Been looking at new tires for my Vee, was happy with my German Metzler Tourance's but have read so many complaints about the now Chinese made ones, mostly with them being extremely difficult to mount, almost like the bead circumference is undersized, I'm not going to buy them again.
I've been expensively burned too many times with Chinese tires in other applications therefore I'm just not going to buy any more of them. Period.
The "new" Bridgestone Battlax Adventure A40 tires have caught my eye-
anyone actually used them yet?
Supposedly outperform the old Battle Wings in most categories while at least as good in others.
I dunno which "Chinese" tire you may be referring to. I've found Shinko, made in Korea, is a good choice. The Tourance I ran was about twice the price for the same longevity. The Heidenau K60 never gave inspiring cornering feel.
Tire performance varies re-markedly from rider to rider. Some folks get great mileage. They must be extremely smooth.
I think he was talking about the fact that Metzeler and a few other brands have started making some of their tires in China.
Reports are mixed -- some people report no difference, others swear the Chinese versions of their beloved tires have all sorts of issues.
The A40 is pretty new, and doesn't seem to be shipping yet, so I doubt there's much feedback available. Sorta sad to see the tread is pretty much 100% street now.
It's even more sad to see they cost about $80 more per set than the Battle Wings. Maybe I can score one more set of the old 'Wings before they go... :furious:
Yep. I've seen it in several industries- production moved to China and quality goes down.
I've turned up quite a few reports of an issue with Chinese Tourances- very hard to mount. Reports of how they run once mounted seem comparable to the German ones.
Metzeler claims nothing has changed- same materials, same molds.
But it seems obvious something has changed since quite a few people now reporting the installation difficulty didn't even realize they were Chinese made until after they had problems mounting them so it wasn't a bias on their part.
So- either Metzeler is clueless about the change to their product or they are lying- neither one gives me a good feeling.
Damn shame too, because they have lost me as a customer, at least for the time being.
Couldn't turn up much info on the A40's so-
My new set of Shinko 705 front and rear tires are already on their way and I paid less for both together than just the rear Metzeler costs.:mrgreen:
I just changed my rear Tourance for a Shinko 705. The Tourance replaced the original TW. I am disappointed that the Tourance did not last any longer, and for the price. For almost half the price, I think the Shinko may be a good deal.
The Shinkys make take a bit getting used to. The front seemed a bit heavy at first but it sticks well. I average 6K on the rear, front double that.
Good luck with the set, hope you are satisfied with them as many of us are.
I have done over a 1500 miles on mine now and I find the ride harsh compared with the Continental Roadattack 2 evo's which they replaced. Grip is good, though they havent seen much wet roads just hoping the milage is better than the Contis. No appreciable wear so far. A world away from the old Trail wings!
Couldn't turn up much info on the A40's so-
My new set of Shinko 705 front and rear tires are already on their way and I paid less for both together than just the rear Metzeler costs.:mrgreen:[/QUOTE]
Shinko 705 tires all day long. Half the price and so far after 3 rears and 2 fronts, I couldn't be happier!!! They handle great on road (as long as the air pressure is right) and pretty decent off-road.
Yep, that makes me like my new Shinkos even more. I was reluctant until Big B recommended them. Now even with just a few hundred miles on them, I'm cautiously optimistic about their overall performance.
Well I got me a Battlax A40 rear for $150 and I am going to try it, holy cow talk about a stiff sidewall on this, (no way could you spoon on a set of these) I can sit on it unmounted and absolutely no flex. I am just wondering how hard the ride will be? On the good side they should be pretty much run flat tires if I should pick up some shrapnel, and lose air pressure.
By the way, the tire sidewall reads tread 3 nylon belts + 1 steel belt, sidewall 3 nylon belts whereas the Battlax T30 I have on there now is 2 nylon, 1 steel. Supposedly they will stick better and last longer than the Battlewings, we shall see!
I have a pair on order and am getting them installed next Wednesday. Debated the PR4 and them for a few weeks as I ride almost exclusively on road. For me (and many of you may find this silly) I just don't like the look of the PR4 front. I know it's an "ugly" V-strom but I walk by a neighbor's bike with them everyday and it just doesn't stir my soul like the more aggressive pattern of the A40's or Battlewing/Shinko for that matter. Never heard a bad thing about the PR4's though and the Shinko looks like a terrific buy
I REALLY like these tires a lot, I ran them on my 1000 when I bought it used. They wear very well, and perform very well in all types of road conditions and weather. They for sure have the look, and are one of the better ADV tires for gravel and hardpack IMHO. I will be buying these again for my next set, they really did leave a good impression on me.
Well, that's good to hear, I still haven't mounted the back yet, guess I will go ahead and order me a front. I am about 95 percent street, with the occasional gravel, or forest service road, so they should serve me well.
The article linked above states that there was no price increase between the Battle Wing and the A40, but this is false. Perhaps they just received false info, or maybe Bridgestone is talking MSRP fantasy numbers, not actual discount pricing, but it makes you wonder...
The Battle Wings have been about $200 - $220 a set for the last few years.
Right now, I'm seeing $272 a set at AmericanMotoTire.com for the A40, vs. $216 for the Battle Wings.
Motorcycle Superstore somehow wants $306 for a set of the A40s. They don't show the "regular" version of the Battle Wing in front and rear, so you can't really compare.
Jake Wilson wants $291.76 for a set of A40s, but they currently have a $50 rebate offer, if you're willing to wait up to 12 weeks to get your rebate. The Battle Wing at JW is still cheaper, currently $213.
I have no doubt the A40 a slightly better tire than the Battle Wing, but it looks like the pricing advantage is gone; they're priced about the same as many other excellent choices.
For example, the new Avon TrailRider is $265.47 at AMT, the Metzeler Tourance Next is $291.99, and the Conti Trail Attack is $279.74.
Dunno. Guess it's inevitable that once you find a great value, someone's going to try to force you to spend more.
Put on a set of Battlax A40's on my Vee last June hoping to make a month long trip without a tire change but rear was down to the wear bars at 6300 miles, about 1300 miles from home. The OEM Battle Wing rear did better for mileage, 8000 to the wear bars. IMHO, if you're wanting the A40's for long life, they aren't worth the extra money. I have my second set of Shinko 705's on the Vee now and other than the rear tire being about done at 5000 miles, for their price I can't complain. My riding partner has had a set of Mitas Dakar E-07's on his Super Tenere for the same trip in June with over 11,000 miles on them at this point. I realize there are a lot of variables in tire life, just wanted to share my experience with my Vee. I'm considering trying the Mitas E-07 or Heidenau K60's for my next set.
I put the Avon TrailRiders on with less than 1 mile on the odometer (2015 650XT). At around 1500 miles, I took a 3300 mile trip from Pennsylvania to Maine and back. I used the OEM hard side cases plus a drybag on tail (50# total of gear) and no pillion. I hit the Bayley-Hazen road in Vermont and did some other mild off-road stuff here and there. Mainly stayed on two-lane but did jump on interstate partial days because of running short of time at the end.
When I would stop after any interstate runs, I could smell burning rubber at the rear. The rear tire was hot. I checked the pressures when cold and set it up for two-up riding (41 psi in rear) and verified that when hot, pressure was up at 45 psi.
When I got home, I could notice that the rear had worn noticeably flat in the center 1/3 and tread depth had suffered. I love all other aspects of the tire. Prior to the trip, I could see that I had worn down the edges of the tire (center band of harder rubber was higher than softer on either edge) when doing the initial 1500 miles without loaded side cases.
Once the rear is done, I'll buy another to match up with the front, which is still in excellent shape. Then I can see if it is a tire issue or just me.
Put a set (front and rear) on 3 months ago, have done 800km (500 miles). I love them, back tyre has no chicken strips, so confidence inspiring on bitumen, I don't do dirt unless forced . Make trailwings look like greased slicks.
Here in UK I tried the A40 on my Stelvio. Much harder ride but good grip and good mileage on such a heavy machine. The TrailWings that I have had in the past were very poor grip in the wet and cold. Good mileage from the TrailWings but at the expense of risking your neck!
As above.
I have the a40 on my '13 650. Horrible rock hard ride but handle and grip well even when it's cold and wet.
I will not buy them again due to the harsh ride.
I'm currently riding on the Avon Distanzeas that came on my bike from PO. I'm thinking of moving to the trailblazer when needed. Anyone know of a comparison. Are these basically the same tire with re-branded name? The description seems to fit the same bill overall.
Could not find Avon Trailblazer so assuming you mean Trailrider.
From what I have read the Distanzia predates the TR and is likely better for true dual sport riding, as the TR is listed by Avon as 90/10, street/dirt. The TR has the newer high silica technology, so doubt it's a rebranded Distanza.
Am exclusively a street rider, also considering the TR, but now leaning towards the Michelin PR4, due to longer life, off setting its higher cost.
Changed over from trail wings 1000kms ago, the A40s transformed the bike, confidence inspiring to the point of no chicken strips on the back tyre anymore. I don't get scared when it rains anymore either, they grip well in the wet. Should have done it sooner they made a good bike great.:grin2:
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