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Road tyres for XT600??? Road tyres for XT600???
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  #1  
Old 22 Aug 2008
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Road tyres for XT600???
I'm looking for a new set of tyres for my '84 XT600.

As I'm going to be spending most of my time on tarmac for the next 6 months I'm looking for a really good road tyre.
Money is not an issue (within reason) I just want to get the best I can get.
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Old 23 Aug 2008
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Amongst the best IMO are the Metzeler Tourance. Not a 100% road tyre but good mileage, good rain characteristics and reasonably well performance on dirtroads.
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Old 24 Aug 2008
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Avon Distanzia are a good predictable road tyre.

Having said that it's only my opinion. I have no doubt someone on here will tell you they are crap because they fell off once in the rain, got a puncture or their wife ran off with the milkman the day they got them fitted.

M & P did a good price a while ago.
http://www.mandp.co.uk/
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Old 24 Aug 2008
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All good suggestions made so far.
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Old 24 Aug 2008
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Thanks for all the suggestions - I know alot is down to personal taste and riding style.

There's a reveiw in 'Bike' magazine (UK) that covers tyre choice for the BMW GS - I guess there will be a few similarities???
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Old 24 Aug 2008
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Hi

I have to recommend continentals contiescape!. A dualsport tire.
Well worth having a peek at imho...
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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Here's the thing.
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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If you are looking for a long distance road tire you could use Metzeler's ME880 Marathon if you could fit a 140/80-17 on the rear. They have several different sizes in 21" for the front, and they seem to last forever. When looking for a 21" front road tire, think Harley-Davidson, several of their cruiser models have 21" front wheels. Dunlop offers some higher mileage touring tires that last well. I have a friend who regularly gets 10,000-12,000 miles out of a rear on his Electra-Glide as heavy as it is.
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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I've done about 15,000 miles on one set of Tourances - the back tyre now has very little tread (ok it looks more like a slick), but the front tyre still has some wear. It's a pretty good road tyre in a warm dry climate, a bit vague in the wet, good on dirt tracks, but not great on gravel (tho I still managed to do 30 miles of gravel riding this weekend and only fell off once).

That said, I'm switching back to Trail Wings next week because I prefer them. If money isn't an issue, can you send me some because I'm really broke atm .
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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Anakees
Hi Tom, I'm running a pair of Michelin Anakees on my XT, they are great tyres on the tarmac - rolling very smoothly even compared to the Trailwings that came off, they are good at holding a line and are predictable when cornering ( at least once you've scrubbed them in ) They are OK offroad in the dry but completely hopeless in mud or on wet offroad tracks.
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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The ME880 Marathon are great wearing
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Old 25 Aug 2008
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I guess we'll never agree on 'The Best' XT600 tyre - we would be at for ever!!!

I've seen the Distanzias and the Anakees in the flesh and they look like 60/40 Road/Off-Road tyres.

I've also seen the Avon Venom and it 'looks' more like a road tyre. This has been suggested for Harleys - it may work for my needs???

What I've found with the 60/40 style tyres I'm using Pirelli front/Michelin rear they are OK but for tarmac use they could be better.
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Old 26 Aug 2008
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Michelin SIRAC's are Very Good !
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the MICHELIN SIRAC here !

Michelin offers

Get them from here (I did) -
Michelin Sirac Rear

I fitted a pair of SIRAC's to my 99 XT6E in April and haven't looked back. They have done a superb job in all road/offroad conditions. In wet they are stable and in the dry they perform as good as anything else on the market.

If you enjoy the adventure of discovery, check out the Michelin Sirac. While it easily handles the demands of everyday riding, it's always ready to explore dirt roads or trails. Best of all, this versatility comes at a surprisingly reasonable price.

If I hadn't gone for the SIRAC's my next choice would be the Metzeler TOURANCE. I have heard these things are now the most widely used tyre for BIG trailees...
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Old 26 Aug 2008
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Can you get an Avon Venom
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Old 26 Aug 2008
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For pure road use you can try the good old Avon AM21 Roadrunner which is still available. (Yep, 21 inch is np with these)
Currently I'm on a set of Tourances which work just fine and given their long life it's gonna be some time before I try anything else
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