I'm toying with the idea of what GS-type tyres (or 'tires' to you fellas ) would look like on my R. I don't push my standard tyres anywhere near their road-holding limit (on purpose) through spirited riding, so I'd be prepared to take a hit on outright performance presumably offset by longer tyre mileage...
I was reading some stuff on a GS forum the other day about guys fitting standard wheels to their Adventure version bikes, and the wheels all looked similar to ours. I'm just talking about standard road GS tyres, not out & out enduro stuff!
Whilst I don't particularly want to go offroading, I'm drawn to "the look" of the new Triumph Scrambler etc, and wondered if the GS tyres would fit and whether anyone had tried it? I appreciate that the grip & feel etc are different, but are there any other practical effects - tyre wear, fuel consumption, speedo accuracy(!) etc?
With GS type tyres it will handle better on gravel roads, you may like the looks, but I don't think you will get significantly better mileage. Are the Metzeler ME880 tyres available in the U.K.? I found they give the best mileage while still handle nicely with fair traction.
You don't stop riding because you get old - you get old because you stop riding!
Unless you change the actual rims, I don't believe there is a 'dual-sport' type tire out there that will fit the R's rims. At least there wasn't last spring! I was looking for something 'GS-ish' while preparing for our trip - knowing I would hit a fair amount of dirt/gravel. Nada.
I initially went with Michelin Pilot Roads - as they claim excellent wear and wet riding performance. I also thought their tread pattern was the best avail for gravel. Once those squared off I installed Metzeler 880 Marathons (much better for long distance touring I found) and 'held their own' on the loose stuff while offering superb wear and good grip for a hard touring tire. I'd use these again for an extended trip.
07 R12GS - Granite
04 R1150R - Black (sold)
Member #468
I got rid of my GS because of the tires. I rarely rode the bike off pavement, but I couldn't fit a decent set of street tires on the bike. Tourances were the best I had on it and I didn't like the feel of them when leaning in the twisties. Many (maybe not many but some) GS owners put R type wheels on their bikes to get a wider profile tire on the GS. Experts advise against this because it changes the handling geometry. I think this has more to do with the height of the wheel rather than the width. I'm not sure a tire like the Tourance would feel right on a Roadster.
Buell's new Ulysses ("as capable on fire roads as it is on back roads") was built to have some mild dual-sporting pretensions. It has standard, 17" sportbike wheels wearing tires with an aggressive tread designed by Pirelli to facilitate some mild forest-road riding. They're called Pirelli Scorpion Syncs.
BoiseBeemer wrote:Buell's new Ulysses ("as capable on fire roads as it is on back roads") was built to have some mild dual-sporting pretensions. It has standard, 17" sportbike wheels wearing tires with an aggressive tread designed by Pirelli to facilitate some mild forest-road riding. They're called Pirelli Scorpion Syncs.
Not exactly a knobby, but not your standard, sleek sport tire either. Might be exactly what you're looking for.
Also used on the Ducati Multistrada - but Expensive.
As said - if you want Tourances or something similar you'll need GS size wheels because the R/Rockster wheels won't handle a 150/XX/17 tyre - the rims is too wide.
I'm also looking into some light duty dual sport tires for my roadster.
In March, I'm making a trip down Mexico way and wanted some beefier tires to put on the bike for the trip. I'm not planning to take any gravel roads, but you never know...
I've been doing extensive searches in the forum on tires and learned that the 180/55 R17 tires on the Buell will not fit the roadster unless I change to a 5.5 inch rim. I don't have it in my budget to change rear wheels, so I'm looking for a tire to fit my standard 5" rim. I've come across a couple that may work.
Avon Distanzia 120/70-HR17 and 160/60-HR17 ($90 & $120 respectively)
Pirelli Scorpion Sync 120/70-ZR17 and 160/60-ZR17 ($100 & $120)
Right now, I'm leaning towards the Avons (for the looks).
There are several questions I would like help answering before I buy the tires.
1. Could I get by with H rated tires like the Avons? (130 mph max) I likely won't come close to that speed, with a bike full of luggage and my wife on back.
2. How will the smaller rear wheel width (160 vs 170) affect handling? Any spec's I've found state the 160 will fit on a 5" wheel.
3. The load of the rear wheel drops from 72 to 69 (783 lbs vs 716 lbs). Does this really matter much?
dunlop also has a new pair of dual purpose (90% road, 10% offroad) tyres out (designed for the Buell Ullyses) that will fit the R; have a look at dunlop's web site.
) would look like on my R. I don't push my standard tyres anywhere near their road-holding limit (on purpose) through spirited riding, so I'd be prepared to take a hit on outright performance presumably offset by longer tyre mileage...
HIRSTY. if you go for the off road type rubber don't forget the gs forkes/wider bars/bash plate and the bigger beak 
