Heidenau K60 Scout Tire Review

Heidenau K60 Scout Tire Review 1

We tried the Heidenau K60 Scout Tires on the new BMW R1200GS and BMW R1200GSA to see if they are good enough for a long trip

We used them for 10,000 kilometers [6200 miles] in our latest DriveMag Riders Adventure. Our route: Moldova, Turkey, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania. The trip was mostly on the road, but we also had some demanding off-road sections. 

Watch the video above 

There’s still some life in this 6 thousand miles rear. I used it in a long Trip in the Caucasus region with a fully-loaded bike, but without a passenger. Although it was a long trip, I pushed the bike hard, with many high-speed highway sections and fast overtakes. 

So, there’s a thing that makes the Heidenau K60 tires a top-choice. The fabulous lifetime. I’ve seen some people that managed to get 12.000 miles with these tires. But it’s not my case, of course. 

Heidenau is a German brand known better for its cruiser and sidecar tires. It’s not quite a performance tire builder. They have some vintage racing tires, but you won’t see Heidenaus on the brand-new superbikes.

The K60 Scouts are 50/50 Dual-Sport tires, which means that they offer a compromise between the road manners and the off-road performance. 

Noisy on the road

They are very noisy on the highway, and the front makes the motorcycle vibe. I felt uncomfortable after 90 miles per hour.

They are good enough on wet roads but beware of the white lines. Anyway, you got ABS and Traction Control on the new big-adventure motorcycles, so you won’t feel unsafe.  

The front becomes unstable on hard-braking, but you’ll get used to it, and it’s not worse than other dual-sport tires. 

The cornering is ok, but they are not top-performers. 

Off-road 

Now, let’s get to the off-road use. These K60 Scouts are good enough for any adventure rider. They are not the best, but you won’t get stuck in the mud. I once had some problems when trying to climb a hill in Cappadocia, but the GS is a heavy bike, and the surface was very hard to tackle. Besides that, I had not a single problem. I'm sure that you can go anywhere, as long as you stick to soft enduro. 

The K60 Scout offers a good balance between street use, off-road performance and lifetime. If you plan to go on a long adventure trip which includes off-road sections, and you don’t want to swipe the back tire after 3.000 miles, this is a good choice. 

cappadoccia6

True dual sport 50/50 tires

They aren’t as good as Pirelli Scorpion Trail on fast corners. Also, they don’t offer the same grip as a Continental TKC 80. Besides the lifetime, they are not top-performer tires on any surface. I would not recommend them if you want to ride a high-performance motorcycle such as the GS at its full potential. 

But if you want to set off for a true adventure, there are your tires. They offer maybe the best compromise between the street use and the off-road experience while having an impressing lifetime.

georgia

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