Husky 701 Tire Swap | Goodbye TKC80s & Hello Traction!

[@RVAMotorsports]

This video thoroughly reinforces why I am happy to let my local motorcycle shop mount my tires

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Haha 😂 yeah I can't blame you.

[@RidingWithDom]

Broooo, give that little black desk a fresh coat of paint 😅 👌….. also thoroughly enjoyed watching this tire change sequence 🤙

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Haha yeah it is looking a little rough! I really need to get something bigger out there though, not much room to work lol. Good! I'm really glad to hear that! Thanks!

[@RidingWithDom]

@@SwankyCatProductions yeah keep up the good work, your videos keep getting better, every time I tune in, like you just made something as boring as changing a tire look entertaining. I’ve been watching on and off since the T7 and when you said you were quitting your job to go full time KZbin and I can see that your video quality and how you go about it is vastly improved. Ride on 🤘

[@trailrideadventures]

I enjoyed this video that stand dismount was 10/10.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear that! Haha 😂

[@chrisparsons3141]

I have absolutely struggled and been wrecked mentally and physically changing three shinkos on my gen 2 KLR so I felt every second of that video. My next tire change is coming up shortly for my road bike and I'll be using a c-clamp to break the bead (which I've used before and it works great) and a new to me method of using zip ties for both removal of the old tire and install of the new. I'm praying this zip tie method works.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I actually thought about trying that method too. Might make changes like this where the beads are tight, a bit hard. But getting everything off and back on in one step does sound very appealing!

[@adub59]

Thanks for the video, Gotta say, since moving down from a Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro to a 701, I love everything BUT the tube tires. Going from carrying a plug kit to carrying tire irons and a tube is activating my PTSD from years of fixing flats in the boonies! On an unrelated note, who makes the windscreen on the bike?

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Mmm, yeah. Tubes can certainly be a pain! A lighter bike is always nice, but I suppose a plug kit is much easier to pack & install! The screen actually came to me on the bike, from the previous owner. I believe it's off of a KTM 690 though. I can't find the exact one, but the one in this affiliate link is pretty similar. I just used longer fasteners and some extra nuts, to make it stand up straighter, leaving room for a GPS. amzn.to/4eGsFo5

[@scottPC9479]

I never throw out a used bicycle tube, there's always a new use for them... & thinner than the motorcycle tube for your purpose. I look forward to seeing your new boots in action!

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I cut this part out, but the old strip was actually pretty thick too. I figured it couldn't hurt to have it a bit thick since the heads wore right through the first one haha.

[@maxflight777]

What pressure do you run ? 28 seems high , in Portugal we use 15psi ..

[@maxflight777]

Love my 701

[@tippytailmckitty2658]

After watching this video, I went on Ebay and was pricing motorized tire changers. You might get a good deal on a used one locally. You change tires alot, so it might be worth looking into.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Haha, I was actually thinking the same thing after this! I'm definitely not looking forward to doing it again on this bike!

[@timlubbers2884]

Years ago my brother and me made a tire hot box out of wood and plexiglass… on a sunny day we could (in about an hour) have a tire hot enough that it was hard to hang on to … made tire installs fast 😁😁

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Ooooh nice! I'll be that was awesome!

[@Choirboyjr11]

You should try out a baja no pinch. That tire tool is the bomb!

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Yeah after this, I think I will. Haha.

[@ar1stippus739]

Love the D-sports. been running them on my gen 1 KLR for the last few months, haven't experienced the issues you had on your gen 3 but that might be because of the weight the KLR gained over the years

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Yeah I'm actually really interested to see what happens with them on the 701. Your experience gives me hope, but even if they aren't perfect on the road l, I think having the extra traction will be awesome off road. I always felt like I had to baby it with the TKC80s.

[@d.brayman3165]

Baja No Pinch is the way to go. I've install some seriously stiff tires with it.

[@Garland77]

It looks like you are installing the tire with the yellow dot opposite the valve stem. It is my understanding that dot designates the lightest part of the tire and should be aligned with the valve stem.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

The dot definitely indicates something about the weight, but I'm not sure if it means heavy or light. It does seem like the way I did it was wrong, shouldn't really need as many weights. Thing is, on car or truck tires I believe a white dot means one thing and yellow means another. I've never seen any concrete info on bike tires and dots, so I usually just guess lol.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@SwankyCatProductions They indeed put the dot to line up with the valve stem. Cheers!

[@mkramsauer]

I loved my Dsports but they were a pia to spoon on! Hope your thumb heals quick

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I actually heard that a few times when I put them on my gen3 KLR. Never knew what they were talking about, but now I do! Haha. Thanks!

[@retiredwaterdoctor]

nice tough tire for off road, but would not want to patch one on the trail. I wish someone would make an affordable kit to switch over to tubeless system for bikes...nothing I found for a 17" rim. I guess I could spoke in tubeliss rims off another bike....where does the money train stop on the upgrades??? 😂😂😂

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I've actually seen a few really good tutorials on how to DIY. Sure would be a pain to have one fail, but honestly, a can or 2 of tire seal might fix it good enough for the rest of the tires life ...

[@josephthornton8560]

I had a DRZ 400 SM with TKC 80s. They were really good in everything except DEEP gravel and wet pavement. Both were situations were so sketchy.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I've actually seen them on other types of bikes/rims where they seem a bit more aggressive. I suppose on skinny dual sport tires there just isn't enough realestate for "Big Blocks".

[@josephthornton8560]

@@SwankyCatProductions it was the DS standard for a long time.

[@tippytailmckitty2658]

I have Anakee Wild tires on my Super Tenere and haven't off roaded with them. They are a 50/50 tire.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Those actually look pretty aggressive for a 50/50, yet they look like they would still be pretty smooth on the road?

[@tippytailmckitty2658]

0:22 They arent bad, but at 80 plus they get a little squirrelly. ​@@SwankyCatProductions

[@frostbitevinnie]

Dsports are good and yes the Baja no pinch be da bomb!

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I'm excited to see how they work on the 701! Haha yeah, I might need to pick one up. My fingers still hurt!

[@frostbitevinnie]

@@SwankyCatProductions I put 2500 dirt miles on the Dsport tires this past season. I was very pleased with traction and wear. I am ordering a new set as my Dsports have 3500 miles on now.

[@ronsexton3685]

Wondering why you don't go Tubebliss.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

After all the messing around with the rubber strip and tape I probably should have!

[@chrisparsons3141]

What's the consensus, two nuts externally or one each side on the stem?

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I've actually seen documents from two big tire/tube manufacturers that directly opposed each other. One said one nut on the inside and one on the outside, and the other said both on the outside. I've tried it both ways, but after struggling to keep the little washer on the stem, without a nut ,when it's inside the tire/rim (before getting through the rim stem hole) proved to be way more of a hassle than it was worth, since both ways worked exactly the same in the field.

[@deanarmbruster9012]

Ouch! Been there done that. 😂

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Haha I knew it might happen when I put my hand there. Did NOT know how bad it would hurt haha 😂

[@rickreasoner8664]

It helps to put the tire in the sun to make it more pliable.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Mmm yeah I suppose it would be nice and pliable then. It's below freezing out here now though haha.

[@rickreasoner8664]

How about in your car with the heater on?

[@richardsimpson3792]

@@rickreasoner8664 I put a hair dryer on inside the tyre. Blows warm air all around and warms the carcase up from the inside.

[@Gamer-ade]

Why did you get rid of the KLR?

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I haven't yet, still need to do a few more videos on it. I'm going to buy something else to do a build / test serious on. Maybe a V Strom 800 or Himalayan 450?

[@Gamer-ade]

@@SwankyCatProductions But the plan is to sell it right?

[@2vford241]

​@@SwankyCatProductions cheap drz400 build! Or crf250f street legal build

[@vtrack1963]

Thank you for reaffirming my dislike of tube tires! Can you imagine doing that rear tire alongside the road? You had optimal conditions (other than temperature), a nice stand, and good tools and it still looked extremely difficult to change.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

Yep... Honestly, unless I blow a tire more than an hour from home, if I can get a ride with a trailer, I'll take the ride every time lol.

[@inoasdh7618]

So... you bought the wrong tire for your application and blame the tire for it? I've been using TKC80 on various bikes for like 15 years. The compound got reworked several times (wet tarmac grip was VERY bad in the past) and the tire that you can buy today has extremely good onroad performance for a block design! It really has. "Offroad" it's quite decent, but as with all tires with bigger blocks you got problems in mud or on wet grass. I tested the Motoz RallZ and they really are A LOT better offroad than the TKC80. Especially the front tire has nearly as much grip as a "true knobby", rear is good, too. BUT: On the road they are extremely loud, the are not stable, wet tarmac grip sucks.... So...Are the MotoZ better or worse? They are just designed for a different purpose. The question is: Do you want to offroad? Get offroad tires. Do you want TRUE dualsport? Get something like the MotoZ. But for "adventure travelling" with bigger distances, maybe the TKC80 is quite a good choice.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

I had actually wanted to try them for a long time, but they came on the 701 when I bought it. Still I agree with your point. Just because they don't fit my application doesn't mean they aren't a good tire, they're just not a good tire for me. I can definitely see them being a great option for those who want a smooth ride on the road but still need to do a decent bit of off roading. Also, Motoz are pretty much my #1 recommendation if price doesn't matter. They're the best at just about everything, in my experience.

[@Salmosalarius]

I don't know but..... There's about nothing on ; "Why you couldn't stand the famous Continental TKC80.." Looks more like an advertisement for the TUSK D Sport to me. I mean, you may prefer the D Sport but still, there's no need to bash on the TKC80 as you did in the title of this video. I usually like you videos but this time....nop.

[@SwankyCatProductions]

First, I appreciate your honesty, thank you. "Why I couldn't stand my Continental TKC 80s | Husky 701 Tire Swap" That is quite literally this video in a nutshell, is it not? I very purposefully did not, just put 3 miles on the TKC 80s and say, "I HATE THESE". I tried them for a full season, in a wider range of conditions than most will ever ride, and then worked my butt off to change them. All because, quite literally, and I quote, "I couldn't stand the TKC 80s". They simply did not fit my riding style. I think those are both pretty fair statements. Don't get me wrong, I know if you read the title too fast, it does sound like I'm going to tell you not to buy them. Yet in the first few seconds, I say something along the lines of "I don't dislike them because they're not a great 50/50 tire, because they are". And they are, like I said right after that, I think for as good as they are on the road, they're really pretty good off road too. In regards to this being an ad for the D Sport, I really like them off road, but pretty clearly said I think they will work well on the 701, but I wont know until I test them. Not to mention the issues I had with the front one on my KLR. So it might have gotten more eyes on them, but I didn't do a great job "selling" them, if that was my plan. Still I do need to make money, this is how I pay my family's bills, so not mentioning that people can easily find a link for the stuff I'm showing, when it helps me keep a job I love dearly, would be pretty silly. Doesn't mean I like doing it, just have too at this point in my career. Oh and if I was looking for high commissions, the TKC 80s would actually be the ones I should push haha.

[@tbnr1492]

I also do not like the stock tires for what I do. Personally I use the mitas E07 plus tires. Perfect for my riding on road and off with great tread life

[@bk6271]

I'm sure he was given these tires. Did you notice he never did a "review" after riding the tusk tires?

[@richardsimpson3792]

@@tbnr1492 Can you get an E07+ in the correct size for this bike...I thought they were more of a wide tyre for big twin adventure bikes?