Tire life on 2013 R12GSW

[ Monday - March 19, 2018 ]

After 5 years of the 2013 R12GSW, I think I'm finally have an understanding of things.  I don't go off road much and pretty much treat the GS as a tour bike.  Of late, it's been a lot of commuting.  I've done a couple of trips to Boulder City, NV to visit my bro.  But beyond that, the number of distant rides haven't been all that often.

Regardless of commuting or long trips, I like to keep the bike's tire pressure high for that zippy feel.  Of course this means the ride is a tad rougher, but it's not something that the TracTive ESA shocks can't handle.

Below are my tire pressure specs:

Tire
 Min
 Max
Front (120/70 R19)
 36
 36.5
Rear (170/60 R17)
 42
 43.5


Of the three types of tires that I've used (Metzeler, Michelin, Continental), the Metzeler is by far the worst.  I guess that's why they were the stock tires that came with the bike.  I'll never get another pair of Metzelers again.  Now if Metzeler was the only choice I have between a shredded tire and the Metzeler, in the boonies somewhere, I'll take the shredded tire... just kidding.  I'll go for the Metzeler.  But, since I have a choice, I'll go with the Michelin Anakee III tires.  It's a toss up between the Michelin and  the Continental.  They're both about the same range.  However, the Conti's are a bit more expensive.  In the end, the Michelin is easier to find.  Most dealers don't carry the Continental.  Also the Michelin doesn't slide around as much as the Conti's.  IN reality the Conti's don't slide around that much more than the Michelins.  The Metzeler, on the other hand, was the worst in the rain.  You can count a little slip here or there over almost every paint stripe.

Below is my experience on the big ADV bike tire ranges:

Tire Brand
 Tire Model
 Approximate Range
 Front Price
 Rear Price
Continental
 Trail Attack II
 ~8,000-9,000 miles
 $160.62
 $220.55
Metzeler
 Tourance
 ~6,000 miles (A little over)
 $150.99
 $182.99
Michelin
 Anakee III
 ~8,000-9,000 miles
 $143.07
 $179.43
Price is based on RevZilla (March 2018).
In all cases, the combined front and rear is over $300 dollars.  Typical for the GSW.  It's definitely no 8GS.  The tire prices on the 8GS was pretty awesome.  Especially the 21" front.  It's something like $90 for the Conti Trail Attack.

Then again, the GSW is much more stable than the 8GS at freeway speeds.

Written on: March 19, 2018
Last modified: March 19, 2018