| Author | Message | ||
     Panhead_dan |
I'm stuck here at the house due to ice all over the place. Can't pour concrete. Can't ride. ARGGG! So Lately I have noticed a light feeling of washout on my front runner under extreme turning. (D-616's). I have not noticed it before and I'm guessing it's because of the wear on the front tire. I'm thinking about going to the Scorps that the new Uly's come with for the next set. I was wondering how they work on dirt or gravel roads. I understand they are better on pavement but really never heard much about off pavement. Anyone care to comment? | ||
| Froggy |
My experience says that they are about the same. | ||
| F_skinner |
Dan, they are on my Uly and I do really like them on the street. I have no off-roading experience (since the 70s) with different tires on the Uly. I have been down a couple of dirt roads and liked the feel of them but I only have 500 miles on them so far. I did notice that the deeper the sand the less control I had but that would be with any tire I think. I liked them so much on the street that I may get a set for my S2T this springs. Come out to Colorado and I will let you try them. | ||
| Skyclad |
The Scorps are a good road tire. The reason that you have not heard much about their off road performance is because they don't have much. I have used Avon Distanzias and Pirelli MT60R's. Both work very nicely both on pavement and in dirt. The MT60R's have better grip on road and seem to be a little better in the dirt, but are expensive and have very short tread life. The Distanzias do not have quite the same grip, but are cheaper and last longer. Of course, when I say the Avons don't have the same grip, you must understand they still have more than enough grip for anything that I have tried on the street. I have not tried the D616's yet. I think they may be the next tires I put on the Uly. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
The thing I noticed first with the 616's was the grip they had on gravel and dirt. Not loose sand or mud but just dirt roads. This was the very first day I rode the bike. As I was getting a feel for the bike I found myself toodling along in first and twisted the throttle expecting the bike to dig a ditch in the road. What happened was a wheelie! The tire bit and held. I don't want to give that up! | ||
| Arcticktm |
I had 2 sets of Syncs after the OEM D616's were shot. I REALLY like them on paved roads in the mountains. They were fine on dirt roads/gravel, but I do not consider the Uly a real dual-sport, so I keep away from sand and mud, and use a KTM (with MT60's BTW) for that kind of work. I just changed to Mich Pilot Road 2's to try and stretch some more highway mileage out, since I fried my last Sync rear on an extended highway trip. for reference, I got about 5K miles on the Sync rears, and less thant 4K on the D616. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I've got over 15,000 on my front tire and totaled a '96 V-Max because of a washout. I don't have to say that I don't want to repeat that wreck. The damned 616's have been very good to me and when they are fresh, they are capable of much more performance than I have talent. Unless someone comes up with something better for what I use the bike for, I'll be ordering a fresh set as soon as I come up with the scratch. The temps locally are up to 33 degrees and things are thawing out. I'm going Buelling before work calls... I'll check back later. (like I could ignore this site for long, HA!) | ||
| Hmartin |
I found myself toodling along in first and twisted the throttle expecting the bike to dig a ditch in the road. What happened was a wheelie! While getting a feel for my Syncs, the exact same thing happened to me. Off pavement, I haven't been able to tell a difference between the two - they both hook up pretty good. I've not experienced the handling problems associated with the D616's, but then again, I tend to replace tires somewhat early. Back story: After only a few months with the bike I caught a nail in the rear Sync while off-roading (@*%$#!) and decided to replace it with a cheaper D616, hoping to wear out the front Sync and the new D616 at about the same time. After reading other reviews and comments from this board and others, I halfway expected the D616 rear to slip and slide all over the place. To date I've been able to tell no difference, and I've got the scrape marks my boots and right peg from a recent hairy 65+ mph right-hander to prove it (This was just the other day. I don't know why, but I was off line and headed towards the center stripe. I couldn't stop my hand from backing off the throttle, but the bike was rock solid and let me push it over harder anyway). It's a hard call. Syncs will probably cost more, but they should last longer. If you don't mind replacing them sooner, I also see no problem going with a cheaper set of D616's. For whatever that's worth... Edit: Weeks, months, who's counting? (Message edited by hmartin on February 06, 2009) | ||
| Danger_dave |
Doesn't make any difference on a dirt road to me. They are both just heavily treaded road tyres. The front Dunlop on the road was just sad. Bike wandered all over the place. | ||
| Thunderbox |
That's good Dan. Now you can fully understand what we go through for 6 months of every year. This is called empathy lol | ||
| Froggy |
Hmartin the handling issues related to the 616 is mostly from the front tire. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Dan, If the front end wander didn't bother you (and it doesn't bother every person), why would you NOT replace the D616 with another set? If you have gotten 15,000 out of the front, it's shot. I never get more than 4,000 out of a rear and usually replace the front at the same time. The D616 front gets progressively crappy as the tire wears and at the end of its life cycle turns to total suck. Just replace your D616's with another set and call it a day. They work for you and there really isn't a direct replacement for what the D616's are designed for. | ||
| Danger_dave |
I've been running Avon and Metzler road tyres for the last two years. Can't kill the Metzler on the rear - twice what I got from the others. Sticks nicely too. Currently have an unmatched set. Makes nil difference too. As long as they are not semi-slicks like the Pilots on the Triumph Tiger eg - I don't notice any difference on the dirt roads between Sync Dunlop or road rubber. I suspect the 'designated' dual sport type tyres might have harder carcasses, but the round profile means they perform much the same as road rubber with a decent tread. The best off road rubber has a square profile - it creates its own berm. We want the road handling that the nice round balloons give. You just have to slow down on the off camber, covered in marbles sections and nail it through the rest. | ||
| Hooper |
Coincidentally, I'm replacing my original front 616 this weekend (11,000+ miles on it). I haven't quite decided on what to go with - probably a Sync just to see how they are. Also depends on what they have in stock. Distanzas sound interesting. I replaced my original rear 616 with a brand-new one - I really liked it. Definitely ready to try a new front though - it's starting to get really squirrely. I'll report back in a few days. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Thank you all for your responses. I feel as though I have got good advice from experienced Buellers from around the world and that feels good! I love this site! Had a great ride today and it finally got up to 40 degrees. Balmy! (work never called  ) | ||
| Jphish |
Danger Dave - What metzlers are you using ? j | ||
| Danger_dave |
I'll have to check sorry - and the bike is in the shop. Fan died. Will advise when I get it back. There were no Pirellis or Dunlops in the country at the time (welcome to NZ) so I didn't take much notice - 'yeah that will do' - but it's lasted exceptionally well. | ||
| Hooper |
The Scorpion Sync I bought today was $50 more expensive than the catalog listed...good thing I just want the damn tire on there. |
