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How do you Feel about Tubed Tires?

69K views 60 replies 28 participants last post by  RobertKLR 
#1 ·
Yes I'm going there... I know many people are kind of upset that the AT doesn't offer tubeless tires. But from what I've been reading tubeless don't do as well with hot pavement as the seals actually start to melt.

I think I trust tubes better on a big ADV...
 
#2 ·
I am trying to focus on the positives and you can get home with a bent wheel with a tube easier than one without. That said I really am disappointed that these are not tubeless. I have had two R/GS's and a Super Tenere and have never had a problem and frankly never heard of one. I believe some of the Italians have individual o-rings which can be problematic. Most big adv bikes the spoke does not penetrate the rim so it is a non-issue. I believe they may be prone to more broken spokes though.
 
#3 ·
I don't know.. tubed tires are better for off road IMO, you can air down without bead issues...

plus tubeless spoked rims are prohibitively expensive...its really not a big deal to change a tube out in the field, if you plan to go miles from civilization and can't change the tube in your own demmed tire, well you deserve to get stuck...
 
#4 ·
I prefer having tubed. You can run tubeless tires (with a tube inside) on a tubed wheel, but not the other way around. That gives you much better selection. As Nessuno stated, it also allows you to air down which makes a huge difference off road. You can also still ride home if you dent a rim, and the rims are typically cheaper to replace when you do manage to wreck them.

Personally, I think the tubed tires are a plus.
 
#6 ·
The Kenda K784 Big Block and the Continental TKC80 are both Q Rated (100 mph) and the Heidenau K60 Scout (not knobbie, but my long distance tire of choice) is T rated (118 mph). There's a few others out there.

The only issues I see with the tires will be availabilty. The 19/17 combination is easy to find for the big bikes is easy to find while on the road. BMW set that standard a long time ago. 21/18 for big bikes, not so much. It might take a little more planning on long trips.
 
#13 ·
690 Enduro R, geared a tad lower, touches 100 occasionally and it feels like 75 on my other bike. 100 on the dirt is a rush.
Nice thing about tubed is that you can buy HD tubes and not worry as much about flats. Although, I have plugged my
R1200's tire 25-miles from civilization, thanks to tubeless.
 
#18 ·
Tubes

Radials for the road.
Tubes for the trail.
Credit card and a cell phone trumps them both!!

Seems like tubes would be better when a puncture is larger than your teeny-weeny little tire plug. You can have a pretty big tear/rip in the sidewall of a tire and still get home if you have a tube (dollar bill trick?). Do the more aggressive knobby tires would not come in radials these days?
 
#22 ·
I'll put on the Heidi K60 Scouts pretty much as soon as I get it home. I've had good luck with them in the past, and I don't plan on using this as a true dirt bike. They've done well on the oil field roads out my way until it gets real wet, then it's even a challenge with four wheel drive. I have a WR when I want to ride where I am going to need real knobbies.
 
#23 ·
Tires are the Achilles heel of Adventure bikes. Road and gravel have separate requirements which current wheel/tire technology cannot overcome. And lightweight, small diameter wheels are best for road travel, while more robust, large diameter wheels are preferable for off-road. Riding on both surfaces means making concessions one way or the other.

Unless future technology can literally reinvent the wheel, we must make do with what we have.
 
#25 ·
I never had any issues with the way they handled, but I'm also used to riding full knobby tires on pavement. The knobs on the sides of Kenda K760's would move around on you because they were so small when you dropped into a turn and the whole bike would squirm around. After awhile you get used to them. The K60's aren't a sport touring tire, so you can't expect them to handle like one and they aren't a true offroad tire.

I've liked the Karoo 3 and the TKC 80's better off road/gravel road but I just could live with the tire life.
 
#26 ·
My Super Tenere is laced with Excel wheels which means tubed and I've never had any issues. I'm also on TKC80 and can get my lean on in the canyon without feeling too loose. Great tire but as been stated the tread life is a little harsh the rear.
 
#28 · (Edited)
I find that I can do most of our rides on the Tourance that are on the bike now but when we have a bunch of good riders and I know that we are going to do deep sand or single track the TKC80 does wonders. I've done a few single track in the mountains with the Tourances but I learned my lesson. It's really hard going and the front end tends to lose grip compared with the TKC. Lately I'm getting lazier and keeping the Tourance in the rear and just changing out the front. I'm in the middle of getting another front laced up in a 21" with a dedicated TKC so I don't have to keep changing out tires which gets old.
 

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#29 ·
I will use the AT for my daily commute to work and weekend to the woods. I've had several flats over the years and pretty easy to repair a tubeless tire and not be late too work, hence, I would like to find a safe, effective replacement to run tubeless tires.
 
#35 ·
I hope i get over the africa fever when i get mine in February down in Florida, read a few pro n cons about tube or tubeless, this is whst have done to my last two klr 650 and my present crf250L, I sealed tire stem on tube and wheel with a very light smudge of high quality Marine sealant around each spoke nut inside the wheel, and streched silicone tape around replacing the original tube protector. Ive had two punctures on rear, used stop n go mushroom plug and kept on going , yes the intertube leaked but tire now hold air, got over 100 miles from the fix, still had good pressure when i took to bike shop for new tube
 
#36 ·
I hope i get over the africa fever when i get mine in February down in Florida, read a few pro n cons about tube or tubeless, this is whst have done to my last two klr 650 and my present crf250L, I sealed tire stem on tube and wheel with a very light smudge of high quality Marine sealant around each spoke nut inside the wheel, and streched silicone tape around replacing the original tube protector...
That seems like a lot of unnecessary work, when it's so much easier to just use Slime inside the tube. Many of the areas where I ride my XR400R are filthy with cactus of the prickly pear variety (with long sharp needles), and without Slime in the tubes you'd be running on flat tires in very short order.


... Ive had two punctures on rear, used stop n go mushroom plug and kept on going , yes the intertube leaked but tire now hold air, got over 100 miles from the fix, still had good pressure when i took to bike shop for new tube
Again, Slime would be a much better and easier solution.
 
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