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Tires ..... again, and what GPS?


David Adams

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David Adams

Just got a 2010 GS and needing to change the tires. The previous owner had a Torrence rear tire and a Michelin front. Is this common to have two different brands? Sorry for the newbie questions. I've just always assumed I would just stick to the same front and back. I ride mostly on road, commuting, and once in a while on gravel roads, but so far probably less than 5%. What experience do you all have with tires and wear?

 

Also looking to put a GPS unit on this bike and not wanting to spend the bucks, some $900, on the BMW GPS unit. Any good alternatives?

 

Thanks. David

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You need to go to www.advrider.com

That's where all the GS folks and real and wannabe off roaders hang out.

You can easily spend days there reading all the bike and gear reports,trip reports,upcoming events,etc.

It is a very active site.

 

I use Shinko 705 radials on my 05 R1200GS and get about 7k miles on rears and 10k plus on fronts,others there are reporting similar mileages.

They are a fairly good dual sport tire and the price point online is very good.

 

You can find Garmin Zumo 550 GPS for $300-500 range on the flea market there.

Newer model that seems to be a favorite is the Garmin Montana series.

 

Mixing tires is not really a bad thing,as long as the profiles are similar.

 

 

JR356

 

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As far as tires.....I like the black round ones, preferably the ones on sale :grin:

 

You can't go wrong with the Tourances, or the Anakees. Both are great tires and should generally get you almost 10K out of the rear tire. A good bit of guys are running the Shinko tires now as well. They had some teething issues a few years ago, but seem to have worked that out. I have not personally run them, but I would consider them if I road a lot of pavement.

 

As far as the GPS.......buy a used one. Back in the day, I bought a refurbished 2610 that served me well for years. The maps can no longer be updated, so it has been moved to occational use in my old beater car. On the bike, I'm currently using a 276c that was included with my GS when I bought it. Its completely beat to hell, but the maps are current and it still works as intended. I'll replace it some day, but not until it dies some horrible tragic death.

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Morning David

 

Tire on a GS__GS-A is really a choice based on what roads you ride, how fast & aggressive you ride, & how far you want to go into the outback before you become stuck.

 

Just grab a set (preferably on sale) then see how they work out for YOUR riding & riding adventures. If something is lacking then try a different brand/type next set.

 

I have pretty well been through the lot of commonly liked adventure tires & "FOR ME PERSONALLY" I keep coming back to the TKC 80's. Those buggers are fairly expensive compared to some but FOR ME they are the only ones that hold up to both aggressive off roading & high speed aggressive on road & remain fairly quiet on pavement & work well for me in all but deep sugar sand.

 

I don't know what you want in a GPS, or expect to do with GPS, or what you expect in track handling or altering routes while riding.

 

If you have fairly good eyes I see Costco has the Garmin 62S on sale (internet purchase only) for $199.99 delivered. Not the best at anything but not the worst either. It will work OK on-road/off-road & will take the latest NT mapping, as well as custom off road mapping & yours (or others) tracks.

 

I still use a 60CSX off road as those are still a great off road GPS but they are getting difficult to find & the page update is a bit slow if you ride fast off road on a route with lots of close direction changes. If you can find a good used 60Cx or CSx (new are about impossible to find) they still make a peachy off-road GPS (if you have good eyes.)

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I'm with Keith on this one.

Tourances or the Shinkos have been good to me. 8-10K a set when taken care of, decent enough if you stay out of really sandy or really muddy conditions and they are great in the rain. Knock them down a few pounds and they'll serve you very well on a track day too.

 

I use a zumo 550 that I have had now for about 5 years. I like it, it's waterproof and the buttons are all on the proper side for use when riding.

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If you are willing to put a ziplock bag over it, or remove to luggage when it rains, the Garmin nüvi 52LM is hard to beat. Screen resolution is the same as 4.3" units (480 x 272), but by making everything in the UI bigger, it's much easier to use — especially with gloved hands — and the screen is more readable. I paid $120 a month ago, so today's price of $105 on Amazon.com seems pretty good to me. The screen is reasonably bright, is readable even in bright sunlight, and the 52LM is much, much more responsive than older models.

 

nuvi52lm.JPG

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  • 1 month later...

I used a car satnav in a tank bag for a while cos I`m a tight Yorkshireman (are there any other types?) and I refused to pay a fortune for a motorbike one.

 

Then I treated myself to one of these;

Peaklife sat nav

It`s a decent price, it`s rugged/waterproof, it`s easy to use and it comes with all the attaching kit etc.

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Like most have said here, its trial and error for the type of riding you do. Personally, I have used the Conti's, Metzler, Dunlop, Michelin, and currently have a set of Shinkos on my GS. As a portly (slightly) fellow, I have never gotten the huge mileage claimed by some, but for the type of riding I do (Lots of slab, Once in a while on the fire roads, twistys when I get the chance) so far the best mileage has been the Michelin Anakee 3s. Not too great in the dirt, but wonderful on the pavement. I am currently running a set of Shinko E705s that while take a bit of getting used to (after coming off the Anakees) are a pretty good tire. Grip is good in wet and dry and fire road use (what little I have done so far) is good. Cant speak to mileage on the Shinkos but the Anakees were the best mileage tire I have come across. If I get over 7k out of the Shinkos, they will probably be my new shoes again unless a special trip dictates otherwise. They are 1/2 the cost of the Anakees, YMMV..

Experiment- you will find your favorite eventually.... :grin:

 

As far as GPS goes, I run a Garmin 376C which is the marine version of the 276c mentioned earlier. Works fine for me- has integrated XM radio and weather mapping (for extra fee of course). comes in handy on the long haul trips. When I replace it I'll probably get a Garmin 665. Most of the same features, just a whole lot faster....

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

I'm running a Tourance front tire and a Shinko 705 on the rear of my 04 GS. The tourance currently has 12k miles on it and still got a little bit of life left. The Shinko rear has a little over 6k on it and plenty of life left. I do mostly commuting and the occasional gravel road. I'm doing Morton's BMW off road school next saturday. I'll let you know how they do. Honestly, I'm not to thrilled about running the tourance just since it's so warn..but I can't bring myself to replace it this week since there is still enough life left in it for my standard commute riding.

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