Jump to content

Heidenau K60 Ranger


Recommended Posts

  • Administrators

Wow so it looks like Heidenau finally has a new tire, the K60 Ranger, for big xladv motos!

217680410_2941180636123899_4913969504325646961_n.jpeg

I will try to find out more information but at this point it looks more 60/40 (dirt/street) than their K60 Scout (50/50).

My first question is if it's as hard as the K60 Scout?

What have you heard so far?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

Some more pics from Enduro Action Team's IG feed today...

My initial thoughts are that is looks much like the Anakee Wild.  Or the Karoo 3.  Or the Bridgestone BattleCross AX whatever...  etc...  

I will wait for more information but this tire is about 8 years late to a now crowded marketplace.

I wrote this piece about how we finally have some new and interesting choices in big bike adv tires, much like the explosion of the craft beer category.  Now I think we're also paralleling that industry with its sours, double black IPAs, etc...  In other words it's quite a saturated market now and not sure how much room is left.  I recall it being such a small offering that TKC-80 was about all you could find.  The K60 Scout was "new" and I used to have to buy my Mitas tires from Canada.

But Heidenau is a good company; a German company.  I'm sure you'll see BMW's come out of the factory soon with these tires.  And truth be told, most adv tires are rather good for specific purposes.  "Good enough" isn't good enough anymore.  You have to be great.  You have to be different.

I am anxious to learn more about the compound, construction, fitting, pricing, etc...  I doubt it will be as hard as the Scout but let's see.

IMG_1614.JPG

IMG_1613.JPG

IMG_1612.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

A bit more info on the K60 Ranger here from Kyle Bradshaw whose done many great tire review vids.

 

Not in the video but in his Instagram post it says these tires will last about 10% as long as the K60 Scout which tells me all I need to know… this tire’s made of plastic .

 

He says he doesn’t know if it’s the same compound as the K60 or a cold weather compound that’s softer but wears quicker.

 

One thing I like and is also kind of funny is he showcases some Motoz tires for comparison and calls out many of those tires’ best qualities too. IMHO, Motoz has great treads, traction and long life not because they’re hard plastic but because they use natural rubber that lasts a long time and stays sticky even when worn.

 

Another interesting thing about the video content and Heidenau’s launch is they chose an off road school (Enduro Action Team) to launch the tire. They did this in the US too with Rawhyde but in my opinion I think the quality of the tire ultimately showed it’s true colors over time and it was a mistake to do it that way.

 

I recall my friends at Rawhyde all singing from the same songbook about how great the tires were, the longevity and off road traction… etc…. Of course they also sold the tires

 

Then over time we started to hear the real story. The tires lost air and constantly had to be reinflated because the hard rubber couldn’t make a good seal with tubeless rims. Lots of slipping, sliding and stuck bikes off road as well as hair-raising slips in wet corners. Rawhyde seemed to stop singing the tires’ praises at the same moment they ran out of inventory. Did they order another container because they loved the tires so much? Nope.

 

To be fair, the K60 Ranger is exactly the kind of tire a Rawhyde would like better. But I’m still concerned about pressure leaks and wet pavement traction. That customer is someone who cares more about longevity than traction and for me, traction equals safety.

 

Kyle says the tire will be in the US Jan 1. I will be eager to see what it’s like.

 

 

[url=https://www.youtube.com/embed/BiWNk6Pn86A?feature=oembed][/url]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
  • Administrators

Kyle has a great new comparison video out on the K60 Ranger as well as the Motoz RallZ and Bridgestone AX41.

I’m actually liking this tire now that I know it is in fact softer (a bit) than the K60 Scout (70 vs 73 on Kyle’s durometer).

They look pretty hard core




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Reply with:

XL Adventure Motorcycle Community

Register a new account Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...