On 6/23/2017 at 1:11 AM, AllanB said:

I really don't get the motard bikes, you loose all that great dirt road capability and gain nothing..maybe cornering speed. No real asset, with what may be around any corner in LOS.

If you have never tried one you should give it a try. Long travel suspension soaks up bumps, broken pavement and potholes without breaking a sweat. I can ride anywhere as long as it is dry and not deep sand. Dirt, gravel, no problem. Too old to be bouncing around offroad anymore. This place was over 2 hours on dirt roads ... passed a Tiger XCX and a BMW R80GS inbound. They were so large and heavy that they slowed to a crawl. Blew right past them.

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

If you have never tried one you should give it a try. Long travel suspension soaks up bumps, broken pavement and potholes without breaking a sweat. I can ride anywhere as long as it is dry and not deep sand. Dirt, gravel, no problem. Too old to be bouncing around offroad anymore. This place was over 2 hours on dirt roads ... passed a Tiger XCX and a BMW R80GS inbound. They were so large and heavy that they slowed to a crawl. Blew right past them.

But you can do all that with off-road tyres....AND handle the mud and heavy dirt.

 

BMWs are not really "Adventure Bikes" anyway, unless you consider highway riding an adventure. This was clearly demonstrated by Boring Borman and Useless Ewan a few years back.

 

Contrast those two numpties with the young (unsupported) Welsh girl, 90,000 (trouble free) kms into a world tour on a Honda CRF250L.

Rain + Asphalt/Concrete + Knobbies  = Road Rash

UP 2 U

Just now, canthai55 said:

Rain + Asphalt/Concrete + Knobbies  = Road Rash

UP 2 U

or you could reduce yr speed a bit ......lol 

there is no tyre thats 100% optimal for mountain climbing  and  and the smooth tarmac expressways 

it takes to get there .......everythings a compromise 

Iain: I personally have two wheel sets for my R1200GS and I do my best to NEVER run the knobby tires when commuting in winter time. Any decent street tire is much much safer on wet roads than a knobby. I personally really like the Michelin Pilot Roads as a commuting tire, they are very aggressively siped to work well in water.

Morgan: In my experience, there’s really no point to swapping tires during the winter, unless you’re running full-on knobbies.  Modern street tires have incredible grip levels in nearly all conditions.  However, knobbies tires are a different story.  When it’s cold and rainy outside, I typically leave my dirty, dirt tires at home and ride on street rubber.  Getting hard on the brakes in the rain, to avoid an accident on knobbies, is a great way to get into trouble.

 

http://blog.touratech-usa.com/2014/11/10/the-art-of-riding-in-the-rain/

 

As I said above, I do not bash around offroad anymore. But experience in years past proved to me that knobbies are crap on wet roads, unless you creep along. And even then - why take the chance. I run the best tires I can find, and change them often. Those two small patches of rubber is all that keeps me alive. But I repeat ...

UP 2 U

 

 

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

Iain: I personally have two wheel sets for my R1200GS and I do my best to NEVER run the knobby tires when commuting in winter time. Any decent street tire is much much safer on wet roads than a knobby. I personally really like the Michelin Pilot Roads as a commuting tire, they are very aggressively siped to work well in water.

Morgan: In my experience, there’s really no point to swapping tires during the winter, unless you’re running full-on knobbies.  Modern street tires have incredible grip levels in nearly all conditions.  However, knobbies tires are a different story.  When it’s cold and rainy outside, I typically leave my dirty, dirt tires at home and ride on street rubber.  Getting hard on the brakes in the rain, to avoid an accident on knobbies, is a great way to get into trouble.

 

http://blog.touratech-usa.com/2014/11/10/the-art-of-riding-in-the-rain/

 

As I said above, I do not bash around offroad anymore. But experience in years past proved to me that knobbies are crap on wet roads, unless you creep along. And even then - why take the chance. I run the best tires I can find, and change them often. Those two small patches of rubber is all that keeps me alive. But I repeat ...

UP 2 U

 

 

Yes, I know the limits of knobbly tyres on wet tarmac, and also in the mud. lose me on the forma, pass you in the latter....nay leave you in the latter... to walk.

 

In the dry it don't matter, like I said I don't see the advantage.

 

I don't rely on anything to keep me alive, just my caution.