GSAdv Tyres and Comms - Who can help?

"I would appreciate your help.
I own a GSA 1200 2008. Looking for the best dual purpose tires – currently have Anakee’s – what would you suggest?
Good traction in the wet is a priority.

I am also looking to upgrade my passenger to pillion communication system – currently have Bluetooth moto system – talk time is not adequate.
Had a look at the BMW Bluetooth system but expensive. The wired systems look more cumbersome than the wireless one’s – any suggestions?

Regards,
Ernst

Ernst

I can only comment on the comms part of your query;

You do say that talk time is not adequate. I take it you refer to battery life. Yes, that is true. We use the system bike to bike and realised that there are long durations of no talking when each is busy with their own thoughts - nice when on a bike.

We made a habit of switching over to our respective musics and only change over when we want to talk. This way the battery lasts more than a day. Music uses very little battery energy compared to talking.

If one compares prices then I would still go for the bluetooth systems, the new models being F3 & F4. Personally I want nothing else, no wires, no fuss - even the iPod is wireless and stereo.

Ernst, if good grip on wet tar is important, then stick to the Anakees.

Mud/wet off-road is a different story. TKC80's are the best off-road, but they're expensive and doesn't last that long on tar (on the powerful Adv)

Lots of us love the Heidenau's, but you will not likely find any now and their worst part is wet tarmac. On dry tar and off-road they are super.

I've just come back from a 5600km trip using Metzelers and they were excellent. On and off road.
WE used the Interphone F4. Me and wife chatted regularly for periods up to and hour a time and the batteries still lasted a good 4-6 hours.

Forgot to mention the tyres were good in rain and shine on tar or off road.

I agree with HPGS, had 2 sets of Metzeler Tourance and did ± 16000 kms on each set - including our Extreme rides! Also did 2 Zwartkops track days, and two BMW Training days on them.

I have my first set of Anakees on now, so cannot comment on them yet.

We have a cheaper Cardo Comms system that allowed us to talk to each other from Durban to East London, ± 7 hours, without a hassle.
It is a bit noisy over 120km/h, but not unbearable.

I am using the Anakee 2 which supercedes the original Anakee. I am still a long way off replacing them but on the original Anakee I got 14,000 km on the rear and about 20,000 km on the front. I found the Metzeler Tourance to be a longer, harder wearing tyre but not as good as the Anakee in wet or windy conditions.

I disagree with the comments on the bluetooth systems. My experience was that they are beyond useless the moment you ride faster than 80 kmh. I went as far as building my own amplification system to beat the wind noise but after 6 or 7 hours you start getting warnings that the battery is low and it then switches off. Also, if you want to switch between intercom and other functions it requires pushing of buttons in sequence - all round not a good idea.

A purpose built system that is hardwired into the bike wins hands down every time. Once installed The system requires that you plug it into your helmet and that's it. No batteries to recharge, automatic volume adjustment the faster you ride, built in VOX settings with duplex connection so both rider and passenger can talk at the same time etc etc. Depending on the system you have intercomm to pillion, GPS Nav, Cellphone, I-Pod , Radar Detector , Rider to rider two way radio, all controlled by one Unit.

Most importantly, this equipment is designed for motorcycle use so it is robust and weatherproof.




cELLPHONE, fet r

Baer comms system is good - speak to Pauli at GPS4Africa

I quite like the new F4 system, talk to Johan Maree, he is an agent (johan@maree.co.za)

dakardrix wrote:Ernst, if good grip on wet tar is important, then stick to the Anakees.

Mud/wet off-road is a different story. TKC80's are the best off-road, but they're expensive and doesn't last that long on tar (on the powerful Adv)

Lots of us love the Heidenau's, but you will not likely find any now and their worst part is wet tarmac. On dry tar and off-road they are super.

I would agree with Drix, the Heidenau is a good tyre but does not like hard cornring at speed on the tar and definatly not for wet roads.

we used the F4 system and were very happy.

I fitted the Metzelers (after the factory fitted Dunlop/Bridgestone/cannot remember went smooth) and it is awesome for tar riding. I've also done gravel, mud (think Rhino Park), thick sand (think the Beach) and some rocky parts and they managed to get me through it, although the mud involved a lot of paddling

Then I fitted TKC80's and they are by far the best for off road riding. They also offer surprisingly good grip on the tar, but yes, they don't last long. I did however hear a little bird sing that they are now competitively priced with the Heidenaus

Then I fitted a Heidie at the back (still have little TCK knobblies up front, but not for long...) and I am just as pleased with the Heidie. And yes, I've also experienced the rear getting a bit slippery when it's raining. The one thing with the Heidies (and this is just the info I've gathered so far) is that you have to keep the tire pressure higher than you would with a TKC. The side walls are apparently quite stiff and if you run the tire too flat, it heats up too much and can cause delamination. Well, at least on the first batch of 140's. I haven't heard of recent delaminations on 140's, but on the newer 150's. Also in the process of being addressed with the factory.

My opinion - I do a fair amount of off-road riding in addition to daily commuting, so I'll see how the Heidie performs. But I've already made up my mind to re-fit a TKC in front when it dies. And when the Heidie dies, I'll seriously think about slapping another TCK on there too!