Table of contents

• Road tires for large travel enduros (2019) Country road, everyday, wet and wear test
• Bridgestone Battlax A41
• Continental Trail Attack 3
• Dunlop Trailsmart Max
• Metzeler Tourance Next “B.”
• Michelin Anakee Adventure
• Pirelli Scorpion Trail II
• Country road and everyday test
• opinion poll
• Road tires for travel enduros in the wet test
• Road tires for travel enduros in the wear test
• BMW R 1250 GS in the tire test
• Unique motorcycle tire test
• Conclusion

Markus Jahn

17th pictures

Markus Jahn

1/17
Which tire pairing has the edge after the tour over streets of all stripes??

Markus Jahn

2/17
If you value ultra stability, you cannot ignore the new Bridgestone Battlax A41.

Markus Jahn

3/17
Handiness on country roads has a name, and that is Continental Trail Attack 3.

Markus Jahn

4/17
The Dunlop Trailsmart Max pleases with its handiness and agility on the country road and retains the good properties of its predecessor in the rain.

Markus Jahn

5/17
At the back, the Metzeler Tourance Next loses most of the profile in comparison – others are also better when it comes to abrasion.

Markus Jahn

6/17
The Michelin Anakee Adventure is a first-class weapon for frequent drivers and curve-swinging everyday tourists. There is no better when it is wet.

Markus Jahn

7/17
Sporty, safe, resilient, the Pirelli Scorpion Trail II can assert itself in the top group in all three evaluation chapters.

Markus Jahn

8/17
The fair weather rating is ticked, now it’s time to get down to business.

Markus Jahn

9/17
Conti and Dunlop get 29 points out of a possible 30 for handiness and are thus at the optimum.

Markus Jahn

10/17
The competition from Pirelli eats a little less rubber.

Markus Jahn

11/17
In the wet test there are basically no bad tires around the test field.

Markus Jahn

12/17
The current tire range achieves top values ​​in the rain.

Markus Jahn

13/17
Mileage guzzlers buy Conti, Michelin or Pirelli.

Markus Jahn

14/17
The Conti loses 18.5 percent at the front after 3,500 kilometers, while the rear is 38.5 percent short. These are the best values ​​in this comparison.

Markus Jahn

15/17
We dart south with the six GS over land and on expressways.

Markus Jahn

16/17
In the country roads and everyday life ratings, the Continental Trail Attack 3 takes first place.

Markus Jahn

17/17
In the enduro tire category, first place and the two bottom lights separate six points out of a possible 150.

accesories

tire

Road tires 2019 for large travel enduros in the test

Road tires for large travel enduros (2019)
Country road, everyday, wet and wear test

Six pairs of road tires for large touring enduros in the dimensions 120/70 R19, 170/60 R17 make the country road, everyday, wet and wear test. To do this, we strap them onto six BMW R 1250 GS and wind down a total of 3,500 test kilometers.

Karsten Schwers,

Jorg Lohse

June 21, 2019

&# 127942; Our tire recommendation for travel enduro bikes at a glance:

• the Continental Trail Attack 3* was convincing in the comparison test and scores points in terms of low wear and tear and in everyday life compared to the competition and therefore ours Test winner.
• Our Buying tip has the disadvantage of the competition in sporty country road driving, but he drives Michelin Anakee Adventure in the wet all of it us here is the wet test winner.

Bridgestone Battlax A41

Markus Jahn

Those who value ultra-stability cannot ignore the new A41.

Weight: front 5.3 kg, rear 8.0 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (134 points, 4th place): Those who value ultra-stability cannot ignore the new A41. Like its predecessor, the A40, the Japanese car scores with excellent straight-line stability – even fully bundled up with passengers and luggage. Of course, the handiness suffers, but the A41 can be steered neutrally through curves and is also pleasing with high steering precision. Good for mileage eaters: The properties are retained even with increasing mileage.

Wet test (83 points, 6th place): Broad, easily assessable limit area, good grip in wet corners. Basically, the A41 also works great on rainy days. Then why place 6? The competition’s potential for sticking is just a little bit better.

Wear (85 points, 4th place): Even loss of profile at the front and rear. Overall, a good average.

offers

Battlax A41 front 110/80 R18 58H

Delivery time: 3 to 5 working days

€ 70.82
including shipping

To the shop

Bridgestone BT A41 Front 110/80 R18 58H

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 81.48
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: Clearly the tire for long-distance enduro riders who like to let it run and want a reliable, bolt-stable rubber. More would be possible in terms of handling and wetness, but the A41 does not have any real shortcomings.

MOTORCYCLE Rating: Good

Continental Trail Attack 3

Markus Jahn

Handiness on country roads has a name, and that is Conti.

Weight: front 5.2 kg, rear 8.4 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (138 points, 1st place): Handiness on country roads has a name, and that is Conti! Like its predecessor, Trail Attack 2, number 3 impresses with its dynamism, which can already be felt on the first few meters. In terms of cold running performance, the rubbers don’t burn anything. The feedback is excellent and the precision is particularly impressive in tight bends and bends. After 3,500 kilometers, only minimal losses have to be accepted.

Wet test (92 points, 3rd place): When it rains, you can feel huge progress compared to its predecessor (last in this test section at the time). The Trail Attack 3 inspires even in wet conditions with great feedback, plenty of grip and is easy to assess at the limit.

Wear (90 points, 1st place): With more tread depth at the front and overall low abrasion, our mileage king.

offers

Conti-Trailattack 3 Rear 120/90 R17 64S

Delivery time: 3 to 5 working days

€ 88.83
including shipping

To the shop

Continental ContiTrailAttack 3 M / C 120/90 -17 64S

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 95.50
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: Cornering junkies clearly rely on the Trail Attack 3, which can not only set itself apart from its predecessor with a noticeable development boost, but also outperforms the competition in everyday life and in terms of wear and tear.

MOTORCYCLE Rating: very good

Dunlop Trailsmart Max

Markus Jahn

The Trailsmart Max pleases with HandliThe Trailsmart Max pleases with its handiness and agility on country roads and retains the good properties of its predecessor in the rain.

Weight: front 5.4 kg, rear 7.8 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (137 points, 2nd place): With a newly designed front tire, the “Max” fix the lack of handiness criticized in the predecessor Trailsmart. Dunlop’s enduro tires are also appealing due to their cold running properties and scores points in corners with their smooth handling without appearing wobbly or even nervous. There is no need to worry about the flu pad: the reserves are a bank. After 3,500 kilometers, the great steering precision decreases a little.

Wet test (92 points, 3rd place): With its easily assessable feedback, the Trailsmart Max can be steered safely and confidently through rainy bend regions. It is also convincing on the brakes – second-best value in comparison, that creates trust.

Wear (84 points, 5th place): Compared to its predecessor, more mileage, but the competition eats a little less rubber.

offers

Trail Smart Max Front 110/80 R19 59V

Delivery time: Delivery between 8 and 10 working days

€ 97.43
including shipping

To the shop

Dunlop Trailsmart Max Front 110/80 R19 59V

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 97.76
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: Not a new one, but a consistent further development from Dunlop. The Trailsmart Max pleases with its handiness and agility on the country road and retains the good properties of its predecessor in the rain.

MOTORCYCLE Rating: very good

Metzeler Tourance Next “B.”

Markus Jahn

At the back, the Metzeler loses most of the profile in comparison – others are also better when it comes to abrasion.

Weight: front 5.2 kg, rear 7.4 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (132 points, 5th place): On the BMW R 1250 GS in the specification “B.” When pulled up, the greyed-out Tourance Next does not do a bad job, it can put itself in the limelight with good cold running properties, ample adhesive reserves when accelerating and sufficient cornering grip. Compared to the sometimes much younger competition (including Conti, Dunlop) it can be felt that they can do a little better in terms of handiness and steering precision. The distance to the front is small.

Wet test (88 points, 5th place): Here, too, the ranking does not mean that the Tourance Next is a bad rain tire: Feedback and adhesive reserves are good, the limit can be accurately assessed. However, the competitors go a step further when it is wet.

Wear and tear (80 points, 6th place): the loser at the back Metzeler most profile in comparison – others are also better when it comes to abrasion.

offers

Metzeler Tourance Next Front (B) M / C 110/80 R19 59V

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 92.18
including shipping

To the shop

Tourance Next Front B 120/70 R19 60V

Delivery time: Delivery in 48 hours

€ 94.46
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: The Tourance Next was the tire for the GS class. But now the oldie has to admit defeat to the younger competition. It is more dynamic, adheres better or wears less. But he remains a good all-rounder.

MOTORCYCLE Rating: Good

Michelin Anakee Adventure

Markus Jahn

The Anakee Adventure is a first-class weapon for frequent drivers and curve-swinging everyday tourists. There is no better when it is wet.

Weight: front 4.9 kg, rear 7.4 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (132 points, 5th place): With its noticeably coarse profile blocks, the Adventure differs not only from its predecessor Anakee III, but also from the rest of the test field. Big advantage: The warm-up time is extremely short. Disadvantage: stability and steering precision do not quite come close to the competitors in the test field on sporty country roads. However, anyone who appreciates the moderate curve swing will be delighted with his superb feedback.

Wet test (98 points, 1st place): One hundred minus two! You don’t really have to say more, do you? The score says it all. Michelin’s new anakee is power in the rain. Exorbitantly high grip level, great feedback, great at the limit.

Wear and tear (86 points, 2nd place): Degrades equally at the front and rear, and very little in comparison. Runner-up in abrasion!

offers

Michelin Anakee Adventure Front M + S M / C 90/90 -21 54V

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 95.44
including shipping

To the shop

Anakee Adventure Front 90/90 R21 54V

Delivery time: 3 to 5 working days

€ 100.61
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: Not the tire for enduro travelers interested in supersport. But a first-class weapon for frequent drivers and curve-swinging everyday tourists. There is no better when it is wet. Who wants to wait for the sun to come??

MOTORCYCLE Rating: Good

Pirelli Scorpion Trail II

Markus Jahn

Sporty, safe, resilient, the Pirelli can assert itself in the top group in all three evaluation chapters.

Weight: front 5.3 kg, rear 7.6 kg

Speed ​​index: V (up to 240 km / h)

Country road / everyday life (137 points, 2nd place): Here comes the ultimate tire option for the travel enduro clientele interested in super sports. More sneaker than Pirelli it does not work. The Scorpion Trail II convinces with a lot of handiness and high steering precision, the feedback is enormous, fast curve followers will have a lot of fun. In a direct comparison to the Conti, the Pirelli only has to take a bit in cold running performance. The first-class properties hardly suffer with increasing mileage.

Wet test (94 points, 2nd place): Three years ago, the Pirelli won this test chapter. Nothing has changed in his superb performance in the rain. The grip reserves are phenomenally good, just that Michelin builds up better feedback even faster.

Wear (86 points, 2nd place): Little wear, evenly distributed at the front and rear. Also a tip from an economic point of view.

offers

Pirelli Scorpion Trail 2 Front M / C 100/90 -19 57V

Delivery time: 1 – 3 working days

€ 92.25
including shipping

To the shop

Scorpion Trail II Front 120/70 R19 60V

Delivery time: 24 to 48 hours

€ 94.66
including shipping

To the shop

Conclusion: Sporty, safe, resilient – the Pirelli is already a few years old, but can assert itself in the top group in all three rating chapters: that is a great performance by the Italian “made in Germany”.

MOTORCYCLE Rating: very good

Country road and everyday test

Markus Jahn

Spring thaws the way for us. We dart south with the six GS over land and on expressways.

Let’s go back to the Tire test, part one back, in which we tested six on / off-road tires for large travel enduros. With the 50/50 tires, which want to manage the balancing act between road and terrain, the asphalt kick was a real egg dance for some rubber or the driver on the appropriately tyred GS. Rolling studs that became wobbly when running straight ahead at high speed or literally buckled away in fast alternating curves. The gap in the award of points widened accordingly: first and last in the road classification separated a total of 28 points. There are of course galaxies in between.

When it comes to road tires for large touring enduros, first place and the two bottom lights separate six points – out of a possible 150! That may seem surprising at first, but is put into perspective when you compare the results from this year with the previous tests. In 2016, the gap between “best” and “worst” Country road tires in the enduro segment eleven points. After all – almost double the number of points compared to today!

opinion poll

Which tire discipline is crucial for you?

Voted 1,450 times

Performance on the country road and in everyday life.

Wet grip.

Wear is very important to me.

The overall package just has to fit.

The fact that this has now more or less halved in the past three years, which means that the test field has moved very closely together, clearly shows the direction in which the tire developers will further profile enduro tires in the future. Or should one rather write: must? A look at the king-size class of travel enduros suggests that: a 136 hp BMW R 1250 GS! Even more smoke from competitors like the Ducati Multistrada 1260! Is there an end to the flagpole, or won’t we soon be thinking about a V4 Multi and 1400 GS? The tire industry already has the clear mandate that the appropriate profiles for original equipment or the replacement business, including the necessary approval or clearance certificate, must be road rubbers that are stable to bolts.

The dividing line between touring sports or even real sports tires is getting thinner and thinner with every development step. This is also clearly documented by the evaluation of the two newcomers from Dunlop and Michelin. Let’s take a closer look at the results. Their predecessors were the bottom two in the country roads / everyday chapter in the 2016 test. Dunlop’s Trailsmart Max is now catching up a strong nine points and is moving up to second place: This is mainly due to the strong expansion of maneuverability and steering precision, it can’t really get much better, we’re talking about barely measurable nuances . Michelin’s Anakee Adventure, like its predecessor Anakee III, still remains behind in the table sorting, but the gap to the top group has now melted drastically, he scored the next goal. The same applies to Bridgestone’s new A 41, which can be placed closer to the group.

Road tires for travel enduros in the wet test

Markus Jahn

The fair weather rating is ticked off, now it’s time to get down to business.

Motorcyclists don’t like rain? This statement, which may have a certain truthfulness, seems to be consistently ignored by the tire industry. Because here, too, as in the previous chapter, a red thread runs through our test history: It gets better from year to year. And our prognosis at the end of each test – “now you can’t really put anything on it” – is refuted from year to year. Yes, you can! Man, these are the rubber gurus who stir together a now crazy cocktail of different elastomers and silicas in order to then finely bake it on the base carcass. Of course, it’s not that easy, especially since it’s not primarily about building an exorbitantly good rain tire. A short digression on MotoGP: When dark clouds come up, the tires are quickly put on, with which the grip level is almost galactic even on a completely flooded track. The downside, however, is almost apocalyptic when the rain tires fly through the area in tatters on the increasingly dry lanes.

Let us explain in a few words the principle of a tire tailored to wet conditions: Rain acts like a kind of water cooling, the tires remain far from their optimal temperature range between 40 and 60 degrees Celsius in bad weather, which we like to use the term “drove warm” describe. Take a look at our measurement reports. If the tires are moved to the grip limit on the permanently watered test track for a hard and puncture-proof comparison and are braked from 100 km / h with full grip on the iron, the rubber temperature is a maximum of 35 degrees, i.e. almost half of what would be with a comparable load on dry asphalt in midsummer would be on the thermometer. Nevertheless, the rubber solution must also be suitable for this latter case. Not in MotoGP, but in our MotoGS Challenge. Above all, through the component silica, a type of silicic acid compound, the rubber compound, which is crucial for good adhesion, should be given a corresponding suppleness even at low temperatures, with which the tire can interlock with the ground. In short: grip builds up. If we now put the results from chapters one and two together, we can say with approval: Mission accomplished!

Road tires for travel enduros in the wear test

Markus Jahn

In the third chapter, kilometers fly and millimeters disappear.

What role do economic aspects play when buying new tires? We suspect: not a very small one, if you look at the feedback from the readership that ours “small” Tire tests always criticize the lack of wear measurement. Due to the complexity, it is actually not possible for us to take this evaluation chapter into account in every comparison. In contrast to car tires, the wear measurement of motorcycle tires cannot be automated in a practical way. Real clues need to be found in real life. In this case, this means: a motorcycle of the same type for each pair of tires and, if possible, the same type of driver. The latter is of course a request concert, motorcycling is and will remain an individual matter. The corset is correspondingly tight for the tire testers. The riders are driven in a strict group order, the regular swapping of the motorcycles rounds off the choreography and is intended to compensate for the differences in driving. Otherwise there would be no exactly comparable measured values ​​in the test reports at the end of our 3,500-kilometer test lap. Let’s come to the big difference in practice. In real life that falls “individual” The wear diagram for each tire is of course completely different: which type of driver, which driving style, which routes and so on, the combinations are as colorful as the motorcycle scene itself.

Above all, the ratio of front to rear wheel wear would turn completely around if you consider the forces with which a motorcycle of our type punctures the tires when braking into and accelerating out of corners. If we were to use this violent driving style, we would quickly have the infamous accordion effect. It would be over with the fixed group hierarchy and accordingly vinegar with the required comparability. This should also be kept in mind when interpreting the mileage diagram. Regardless of this, however, it creates the opportunity to ultimately compare all six tire pairs with one another and find a clear winner in the chapter “wear and tear” to be chosen.

Under the aspect “economics” You would of course have to correctly factor in the sales prices and would have a different ranking. However, because there are no recommended retail prices for tires from the manufacturer, you cannot give a serious price-performance rating. Now one can conclude: you save yourself all the effort and delete the mileage from the rating! Please send your protest note to: reifentest@motorradonline.de

No terrain assessment

A tire for travel enduro bikes must also be able to do off-road. Just like the GS can of course also do terrain. Despite 261 kilograms. Despite 136 HP … Let’s shorten it at this point. No, you will look in vain for a terrain assessment in part two of this year’s tire test series. That doesn’t mean that you can’t drive off-road with the tires. But you won’t notice any difference whether you are rotating a Bridgestone, Conti, Dunlop, Metzeler or Pirelli on your GS, Super Tenere, Tiger or Multistrada. At most with the Michelin you could feel a small advantage. But that will not be decisive for the war. This also coincides with the descriptions of the manufacturers, who give a fig leaf-like value of ten and a few crushed percent for this type of tire, with which the off-road suitability is to be described. So we agree that a rating doesn’t make sense?

So let’s delete them from the program and put the points in the test diary that are really relevant for this type of tire: road, road and again road.

BMW R 1250 GS in the tire test

Large travel enduros now roll on wide soles: road tires of 120/70 R 19 (front) and 170/60 R 17 (rear) are usually fitted ex works. However, the older 110/80 R 19 and 150/70 R 17 formats are still common. Since the new developments of the tire manufacturers are increasingly being adapted to the wider format and we also need many vehicles for our tests (six bikes for this test alone!), We decided to use the latest BMW R 1250 GS this year.

Unique motorcycle tire test

A motorcycle tire comparison test on this scale, with country roads and everyday use, a wet test that explores the last grip reserves and a wear test, has never been done anywhere else in the world. Because it is extremely complex. But if you want to make a flawless comparison, you have no other option than to send six dabbathless bikes on a tour together and let them rub across the asphalt in unison.

* These links lead to providers from whom MOTORRAD receives a commission.

Conclusion

Is there a bad road tire for large travel enduro bikes in the 2019 test field? No. And that is why it is consistent that we also like already in the first part of our tire test convert the points into a fixed clef and be able to comment on an appealing balance sheet. 20 points difference within the test field, that is an almost sensational result with 350 possible counters. Conti’s freshly baked Enduro mixture Trail Attack 3 marched brilliantly to the top with excellent placements in all three test chapters. The newcomer from Dunlop can also place itself at the front as a great all-rounder. Michelin’s youngest rubber shoot Anakee Adventure comes up with an incredible rain performance, and Pirelli’s Scorpion Trail II remains a very good endurance runner in the Italians’ program. Bridgestone and Metzeler present themselves as good rubbers for every day.

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