Bridgestone Battlewings

[Tonopah]

That's what came on my '09 R1200GS. I picked the bike up only a few days ago and only have 250 miles on them but they seem very good on pavement, canyons, and the freeways.

But how are they off pavement? Haven't tried that yet and my off road skills are minimal. I've spent a fair amount of time on dirt and in sand with a Suz DR350 with knobbies and had a blast. But that was long ago (and I bounced better then -- now I am 61 and don't want to go down if I don't have to) and the 12GS is way heavier.

I assume that the Battlewings would be fine for hard packed dirt roads but I never know what might be around the next bend. TKC 80s is what I really wanted and I'd probably be more confident with them fitted but that's not what I have. I'm actually thinking of putting a set on and saving the Battlewings for later, once I have more experience with the bike.

So, is there much difference between the Battlewings and TKC 80s on dirt roads/fire trails?

[gillies]

Difference between the Battlewings and TKCs? One look should say it all. With that, I ran 100 miles of gravel road and two-track on my OEM Battlewings yesterday and didn't expereince any issues. Granted, I'm not railing corners or wallowing through deep sand, but that's not my purpose for the bike anyway. If your idea of offroad fun on a GS is casual travel down dirt roads, the Battlewings will suffice. Once mine are worn out, I'll be switching to Michelin Annakee 2s - no question.