I had an experience yesterday morning that confirmed a suspicion of mine about my dual sport tires, and I thought it would be worth bringing up to you guys. I ride mostly on the street. But when I go off-road I want respectable performance. When I got my 690 last year I researched it and locked in on the timeless K-60 scout tires. And I'm firmly convinced this is the way to go for my purposes. So here's some information about this tire design that actually dates back to WW2.
The K-60 is currently made by at least two manufactures and they look basically identical. Heidenau makes two different rear tire versions: A cheesy looking 70/30 (street) tire and a true 50/50 dual-sport tire. The latter is the tire set I went with, and I went with Heidenau for two reasons. (1) Heidenau has established an almost cult following over the quality of their tires. (2) The Heidenau version was rated for 12000 miles while the Mefo version is rated for 9000 miles. It was a win-win or so I thought. But let me explain something that will put what I have to say about these tires in context.
I run a 16-tooth front sprocket instead of a 15-tooth. That means I top out at 115mph while you 15t guys get about 105mph. But you can climb up on sh-tuff and laugh at me bogging down in the mud with the crud. That's how it is. Going 16t is basically tossing first gear and adding a new 6th gear that's particularly sweet when you hit 80mph or so. I digress.
So yesterday morning, as I merged over onto the highway leading to work, I had a slow vehicle just in front of me. I moved over to the left lane and did what I always do in these situations. I level the bike in the new lane, and then I put the hammer down which means go varoom in KTM talk. Always level the bike in case the front starts coming up when you hit it. Engine was all to happy to comply, but at about 58mph when I engaged the warp drive, the rear tire slipped nearly a quarter-spin. Now I had previously reported on this site that it had only happened once in cold weather, but this is new and different. It was high humidity and there probably was a slight amount of dew on the road. But I now question the wisdom of my selection and here's why:
The Mefo K-60 may only be rated for 9k miles, but that means its using a softer compound that probably would not have slipped on this bike under these conditions. Okay, I see it now. I ducked up. I have to have instantaneous acceleration without compromise. Its just the kind of guy I am. I was looking for one of those spooky surreal experiences that only you guys can understand where in a matter of mili-seconds all the cars around you disappear into the rearview. You know, a standard warp jump. I gotta have it every time on a dime man. But this wonderful Heidenau tire that would be perfect for any 650 hiccups on the supreme 690. 'New Tire Inbound on your pod Bartlioni!'
I'm sure you understand,