Any idea where I can collect a 110/80 x 19" TKC80 in southern Utah? I'm in Cedar City, and heading to North Rim, Monument Valley, and Moab. Iknow I can get one in Scottsdale, but don't want to go that far south yet.

American Motorcycle Tire are out of stock, Dennis Kirk don't keep them, and plus it would be a lot easier to collect one when I'm not sure where I'll be when.

I hadn't realised they'd be so hard to obtain in USA! Or that GS's were so rare.

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If your going to be in Moab, look up Arrowhead Motorsports. I know he stocks KLR tires, but if he doesn´t stock yours, he will know where to find one.

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AndyT,
I did try Arrowhead, he only had a different size (21"?).

Mollydog,
I do like my TKC80's, and not just for the looks! I've been through quite a few sets, and although they don't last as long, they are cheaper than something like Anakees (which I've used a few times), and I reckon per mile aren't any more costly, although more inconvenient. I was going to change to road tyres when my first TKC80 expired (rear) in Calgary, but thought that if I did, I'd find some trails along the way that needed riding. And I have been on a couple in BC, although not as many miles as I did up the Dalton and Dempster a month ago - I wouldn't have trusted Anakees here:

http://www.aslc43.dsl.pipex.com/Amer...s/IMG_3619.JPG

Despite everyone telling me I'd get punctures and/or fall off in the sh1t that was the Dempster at that time, I did neither! The conti's must take some credit there. I ran 25psi front and 30psi rear due to the weight.

Having said that, my next stops after LA are in fact Baja followed by Copper Canyon. Amazingly my front TKC now has about 8500 miles on it - I think it's lasted so well as about 2500 have been on gravel/dirt rather than pavement. I still need to get about another 800 out of it!

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Ian, you might try www.tiresunlimited.com I bought a set of tires from them last year. You can phone (or internet chat) them to check availability of the Conti. They shipped fast- I had my tires in a couple days. With a little effort you can have your tire shipped to a bike dealer, or even a hotel along your route. Good luck, D.

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The biggest bike shop I've ever seen was Blackfoot Motosports in Calgary - BMW dealer. And they didn't keep TKC80's! (rear). So I had to wait there 4 days.

I will send a picture of my front tomorrow - just got in from the bar, I'm now in a motel in Page, AZ. Odometer when fitted in UK was 3110, -70 from bike shop, not sure what it is now. Knobblies have worn to a strange shape, not evenly - a bit like the terrain has been eroded around these parts!

I was asking where to get a new one as I'd wanted to do the White Rim Trail (100 mile loop) around bottom of Canyonlands, looked awesome from the top - but today they tell me it's still closed after flash floods, so will have to give it a miss.

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Odo now on 11659, so 8619 miles on this front one!

I would have changed it by now if I could find one without having to wait for days. Difficult to order ahead without pinning down to a schedule. It'll have to wait now till Phoenix or LA, where I know I can get replacements off the shelf.

Plenty of tread when the bike's not upright!

Attached Thumbnails

 

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Mollydog, the miles on that tyre have surprised me too! I think I'll try and stretch it to LA, where I'm getting a 12,000 dealer service next Weds, and a fresh front and rear ready for Mexico.

I've been up to Moab, and when I spoke to the NPS there 2 days ago they were still unsure when the White Rim would re-open, it had washed out badly in the flash floods a week or so ago (when I was there). I know there are others there, but that one looked so spectacular I thought it was worth going back there for. Now in Flagstaff, coming from Monument Valley yesterday - took some nice off-road shortcuts through the coal-mining areas, and passed a grader which was stuck in the saturated sand! Poor driver was waiting hoping soemone would come to rescue him but the road was "closed" in that section, so he may have had a long wait.

I can't hang around, as my kids are coming over for a fortnight in Baja on the 22nd - I haven't yet chosen the location. Any ideas where's good - ideally I want somewhere fairly busy (a bustling town?), on the coast, ideally about half-way down? I don't really want to rush down all the way to La Paz as I'll have missed a lot if I do - I have about 3 days' riding time from LA, so could make La Paz but like I say don't want to waste my trip through Baja. So I'm not really sure which ferry I'll take - if I go all the way to La Paz I'll need to come back up for Copper Canyon, I think? I haven't really looked into the details yet. Is it worth it - or maybe get a ferry accross halfway down?

I've put some updates on the web here, but they're not always up to date (such as now!), as I prefer to wait for a rainy day to sit at a computer:

http://www.aslc43.dsl.pipex.com/Amer...nsamericas.htm

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You have BMW dealers in both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City.
Visit them or have it shipped to Cedar.
A friend of mine runs D&P Performance (bike shop, on 14 before it goes up the canyon) in Cedar and could mount 'er up for you. Also, he make be able to get it delivered to him next day from TR, DS or PU....and be cheaper than a BMW dealer.

Yep. Great source. Chaparralracing.com or chaparral-racing.com.
San Bernadino, north of the 10, Mill St exit on I-215.
Can balance BMW wheels/tires.
Call 1st, as Patrick suggested....and don't take their word on what the computerized inventory shows. Make the guy/gal put their hand on the tire. Been there...with t-shirt kinda thing.

Booked my tyres at BMW of Hollywood together with my service next Weds. Amazingly, the pair were only $4 more there - $253 vs. $249 at Chapparal. That front will have over 10,000 miles on it by then!

More of a problem now though is fetching my 3 kids over to Baja! All flights I can find to La Paz from UK involve MEGA-bucks and 2 stops. But I can get them to LA at a good rate, but flights from there to Baja seem really pricey (a lot going via. Mexico City), even on AeroMexico's website. Not far off the London to LA cost!

Any ideas what I should do? I could:

1. Spend a fortune on air tickets.

2. Leave bike in LA and hire a car and head south and come back, but I don't really want to double back myself.

3. Are there buses/trains running accross the border, i.e. from LA into Baja? This might be best if not too complex.

4. Two of them are old enough to drive, but I don't really want them to, and I imagine hiring/taking a car one-way into Mexico (even if possible) would be very costly.

For me, I think as you say Mollydog the La Paz to Topolobampo ferry sounds like the best way afterwards.

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The best Baja mapas are www.baja-almanac.com

I believe that National out of San Diego rents cars/SUVs OK'd for Baja travel, or they used to.

There are also flights into Loreto.

Back from Mexico with the family, only went down to Ensenada via. Tijuana, and over to San Felipe then back up through Mexicali.

Avis (and another company I spoke to) were happy for their vehicle to go to Mexico, if I bought extra insurance for $25/day at San Diego, Mexicali or Nogales (from their offices on the US side), although vehicle hired in LA. I asked the insurance specialist in the San Diego office what was covered and she told me: "A little bit of this, a little bit of that - I haven't bothered to read the small print" !!!

All the advice about dodgy Mexican cops turned out to be true - got pulled over and had the choice of $150 "direct" payment or $250 at the station - as I wasn't wearing a seat belt, and also had left my driving licence at the hotel (we don't havce to carry them back home). Being in the wrong on two counts I just coughed up. He introduced himself as Tom as I paid up, shook my hand and was off! I expect his mate was Jerry.

Be back down that way on the bike soon after Friday, probably go as far as Santa Rosalia then get the ferry. Thanks all for the advice.

BTW I was passing San Bernardino today and took the opportunity to look in at Chaparral Racing - it certainly is big!

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Just to chip in

i am in south america at the mo, and currently have about 10,000miles on my set of Conti´s on a BMW R850GS. rear is almost gone, but front has plenty of tread left on it. and has worn pretty evenly too. should easily last to over 12000miles.

after the first 1000 miles once they are bedded in they handle just as well as metzler tourance in my opinion. but when new and its wet yes they can be a bit hairy!

i just wish i could get a new set down here!

cheers
mike

IMHO, that's phenomenal mileage you're getting out of those tires. :thumb

A BMW or other major moto dealer in a very large city should be able to arrange for more TKCs. IIRC, many of that model tire are manufactured in Basil anyway. I'd think the key to lessening the potential pain of securing tires of your choice would be preplanning and contacting sources well in advance.

Apart from the fact, i don´t really have a plan any more ( i started out with good bike riding intentions but got distracted by the good times and fiestas on the way, and can´t face going home to a english winter!), so planning is proving difficult, they don´t make the big size tyres down here. 140 is teh biggest duel sport tyre they make in brasil. the 150´s are road tyres, but are cheap $60 or $70 so will do if no other choice. all radials are imported. Also there are no BMW dealers in bolivia or Peru anymore. The one in Santiago is extremely unhelpful, and expensive. The one in Quito never replied to my emails (but my spanish is poor so that may explain that) And the one in Bogota i have heard very good things about but is just a little too far at teh moment.

Of course i could get it shipped but the last quote i got to do that was almost a months budget down here, once you include taxes etc, so that to my mind is a good excuse to take it easy and rely on local sources. and you do meet some interesting people and fellow travellers when searching bike and tyre shops!

Quite how i´ve twisted a north american thread in to south america i don´t know, but maybe i´m attempting to justify my lack of a plan as a perverse type of a plan. take it as it comes, it has worked so far!

cheers
mike