Off Road Tyre Trial On a BMW R1250 GSA HD 1080p

[@TheMadEnglishman]

Refreshing to hear from someone who probably has a similar riding skill level to me (ie non professional rider etc). As a recent new owner of a R1250GSA I'm looking forward to following along with your upcoming adventures.

[@travelsonagsa]

Thank you - that’s very kind. And kind of you to follow along. I hope we will both learn something!! Thanks again.

[@andrewbooth4341]

Just picked up my first GSA and also just came across your channel. Very professional and informative. Looking forward to following you on your journey

[@travelsonagsa]

Thanks Andrew, that’s very kind. I hope you enjoy the bike. I am sure you will. I have been more and more impressed with mine the more I ride it.

[@nickhawke]

Great video. Like many of the other commentators, I feel I in a very similar place to you and can relate to your experience. I've owned two GS bikes for a total of about 7 years and am getting a new one in March, but that's after a 6 year break. I am off on a trip to Spain in May and need to choose tyres for some easy off-road but also just as comfortable on road. This video is a good help

[@travelsonagsa]

Thank you. I only put it in because I had felt that off road tyres would be really difficult to use routinely on the road but in fact they are absolutely fine.

[@mtscott]

I’ve had knobblies on a GS and got rid of them quick for a cross tyre that put more rubber on the road. Knobblies walk too much in corners and in the rain it is worse. And it’s not rubbish…if you can’t feel them walk them your not going fast enough 😁 Up the motorway in a straight line doesn’t count but you will notice the road noise as they do drum more.

[@travelsonagsa]

Hi Michael, yes I totally agree. I guess your term ‘walk’ is what I am feeling. If you are riding hard on road tyres then I am sure you are absolutely right. Off road will never be as good. But I thought they might be absolutely unusable on road but they are actually pretty useable I think. Not for a track day though!!

[@mattfisher3514]

Good video, been looking for this type of vid for a while…. I’m a `gas owner with the anakee adventure tyres.. great on road, not done anything off road but I ride fast so didn’t want to put the wilds on and ruin my on road experience

[@travelsonagsa]

Hi Matt, obviously, they are not designed for track days or knee down riding but I have found them to be perfectly good for a pretty broad cross section of riding.

[@BikeDuckAdventures]

Changing tires into Enduro tires will it fit? With the same OEM size

[@fittermd]

I can’t talk with much authority but mine were the same size.

[@jd100-x1z]

Sorry I can’t really understand what you’re saying when you’re on that motorway. The noise is really bad. What about fuel consumption?

[@fittermd]

I know! I am sorry about the sound. It was an early video!! Sorry, but I didn’t notice any real difference in the fuel economy. It certainly wasn’t massively different but I didn’t actually note the mileage.

[@peterrick3339]

I have ridden 130,000+ kms on 3 BMW 1200/1250 bikes in last 6 years and probably 50/50 sealed/unsealed. I have tried many front tyres. For me, it's all about the front tyre when it comes to riding, both sealed & unsealed. The back can, within reason, do its own thing so long as the front wheel goes where i want it to go, not the other way round. So riding one of these behemoths on unsealed is totally dependent on the front tyre. Sure, you need to ride to the road conditions and the tread pattern of the tyre. Putting a more 'off-road' tyre on the front provides more security on unsealed with less chance of binning it, but when on sealed, especially when wet, you need to back off some and be super smooth & gentle with steering & corner inputs. It's surprising how fast with confidence you can corner on sealed, both wet & dry, with the rubber compounds these days. The Mitas E 10 looks like it would be a great unsealed road tyre. Maybe not quite enough rubber on the sides for my sealed road riding. Currently have a Mitas E-07+ with 14,500 kms and it has been an excellent tyre on sealed road, wet & dry, corners at road tyre speeds (can not believe the edge grip these tyres provide mid corner) and are very quiet and smooth. On unsealed they are OK. Vastly superior to the A3 & AA both sealed & unsealed. IMO, the Mitas is a Goldilocks tyre. But i need a new front & as i like trying new tyres, will likely not go another Mitas E-07+ Winters coming and now considering a Motoz DualAdventure for more unsealed grip or a Karoo4 for more 50/50. First World decision. So Mike (says he is a Noob), has it pegged about setting these bikes up for unsealed riding. If i can overcome the noise & rumbling and the need to slow down some on sealed road cornering, a 70/30 tyre is a positive move to staying upright when riding unsealed roads & tracks this winter. Like the bike colour too Mike. Clean & Classy.

[@fittermd]

Thanks Peter. That’s a really interesting comment. You obviously have a great deal more experience than me. In the end the Mitas E10 was good for my trip and it lasted pretty well for mixed riding for about 4000 miles. Stay safe!

[@paulbrook2459]

Your bike looks great 👍 Horses for courses! It’s great to see someone taking a adventure bike off road ! It’s a shame the uk doesn’t seem to have much single track or gravel roads ☹️

[@travelsonagsa]

Thanks. I am trying to get as much experience as possible. You are right though. With my tiny experience I have only found very short sections of tracks. I am sure there are better bits but, for example, Salisbury Plain can get very difficult very quickly!!

[@Rossi593]

Good review and, I suspect, you speak for many who don’t get the knee down and don’t need ultimate on-road tyre performance. One worry for me is durability and there are clips I’ve seen where the blocks have detached from the tyre with that type of tread. My GSA, incidentally, has Anakee 3 tyres which I like other than the howl from them which is why they’re going soon.

[@travelsonagsa]

Thanks Ian. I have not seen any particular damage to the tyres yet but I totally agree that they must be susceptible to that kind of thing. They obviously wear down faster but no damage visible yet. I have a set of Anakee 3 tyres ready to go so I will listen out for the howl!! The most amazing thing was the cost, the front cost me £17! Bargain!

[@timwhite3250]

Just discovered your channel and hit the subscribe straight away. Wish you all the best with it. I’m a 1250gs rider to and like you I don’t push the bike hard on the road at all rarely heading north of 5000rpm which with this bike is fine with the mountain of torque everywhere. Completely agree with your tyre comment. I run Continental TKC80s on my F800gsa when I had that and they were really grippy on the road just wore out super fast. I’ve been riding Continental TKC70s this year on my 1250 this year and found those absolutely fine with good wear characteristics. Not blocky enough for mud but better than your road biased adventure bike tyre. Anyway good luck with your channel you have a good presentation in front of the camera so all the best and will follow along your journey 🤙

[@travelsonagsa]

Thanks Tim. I am glad that you found roughly the same thing with your off road tyre experience. I want to try the Continentals and will aim to do so next year. Thanks for following along too.

[@Adventure4LifeTV]

Interesting! Thanks 👍🏻👍🏻

[@travelsonagsa]

Thank you!

[@travelsonagsa]

My first comment ever by the way! Thanks!!

[@Adventure4LifeTV]

@@travelsonagsa awesome 👏🏻 hopefully the first of many 😎

[@abhijithjayan5495]

What is the minimum height we need to ride this bike

[@conchange]

Interesting video and perhaps something I was looking for. I am glad you are taking a stand, many people try to please everyone in their reviews. There is a perception that 50/50 and off-road tires are only sought after by advanced and expert riders, which maybe true. I consider myself a beginner on the GS, I still struggle on steep curves. My bike has about 5K miles with stock road tires which don't give me much confidence. I am considering changing them. But I am wondering if I should invest in a 50/50 or off-road tires which may help bolster my confidence on the steep curves? Your thoughts? Also the audio during the demo on concrete was not too clear, there was something about the front tire feel a bit wobbly. Could you explain please.

[@travelsonagsa]

Sorry about the sound! It was a difficult one that I tried to solve - without success. My plan in the video was just to say that I had worried that off road tyres would be a nightmare on road in normal riding situations. But actually they aren’t. They are fine. Obviously, they are not a track day tyre but for normal riding they are fine. What I was saying about the concrete was that they cause a bit of a wobble because the knobbly bits of rubber grip the ridges and ‘walk’ across the road surface. I can really comment on what is right for you but I can thoroughly recommend the 80:20 tyres if you are going to try off road.

[@ricardomendoza4548]

Is your bike ice grey edition

[@fittermd]

Yes it is.

[@Hemlck]

What about cornering on wet roads…..how does the grip stand up? I always feel that’s where a knobbly tyre scares me 😉👍

[@travelsonagsa]

Well, I think you are right. That’s where you are going to notice it. For me, I dont hang off in corners etc so, I didn’t notice any difference. I thought I would but I didn’t. In the end, they are not road tyres so I suspect they will slip far sooner than a road tyre will but it’s certainly not a daily worry!

[@Hemlck]

@@travelsonagsa I was thinking of going the other way …the stock tyres on my GS are due for their first change soon and was considering switching to Road 5’s …but then I don’t go off road at all but do love the twisties. Also in very early stages of planning a Norway tour for next Summer…do you foresee that more trail type tyres would be useful in Norway..?

[@travelsonagsa]

@@Hemlck I only foresee that because I am doing the Northern route off-road on forest trails - part of the TET. Otherwise I would be doing it all in road tyres. I aim to change back to road tyres once I am in the Southern leg.

[@Hemlck]

@@travelsonagsa sounds brilliant….you seem to have a well formed plan …will you be camping or hotels/b&b? sorry to be nosey ..😁

[@travelsonagsa]

@@Hemlck camping. It’s 3 weeks and the route North will be a bit sparse. Plus the obvious Norway cost of living problem!! Plus, I think it feels a bit more of an adventure if you camp!! How long are you going for?

[@stoedg]

Curious to try out the Mitas E-10. I am on my second set of Mitas E-07, riding manly on tarmac but loving gravel the most :-) My 2019 TET Summer Adventure - MyGSAdventure

[@travelsonagsa]

I have been really pleased with them. Good on road and very good off road. Obviously, I am not hammering it on either but really happy with them for my ability level.

[@WDXash]

Congratulations on your channel - I like the design of the logo. I admit that the GS/A do look the part when they have knobbly tyres fitted. It’d be nice to have a spare set of wheels to make swapping over a quicker and easier process. 🤔

[@travelsonagsa]

Thank you. Yes, I agree that the whole process of tyre changing is a pain. I have found the off roads pretty good for general use so I will leave them on until October.

[@BretGashDJBFG]

Sir go out and grab an invite volume control. You can find them for Luke $6 U.S. as I'm sure you're aware you have massive distortion while riding. Great co tent though

[@travelsonagsa]

Thanks for the suggestion! I know it’s awful!! I tried and tried. I will do better!! I am going to google the volume control now!! Thanks.

[@nateryan7041]

What tyres did you fit on your GSA ??

[@travelsonagsa]

I had Mitas E10 fitted.

[@donarmstrong4166]

I think you are mistaken when saying the tread was done as fashion....the tread design serves a purpose...and both perform as intended.

[@travelsonagsa]

Hi Don, yes, you are no doubt correct. I fully agree that manufacturers spend a lot of time and money on these tyres and then idiots like me come along and broadcast their ‘opinions’! I think I was trying to say that the 80:20 tyre is less value off road than I thought it would be. On a dry track it’s fine but most on road tyres would also be fine in that situation. That’s what I meant by the term ‘fashion’.

[@peterrick3339]

I disagree Don. The Anakee 3 is a horrible tyre in so many ways. The Adventure is slightly better. Their tread patterns do absolutely nothing off road and tread pattern does little on road imo. Both of the tread patterns with these 2 tyres are form before function. Years ago Michelin were expounding the virtues of the tread patterns of their PR3 & PR4. Horrendously busy tread pattern but the bees-knees according to Michelin. Then came the PR5 with minimalist tread pattern but again Michelin spruked they were superior in the wet to the the PR3 & PR4. Previous tyres were some artistic designers version of making a tyre look unique to the opposition. And both the A3 & AA are disgustingly noisy as well due to their tread patterns.

[@RGSABloke]

Critique here, sound when you were in the bike was almost unrecognisable. On a positive note keep up the video’s, looking forward to the next one. Kindest regards.

[@travelsonagsa]

Hi, yes, thanks for your comment. I tried that run about 5 times and the quality was terrible. I need to improve the sound pick up for ‘live’ riding chat. I will spend a bit of time having a play. Thanks for the comments - otherwise sometimes it’s easy to think you ‘got away with it’!!

[@shaunbromley8445]

Could hardly tell a word you were saying for half of it !

[@travelsonagsa]

Yes, I am sorry!! I have tried to improve that for the future!! Sorry. I tried it so many times and couldn’t improve the quality!! I will do better.