Hi All,since I got my 88 K100 on the road last October I have been using it and learning it.So far even though it's been winter I managed to put over 2000 miles on her !.I am running Avon Road Riders and am very happy with them but I am planning a 3 or 4 month road trip next year to celebrate my 70 th trip around the sun and I know the Avons will only give me 8000 miles.Used them on my last long journey on the Moto Guzzi and needed to replace them mid trip.So,my question is what is a good all around tire for these bikes that will give good handling ,wet weather riding,and high mileage? I'd like to be able to tour for 15000 miles on one set of tires if this is possible.I'm loving this bike  the more I ride her !

For some reason Guzzis are harder on the RoadRiders than flying bricks are. I'm getting around 2K+ more out of RRs on the brick - can't help with 15K+ suggestions.

I have never heard of a tire that will go 15,000 on a K bike.

I have Shinko Tourmasters on my K75RT which uses similar sizes to your K100RS.  I get about 12-13,000 miles on the front, and around 8-9,000 miles on the rear when loaded and touring.  They handle well in wet weather, on curvy roads, and on the interstate.  They have the lowest cost per mile of any tire I have found, especially when I get them on the net and mount them myself. 

The North American distributor is in Boise, Idaho, and as a result they seem to be plentiful and competitively priced in the Northwest.  I got a front tire, mounted and balanced on my K75RT in Salt Lake City for $80 two years ago.  They loaned me a jack to remove the front wheel in their parking lot, and I went and got breakfast across the street while they mounted it.  Total time was a hair over an hour. 

You might want to check some dealers in the area where you will be at 7,500 miles and get some numbers ahead of time.  Maybe even make tentative arrangements.

Maybe it has to do with the size of the tires.The MG takes a 110 / 18 on the rear and the K takes a 130/17 Could also have to do with the weight I was carrying .I had all sorts of tools and spares with me .On this trip on the K I won't be doing that and running lighter with less of everything.I could live with 10 thousand miles  but on the last trip on the MG I had to change my rubber at 7 thousand miles and that is just not acceptable on a road trip where I'm living off the bike for 3 months . Money is an issue and a tire replacement job costs more than the fuel to cross the US in one direction.Well,I have a year to do the research and this summer I will be figuring out how to pack this bike and what I really need as I go on a few test trips for a week or two each.

Wow! that's a big ask, 24,000km in metric speak.

I thought I was doing well getting around 14,000km from rear dual sports on my K75 and K1100.

I have currently got 31,000km on the tyre on the front of my K75 which is an Avon Trailrider 110/80 x 18 rear tyre mounted in reverse. It is still legal tread wise (just) and no issues riding but is coming off next week with it's rear partner which will have done 14,000km. Another set of the same going back on.

When I've done multi week trips here in Oz that extend beyond 10,000km I have forward purchased tyres at a convenient location on the route and changed them when I got there whether I needed to or not. Peace of mind. 

Good luck with the search.

I wish you luck finding a skin that will do 15k and if you do please share it with us. 
I'm with gaz, find a place you know you can't pass at the 5 or 6k mark and get the right size there in stock with your name on it.
FWIW I am a big fan of M26 Avons but they get thin at 6k with my riding style.

You won't get a rear tyre to do 15k miles.
 
My best on the K100RT was about 12k miles, I find maybe 8-9,000 more realistic. Just put a new rear on the K1100LT and the previous one did just under 9k miles down to the wear indicators over the winter from October to end of April. This was a 140/70 17 Bridgestone BT45. I am quite happy with that given type of riding it does. Fronts will last longer and usually about mid way in rears to 2 fronts to 3 rears.

I have used various sizes 100-/90 110/90 110/80 on front and 130/90 140/80 on the K100LT and RT and also 140/70 on the rear of the K1100LT. For now I stick to 110/80 front and 140/70 rear on the K1100LT and the K100RT will be getting the same.

Been very happy with them in all weather riding and it was interesting at K Fest wandering around the paddock to see a very significant number of riders using them even on track bikes. You hear various comments but mostly about life and not about grip/adhesion. To some extent you can have one or the other but not both. If someone came to me with a tyre that was down to do 15k miles I would be very fearful about the compound in wet weather for sure.

Lots of advice about planning in a tyre change at mid way and I would also do exactly that.

Its easy on a K to pull the wheels off and get a good price for fitting while you wait.

As per the other posts...

I get the same performance out of Avon Roadriders (front & rear) as Point-Seven-Five does with his shinkos i.e. 8-9000miles rear and 12-13000miles front. I mostly ride very light (commuting 70 miles/day) but do have the odd longer trip to stretch the old girls legs. The rear tends to wear out over the centre section - I'm just not cornering hard enough or often enough to make full use of that tread on the edges. Having watched the guys at KFest (Castle Donnington Endurance Legends) this last weekend - I know that I am not making full use of the tyres...but mine do last a lot longer than a 4 hour race, so there is a balance there somewhere. Once the rear centre section goes flat, the bike becomes very sensitive to the road surface and wobbles and wallows. Of note, I recently tried Dunlop Arrow street-somethings and got a pathetic 4500 miles out of the rear (right down to the canvas)...won't be going there again!

In terms of cost (usual £ for $ applies between the UK and USA - i.e. if it costs you $100 there, it'll probably cost me £100 here. Oh, how I miss working over in the USA and not only enjoying the £/$ saving but a healthy £/$ exchange rate too (back in the halcyon days where £1 bought $2.05)) my rear tyre works out at about £0.015 per mile...or about 2.5 cents/mile. On the other hand, fuel costs me about £0.10 per mile (at UK pump prices) or 15 cents/mile, obviously your pump prices are much cheaper than ours in the UK, so you are probably > 8 cent/mile. 

Bottom line is you will need to plan in tyre changes into your epic road trip and budget accordingly. Whilst the cost of filling the fuel tank is a lot less than that of a new tyre, you will be filling the tank a lot more frequently and the overall cost is a lot higher (e.g. 15,000 miles = 2 rear tyre, 1 front tyre and 75 tanks of fuel - at UK prices that is a staggering £1428 for fuel and just £320 for tyres)!

Lots of advice about planning in a tyre change at mid way and I would also do exactly that.

Its easy on a K to pull the wheels off and get a good price for fitting while you wait.

aye agree totally

in the essence of all things on this forum,  we seem to have the conviction or whatever, to do it ourselves 
to which I am constantly reminded, that makes the difference of  appreciators and lovers of the model ..."k" ...and others
 ...in no way particularly hard or dramatic

as someone said in here "meccano for big boys "  and truly justified for the many of us who will bring back to life a forgotten and often forlorn  piece of german machinery for sheer pleasure of riding it and enjoying the experience and Komeraderie of others with a like mind

ride well and enjoy

Yes,I did the tire change thing on my last 14000 mile trip in 2010 on my Moto Guzzi.It took about 3 days to work it out .Had to order the tires I wanted and wait for them(Avon Road Riders) but I was in a real nice camp site next to the ocean that was very small and private so it was good and the Honda shop where I purchased them let me pull the wheels in the parking lot myself and just did the mount on the rims.I guess with planning I could have the rubber waiting for me at some shop or,like last time just hang out for a rest.Guess it is wishful thinking getting 15000 miles out of a set of motorcycle tires .

I would try an original Metzeler Tourance, they are supposed to last ages and come in 140/80-17. Not sure for the front, what are people getting out of 110/80-18 radials?

You know something about picking campsites, Yamaguzzi!  Nice pix.

brickrider2 wrote:You know something about picking campsites, Yamaguzzi!  Nice pix.

Thanks.Yes,it was a nice site ,a national forest campsite 1/4 mile from the ocean in Oregon with 14 campsites.Quiet,in the woods by the beach with a stream right behind the site to keep my drinks cool. I gotta say,that trip lasted 3 months and I was always in a good campsite. There is nothing better than living off your motorcycle out on the road alone.You meet the greatest people and are never really alone at all. Can't wait to do it again in 2019 on the K

To return to the topic at hand, have you viewed these?    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1leVfe5EGg&t=75s   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFn_6XvutxI&t=164s

I mostly enjoy the  Fort9 videos. That young man seems to know what he's going on about.

Does your bike have Y spoke wheels or three spoke?  I STRONGLY recommend running radials if you have 3 spoke wheels.  I don't run anything but radials on my Ks.

110/80-18 and 150/70-17.