Gotta be careful on the Continental TKC tires nomenclature too.
The TKC 80 Twinduro is the 50/50 DOT knobby tire that has been around for a long time. It is the gold standard in DOT knobbies for big bikes, but is well known for not lasting long at all especially the rears when used on pavement. When people just say TKC, this is usually the tire they are talking about.
The TKC 70 is a relatively new 80/20 tire more in line with the Shinko 705, Michelin Anakees, Bridgestone Trailwings, etc. Ive never run one before but expect it would get much better mileage, and have better road manners, with a commensurate loss in off pavement performance compared to the 80. The 70 may be a good choice for an Alaska trip.
One thing Ive been toying with for my Strom is mixing tire purposes at the front and rear. Putting a 50/50 knobby up front and an 80/20 Dual Sport tire in the back. That would boost the rear tire life to something closer to the front, and still give you the good off road steering and braking of the knobby tire up front. Most of the knobby rears wear down to nubbins so quickly you really arent giving up much in the rear hook up for long anyway.
If/when I do that it will probably be a Shinko 804 Front with a Shinko 705 rear, primarily because they are so reasonably priced, and also because I already have a new 705 rear sitting out in the shed.
. But you could also run a TKC80 Front and TKC70 rear for the same effect. Both are available in FJR sizes.
The TKC 80 Twinduro is the 50/50 DOT knobby tire that has been around for a long time. It is the gold standard in DOT knobbies for big bikes, but is well known for not lasting long at all especially the rears when used on pavement. When people just say TKC, this is usually the tire they are talking about.
The TKC 70 is a relatively new 80/20 tire more in line with the Shinko 705, Michelin Anakees, Bridgestone Trailwings, etc. Ive never run one before but expect it would get much better mileage, and have better road manners, with a commensurate loss in off pavement performance compared to the 80. The 70 may be a good choice for an Alaska trip.
One thing Ive been toying with for my Strom is mixing tire purposes at the front and rear. Putting a 50/50 knobby up front and an 80/20 Dual Sport tire in the back. That would boost the rear tire life to something closer to the front, and still give you the good off road steering and braking of the knobby tire up front. Most of the knobby rears wear down to nubbins so quickly you really arent giving up much in the rear hook up for long anyway.
If/when I do that it will probably be a Shinko 804 Front with a Shinko 705 rear, primarily because they are so reasonably priced, and also because I already have a new 705 rear sitting out in the shed.
. But you could also run a TKC80 Front and TKC70 rear for the same effect. Both are available in FJR sizes.
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