TKC80 Rear Tire for 610/630 - Anyone?

[CJBROWN]

I'm wondering if anyone has run this tire and what they thought of it. As you all know I've been a proponent for the T63, it's a great little tire, works stellar on road and really well off. Need something for 50/50 to 75/25 offroad bias. At $68 it's a helluva value.

I've burned two of the T63's now, the last one in two rides. Albiet they were longish rides...400 miles in Death Valley and then 800 miles to Grand Canyon and SW Utah, but still...
So 1200 miles, and it would probly go a couple hundred more but the knob height is getting to less than I like to see for any off pavement work. It's really looking worn out and cracks are starting at the knob base.

And it's a smallish tire, only available in 130/80 size. Hasn't posed a problem, but a little more tread width couldn't hurt, so I'd like to see a 140/80 on there.

The TKC80 seems like it would still have good road manners while providing enough bite for offroad. If I could get a couple of thousand miles out of one it would be worth the extra cost over the T63.

Other tires and what I don't like about them...
D606 - gives up too much on road
K60 - gives up too much off road
MT21 - too short of life
K270 - too squirelly on road, too mild for off
Motoz Tractionator Desert HT - pavement said to shred them and poor traction. Great off road though.
Michelin Desert/Baja - another consideration but said to give some up for pavement.
Pirelli Scorpion Rally - great on the front, I have about 2500 miles on it and 60% worn, but said to evaporate on the rear.
Mitas EO9 - Would try one of these if I could get one. Availability here in the US seems sporadic at best. Last I heard they were shipping out of Canada for stupid shipping costs.
Metzler Karoo series - the Traveler that came on it was shiite and evaporated in 750 miles. Sold off the Karoo2 I had so not bothering with it.
D908 - too big and heavy, poor life

Whatcha'all think?????
TKC80 is $132. Worth a try?

 

[Xcuvator]

I have had a couple don't think so. I doubt that it would last much, if anymore miles than a T63. Since you like big rear tires, have you lookeed at the Maxis IT? No DOT on it but I have one that I put on my 450 and took it ofrf cuz it looks too big without even riding it. I plan to run it out on the 610.

 

[mnb]

I get 4-5k miles out of a TKC80 rear on my F800GS. I run the knobs really low, but they aren't that tall to begin with. I've never tried a TKC on my 610.

Most of that mileage is pavement, there's not much dirt locally for my F800GS. And that pavement is mostly ridden at a spirited pace.

 

[CJBROWN]

I get 4-5k miles out of a TKC80 rear on my F800GS. I run the knobs really low, but they aren't that tall to begin with. I've never tried a TKC on my 610.

Most of that mileage is pavement, there's not much dirt locally for my F800GS. And that pavement is mostly ridden at a spirited pace.

What tire do you run on your 610?

I'm thinking of going MT21. If I hate it then try the 606.
I would probably like the K60 or Mefo Super Explorer as we don't get into mud down here in so-cal. But $150 for a tire that has a lot of detractors seems like a big gamble. Seems fine on the big adv bikes, but not so much on the smaller bikes.

Mine really does get used like an adventure bike, much more so than as a dirtbike. The really rough stuff is rocky with steps. That's all this thing has ever seen.

 

[kirbybikes]

Mitas E-09 is probably the tire I will go with when a new one is required. Just looked at http://www.mx1canada.com/ for thier shipping, looks like $35-45 for a rear but probably throw in a front for the same price also, seems dollar value based not weight. They do have a toll free number to call (Phone: 604-273-8661 / 1-888-666-8616). I stopped by a while ago and talked to them and seemed really helpful. The size is only a 130 casing but is a large size, looks the same as our 140 Karoo. They are local to me, so no shipping or border problems.

 

[mnb]

What tire do you run on your 610?

Up to now I haven't done much pavement on my 610 with the dirt rims. It has an MT21 on it that was on it when I bought it. It seems to wear fast on the street, but it's not bad in the dirt except in mud, where it sucks.

I think a TKC might work well on it. It'll wear well, but it won't be excellent in the dirt. It might be good enough, though. It does pretty well for my F800GS and it's the standard for hardcore R1200GS riders. At least the ones smart enough to run a knobby like tire when going off road.

I HAD a TKC I was going to try on it at some point, but it didn't look like I was going to use it any time soon, so I sold it for cash. I'll definitely give it a shot at some point. I sold it to someone with a KTM 450exc that wanted to try it out for dual sport use. He knew exactly what he was getting, though.

 

[CJBROWN]

Mitas E-09 is probably the tire I will go with when a new one is required. Just looked at http://www.mx1canada.com/ for thier shipping, looks like $35-45 for a rear but probably throw in a front for the same price also, seems dollar value based not weight. They do have a toll free number to call (Phone: 604-273-8661 / 1-888-666-8616). I stopped by a while ago and talked to them and seemed really helpful. The size is only a 130 casing but is a large size, looks the same as our 140 Karoo. They are local to me, so no shipping or border problems.

Their shipping to the US is $35-$45 and the 140/80-18 Dakar is $160. Yikes!

 

[kirbybikes]

The 140 was too large for our bikes, 130 is the correct size. I had my bike there for comparision and the explanation was how Mitas measures the casing. The 140 would work on a 990 or GSA. $129 for the 130. No, I don't work for them just trying to help people with the correct size. But with the cost diffrence of shipping I probably would be looking at other options also. Being Canadian I know all about excessive shipping costs and border fees (I use Point Roberts alot now).

 

[mekanik]

I just spooned on the 130-80 E-09 onto my 630 and actually thought I could go bigger, Colin at MX-1 explained the math to me too, but I dunno.
A couple of rips through FSR and mud, snow and slab and I believe I am going to enjoy this tire. Motion pro lite rim lock installed, no balance and good to 120 kph. so far.

 

[djc]

i get about 4000 kilometers out of tkc80 on my f800gs with a good mix of gravel road & highway cant really complain about them in aus i think they retail for high 200s {yes we cop it good here}just done first 400ks on my 630 with the karoo & dont think the tkc80 would be any better than the stocker just really guessing,so bite the bullet & do us all a favour & lets us know how it is, btw have read most of cj browns comments & views & thank him for detailed reports

 

[LRPct]

You really love those BIG tires Brown??.. Ive tried all sizes on the 610 and havent had so much fun as the 110 ac10 I tried awhile ago. It was the only size avaiable at the time. just got a fresh 120 AC10 now to spoon. The big ole girl actually feels VERY flickable for the first time ever, both in the woods and on the street.... A 140 makes her such a lazy and slow reacting pig, and I can only see the benefit of that monster size if youre carrying large loads... A 130 or even 120 seems much more suitable to the 610/630. Btw.. of course as mentioned earlier sizes are not a DIRECT comparison from brand to brand..

 

[CJBROWN]

Thanks guys.
Yes, the 130 Michy has been a really good tire. I should probably just stick with them and plan to change them out every 1500 miles or so. The bike handles really well, dirt or street. Just seems like not quite enough tire back there on the big husky. Sure works good though.

You know we are never satisfied, always looking for a better mousetrap.

Johngil has run quite a lot of miles on his K60 and likes it really well. He's a very accomplished rider so I trust his opinion. 18-20 for dirt and 30 for road. The beauty of the T63 is you can put 20 in it and run it everywhere. I do carry a pump but never use it. Seems kind of silly to haul it around all the time. Guess would be handy for flat repair though.

Many of the TKC users say the sidewall is quite soft so they need decent airpressure to prevent pinch flats. That coupled with their soft compound makes them not very durable. I'll bet I might get another 500 miles with one over the T63. I've kind of been turned off of them.

I have another thread going on over on the adv owners thread, some good feedback there too. Going to mull it over for a bit.

 

[Xcuvator]

You really love those BIG tires Brown??.. Ive tried all sizes on the 610 and havent had so much fun as the 110 ac10 I tried awhile ago. It was the only size avaiable at the time. just got a fresh 120 AC10 now to spoon. The big ole girl actually feels VERY flickable for the first time ever, both in the woods and on the street.... A 140 makes her such a lazy and slow reacting pig, and I can only see the benefit of that monster size if youre carrying large loads... A 130 or even 120 seems much more suitable to the 610/630. Btw.. of course as mentioned earlier sizes are not a DIRECT comparison from brand to brand..

Depending on the brand I like a small 130 or 120 size too for the same reasons. Depends on what you use the bike for I guess....

 

[mnb]

Being Canadian I know all about excessive shipping costs and border fees (I use Point Roberts alot now).

I've been to Point Roberts. I used to know people that lived in Tsawwassen. They went over the border to get booze and smokes... I haven't been back there in over 10 years, though...

 

[1lunger]

You really love those BIG tires Brown??.. Ive tried all sizes on the 610 and havent had so much fun as the 110 ac10 I tried awhile ago. It was the only size avaiable at the time. just got a fresh 120 AC10 now to spoon. The big ole girl actually feels VERY flickable for the first time ever, both in the woods and on the street.... A 140 makes her such a lazy and slow reacting pig, and I can only see the benefit of that monster size if youre carrying large loads... A 130 or even 120 seems much more suitable to the 610/630. Btw.. of course as mentioned earlier sizes are not a DIRECT comparison from brand to brand..

+1 on the AC 10 120/100/18. It's my favorite tire!! I flip it and get good life for an aggressive off road tire!

 

[BiG DoM]

The Mitas E09 is a fantastic STRONG tyre = use it on my HP2 with very good results and intend fitting one to the 610 in the near future. The TKC80 is also a great tyre and used them lots on BMW's = excellent hard road handling as well as dirt (were used on Long Way Round).

 

[CJBROWN]

Um, no mitas here. They ship from Canda and a 130 costs about $170 usd to get here.
TKC - not enough good reports for this type of bike.

Looking like D606 or Scorpion Rally. Maybe a shinko 244 for around-town road work. I can get both tires shipped in for less than a mitas.
K60 a remote possibility. Probably order out a 606 shortly and try it. They are $95 shipped in from a US e-tailer.