I would like to put dual sport tires on my K bike, does anyone have suggestions on tires, I am converting the bike to a more scrambler type. I found an extension for the rear shock to get a a little more clearance. I rode about 50 miles on gravel out by my family's old farmstead this past weekend and realized the there is much more to see if you can just get off the slab.
  I've noticed there a couple that say they are tube type tires, Shinko to be specific, They were recommended by a rider I'm aquainted with in Marne, Iowa. Can you actually put tube type tires on the y spoke rims on an 85 k100?
  I have no interest in using a tube tire, it just seems through my searching that many dual sport tires that are available in the odd front wheel size of the K100 are tube type tires. Personally, I feel tubeless is the way to go, and somewhere I picked up info, I believe that a tube type tire on the y spoke mag of the K100 doesn't let the tire bead actually seat correctly just wonderng about others experience, or knowledge. I did read that Scrapheap thread a while ago. Kind of hoping for something a little more economical, like the shinko, I'm told by a few that the shinko gets pretty decent mileage I'm just not sure of the tube thing

G'day 6strings , I've heard of others on the forum that have suggested Michelin Anakee 2's , for the rear there is a 14/80/17

John R

Providing you have a tyre that is designed to have a tube then all will be OK. This does make me wonder why you would want a tubed tyre when a tubeless is far less likely to deflate suddenly.

JR_K100RS wrote:G'day 6strings , I've heard of others on the forum that have suggested Michelin Anakee 2's , for the rear there is a 14/80/17

John R

Its the Anakee III you're thinking of John. Nice looking rubber for an 'adventure' tyre and a radial but only available for the rear. They're TT/TL but I'd say the only reason you'd use a tube with these is if you had spoked rims.

G'day Kap ,
                 from the Australian Michelin website :

http://motorcycle.michelin.com.au/tyres/michelin-anakee-2

I viewed the 3's as well , I'm a road rider in the main , just pointing & looking , I have no idea if they are any good or not

John R

Melbourne Australia

Hi 6 strings, there are a few of us here in Oz that have run dual sport tyres on K bikes.

My K75 project which is still in progress (done 17,000km on it while renovations have been in progress) was always intended to use dual sport tyres. My initial set were Pirelli Scorpion Trail (only very mild in dual sport terms, rated 90/10) using a 100/90 x 18 front which is standard size and a 140/80 x 17 on the rear. Front is conventional and rear is radial. I later ran a Michelin T66 radial in 140/80 on the rear for a while when I punctured the Pirelli and the Michelin was the only tyre I could get in the town I was at. I replaced the Michelin after about 5,000km as it was an old tyre with an Avon Distanzia radial in 140/80 size. I have done several thousand  kilometres on gravel roads with these and find they're quite good - as usual riding to the conditions is the best guarantee of staying upright.

You might find it interesting to look at the last page of this thread about last year's Scrapheap ride and have a read of Rosskko's thoughts on his Shinkos and some of the photos of where he and I rode the bikes.

Also another of our number, namely Floyd, has done a lot of gravel road and bush tracks on his K100 with Heidenau tyres. Have a look at Floyds thoughts here.

Cheers

JR_K100RS wrote:G'day Kap ,
                 from the Australian Michelin website :

http://motorcycle.michelin.com.au/tyres/michelin-anakee-2

I viewed the 3's as well , I'm a road rider in the main , just pointing & looking , I have no idea if they are any good or not

John R

Melbourne Australia

Oh yeah.... You're correct.
musta had my beer goggles on. It is Friday arvo y'know

Done very litle off road myself but rode a K75 with off-road rear (block tread) for a few weeks. Road performance was poor imo. Contemplating a trip into Northern QLD next year if I can find the time. Nothing too 'off-piste' but the Anakee III looks like a good compromise to me.
Cheers

I cant see a reason for not using a tube tyre on a tubless rim like ours, far as I know they don't leak if used without a tube so unless the rest of us say no I'd be inclined to try some.

The main thing to make sure of with running tube type tyres is that there are some that are OK to use with or without a tube and some that a tube must be used because the bead may not seal and the lining of the tyre is not leak proof. I have found that many will seal but as usual you can never be sure. As for Shinko I really couldn't give you a definitive answer. I am fitting them to the K75GS I am building because I have heard good reports of them.
The best thing to do is ask the manufacturer if possible or the dealer.

I went to a local dealer and got the skinny, now the only thing is that goofy 18 inch front, can't find a front tire, everything in that size is for a rear tire, neglected to ask the dealer if it matters. Anyone know?

I plan to run a 110/80 x 18 Avon Distanzia, designated as a rear tyre, on the front of my K75 at the next change and prior to making that decision I found this info on the Avon website. Check out the first querstion at the top of the FAQ page link below. Basically they say to mount it the reverse to the direction arrow.

Avon Tyres FAQ

Cheers

I just installed shinko 705s on my machine. This is the first time I've taken the wheels off on my own, I was really shocked at how heavy they are. Does anyone know for sure what material they are made from? I'm seriously thinking of maybe finding some other wheels. these are so heavy it's ridiculous.

I've had these tires on for a couple weeks now and I'm very impressed. I expected to lose a bit of cornering with the more aggressive tread pattern, but to my surprise, these tires hold surprisingly well. Obviously can't speak for longevity yet. They do 'sing' a little at higher speeds but do not necessarily vibrate like one might expect from such a tread. The front is a bit wider than I would like but the 18 inch front rim on the K is an odd ball and there are precious few dual sport tires designed for this configuration, that are budget friendly. I took the bike out on some dirt and gravel roads in Iowa for about 150 miles and they definitely like to play in the dirt, they are stable and handle well off the pavement. I got into some soft powdery dirt, the clay in Iowa becomes very powdery when it is extremely dry for a while, that is when I became sold on the unusually large front tire as a benefit, a narrower tire would cut in and sink into a soft surface whereas the wider tire enabled navigation through what would otherwise be an almost certain fall. All in all so far I am pleased with my decision to purchase these tires. Just thought I would follow up this post in case anyone else was considering these tires as an option. I paid less than $75 for each of them so they are in fact very budget friendly, the only thing left in question is what kind of mileage one can expect from them. But I will be riding these til they can't be ridden anymore and then I'll know.

Yes, the Shinkos were a surprise to me also.
The handling is very different, but still seem to hang on pretty well in the corners.
As far as off road gravel dirt they are no comparison to the road tyres.
I managed 100kph on dirt road and was as solid as a rock.

But in saying that, at one point I was following a friend on his 1100LT , fully loaded and doing a better speed than me, so I guess skill and experience comes in to it a bit. Don't want to give him a big head. Don't even want to give him a little head.
My Shinkos are for sometimes riding so I guess they will go hard before wearing out, but for the price (double what you paid in Oz) they were worth a try and make the old K a lot of fun

I'll just chime in here and make a few observations. I love dual sport tyres on both my Supermotos, and on some of my street bikes. This is not only because I live in the mountains outside Albuquerque at 7900ft, and that there are many many miles of great dirt roads round my abode, but because I can see a dirt road dna say...hey, wonder what is down there?

Here is what I have noticed after years of doing this. DS tyres are great if you never try and go AS FAST on them on the street as you did on the street tyres. This may sound logical and such but you would not believe how many people I know who did this conversion and wanked it on the first corner.

DS tyres don't last as long as Street tyres, again logical btu many don't think of this.

I highly suggest Perelli MT60R's IF you can get them in a size for the bike. Basically a road race rain, but well suited for off roading on a big bike and my favorite SuperMoto tyre for dirt. Stick like glue (for what they are) on the tarmac, but work great in the dirt.

If not available, try the Heidenau version, almost a dead copy of the MT60R, but in my opinion, AS good.

Both are available in tubeless as well.

Now for the others, pretty much any good DS tyre will work but also look at the Avon Distanzia, awesome in the wet, on tarmac, and well chuffed with them in the dirt as well.

Kaptain Holister wrote:Contemplating a trip into Northern QLD next year if I can find the time. Nothing too 'off-piste' but the Anakee III looks like a good compromise to me.

Nigel,

Let me know if you would like some advice about travelling in Nth Qld. I can put you on to some of the scenic roads and provide advice of the hazards involved.  A mixture of bitumen and dirt mainly west and north of Townsville.  I also have some knowledge of the Daintree. 

Lonely roads and camping where you like whilst you contemplate nature. 

Cheers, Dave.

I'll take you up on that when the time comes Dave.
I may even extend the adventure across to the Kimberlies but not on the old girl I have now.
I'll start a thread on that in the new year.
Cheers Mate

Don't forget to recoommend the one down by the mission will ya Dave

IM a bit late to the party, but Ill chuck in my 2 cents.

I LOVE the Heidenau k60's. They have incredible grip on the tarmac and and very good in the dirt and gravel. Havent done much deep sand or mud so cant comment there.

Even on wet tarmac they are confidence inspiring. 

I very regularly drag my boots in turns and my 'chicken strips' are millimeters wide, if at all  

The most incredible thing about them is the amount of grip available combined with the fairly massive lifespan. I got 30,000kms out of a set. The front went longer but I shouldnt have pushed it that far. 

On the front I use a 110/80/18 - which is one of the very few 18" dual sport tyres I can find. Its actually a 'dual direction' tyre - can be used on the front or the back, you just flip it around depending on where you put it. Its also a tube tyre (found this out after the bike shop fitted it without a tube and it went flat within a day) (eventually Im going to fit a 19" GS spoked wheel- much more tyres available in that size)

The rear I had a 140/90/17 but next time ill get a 130/90/17. At the moment I have a Perrelli MT60 (130/80/17) on the back, which is a good tyre - but ill be (very) lucky to get a third of the life from it (compared to the Heidenau) with no advantage over the Heidenau other than cost - but cost vs life I think the Heidenau would win....its probably twice the cost but gives three times the life. 
I can almost watch it wear out.....

Id like to give the Shinkos a go but havnt...either because the shop didnt have them or I couldnt get a front 18". Would be very very keen to hear from regular 'dual sport' riders using them on a big heavy bike - especially longevity and grip.

In a perfect world Id have a few bikes - one for the twisties, one for the dirt etc etc....but I cant....and thats why I 'built' my beast and fit it with the Heidenaus...Its a bike that basically lets me do what I want....I can carve in the twisties and keep up with most, or I can fang it on a dirt road and feel like a Baja king, or I can take it on (some) single/dual track/fire trails and do some fantastic remote camping etc. 

Now having said all that....IM now a total convert to SMALL bikes for adventure riding....I mean really small...Im talking postie bike small....you can take a small bike basically anywhere....when I was recently in Thailand I took a 110cc Honda Wave scooter through some of the gnarliest, steepest, muddiest places Ive ever taken a bike....and it handled it so beautifully. Id never take the K there....its weight would simply break my bones or kill me. But thats another story....

Enjoy!