BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Has anyone tried Pirelli Scorpion Syncs or Dunlp 616s for a bit of dirt road stuff? I tried a search, but nothing came up.
Bert

Chitown used the Pirelli's.. he's the man to talk to for off-road, any-road, underwater use of the R12R.

I had an 1150R, 1150GSADV. I am looking seriously at a new 08 R1200R. It is well equipped and a considerable savings over an 09/10. I really like my G650 XCh and my FJR, but sometimes....We have 1000s of miles of good 2 tracks here in NV. I think the lower center of gravity and lighter weight make the R look like a natural.
Bert

I can't speak to the Dunlops but I've ran several sets of the Pirellis and they are excellent. My off road riding has been limited to fire road type stuff - nothing too serious. See Chitown's posts for where this bike can go.

I have been using the Scorpions this season. In the mud the were not noticably better then the previous ones I had, (Conti Road Attac). On the sand or loos gravel I guess there was a difference, at least I forced myself to believe that. On the soft but dry surfaces, like the little forrest roads, the Scorpions felt very comfortable. But what I have to mention, after a few thousand km-s, the Pirellis started to feel disturbingly gripless on wet asphalt, especially at the low temperatures. It may have something to do with the hours I randomly spend on the open race track. Not doing any racing, but just enjoying the advantages of the freedom it offers. The track has mostly left side turns, and by touching the tyres, the rubber of the left side has became much harder, compared to the right side. And especially left turns make me feel slippy on the wet tarmac. So probably it´s just my misusing, that has affacted the gripping ability of the tyres. Recently I decided that I´ll try the Dunlops next, but the dealer in my country stated, that those tyres are not being produced and sold any longer. So I just bought an other set of Scorpions, and will keep off the heavy riding on the track this time ,to see if it saves the gripping ability till the second half of the lifetime of the tyres...

btw - in case you have not found it yet, there is a comparision article of the two tyres

regards,
Hanno

The Syncs work for me in all occasions, I've lost count of how many I've mounted.
The key factor to getting the most of out them off-tarmac is to deflate them.
Half the time I'm too lazy, but for any extended gravel/dirt riding, depending on terrain/payload I run around 33 psi in the rear and 27 psi up front -significantly increasing traction.
Some might argue that's too low for tubeless tires, but for me at least, it's been just fine for many thousands of miles in the dirt on the R.
YYMV.

Here's the Sync thread:


http://r1150r.org/board/viewtopic.php?f ... rpion+sync

Thanks! I have been riding since the mid 60s and I am humbled by your experiences. I really like the concept of an R1200R and Pirelli Scorpion Syncs. Even the 616s wouldn't be bad for where I live.
Bert