Dual Sport tires on a FJR?

[BubbaZ-Isaac]

On a recent ride through Washington on backroads, on several occations, the pavement ran out and we were faced with miles of gravel or retrace our steps.

My buddy on the GS1200 was ready to continue of course, the VFR guy probably could have been talked into it, but I declined. Bummer!

Next ride looks like there will be lots of gravel and I'd like to take the FJR rather than a KLR - for lots of reasons.

Do you think I could mount some dual sport type tires on the FJR and achieve a reasonable amount of off-road control? Has anyone ever done that? Does anyone routinely run something other than sport touring tires? is the FJR destined to always wilt at the sight of gravel?

 

[Splatterdaddy]

On a recent ride through Washington on backroads, on several occations, the pavement ran out and we were faced with miles of gravel or retrace our steps.My buddy on the GS1200 was ready to continue of course, the VFR guy probably could have been talked into it, but I declined. Bummer!

Next ride looks like there will be lots of gravel and I'd like to take the FJR rather than a KLR - for lots of reasons.

Do you think I could mount some dual sport type tires on the FJR and achieve a reasonable amount of off-road control? Has anyone ever done that? Does anyone routinely run something other than sport touring tires? is the FJR destined to always wilt at the sight of gravel?

Funny you should post this....I was torn between getting the R1200GS and decided on the FJR knowing full well I was giving up the opportunity for some dirt. (I have a WR426 dual sport for that) you've got the best Sport touring bike there is. Now your asking it to do something it wasn't designed to do...... It's a free country I can't blame you for wanting to see every bit of it, even at the price of gouging up the fine bodywork of your FJR though?!

 

[Saddletramp]

I wouldn't do it. I have ridden my FJR on a lot of gravel in the last two years that I have owned it. It handles just fine on gravel but it's a bit out of it's element.

I worry about hitting the bottom of the fairing though. I have already hit mine a few times on speed bumbs & other places.

But on the underhand, there is that Scandinavian fellow that tours around the world in all kinds of conditions on an R1! His name escapes me at the moment!

 

[Fabone]

Even though Dual Sport tires have the ratings, most D/S bikes are a 100#'s plus lighter than the FJR. Therefore I'm afraid the FJR would torture and stress the sidewalls to the point of failure. The Buell Ulysses has the new Dunlop D616, but again we're talking about a 425# bike and the Multistrasda is 432#. You would need to do a hands on, side by side tire comparison to check sidewalls, but I'm afraid the tires will not be up to the task on the FJR.

One time I came upon newly tarred/graveled blacktop with about 1 to 2 inches of pea gravel and there was no turning back. I dropped the tire pressure a few pounds and stood on the pegs, until I was out of it. Once back on solid pavement I re-aired the tires, but that was on my Tiger with D/S tires.

When I was fully loaded down and crossed the scales, it read 830#'s. The D/S tires were tube type, but the ride thru the pea gravel was still squirrelly. You really need a more open knobbie to cut thru, not ride on top the gravel. Another thing to is the suspension has a play in all of this, since D/S bikes have a longer travel. Just a thought!

 

[Ignacio]

is the FJR destined to always wilt at the sight of gravel?

I don't find my FJR cares about about gravel. It's the rider's ability and attitude more than anything I think. 50 miles of gravel to and back from Simpson Springs in Utah yielded 5 mph slowness in deep gravel to 85 mph dust plumes in the flats during the Utah 1088. Only bike to pass me was a GS Adventure and the 1/2 mile ground he gained got obliterated in short order once back to the blacktop.

Even if you get over the weight issue are you riding only gravel and not high speed asphalt? If so, then you probably need a dual sport bike more than dual sport tires on an FJR.

 

[KSFJR]

I too am in a quandary as to take my KLR vs FJR on a trip to the Pac NW. One thing to keep in mind is that most DS tires that I'm aware of have a relatively low speed rating. This of course would be easy enough to control by keeping the speed down.

I take my FJR down to my farm once in a while and only have 3 miles of gravel and while the bike perfoms Ok, I would much rather be on the KLR. I have had my ZX-9 Ninja on gravel and it is no fun at all. Consequently, if it is a DS oriented road, I would much rather be on a DS.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

Back in the day -- motorcycles were way more "general purpose". The FJR, even with it's broader sport-touring name, is a pretty focused motorcycle. The KLR and maybe Ulysses are more in that general purpose category. Good dual-sport bikes are focused the other way -- more dirt than highway.

As far as the FJR on dirt goes -- I think a good rider can get one alot of places (if that's what you want to do?). But, heaven help you if or when the excrement hits the fan (rain -mud, deep sand, etc.) -- it instantly will become the proverbial "pig-on-ice".

 

[Fencer]

I've tread lightly on gravel and dirt roads on the FJ, but my concern with dual sport tires along with the load rating would be the speed rating for when you really open up on the blacktop.

 

[BubbaZ-Isaac]

Good thoughts all.

Thanks.

But I am thinking - The 1200GS I rode with comes with a kind of knobby and the bike is rated to haul up to 936 lbs., weighs 500+ and it hauls *** on the pavement.

Just a thought.

 

[Fabone]

But I am thinking - The 1200GS I rode with comes with a kind of knobby and the bike is rated to haul up to 936 lbs., weighs 500+ and it hauls *** on the pavement.Just a thought.

I can make a snowmobile run on water, so anything is possible if you're determined enough to do it. You need to try it and then give us all some feed back, for I'm all ears. Just a thought.

 

[evil_henchman]

I've ridden a lot of "dual sports", even more dirt bikes, and quite a few street bikes. In my opinion putting dual sport tires on an fjr will only limit (if not screw up) your street performance and tempt you into getting in over your head off pavement by thinking that you're going to have traction in the dirt. Trust me, you won't have any more traction than with street tires. In my experience, dual sport tires are just a marketing gimic. The only advantage a 1200GS has off pavement is ground clearance and basic geomerty, not tires.

 

[DJW]

On a recent ride through Washington on backroads, on several occations, the pavement ran out and we were faced with miles of gravel or retrace our steps.My buddy on the GS1200 was ready to continue of course, the VFR guy probably could have been talked into it, but I declined. Bummer!

Next ride looks like there will be lots of gravel and I'd like to take the FJR rather than a KLR - for lots of reasons.

Do you think I could mount some dual sport type tires on the FJR and achieve a reasonable amount of off-road control? Has anyone ever done that? Does anyone routinely run something other than sport touring tires? is the FJR destined to always wilt at the sight of gravel?

I don't think you'll find any dual sport tires in the FJRs size. I checked the Anakee from michelin and the Sirac and neither come in appropriate sizes. Maybe supermotard tires would work but they will be very soft and have a short life. Maybe a tready tire like this?: https://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecatalog_tire.asp?id=93

 

[Fencer]

Good thoughts all.Thanks.

But I am thinking - The 1200GS I rode with comes with a kind of knobby and the bike is rated to haul up to 936 lbs., weighs 500+ and it hauls *** on the pavement.

Just a thought.

A GS tops out around 120 the (I know because I kicked ones *** and he just couldn't make it go any faster)FJ around 150. All I'm saying is check the speed rating.

 

[Fabone]

Your 2 tire choices are either the Dunlop D616 or the Pirelli Scorpion Sync, which claim both the weight and speed rating of most S/T tires. However having that said, we all know that the Strada and the Conti RoadAttack now come in different versions, even with the same speed and weight ratings. They make certain tires for certain bikes, which is why there's your standard and your O.E.M. replacements, which means bike specific.

The D616 comes standard on the Ulysses and the Scorpion on the Multistrada. You don't see these on a GS coming off the floor. Now I have seem a GS with the new Conti "C" RoadAttacks, but there your going a 180 with what you're trying to do, but that's another topic.

As far as the FJR on dirt goes -- I think a good rider can get one alot of places (if that's what you want to do?).

True, for FJR's have been to the Artic Circle and an R1 has been around the world, so anything is possible.

In my experience, dual sport tires are just a marketing gimmick. The only advantage a 1200GS has off pavement is ground clearance and basic geometry, not tires.

That has been my experience. D/S tires are 90% on and 10% off, which really means zip, especially in Montana.

When I hear "lightweight carcass perfectly meets the need of low weight naked bikes" a flag goes up. But hey, I've been wrong before, just show me. Put a D616 along side a Pilot Road and bend, flex, poke, compare and then make your decision.

 

[weekend rider]

You may want to check on a Buell they have one that will do just what you want and a whole lot less than a BMW. It is like a dual sport but mild not wild

 

[Bounce]

Good thoughts all. Thanks. But I am thinking - The 1200GS I rode with comes with a kind of knobby and the bike is rated to haul up to 936 lbs., weighs 500+ and it hauls *** on the pavement. Just a thought.

Think about the knobby and the contact patch it'll provide when you're on pavement. Then look at the HP/torque number of the FJR compared to the GS. There's a reason for each and most of that has been discussed. I'd done a few miles of packed & scraped surfaces and some few miles of loose, deep gravel. The Feejer did okay on the first but the weight and power to the back tire made the gravel dicey. I got in and back out to the bonuses I was hunting, but I'd have had a better time riding in the element for which the FJR was designed.

 

[LGizmo]

As always the subject is getting blown out of proportion when there is a simple solution when faced with many miles of unpaved roads.... STOP... Soften your preload settings and soften your compression settings to a few clicks from full soft and lower tire pressures to around 32-35 psi.... grab the throttle and enjoy(Hint... just like on tarmac the faster you go the more stable she'll become)... the FJR is VERY capable in adverse road conditions with extreme exceptions (jeep trails/ Dessert Silt)

 

[blueman]

The FJR is a STREET bike. A HIGH PERFORMANCE STREET BIKE. The performance with any bike ends where the rubber meets the asphalt cement or dirt "gravel ect". I would not install dual purpose tires on a street bike. Sounds scary to me. But in reverse I have installed street tires years ago on my DT250 and DT360 Yamahas. It worked great for me riding on the street. Today they call it SUPERMOTO. I currently own a TM300XC no not KTM but TM300XC Bitchen desert/MX bike and my 05 FJR. I love then both but I am looking for a dual purpose bike I can 2 up on. Every time I pass a fire road or trail on my FJR I think it would be fun to ride and see whats down there. But I am to anal about F'n up my ride or eating it on the dirt because the FJR is really not ment for it. The day a company designs a bike that do's everything I will be first in line.

 

[mcrides]

On a recent ride through Washington on backroads, on several occations, the pavement ran out and we were faced with miles of gravel or retrace our steps.Next ride looks like there will be lots of gravel and I'd like to take the FJR rather than a KLR - for lots of reasons.

It's the type of surface that will make the most difference. You can ride for 600 miles on a hardpack gravel road with no problem, but find that even 1 mile on soft and shifting gravel base to be very tedious.

I've just come back from an 8,300 mile ride that covered Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. On this tour, I've taken many hardpack/gravel roads that added a definite positive dimension to my trip. The FJR is not a GS. But it is a motorcycle. And a motorcycle can do a lot more than we often realize.

If the gravel is on a harpdpack base, the FJR handles quite well. Keep in mind that it is heavy, especially loaded for touring and depending on how much gas you are carrying. And you should be carrying plenty of gas when going off the beaten path (water too!). This all adds to weight.

The road needs to be fairly flat, so your suspension doesn't get taxed at its extreme ranges with risks of bottoming out your lower fairing. Othewise, you need to slow down a lot.

If you come up to soft gravel, things can take a downturn. So it's important to be vigilant at the start in evaluating the road and any caution signs. It's also good to gain a little experience on hardpack/gravel roads that you know well.

But I've found that when riding on fireroad types of surfaces or hardpack, the FJR does fine. The FJR takes hard/gravel surfaces like the Moki Dugway as well as slightly softer surfaces like the Valley of the Gods road with no problem. I really enjoyed taking the 17 mile or so gravel road across the Valley of the Gods. The surface is generally flat except for the occasionally recurring dried out water crossings, where the surface gets a little rougher. If things get uncomfortable, you can just turn back. But you get to see things that you normally don't get to see from touring on regular roads. A bonus is that the FJR handles very well when riding standing up.

If you encounter softer gravel, you'll get better response by lowering pressures a little. But that implies that you are carrying your on-board compressor to re-inflate when you get back to regular surfaces.

Do you think I could mount some dual sport type tires on the FJR and achieve a reasonable amount of off-road control?

I've found the BT-020's to work quite well off road.

ps: If you do venture from the straight and narrow, planning for the unexpected and how you will deal with it is a good thing.

Hope that helps,

Bruno

Montreal, Canada

https://pages.videotron.com/mcrides