The Heidenau premium grade dual sport motorcycle tyre is manufactured in Germany by specialists Reifenwerk Heidenau- a company with a proud heritage of producing niche products for various major manufacturers and market segments as well as their own brand.

Reifenwerk Heidenau GmbH & Co. KG has been in existence since 1946 making it one of the oldest tyre manufacturers in Europe and today produces 550 different tyre designs for market segments ranging from racing tyres through to Mojo Rotax high-performance kart tyres.

Motorcycle tyres deserve more respect and attention than they receive from most of us.

We expect tyres to perform under varying loads, terrains and pressures without giving it a second thought, all from a contact patch approximately the size of your palm.

Yet we often give minimal thought in their selection and to this end a good quality motorcycle tyre is probably the most vital piece of equipment on your bike.

Motorcycles subject tyres to an enormous range of forces, stresses and heat. More so with modern dual purpose bikes.

Most motorcycle tyre failures are as a result of low tyre pressures and excessive weight. This is why tyre manufacturers rate tyre pressure as the number-one priority and strongly urge riders to check it regularly. So, if one is going to become fanatical about anything, it should be about religiously checking your tyres and avoid the sins of overloading them.

Overload and under inflation creates flex in the tyre and an excessive heat build-up that can negatively affect handling and could ultimately result in tyre failure for any kind of tyre.

To counteract this, Heidenau specifically design their tyres with an extremely strong side wall.

When choosing a motorcycle tyre you need to ask yourself what kind of riding you will be doing and how much life you expect out of the tyre. Generally the softer the rubber compound (i.e. stickier) the better it will handle and, consequently, one can ride more aggressively.

Conversely longer lasting tyres have harder compounds, are less sticky and therefore sacrifice a degree of handling for longevity.

Stickiness actually has to do with the rubber compound of the tyre, considered by many to be the “black magic” of tyre construction.

Obviously, a softer tread will wear quicker but provide more grip, but it’s the subtle interactions on a molecular level -more art than science- that gives a good combination of both.

We believe Heidenau have produced that magical yet often elusive tyre alchemy combination of excellent grip and longevity.

South Africa is blessed with some of the finest dual purpose riding conditions anywhere on this planet. It is also some of the most demanding.

Heidenau, in keeping with their specialist niche market philosophy, created the new K60 Scout dual sport tyre specifically for Southern African conditions.

The 150/70-17″ Scout is even marked RSA on the side wall making it the first and only dual purpose tyre to be made specifically for our market conditions.

After more than two years of extensive local testing, many changes were made to compounds and tread patterns to make it a true 50/50 dual purpose adventure tyre.

Offering excellent grip both on and off road, exceptional mileage (e.g a fully laden BMW GS 1150 Adventure rode from SA to Sweden on one set while 2 Dakars rode from Germany to Mongolia on one set: www.pikipiki2.co.za) and arguably the strongest side wall of any dual purpose tyre, the K60 Scout series is available in various size permutations for all dual purpose bikes from 450 cc to 1200 cc.

Whether you ride a BMW, Honda, Kawasaki , KTM, Suzuki, Triumph or Yamaha dual sport motorcycle there is a Heidi for you!

Remember that by checking your tyre pressure you will derive maximum mileage and service from your Heidenau’s.

Recommended tyre pressures:
3.0 bar at the rear and 2.5 bar in the front

K60 Scout

A true 50/50 tyre suitable for off and on road use.

110/80-19″ front tyre (left)
150/70-17″ rear tyre (right)

Suitable for (among others):
BMW GS 1100, BMW GS 1150, BMW GS1200 and Adventure, BMW GS 800/650 twins
Honda Varedero XL1000, Suzuki V-Strom 650/1000, Tiger 800 and 800XC
Tiger 955i, Tiger 1050i, Yamaha Super Tenere 1200

170/60-17″ &
120/70-19″

Suitable for the BMW GS 1200 Liquid Cooled

Heidenau K60

90/90-21 front tyre (left)
140/80-17 rear tyre (right)

Suitable for (among others):
BMW GS650 & Dakar, BMW X650, BMW G650G, HONDA XL 650 V, HONDA XL 700 V KAWASAKI KLE 500, KAWASAKI KLR 650, KTM LC4, YAMAHA XT 660, YAMAHA XT 660Z Tenere

10 Tips for Riding in the Rain

1.  Make a conscious effort to adjust your speed and following distance, because your bike needs more distance to         stop  on wet roads.
2. Remember that the build-up of fog on the insides of car windows dramatically reduces the drivers’ vision, as do water  droplets on the side windows. When riding next to a car, bear in mind that this effectively increases the size of the   driver’s blind spot.
3. Check that you have sufficient tread on your tyres to minimise the chances of your bike’s wheels aquaplaning.    Although the South African legal limit is a minimum of 1mm of tyre tread, anything below 3 mm can greatly increase  the risk of aquaplaning.
4. Where possible, avoid riding through puddles of water – when the road is wet, it is almost impossible to tell if the  puddle is hiding a pothole.
5. If you hit a large patch of water, do not try to brake or swerve suddenly. Stay calm, keep your throttle open and concentrate on steering your bike. If you have to turn, do so as gently as possible.
6. Avoid abrupt acceleration, braking and steering movements. Sudden stops and turns may result in skidding.
7. Be wary painted road markings, metal grids and oily patches on the road – these tend to become extremely slippery in  the wet.
8. Cloudy and rainy weather makes for poor visibility, so take extra care when passing other vehicles. Spray from other  vehicles also reduces visibility considerably.
9. Whenever possible, wear a rain suit in wet weather – being wet, cold and miserable makes it harder to fully  concentrate on riding in already challenging conditions.
10. If you ride into a shower and stop to either don your rain suit or wait out the rain, make sure you do so in a safe place.  Pull as far off the road as possible and turn on your hazard lights (or leave your lights on if your bike doesn’t have  hazard lights) to ensure that your bike visible to the other traffic.

21 0000+ km on one set from South Africa to Georgia and 20 000 km through central Asia to Mongolia on another set.