The decorative red scorpion on the sidewall.
modern on/off-road adventure bike, including oilhead, camhead, hexhead and liquid-cooled GS and GS Adventure motor- cycles of every size and configuration from the F 650 through the R 1200, and the HP 2 Enduro/Megamoto and brand-new S 1000 XR as well. I tested the ones appropriate for my 2005 R 1200 GS, the 110/80 R 19 front and 150/70 R 17 rear. (Remember that the R in a tire size indicates radial construction.) Pirelli constructs the Trail II with multi-
ple compounds, something that benefits the rear tires especially. My Trail II’s broke in quickly, giving me confidence in even tight S-turns after about 200 miles. I’ve got a little over 3,000 miles on them now, and while I can see some signs of wear on the rear tire, those signs are minor to the point that I expect to get at least 8,000 miles out of the rear tire, if not more. Other than the quarter-inch “chicken strips” on the front tire, there’s negligible wear on the front so far, and I expect it to outlast the rear tire by at least 2,000 miles, maybe more. Besides the wear, the thing I’m most
impressed with about the Trail II tires is their handling on wet roads. I live near Washington, D.C., and our weather from late spring through early fall can be volatile. We get temperatures over 90 degrees and humidity above 80 percent, which means long periods of hot, sticky riding punctu- ated by hours of late afternoon thunder- storms, but don’t worry, the storms usually hold off until it’s time to ride home from work. Whether I’ve ridden on the interstate or
on secondary roads in the pouring rain, the Trail II’s haven’t let me down. While I always try to take it a little easy when cor- nering in the rain or on wet roads, the Trail II tires have proven to be steadfast and reli- able in less than ideal road conditions. It pays to be smart about when you ride in the rain (give a storm at least 20-30 minutes to wash the goo off the road), and if you ask
me, part of being smart about riding in a summer storm is doing so with Scorpion Trail II tires on your bike. Compared to my other preferred 95/5
tire, the Continental Road Attack 2 EVO, the Scorpion Trail II is slightly better. I run my tires at 38 psi front/42 psi rear, and at those pressures, the Trail II turns in a little better and feels a tiny bit more stable in a straight line at high (legal) speeds. These tire models are both prize fighters though, so any comparison is splitting hairs. The differences are minute, and though I prefer the Trail II for straight road use by a slight margin, I still think the Road Attack 2 EVO is an excellent tire. The Trail II tires have a visually appeal-
ing aggressive-looking tread pattern, and I wasn’t disappointed when I decided to test out the 5% off-road aspect of the tires. Thanks to a bit of advice from Shawn Thomas of RawHyde, I dropped the air pressure in each tire to 25 psi and turn off the beaten path. Graded gravel and hard- packed dirt roads were no problem at all, and even zipping along a well-used trail through light woods at 25-30 mph didn’t bring about more than a minor rear-end wiggle here and there when I got on the gas in a curve. In these light off-road condi- tions, I definitely preferred the Trail II to the Road Attack 2 EVO. The only critique I have of the Trail II
tires is that they were a bit noisy for the first 100 miles or so. As they wore in, the noise decreased quickly to what I consider nor- mal tire-on-road sounds. Because they’re both such excellent tires,
it pays to look at the details. If I can get Trail II’s for a price that’s within $15-20 of the Road Attack 2 EVOs, I’m going to choose the Pirellis every time. With MSRPs from $165.95 to $308.95, I found prices at dealers and online between $150-160 for the front and $175-190 for the rear. I encourage riders to buy their tires from local dealers rather than online whenever possible – the $10 difference between brick and mortar and virtual may not seem like a lot, but it’s critical that we support our shops on the ground and keep them in business.
October 2015 BMW OWNERS NEWS 31
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Contact your local dealer or call (937) 291-1735
®
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