okay, folks, i tried to find an appropriate thread on 650 2012+ tire life. came up empty handed. my 2015's outfitted with the b-stone trail wing radials 101 front and 152 rear.
just wondered what sort of mileage life ya'll'r experiencing. i ride street - no dirt, unless i mismanage that curve up ahead.
once the TWs are used up, have you "street only" riders (are there any on this forum besides me???) found better tires?
i ride conservatively, maintaining lots of chicken strip.
my tires have logged only 4400 miles. i'm expecting to roll at least 10K, front and rear, before either needs replacing. by then, improved tires may have been innerdoost.
Too many variables are involved. I've seen reports varying from 5,000 miles to over 15,000 miles. Road surfaces, air temperatures, inflation, acceptance of different final tread depths and throttle inputs all contribute to mileage differences.
One "control" you have is your location and the roads there. Other riders in your locale should chime in, as that would be one less variable.
As Graywolf said, tire pressure is a biggy. I keep my rear tire at 40 lbs, but I keep trying different rears, hoping to beat the Anakee 3's best mileage to date of 14k miles.
Speaking of that, how many of you live in an area like Oregon, where studded tires are common in the winter and it chews up the asphalt leaving a very rough surface??
The weight you carry, the speeds you run, the abrasiveness of the road paving aggregate in your region, how hard you corner, how hard you accelerate, temperatures, are some of the factors of tire life.
Higher inflation pressure gives longer tread life, better gas mileage, reduced traction, harsher ride. Your choice.
Some good street-only tires are Michelin Pilot Road 4 (maybe the best in rain), Bridgestone T30 Evo, Avon Storm 3DX-M, Conti Road Attack 2 Evo, others.
OEM rear tire-8 miles
ME88 rear tire will last 12-16k miles depending on road surface and riding aggressivness-SOB to mount.
Michelin Commander 2 rear-almost as good, easier to mount.
Michelin PR fronts-easy 16k miles, PR4 was difficult to set bead, PR3 easy.
Actual miles from new to bald tire difficult because usually change tires with some tread left prior to trip.
Ian, Iowa
I wouldn't think the new 650s are much different for tire wear than the old ones. I get 20k out of Anakee 3s, which I run around 42psi front and rear. I ride pretty hard, about 50/50 highway and city. There isn't any of that "chipseal" shit where I live, so I suspect that helps.
I rode the stock TW's to just over 10,000 miles to give you a basis for comparison on how I ride and they were absolutely done. Not threads, but done. I put a Continental Contimotion on the back of my 2013 DL650 because I didn't want to spend $200 on a tire. I paid $98 it and I'm currently at 9800 miles on it. It shows some flattening as I too, right 99% highways, but the thread depth is still good and I expect to get another 1000 out of it, minimum. The tire handles great, at least as good as the TW but probably a tad smoother at speed. I'm also riding a Bridgestone Battlewing on the front right now, just in case you were wondering.
i got almost 8000 miles out of the stock rear TW(nail ended its life). front didn't even look like it had any use. switched them for Heidenau k-60s and got a solid 12k miles from both probably 65/35 street/dirt.
good info, everyone. tyvm. due to the generally easy-going nature of my riding i expect to obtain at least 10k per tire. i'm just beyond 4500 now (+5 months), so it'll be awhile before i need new'nz.
I got 24K miles out of Metzler Tourances. I was pretty worried about them for the last 3-4K miles but other than being squared off, they still had a little tread. 90% of my miles are commuting (about 2 miles city, 15 miles highway) and 9% twisties, 1% dirt.
I got 13k miles on my original factory tires. They weren't yet dangerous when I changed them, but getting close. I could tell grip was starting to get very vague when it was wet. I might have gotten another 1-2k out of them if I were very nice to them, but that would have definitely been pushing the envelope. Overall, I thought the stockers were pretty good tires overall, at least in terms of longevity and handling. But they just totally sucked at anything other than paved roads. That's why I got my E7s and will probably never again run another tire as long as I own this bike. They are fantastic at doing everything you ask them, on road and the little off road (grass and gravel) that I tend get into. I only have 5k miles on them, so no long term impressions yet.
I changed both of the factory Trailwings at 14,000km, and I reckon I could have got close to 18-20,000 but I was heading off on a long trip and wanted to start with fresh rubber. I put Michelin Pilot Road 4 Trails on, and there was no comparison, the PR4Ts are very good - turn in much easier, feel more attached, much better (sure footed) in the wet. My riding is about 99% tarmac, commuting and cross country touring mix. I found the TWs flat-centred on long (boring bits) more readily than the PR4Ts, both having done effectively the same 5,000km trans-Australia crossing. The TW blocks seemed to heel/toe more on the long (straight) runs (36psi), wearing the back corner of the front tyre diamond blocks, and the front was then a bit twitchy.
I have Bridgestone Battlax T30R tyres on my current bike. Now, that is a fantastic tyre, if they are available in VStrom sizes.
I check my air pressures every time I ride. 34lb F 42lb R. I ride solo with full panniers and heavy packs 85% of the time. I have about a 7 month riding season a year and I do both street on poor pavement and some dirt or gravel roads. I put on average 7,000 miles a year on a bike. My 650 factory rear tire is showing age and I will change it this spring at 12,000 miles. It has been plugged from a screw in the middle of the tread since the 6,500 mile mark. I repaired it myself and it has not leaked or caused any problems whatsoever. This is the best mileage I have ever gotten on a rear tire in my life and have been riding for 42 years. I will buy the factory Trailwings when I replace. Front tire looks like new. The Trailwings are slippery and are what I would call an all season tread for a MC. Not off road at all. Wet grass is a real thrill when pulling out from a campsite on a wet dew morning. Great long lasting tire that Trailwing IMO........
I have run Metzeler Tourance Next for about 13K miles, the front is pretty done for but the rear is about half life so I'm just replacing the front since is getting a bit "jumpy". Got hit on a open manhole so must likely is damaged. As for the rear I'm sure I can run it at least 5-6K miles more so that's basicly more than twice the life of the original Trailwings. Been running them 33 psi front and 40 psi rear, they seem to be very sensitive to pressure so if they are a bit low they have a very vague feeling to the steering inputs.
I ride to and from work (mostly 35-50mph - 60-80kph), almost no highway riding. Urban and semi-rural riding, sometimes up the mountain. Rarely ride in a straight line. I ride very hard, I go to trackdays (on a different bike). I brake late and accelerate full throttle lots. I always wear my tyres out on the sides and never in the middle.
On the stock trail wings I got 16,800km (10,500miles). I didn't like the TW's on this 650 or the old DL650.
I then ran Anakee 3's and got about 24,000km (15,000miles). They were a reasonable tyre, perhaps lacked a bit of rear grip in the wet.
I am now running the Pirelli Scorpian Trail 2's. They seem good so far. Will have to see what mileage they get.
On the old strom I also tried the old Tourances, and Conti Trail Attacks. Both got around the 24,000km (15,000miles). The Conti Trail Attacks were quite good tyres.
I also change tyres as a pair, even if one still has life in it.
tin man - you really sound like a candidate for scout k-60s both for the type of riding you do and mileage. they are incredibly durable and super stable off pavement.
i've been riding 50 years and not seen a tire like the scouts for being durable.....and just so stable in gravel and dirt roads
noisy on pavement and reports of wanting to slide in the wet but i've had no issue with that. maybe my abs - i expect 20,000 miles from my next set
taled to riders personally with 22k miles on a set
I'd estimate that you can get 10-12k miles from the rear and 15-18k miles from the front Trail Wings. I'd replace them with the Battlewings next time around.
7500 miles on oem trailwing.
7000 miles on the next rear trailwing but could of got maybe another 1000. Swapped it before a long 2 up trip.
7500 miles on 705 shinko it was close to the wear bars in the center.
front 12k miles on the oem tire.
705 from 12k to currently 20k and still going strong with some feathering.
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