[ricecrispy]

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...

 

[TommyBwell]

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.

 

[Nessuno]

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...

 

[Harsten]

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.

 

[Nessuno]

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.

I just wonder/worry about what kind of rubber selection we're going to have at 90/90-R21 and 150/70-R18. What I mean by worry is speed rating... Although I supposed anything is going to be a compromise short of going dedicated knobbies or streets...

 

[Harsten]

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.

 

[Adventurer]

Thanks for making that information clear, for most folks that speed rating will be sufficient, especially for those like me that will be stuck doing suburb to city commutes and some casual rides to escape from the daily grind.

 

[Harsten]

Hey, if someone is gonna do over 100 mph on knobbies, I wanna watch:grin2:

 

[TommyBwell]

The air down point is a good one I had not considered. I ride like an old lady these days so I can go full pressure and not worry about it. I have plugged a couple of tubeless tires and I can tell you it is much easier than replacing a tube.

 

[Nessuno]

The air down point is a good one I had not considered. I ride like an old lady these days so I can go full pressure and not worry about it. I have plugged a couple of tubeless tires and I can tell you it is much easier than replacing a tube.

For sure and if you're going to ride street there's really no worries. I wonder if honda might offer a mag wheel in more conventional sizes for those looking for a more supermoto-ish feel, look, ride... (highly beyond doubtful)

 

[TommyBwell]

I've had friends tell me that I need to lace up some Supermotard wheels. I don't think I'm up to that anymore.

 

[Nessuno]

I've had friends tell me that I need to lace up some Supermotard wheels. I don't think I'm up to that anymore.

cost more then anything makes so go psshhhh

 

[PalmBeachSniper333]

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.

 

[Nessuno]

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.

we could go all day debating pro's and cons... One thing I can GUARANTEE...those who want tubeless will make the change...those who don't, won't...

/Wisdom

 

[FullThrottle]

Tubed for me. I'm mostly going to go off road with it and I can just sneak of with my brother's sports bike when I want to ride on paved roads.

 

[Nessuno]

Tubed for me. I'm mostly going to go off road with it and I can just sneak of with my brother's sports bike when I want to ride on paved roads.

yea but its not like you can't ride tubed tires on asphalt...>

 

[FullThrottle]

yea but its not like you can't ride tubed tires on asphalt...>

I agree! Let me know how that works out for you.

 

[Davo]

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?

 

[EmGeeD]

The Africa Twin looks like it was designed for dirt first and asphalt second, so bias-ply, tube-type tires would seem to be the way to go. It is a True Adventure, after all.

 

[Nessuno]

All this tire talk... does anyone have replacements in mind?