My preference for DS tyres - more or less dictated by riding patterns
Why I ride with DS tyres.
Basically I do 50% of my 40 000km each year on gravel and so I wear DS tyres on the bike in favour of changing all the time. Cost is also a major factor.
And to date, I can go everywhere anyone else goes, Postal route, Antonies berg pass, Eselsbank, Gannaga, Naude’s Nek, Lundines Pass, Village Chiefs trail etc.
I have yet to not go somewhere because I cannot go on the tyres I have fitted.
I have just switched my tyres today back to DS tyres after using up old knobblies
before they became too old & time-ex.
Taking a quick ride to bed them in and wear off the slickness of new tyres I was immediately hit by the lack of tyre noise. What a pleasure!
Aaaahh! Reminds me why I use only DS tyres.
What helps me get more kilos from tyres is the obvious- tyre pressure and riding style.
Pressure – On tar I ride with 2.5 bar up front and 3.5 bar on the rear and this helps me optimise tyre life.
On gravel, I adjust according to surface. This is to find more comfort for riding and I love finding the sweet spot of tyre pressure, damper and suspension setting. I can ride forever….
Riding style. – I have a personal game changing gears by 2500 RPM, try not to make sudden lunges forward or stretch throttle cables at less than 140 Kph. Keep revs low and acceleration low.
I generally use the gearbox to slow down and the brakes only to stop.
Okay, that’s on a good day, but as I am often chasing the clock I don’t have time on my side.
I’m a firm proponent for civilised riding and considering others on the road, that is until some idiot flips my switch and my genie pops out the bottle when I strip my moer.
Sometimes I can control myself for a long time, other times I lose it big time, far too often for my guardian angel to cope with. And that just eats up tyre rubber and brake pads.
On my R1150 GSA (89HP), I usually got 21oookm on a front and 20 000 on the rear- MAXXIS MAPD.
But on the R1200 GSA (112HP) I am lucky to get 15000 on the rear and 18 000 n the front tyre.
So clearly the power you lay down has a lot of influence.
I’m a firm proponent for civilised riding and considering others on the road, that is until some idiot flips my switch and my genie pops out the bottle when I strip my moer.
Andy this certainly brought a smile to my dial, well said.
From my experience, the single-biggest factor in tyre lifespan is speed. The horsepower is related, as you can reach higher speeds without feeling as if the bike is going that fast.
Lance and I both use knobblies. We both do not ride faster than 120km/h (even on that massively long stretch of N7 between Namibia and Cape Town). We consistently get about 10,000km out of a back knobbly (using different brands), despite quite a bit of tar commuting/riding. Lance even managed to get 27,000km out of a front TKC80. He may ride slowly, but he does accelerate / decelerate aggressively. So much so, that he has to replace brake pads regularly. Yet the tyres last...
I've met another guy that rides an 800GSA (same as Lance) who sometimes only gets 1000km from a rear knobbly. His speeds on highway tar? Mid to high 100s. Then there's always the story of the guy that tore a knobbly to shreds after 300km of 180km/h riding. The remnants of the tyre, along with the story, can be found at Jumper's Place, Willowmore.
Fast riding on tar = heat. Heat = wear. Most riders aren't willing to sacrifice speed though. It's probably hard if you have a bike that just wants to move. I don't have a screen, so at 120km/h it feels like I'm doing 120km/h (or faster!).
Nice perspective Zanie,
You make your selection basis what you do with your bike- horses for courses.
My high mileage coupled with 50% tar, 50% off tar precludes me from knobblies due to fast wear and high cost.
When I ride nicely, I get an easy 600km out of my 35 litre fuel cell.
At 140 or above the engine makes me pay dearly for the privilege of speed.
Well, when I am late, I wind back the clock by riding very fast. And that is expensive in tyre wear and fuel consumption.
| © BMW Motorrad Club Cape 2006 - 2020 | Back to live site | Site built and hosted by HoneyBadger.net |
