Heidenau Tyres

[Fastmarcel]

Just put on brand new set of Heidenau 50/50 on/off raod tyres on my GS. 59T on the front, and 69T rear. Problem is the bike is vibrating and the handling (on tar roads) is not good. Weaving and jarring. Any help? Tyre pressures currently at 28psi both ends. Does it need balancing? Lower pressures? Thanks.

[gdayjr]

I know the brand, and so far have not heard anything good about them.
Everyone i know who has had them fitted has had the same problem as you.
Load index is ok for the bike. The speed rating is 190kph, so thats ok, but they are a hard compound, and as such are a bit harsh when on the road.
Supposedly quite good of road, but on the highway a bit rough.
I guess if you are doing a fair bit on dirt the grip is good, but if you are on the highway a lot, i think you are up for a very dissapointing ride.

[marc]

Higher pressure for on road... about 32 front, 36 rear, maybe more. Yes, you want to balance your wheels with the tires installed. The handling for the front may get better as the tire wears. The handling on the rear gets worse, in my opinion, as the profile is already kind of flat and it squares off quickly. I took my rear off less than 6K miles after installation because of the profile changes. There was plenty of tread left.

The front, on the other hand, has either gotten better or I'm used to it. I've had the replacement tire (a TKC 80) waiting to go on the bike since June. The front K60 is at about 11K miles and still has gobs of tread left. Wouldn't you know that a tire I'm not all that fond of has the longest life of any I've tried.

[Quanto12]

I decided to try them, and have over 8000 kms on them! Mine were balanced and I do not have any vibration! They are lasting longer though! Like Marc said the front doesn't seem to wear out! I personaly don't have any issues with them on the tar roads, I find they handle well actualy! On dirt roads they seem to be fair, but of course not as good as the TKC or the Karoo.
The one negeative thing is that the front has a high pitch humming sound that only started disappearing at high milage!
One more thing, they are very stiff to put on if you do it yourself, compared to others!! Alot of fancy word that I can't pronounce here were needed!!

[marc]

Oh yeah... when new they howl louder than a new BMW owner the first time he gets a bill for a 12K service. Guys I ride with even commented on the amount of noise.

[soarhead]

I had the k60 tires on my F800GS. These were the first generation meaning they were 140mm wide instead of 150mm.

The tire wear and longevity was great but this comes at a price. The compound is harder and frankly, I hated riding on wet pavement with these tires. No confidence in the rear at all. The rear also changed it's profile early, squaring off and making right angle shoulders. I had figured this was due to the 140 profile on a 150 rim but it sounds like people are having the same issue on the 150 series.

In the dirt, the front was the weakest link and quite prone to early washout.

All in all, they are what they advertise, a 50/50 tire. There will always be a compromise. No getting around that.

I was considering putting a set on my 1200GS but I will be sticking with Tourance and the tried and true TKC 80 when needed.