While I'm not a fan of Bridgestone if the front looks new I would replace the back with another Bridgestone. The Dunlop Trailmax Mission tire is quite a good tire for long trips with a lot of dirt roads mixed in but it is.not a 80/20 tire. Personalty I would not mix tires. If you don't do a lot of dirt and want to get away from the Bridgestone tires an excellent 80/20 tire is the Conitrailattack 3.

 

Thanks for the advice Rick. Yes, I planned on moving away from the Bridgestone's. Unforeseen circumstances moved those plans forward a bit. I'll see the glass half full and call this an opportunity to shoe my baby with proper rubber.

 

I mix tires. I have a trailmax on the back and a TKC 80 on the front. I really like the combination. I didn't like having a trailmax front, it was loud (even with earplugs) and didn't grip as well in dirt and ruts as I wanted.

 

What is your riding mix? And how do you find that rubber on the tarmac? I've seen that setup mentioned in other threads.

I want to get off road more often. But I have to admit that I'm probably 95/5 on the road, if not more than that. I like the idea of that mix, but I wonder if a good 80/20 front/rear wouldn't suit me better. What would you think knowing my riding mix?

 

I'm a 50/50 rider based upon time, not miles. I'm sure my blacktop miles are 70-80% of the total. For example, this spring I'm riding 800 miles to Texas to ride 1000 mile of gravel and then another 800 miles home. I want my tires to preform when I need them the most and that is when I'm in the mud and dirt.

I have no problems with the combo on blacktop.

Another excellent combination for both on and off blacktop is a TKC80 front and a TKC70Rocks rear. I believe that is still the combination at the BMW Performance Center. TKC70Rocks wear better than TKC80s but not as well as the Trailmax. That is the combination I used when I following the Pony Express 2000 miles from St. Joseph Missouri to Sacramento. I wanted my tires to preform when I was in the dirt and they did great.

 

Mix away. It’s not a sound financial move to throw away a good front tire just because the rear needs to be replaced. A friend of mine swears by his Trailmax tires for all around use. They wear well and the 50/50 claim is therefore a bit overstated. But they are very heavy. For mostly street but occasional offroad I have been perfectly happy with Anakee 3 tires. Also very long lasting, the rear anyway. For everything else I have a second wheel set with TKC80s. Not long lasting but the best in dirt. The GS tends to eat front tires. You’ll likely end up changing your current front tire within 5000 miles or less anyway.

 

If you decide to replace with another A41 here is a cheap option. 2018 date code but not too old if you use it up this year.

Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 170/60ZR17 Rear Radial Motorcycle Tire *DD7 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A41 170/60ZR17 Rear Radial Motorcycle Tire *DD7 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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I wouldn’t be afraid to mix if they were close’ish in tread pattern and if took the time to know how the bike behaves before pushing it. Some threads here on mixing bias and radials if you go that route.

 

@Krons, I've never seen the problem with mixing tires. I used to do it intentionally on previous bikes in the past, based on performance. I've been sticking with same tires on my K1600s. But the Big Girl eat tires, and I'm quick to change them out if I think they've degraded in performance. I think keeping in the same style of tire is a good idea, like you say. I'm not sure about mixing the Trailmax with the current Battlax. A 50/50 and essentially a 90/10 seem pretty different to me. Although, I'm sure in a pinch the bike wouldn't fall over just because of the tires.

I'm leaning toward replacing both tires with one of the 80/20 tires that have been mentioned. That seems like a better option for an off road newbie. If I start spending as much time off road as some of you, I could always change things up. For instance, it would be pretty easy to drop the rear wheel and install a Trailmax for an off-road tour.

 

If you plan to go off pavement as a newbie I’d go with a bit more aggressive than an 80/20. I’m a fanboy of the Mitas E-07+ as it wears way better than knobbiest but doesn’t give up much off or on pavement.

But, if doing dry hard pack an 80/20 will be ok as long as it does not get loose or wet.

 

@Redcard this thread is worth a review.

How much difference do tires REALLY make compared to the...

So on the Beginner OffRoad course I took, my GSA had the stock (90/10?) tires on it. Bridgestone something-or-others with road tread. As the bike was new I wasn't about to pay for new tires. When I got to the course most folks were running what I'd assume are 50/50 or more aggressive...

www.r1200gs.info

 

@Krons, thanks for that reference. The way the OP started I thought it was going to tell me what a mistake I'm making. But it actually reinforces my final decision. So here it is:

Rear: Trailmax. Front: TKC70.

My justifications. First, I like to experiment with options. The Trailmax has great reviews both on and off road. If I really hate it on the road I can always replace it with something like a TKC70 and save it for a real off road trip. I also have the K1600B for on road. I'm fortunate to have options.

The Trailmax front tire isn't available anywhere, and from what I've read, maybe that's not a bad thing. I chose the TKC70 as a viable alternative. I don't want to stick with the Battlax front tire at this point. I knew I would eventually choose better rubber, and I don't think it's a good match for the Trailmax.

 

As far as mixing tires is concerned. In my research I learned that Conti doesn't make a front tire for the Rocks tire (one of my optional choices). Conti says they don't need it because you can choose the TKC70 or the TKC80 front tire based on your tendency for on or off road. OK, it's the same manufacturer, but not exactly the same tire. Does does it really matter?

Also, I've come to realize that in all the reviews and advertising I've never really heard explained how the front tire enhances the ride by matching the same rear tire. Obviously the front tire has a completely different purpose than the rear. Directional traction, on or off road, sounds like the biggest factor. While the rear tire needs to handle the obvious application of power as well. So while matching the style of riding seems like a big deal, the exact same tire....not so much.

 

I run the Dunlop Trailmax on the rear and a Mitas E07+ on front. No issues on pavement or dirt.

 

TKC70s are a solid choice. My bike came with them when I bought it used. Did the NEBDR with them.

 

I think your choice is well thought out.

 

I have had a set of the Trailmax's and after a while didn't like them much on pavement. Too loud and didn't handle very good on the paved twisties. They are a bias ply tire, and I think the GS handles much better on pavement with a radial tire set. I decided I'd had enough and swapped them out for a set of TCK70's. The Trailmax's had about 50% tread left and I was very surprised to see they had 13,000 miles on them! Geez. Couldn't believe it. Most tires last around 6,000 miles for me. The TCK70s handled better and inspired confidence leaning into the turns on pavement. At about 7,000 miles, the front tire was close to the wearbars and some of the tread blocks developed blisters on them. The rear was squared off pretty good. I replaced them with a set of Shinko 705's, good tire for the money, but halfway through the tread life, the front tire got very noisy and vibrated at slower speeds. The rear tire was close to the wearbars. Currently, I am running a set of the Dunlop Mutants. They look great on the GS, like dirt track tires (looks count for something, right?), and they handle like a 95/05 tire on the pavement. They are radials and are billed by Dunlop to be an "All-Round Tire". I have not been off pavement with them yet, but I usually ride graded gravel roads when I do and I expect them to work just fine. For me, I might have found my ideal compromise in tires. We shall see.

 

I was very happy with the Dunlop Mutants as well but they sure didn't last long. The back wore out around 4k but it was nice that the front lasted two rear tires.

 

Just to add to the confusion, here's what I run on m 2020 R1250 GS. On the front I use a Michelin Anakee III at 36PSI and it returns 13-14,000 miles of use. Terrific in rain and over all street handling. On the rear, Dunlop Trailmax Mission at 42PSI which currently has about 5,500 miles on it and looks to go 14-15,000 miles. In addition, I use Ride-On.com sealant/balancer since '2000. Lastly, when I want/need to go off road I swap out the front Michelin Anakee and replace it with the Dunlop Trailmax Mission.. Having a Derek Weaver pneumatic tire changer at home makes changing tires when necessary a somewhat easy chore. Best of luck John in your decision making!

 

I ran through a pair of the TrailMax and they were a very good tire. They weren’t available when it was time for a new set so I went with Motoz Tractionator GPS front and rear. They are surprisingly good on pavement and I ran all over fire roads in San Bernardino mountains and did some desert work that include light sand. I could run a little crazier on those than on the Dunlops. After 10k I noticed cracks at the base of some of the knobs in the rear but I ran em out to 12k miles and put a new set on. As long as they are available I’ll keep getting them.

 

What is wrong with Metzler tires ?

 

Owned by the Chinese.

 

Oh ya, that Trailmax starts off feeling like you're on ice skates. Turned left out of my driveway, gave it a little throttle in first gear, and now I owe to the DTC gods.

After a 75 mile afternoon romp through some twisties, gravel roads, and hard packed dirt, the tire has inspired confidence. It feels really good actually.

 

That happened to me once with a set of Roadsmarts.. After that I always scrub them down with a brush and a bucket of soap/water after installing the tires on the rim and before I install the rims on the bike.

 

I find a rag soaked in mineral spirits cleans off the tread of new tires pretty well & will take off any greasy oily crud from manufacturing plus clean up the rim & remove adhesive from old weights.

 

Put some more miles on the TMM this weekend. You are they kidding? This is a road tire!

 

I agree with Conti Trail attack 3 for great road tyre on my 1200 GSA, Perelli Scorpion for light off road, expect about 8,000 km but be aware if you are on some sharp stone under 50 % ware, otherwise a good allrounder, if you're doing a longer trip with some off road can't beat Motoz GPS, great life, double Scorpion, strong side wall, but bring your ear plugs after 3,000 km.

 

Installed TMMs about 500 miles ago from the Anakee Adventures and love 'em. They are more like an 80/20 or 70/30 tire but are quiet and comfortalble on pavement at the 35/41 F/R I run them. Couldn't ask for a better tire for my 2018 R1200GSA and I am also a big fan of Michelin Road 6s for my 2016 FJR1300. You won't go wrong with these Dunlops.

 

All this thread I had questions on Trail Max - WHICH STYLE - Missions or Raids
-In the end, SteveC spoke the words I wanted to hear.
As a newb to my new 2012 GSA, having come off of Harleys the last 25 years, I have to relearn to ride again. I have Continental TKC70's on now that seem nice. Front is cooked and cupped, and Rear good till end of season. I really want better traction in front, in the NW, need to be good in rain, fire roads, hard pack gravel and confident on pavement. I'm leaning towards TM Missions front and back. - ust ordered them and installing next week. I guess I'll see...

 

If I was you I think the Raids would be the better choice as they're better in dirt & according to others rail on the road. TMM's are hard, heavy, long mileage tires in contrast though many like them. I'm running Shinko 804/805 knobbies & am impressed with their street ride & dirtability though they're only 4k miles good.

 

I guess everyone is different. I thought the Raids were OK but I'm not putting them on my bike again and the Shinko 804/805 just don't last. If he is going to do any kind of long distance with a lot of dirt roads those Trailmax Mission tire are perfect.