Author Topic: Death Wings  (Read 12238 times)

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jackyork

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Death Wings
« on: February 22, 2014, 02:47:11 »
Okay! Between here and facebook and VUK forum, I get the idea that this isn't a jokey nickname.

My 2012 5,000 mile (8,000 km) Honda XL1000 V ABS was fitted with tyres that might kill me!
Therefore, I must either ride as if on ice, or spend several hundred pounds on new rubber, from a different manufacturer.
I am not amused.

JK
« Last Edit: February 22, 2014, 03:28:37 by jackyork »
jackyork.   Current: XL1000V ABS '11 black, Kawasaki ZX10B 1988, BSA Bantam 1958
Prev. Varadero '08.silver, Honda ST1100 Pan,'99 Triumph T120R Bonneville '67
Honda 750F 70s, BSA A10 RR '62,Norton Dominator 99 1962......many 'hacks' and a Lambretta.

JosepM

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #1 on: February 22, 2014, 07:51:35 »
Hi Jack,

what wings have you fitted?
The TrailWings had a very bad fame.
The BattleWings had a good one. But I have these now, and find the rear one to be bad on wet.

I believe I won't buy any kind of wings anymore.

Greetings,

Josep

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #2 on: February 22, 2014, 13:53:53 »
Looking at the climate in the UK I would say or Continental Trail Attack II (I really enjoyed the grip of them conquering the Lake District pikes with full luggage and heavy rain - make sure that they won't sell you an old TA for the Trail Attack II, the last one is fitted with 'traction skin' which is really amazing on wet surfaces) or the brand new Michelin Anakee III.
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Bønne

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #3 on: February 22, 2014, 14:44:42 »
My 2012 5,000 mile (8,000 km) Honda XL1000 V ABS was fitted with tyres that might kill me!
Therefore, I must either ride as if on ice
I guess it´s the TW101 and TW152 you´ve got, then you´ve got only 6,000 km left on them  ::). My 2008 Varadero had them too, from new, and I
 agree, it´s a terribly tyre for the Varadero! I didn´t understand it either, why put such bad tyres on a brand new bike? It makes no sence! They are
 on the TransAlp too, but here it´s okay, this bike can´t pull the skin of a pudding  ;D (there is quite a difference between 60 bph and 94 bph, not to
 mention the torgue!).

Since then (14,000 km) I´ve been riding on Anakee 2, I´m on my 4 th. set now, the last set held for 25,000 km, and I am very happy with them (else
 I wouldn´t be on the 4 th. set now  ;D ). They have never let me down, even in the worst rainstorm they just stick to the road! They are not the best
 on loose gravel (but the bike isn´t either, because of it´s steering geometry), though much more stable than the TW´s, but on a good solid gravel
 road they are okay (on the other hand, which tyres and bikes isn´t that  ;D ).

Looking at the climate in the UK...
I´ve been riding on the Anakee 2 from Nordkapp to Tarragona without any problems... ;D

I don´t know about the Anakee 3, as pokemi says, the users of these must get on track  :)
Plan your ride, ride your plan.

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zebulon

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #4 on: February 22, 2014, 16:38:53 »
We have  dozens of threads on the French forum about tyres. There are dozens of point of vue due to age of the captain  ;D roads used , region, how to drive... Etc... I personally have tried a lot of them on my 3 deros. I've never used road tyres, but always trails ones. My choice is on BW501/502. I' ve never had problem with them; riding all year long, under all conditions from -15°C to 40°c , rain & storm, sun etc... The only limit I've found is the guy on the bike  ;)
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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2014, 19:55:19 »
Wise man writing, Gilles!

But MINUS 15!?!? What did you do... visit the Nordpole? Respect!
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zebulon

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #6 on: February 22, 2014, 20:10:24 »
Wise man writing, Gilles!

But MINUS 15!?!? What did you do... visit the Nordpole? Respect!

Just going to work  :-[ , sorry  ;)
Alone we go faster, together we go further

I do not ride fast, I ride far / I'm not lost, I'm just exploring

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jackyork

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2014, 21:11:50 »
Thanks for all the info on GOOD tyres but my point really is, if Bridgestone made 'duff' tyres, where is the 'sorry people, have these replacements'?

JosepM & Bonne seem to voice the general experience, added to previous comments from Bernard, amongst others.
I'll see what a supplier has to say and report back.
I would have been out testing them today but am 'stricken' with some horrid bug. Tiny daffodils in flower in the garden, soon be spring.

JK
jackyork.   Current: XL1000V ABS '11 black, Kawasaki ZX10B 1988, BSA Bantam 1958
Prev. Varadero '08.silver, Honda ST1100 Pan,'99 Triumph T120R Bonneville '67
Honda 750F 70s, BSA A10 RR '62,Norton Dominator 99 1962......many 'hacks' and a Lambretta.

zebulon

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2014, 21:54:45 »
Trail Wings are no more on the market since years, they 're just manufactured for 1st mount on some bikes. Surely a "cost" problem   ::)
You cannot compare them with BW.
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I do not ride fast, I ride far / I'm not lost, I'm just exploring

2016 AT Digital Silver - 2011 Shasta white - 2007 Bloom Red - 2001 Candy Phoenix blue

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2014, 23:46:47 »
JK: as mentioned by Zebulon, I guess you are stuck with some old 1st mount Trailwings.
Check the DOT number on your tires. There's where you can check the age.

For example:
DOT EB V3 BRD 1209

1209 says the tire is manufactured in week 12 of the year 2009. Country of production: BRD (Germany, 'Bundes Republik Deutschland)
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Bønne

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #10 on: February 23, 2014, 01:45:43 »
Are you serious mate 25K out of a set of bike tires??? I'm impressed!!
Well, to be honest it was only 24,965 km  ;D.

According to my maintenance record the first set of tyres, the  >:( TW´s, lasted from 0 km to 14,028 km. Changed at the end of the
year (2009, my Varadero is a 2008 model, I bought it in the spring of 2009), because of wear and hibernating at my dealer (he had
some discount when changing tyres under hibernating).

First set of Anakee 2; from 14,028 km to 31,539 km (17,511 km), changed (2010), at hibernating as above, not quite worn out, but I
wanted new tyres for the spring (and the discount  ;D ).

Second set of Anakee 2; from 31,539 km to 48,944 km (17,405 km), changed (2011), at the same reasons as the first set of Anakee´s.

Third set of Anakee 2; from 48,944 km to 73,909 km (24,965 km). That year (2012), at 66,324 km, I kept my bike at home hibernating,
as I was a little tired with my dealer. So I didn´t get discount changing tyres in the winter and thought, as I didn´t have any plans for
long trips in the spring, I might as well go on with these tyres and se how many km they would actually last. I bought a new pair of
Anakee 2 from "mytyres" (the danish version), and changed them myself. That was just around September 1 (2013), after 24,965 km  ;D.
These tyres were the ones that was on the trip to VIM 14 in Spain (2012), back through France, several passes in the Alps, Switzerland
and Germany, together with a couple of longer trips to Sweden and some domestic trips in Denmark.

The fourth set did 4,649 km before winter, so I might have tyres for the rest of 2014  ;D.
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jackyork

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #11 on: February 23, 2014, 02:44:12 »
Thanks for the detail Bonne. Your 'not smiley' says you didn't like the TWs; did you know they were bad at the time, or just when you changed tyres?
I see from your 14,000 km that mine are not quite half worn; my friendly dealer says he never had a problem with them!
So I'm back to square one. Do I dump the wings and fit better tyres, or ride steady and use the 'savings' to buy crash bars?

JK
jackyork.   Current: XL1000V ABS '11 black, Kawasaki ZX10B 1988, BSA Bantam 1958
Prev. Varadero '08.silver, Honda ST1100 Pan,'99 Triumph T120R Bonneville '67
Honda 750F 70s, BSA A10 RR '62,Norton Dominator 99 1962......many 'hacks' and a Lambretta.

zebulon

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #12 on: February 23, 2014, 03:01:30 »
I never had crash-bars  ;) the better way is to test by yourself each one and have your own opinion  :D sure it will help you  ;D
Alone we go faster, together we go further

I do not ride fast, I ride far / I'm not lost, I'm just exploring

2016 AT Digital Silver - 2011 Shasta white - 2007 Bloom Red - 2001 Candy Phoenix blue

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2014, 09:58:51 »
With those tires, JK, you WILL need crashbars anyway - sooner or later.  ;D
I would mount crashbars anyway. They have saved me up to thousands of Euro's on expensive Honda plastics repairs!
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jackyork

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Re: Death Wings
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2014, 17:41:38 »
Ha Ha. is that tyres, age, or beer that you fall over so much?

JK
jackyork.   Current: XL1000V ABS '11 black, Kawasaki ZX10B 1988, BSA Bantam 1958
Prev. Varadero '08.silver, Honda ST1100 Pan,'99 Triumph T120R Bonneville '67
Honda 750F 70s, BSA A10 RR '62,Norton Dominator 99 1962......many 'hacks' and a Lambretta.

 

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