Good 50/50 or 60/40 road/dirt tire for BMW 1200 GSA

[leftystrat62]

I'm picking up a GSA & want to do as much dirt as possible. Living in New England (R.I.) I honestly anticipate to be on the road 70% of the time trying to drive to places to find dirt riding. I've read about TKC 80's -sound like a nice 50/50 tire;and read some great things on Heidenau K 60-any other tires to look at?

[marc]

Welcome to the forum. The TKC-80 has been the go-to choice in the US for the GS. The K60 is new, here, and has been getting good reports. I've been running a TKC-80 on the front with a Tourance/Anakee/Trail Attack or something similar on the back. That gives me a good feel on dirt roads with reasonable mileage. A TKC-80 on the back would wear faster than I like.

Sitting in my garage is a K60 rear that will go on the bike when the current Trail Attack is ready to change. The TKC-80 will stay in the front.

Other choices are the Karoo and the Karoo T. The T is similar to the TKC-80. The original Karoo is more dirt oriented and don't last long on the road. I friend got < 2K miles running the Karoo on an HP2.

[leftystrat62]

Thanks for the reply. I'm used to keeping the same tire on the front & rear from street riding-it's no problem mixing brands & type for dual sport? Do you consider the TKC 80 a 50/50? What would you consider the K60? Is the idea of a more dirt up front to prevent washing out? I never rode knobies on street except getting from trail to trail on my dirt bike-is it sketchy on the road?

[marc]

I haven't used a K60, yet. I got it because it looks more dirt friendly than something like the Tourance or Trail Attack yet will (hopefully) give me some decent mileage.

The TKC-80 is considered a 50-50 by many. It is fine on the street for me (I don't push it as hard as the fast guys but am usually ahead of the pack). It's a touch squirrelly when new.

My dirt road skills are minimal at best. So yes, the idea of a dirt friendly tire up front helps in my confidence, if nothing else.

Some of the folks I've talked to say they like the K60 in the dirt better than the TKC-80. They like the TKC-80 in sand.