension: I changed the springs back and front for progressive, stiffer ones, rebuilt the rear shock and replaced the oil, inner seals and dust seals on the fork. The transmission kit, brake pads and brake discs are also new, so the bike is as good as possible. I'll be taking K60s.

Should I think twice and take the southern route?

chris 7 Mar 2013 09:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kilian (Post 414503)
Mmmm... This thread is kind of putting off the northern route!

I'm planning to enter Mongolia from the west (Tashanta) and take the northern route to the capital. It will be in August, and I will be riding solo on a Vstrom - the 650 one, so it's lighter than a 1000, although far from single cylinder bikes.

I have hard luggage and I have upgraded the suspension: I changed the springs back and front for progressive, stiffer ones, rebuilt the rear shock and replaced the oil, inner seals and dust seals on the fork. The transmission kit, brake pads and brake discs are also new, so the bike is as good as possible. I'll be taking K60s.

Should I think twice and take the southern route?

You seem to have a well set up bike. A VStrom is more pavement-oriented, IMHO, bear that in mind.

On either route, N or S, I wouldn't ride solo.

IMHO, by far, the most important factor when deciding where you go is your off-pavement riding ability. One person's "nightmare" is somebody else's "I had no problems, it was a piece of p!ss". You know what you can/can't do.

2 wheels is a lot harder than 4. Any novice can drive a car to most places, but novice off-pavement riders, particularly if riding a shed, will struggle. The N route is rockier and more likely to be damp. Also a lot more interesting. The S route is dryer and allegedly boring and anything will (and does) get through.

You may be an enduro champ already. Great, you'll have no problems N or S. If not, your profile says Barcelona, so ride the length of the Pyrenees off-pavement on your loaded VStrom and if you can do that you can easily ride the length of the Mongolian northern route.

Landerstow 9 Mar 2013 17:36

Northern Route
 
I took a Ural Sidecar outfit through Mongolia on the Northern route in 2011. The worst part for a solo (in my opinion) would be the desert of stones after you come through the cutting after Tsagaannuur. The river crossing is very deep and I travelled about 25k's North to cross the river and had to be towed through by a local "super guy". The cylinder heads on the Ural only allow you to go through water a foot/30cms deep with the engine running.
As for tyres, the tracks are stoney enough to get away with trail tyres instead of the fast wearing TKC's. As I've already done the Northern Route I'll be using the direct route, via Olgii, in June and I'm using Mefo Explorers on my XT600E.
But then, I'm just another idiot on a motorbike having fun so it may be better to listen to the voices in your head than take my advice. :wink3:

2499 9 Mar 2013 20:46

http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/us...ce-popcorn.gif

Doug Laird 27 Mar 2013 00:54

Tires
 
Unbelieveable mileage on the K60. You can't beat them.

klausmong1 27 Mar 2013 08:32

Milage is not the only point I am looking for.

If I only want milage, I'll take concrete rims:rofl:

And i was not asking for only milage

Chris Cowper 19 Apr 2013 12:48

I use a TKC80 on the front and a Mitas EO7 on the back. They took me from Vladivostok to Poland, via the Giobi and 5,000kms through the Kazikstan Desert. About 18,000kms, although they were stuffed at the end of it!
I feel the TKC80 has more "feel" than a Mitas EO7 on the front.

sushi2831 2 Jun 2013 02:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi2831 (Post 410803)
...
My plan is TCK80 front and a K60 scout rear, instead of the original 130 size, a 140 or even 150.
I've never tried a K60 scout rear but for the longer life I will accept a little bit less traction.

Hello
I now use this combination as planned, but I am very disappointed of the K60 Scout on the rear.
Well, for longer mileage I use the 140 K60 Scout one size bigger than original with the solide middle band in the tread.
What's supposed to be an advantage in mileage is in fact a big disadvantage in grip on "nice and easy" gravel.
When the road is hard and the tire can't sink into the dirt it's like a slick, because of the solide middle band in the tread.
In mud when the whole tread can dig into the dirt the tire is as good as a TCK80.
And, the mileage so far is not much better than on my previous TCK80 as a 140.
TO BE CLEAR, this statement is for the 140 "K60 Scout" with the solide middle band in the tread, not the 130 which doesn't have this NOR the normal K60 without the word "Scout".
Just my experience.
sushi

Genghis9021 2 Jun 2013 15:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris (Post 414507)
You seem to have a well set up bike. A VStrom is more pavement-oriented, IMHO, bear that in mind.

On either route, N or S, I wouldn't ride solo.

IMHO, by far, the most important factor when deciding where you go is your off-pavement riding ability. One person's "nightmare" is somebody else's "I had no problems, it was a piece of p!ss". You know what you can/can't do.

You may be an enduro champ already. Great, you'll have no problems N or S. If not, your profile says Barcelona, so ride the length of the Pyrenees off-pavement on your loaded VStrom and if you can do that you can easily ride the length of the Mongolian northern route.

I rode the Northern Route, plus the Khotgor Trackt solo in October 2011. It was dry with low water levels. If there'd been rain a number of spots would have been quite difficult. My only issues were a blown rear shock (starting about Lake Karakul in Kyrgyzstan and a wee little battery (Shorai lithium failed in UZ).

I'm no threat to the memory of Roger DeCoster but do ride an EXC 530 in horrendously technical areas of the Sierra in CA and have mountain biked a lot on very technical terrain.

The issues are just competence. It's not a 2-hour moto. It's 1600km and long stretches require concentration. A tired or distracted rider is simply just less than themselves, in all things, including judgement.

Balancing skills, fitness, rest and concentration (or the ability to do so) is what these long "off-piste" rides are about.

I met a couple on a 90's boxer with marginal tires that had done the Southern Route. It's not a horrible option if you're just gassed or your bike's a bit beat. In UB I saw not a few "wrecks" that had come just a part of the northern route and one of those was an overloaded V-Strom. It wouldn't be my first choice, not the least because it wouldn't be fun, even in great conditions.

The big Katoom was a hoot ! And it IS a holiday - have some fun.

As for the K60 - incredible mileage. Lightly loaded KTM ADV 950 with 100kg rider from Frankfurt to UB via the Stans and plenty of side runs "off-piste" - 18,000km and still and 1/8" from the wear bar. Not great in mud but anything that is won't give the necessary mileage.

craig.iedema 2 Jun 2013 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genghis9021 (Post 424337)
As for the K60 - incredible mileage. Lightly loaded KTM ADV 950 with 100kg rider from Frankfurt to UB via the Stans and plenty of side runs "off-piste" - 18,000km and still and 1/8" from the wear bar. Not great in mud but anything that is won't give the necessary mileage.

Far out that is awesome - the best I have got from one these is 13,000ks, maybe could got another 2,000ks if I really had too.

TravellingStrom 3 Jun 2013 00:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.iedema (Post 424357)
Far out that is awesome - the best I have got from one these is 13,000ks, maybe could got another 2,000ks if I really had too.

Like I mentioned on FB. There are 3 versions of the K60 scouts. Yours may have been the softer compound. There is one with a hard central strip, no good for off road and another which is ice and snow rated, they are the best I think from memory, don't quote me though

Genghis9021 3 Jun 2013 03:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.iedema (Post 424357)
Far out that is awesome - the best I have got from one these is 13,000ks, maybe could got another 2,000ks if I really had too.

My guess is a judicious use of the right hand. :) I'm regularly taken to task for being a wuss on throttle whether it's my EXC 530 or the big Katoom. However, I regularly rode across the Mongolian steppe in excess of 140 kph . . . and that with a blown rear shock. I'm a bigger fan of tire preservation than roosting dirt or marking tarmac.

That was my 3rd K60, and they were in two different sizes (150/70-18 on 4.5" rim and 140/80-18 on 2.5" rim). I've noticed no difference in wear, with or without the center band.

The larger difference was the amount of time on tarmac - that REALLY wears tires. At least it does when a tube is present and speeds are elevated (>140 kph).

FWIW, both tires came with recommendations to keep tire pressure above 38PSI if speeds would be above 140kph. There have been MANY reports of K60s chunking at lower pressures.

I believe Herr Strom is correct re: tire composition at least with the introduction of the new 'Scout' K60.

craig.iedema 3 Jun 2013 07:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genghis9021 (Post 424398)
My guess is a judicious use of the right hand. :)

Yes well maybe :)

I used one one my old 950 from London to Almaty - ~10,000ks but it looked this at the end all two up riding cant remember if it was a 140 or 150.

http://ciedema.smugmug.com/OverseasT...IMG_0520-M.jpg

I ran a 150 for 13,000ks from Colorado to Victoria Canada, probably could have stretched another 2,000ks out it mostly paved roads (damn snow).

I ran a 140 from Victoria to Anchorage 5,000ks and it ready to replaced, bit disappointed on this one I could have put a Desert on enjoyed the off road sections much more and got the same milage.

I tend max about 110-120kph on pavement and as fast as I can off road - up to 160 if I have the space, but normally 120+.

I may have ridden a little faster on the 140 - and I did get my first flat on this trip (and first for 3 years) on this tyre - strangely the rubber split around the valve stem vulcanisation so there maybe be a lot more movement with the 140.

Richard in the 18" size the 140 has no centre strip the 150 does (from all the tyres I have seen) and on the big Katoom the 150 works much better off road (nearly knobby good on some surfaces).

Genghis9021 3 Jun 2013 13:00

Are all these rides 2-up ?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.iedema (Post 424415)
Yes well maybe :)

I used one one my old 950 from London to Almaty - ~10,000ks but it looked this at the end all two up riding cant remember if it was a 140 or 150.

http://ciedema.smugmug.com/OverseasT...IMG_0520-M.jpg

I ran a 150 for 13,000ks from Colorado to Victoria Canada, probably could have stretched another 2,000ks out it mostly paved roads (damn snow).

I ran a 140 from Victoria to Anchorage 5,000ks and it ready to replaced, bit disappointed on this one I could have put a Desert on enjoyed the off road sections much more and got the same milage.

I tend max about 110-120kph on pavement and as fast as I can off road - up to 160 if I have the space, but normally 120+.

I may have ridden a little faster on the 140 - and I did get my first flat on this trip (and first for 3 years) on this tyre - strangely the rubber split around the valve stem vulcanisation so there maybe be a lot more movement with the 140.

Richard in the 18" size the 140 has no centre strip the 150 does (from all the tyres I have seen) and on the big Katoom the 150 works much better off road (nearly knobby good on some surfaces).

Otherwise . . . you ARE a gravitational distortion field. That's TERRIBLE performance. I rode from SF to Anchorage, out to Homer, then out to McCarthy, then to Chicken, then around (via Tok Junction) to Whitehorse and back up the Dempster to the NWT border and finally back to SF. Then to LA, and back to Vancouver. The tire was good for another 2000miles ! At that point it had 11,000 on it.

Again, I'm roughly a 100kg and ride with about 25kgs of gear, no more. Only soft luggage.

So . . . a set of Gobi's and racks weighs . . . 24kgs. Filled . . . another 25-30. A pillion . . . will not speculate. You've likely got a lot more weight over the rear wheel.

My plan is to use a SINGLE K60 from UB to Magadan and back via Mirny/Udachny this summer. That's roughly 13,000kms.

Not sure I agree with the 150 vs 140 for off-road. Typically dirt bike wheels are narrow to provide a long oval contact patch - the better to DIG into dirt. Road wheels are wider to present a rounder contact patch which is useful in cornering and for applying horsepower to acceleration. And the rib in the 150 isn't going to benefit off-road behavior.

craig.iedema 3 Jun 2013 15:37

Yeah I know what what yout saying about contact patch just the 150 felt a lot better.
I have switched out the Gobis now for Jeese and have been single seat for this leg of the trip. Tyre life is not much better.
Normally in Australia with no luggage on a fang it trip 3,000 ks is it. Even the stock Scorps only get 6,000 ks being treated nice.

Maybe I had the pressure wrong on the current tyre at some stage. Causing accelerated wear.

Who knows?

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TravellingStrom 4 Jun 2013 09:37

You might have a point about tyre pressure Craig

I was running 150 size tyre at 44psi rear all the time. Only solo but loaded with gear and still got 23,000km which included Mongolia rippio

colebatch 4 Jun 2013 14:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravellingStrom (Post 424545)
You might have a point about tyre pressure Craig

I was running 150 size tyre at 44psi rear all the time. Only solo but loaded with gear and still got 23,000km which included Mongolia rippio

23,000???

Dude thats awesome !!!

colebatch 4 Jun 2013 14:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravellingStrom (Post 424384)
Like I mentioned on FB. There are 3 versions of the K60 scouts. Yours may have been the softer compound. There is one with a hard central strip, no good for off road and another which is ice and snow rated, they are the best I think from memory, don't quote me though

This is a great point .... we really should try to make note of which ones we are using that get the great life ... but I THINK you are right. I think the M&S (matsch und schnee) rated ones are the long lasting ones.

craig.iedema 4 Jun 2013 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by TravellingStrom (Post 424545)
You might have a point about tyre pressure Craig

I was running 150 size tyre at 44psi rear all the time. Only solo but loaded with gear and still got 23,000km which included Mongolia rippio

44psi ekk no wondered you fell off so much. :rofl:

37 is about as high as I normally go. I am picking up new set in the next couple of days so will look at them then.

Maybe I should run the pressure up a little, though you carry more stuff than I do (when I don't have Sharon with me). The tire is wearing properly - ie no cupping.

craig.iedema 7 Jun 2013 08:06

So I went checked the web on the Heidenau's

The Heidenau websites show.

- K60 Tube Type (TT) in a variety of sizes.
- K60 Scout Tubeless (TL) in a variety of sizes.
- K60 Scout Tube Type (TT) in a variety of sizes.

There is no overlap in sizes between TL and TT and K60 and K60 scouts sizes that I can see. So while yes, there are 3 types of tyres, for a given size there is only one (based on the website data).

Interestingly the thread pattern varies quite a lot based on diameter and profile. The 150/70 - 18 TL I put on my doesn't even match the current images on the website - it had a centre strip but not the chunky one shown on the website.

All the K60 Scouts are M&S rated (again according to the website).

Edit: Just to update this - I picked up new 150/70-18 tyre today - its tread is markedly different than the 150/70-17.

DEAN Rus 13 Jun 2013 19:17

Scouts
 
130/80-17. 140/80-17 and 150/70-17 have different patterns, but 140/80 and 150/70 are very close now (with massive not cutted central raw).
Last year 140/80-17 was different - closet to current 130/80-17 and 150/70-18

Heidenaus ar "Burger tires" - perfect choice for a slow rider without off-road experience. It can take you through off-road sections but not fast OR not safely.

"K60 - Do not hurry and enjoy your trip" :scooter:

craig.iedema 13 Jun 2013 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by DEAN Rus (Post 425831)
Heidenaus ar "Burger tires" - perfect choice for a slow rider without off-road experience. It can take you through off-road sections but not fast OR not safely.

I don't know that I agree with this. Yeah they are not a Desert or a Scorp Rally. But I feel as comfortable on these at a160 km/h down a dry gravel road as I have been on 908s. Yes in the wet and snow they are a handful, but their endurance when riding 50/50 stuff more than makes up for that. For 80/20 I would choose a much more aggressive tire.


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