Tyres for a Condor... perhaps 350 Scrambler too?

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Sigean
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:33 pm

Tyres for a Condor... perhaps 350 Scrambler too?

Postby Sigean » Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:50 pm

Just for information...... Not sure if this will be helpful to many, but I thought I would relay my experiences with tyres on my Condor.

Originally fitted with Metzeler “Enduro” tyres, both 1990s vintage, when I acquired the bike in 2013, I found these to be excellent, giving the bike fine and fully predictable steering, allowing the bike to take bends with almost zero effort on my part despite their worn condition – the rear’s profile had become flat like a sidecar tyre. I ran these until last week, covering around 10k km until the rear was virtually bald (wouldn’t have passed a UK MOT), but even in that condition it was still grippy in the dry. The front had a little more life left, but I decided to change both and chose the Heidenau K37 in the 3.50-18 size, front and rear. On the Condor the wheels are meant to be interchangeable, hence the same sizes.

The Heidenaus changed the bike’s handling enormously. The bike felt unstable and needed to be “held out” of slow turns, and oversteered on long, fast bends. I ran the tyres at 1.5 and 2.4 bar front and rear as per the Condor recommendation, but it was not happy. I rang Heidenau and they recommended different pressure settings, but with no great improvement in handling. I persevered with the bike to take the new edges off the new tyres, and experimented with different pressures. Now after about 400km and running with 1.7 front and 2.5 bar rear the bike feels much better, but there is still a little oversteer on the sweeping bends, and on roundabouts I feel the need to apply handlebar pressure into and during the turn. I have yet to try the tyres in the wet. Braking, however, seems much improved over the Metzelers with the bike stopping quicker and very stably.

I am a fan of Heidenaus having used them on my Moto Guzzi NF, and the dual sport style seems perfect the Condor, allowing road and dirt track use. I attach a photo of the bike in its natural environment which right now is the garrigue of southern France. I will report any further developments in due course, but grateful for other recommendations should others have found other tyres suitable for this bike.
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Sigean
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:33 pm

Re: Tyres for a Condor... perhaps 350 Scrambler too?

Postby Sigean » Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:18 pm

I said I would provide an update.......

I found that the tyres needed the best part of a thousand miles to be fully "run in" on the Condor. Running the tyres at 1.4 and 2.4 bar front and rear respectively these Heidenau K37s are now predictable on all bends, stop the bike really well and are happy in both the wet and dry. In truth my "wet" experience has only been limited to a few hundred kms, but the tyres gripped well on wet mountain bends (northern Portugal/Spain coast roads) and gave no rise for concern - I had moderated my speeds appropriately. In over 3000 miles of use the tyres have skidded once, this from the rear tyre on a white line on a fast curving descent - I was probably controlling my speed with the rear brake at the time. A little dirt track riding showed good performance too, and the tyres show only a very minimal tendency to "white line".

I would recommend these tyres for the Condor and would have no qualms about fitting them to similar-sized machines for road and dirt-track use.

Just to be clear, I have no commercial or financial affiliation with the manufacturer or the supplier of these tyres. I am simply a satisfied user of this product.


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