Hello all! I recently bought a TR650 with both Terra and Strada wheelsets. Both will need new tires by the fall, and I'm having a hell of a time finding a 'best option' for the Strada wheelset. I'm looking for 80/20 or 90/10 tires, so I can still ride up fire roads if they present themselves, but my top priority is pavement grip. I'll be riding this wheelset like a supermoto, and hope to be able to ride aggressively on twisty pavement. It seems all the reviews of these tires, even 90/10 tires, focus on longevity and off-road capabilities. It's harder than hell to find a review that speaks much to corner shredding. Michelin Anakee 3's, Mitas Terra Force-R's, and Dunlop Mutants all look interesting to me, but I'd love some first hand experience. Stock size (110/80/19, 140/80/17) or Plus size (120/70/19, 150/60/17) are all doable as far as I can tell. Tons of options out there, I just wish there was one obvious choice. Others: Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 Conti Trail Attack 3 Heid. K76 Metz. Tourance Next Michelin Road 5 Trail Etc. Anyone out there riding reasonably hard on pavement, and can give me some opinions? Thanks! Mike
Most of my riding is on the street on my Strada, like 98%. I never found a tire that worked on the street at the pace I like to ride. I probably should of sold the bike and bought a different bike like a Husky / KTM supermoto but it is what is. I took the hubs from the Terra wheels and had them setup for 17's and now I'm running Dunlop Q3's. Not the best picture.
Looks great, but that's a bummer you couldn't find a 19" tire. I've found an F650CS front wheel locally for sale used. It's a 17" alloy, that looks to me like it'll fit right up. Unfortunately it's a pretty hideous wheel, and I bought this bike to 'downsize', so buying more wheels seems counterproductive! Do you recall what tires you tried and were not happy with?
Found a few great reviews for the Kenda K678 Big Block Pavers, and the price is right. Leaning that direction unless I hear some negatives!
Well...the original Kenda 784 Big Blocks just seem to melt away on 60/40 tar/ gravel riding....2000 miles to their death, 2300 until the "whites" were showing. Very nice grip on both gravel and asphalt though!! Of course, UNTIL...
I only ran the original Metzeler Tourance. I also found the suspension to be lacking so I replaced the forks with a set from a Suzuki DRZ 400sm setup for my weight and riding style. In my opinion the best mod I did for both off and on road riding.
To be honest, these days I’d prefer a tire with more grip at the expense of some lifespan. I used to ride 20k+ miles a year, and it was a different story. Now I’m riding much less, and would gladly take more grip.
Damn, that’s awesome. A quick Google search reveals that it’s not an easy or straight forward conversion?! I’m quite light, so hoping that the oem suspension will be adequate for me.
