K-60's vs TKC-80
Allroad tires choice advise sought here: Heidenau K60 Scout or Continental TKC80?
Heidenau!
TKC 80's.
I always put them on my GSA, great in the dry, wet, mud and cornering but the Beemer was a heavy bike.
Read bad things about the Heidenau in the wet.
I have run both theses tires on my 990. I really like the TKC-80's, both front and rear. They were fine in all conditions but they both wear quickly on the street, and face it we ride dual sports on the street at least 50% of the time. The rear TKC would last about 8000 km before it was BALD. The front could be stretched to about 9000, or even 10,000 if you could stand the vibration from the worn tire. The TKC-80 front has a knobby pattern that goes 2-1-2-1 around the center of the tire. The dual knobs wear faster than the single, so after about 4000 km you will see a distinctive scalloping of those duals. After about 7000 km it is very noticible at city road speeds.
The Heidenau K-60 rear by comparison has given me 18,000 kms for the last 2 rear tires. It does square off with a lot of street miles, but takes a long time and is not annoying at all. They are fine in All conditions, and I ride them in the wet a lot. I ride rain or shine every day during our 6-7 month season here. They can be leaned over in the corners every bit as far as the TKC's and have much less road vibration (Hell I dragged a boot on the pavement, running these).
The Heidenau front I have only used on a fellow-riders bike, so have limited experience with it. My first impressions in gravel were not great, but I was a green (gravel) rider at the time. I would not hesitate to use it now. I have used a combination of a K-60 rear and a TKC-80 front for over 40,000 kms and liked the combination. Recently I have found a better combination of a K-60 rear and a T-63 (MIchellin) front. It has a 2-2-2-2 patern around the center of the tire and gives nice even wear, allowing over 10,000 kms per tire.
In the Mud they are both very similar (not great) with the TKC holding a slight edge in
side-slip grip. They both clear mud about the same. I have yet to find a dual-sport tire good in mud.
In Gravel the Heidenau will break loose slightly quicker than the TKC-80 which is no surprise, but holds a line just as well in the deep loose stuff. The Heidenau's also take heavy handed throttle in the loose much better, not tearing off chunks as fast. I like to spin the rear and drift in the gravel and the TKC's were fun but the knobbies tend to start tearing off when you do that. The design of the Heidenau keeps that tearing to just the corners of the outside knobs.
On the Street the Heidenau is the better tire hands down! It is also the better value
by far, being cheaper to buy, and giving consistently MUCH better mileage.
If money was no object I would still by the Heidenau.
