Which Tyre Should You Use on Your Motorcycle Trip?

Anyone who has ever taken a long motorcycle trip knows that planning is everything. You have to think about the route you’ll ride, where you’ll stop, what to pack, and much more.

But one essential point is preparing the bike properly for the journey, and on that subject one of the most frequent questions is: “Which tyre should I use?” And the answer is: “It depends.”

There’s no one-size-fits-all recipe

Every tyre has its own characteristics and its ideal use. So the first tip is to be sceptical of anyone who tells you a particular tyre is perfect and works in every situation. There is no tyre for every type of use. Each one has its own singularity and purpose. It’s like a short blanket: either you cover your feet or you cover your head. Being highly efficient on both dirt and tarmac, or combining grip with durability, is the real challenge.

So, what are you looking for?

What you really need to know is what to expect from a tyre: how you’ll use it, what your riding style is, and what the route looks like. That’s exactly why there is such a wide variety of options. If they were all the same, tyre manufacturers wouldn’t spend resources developing so many models alongside the motorcycle makers.

The first thing to understand is that tyres are built to prioritise performance either on paved roads (on-road) or unpaved surfaces (off-road). That’s where the differences begin.

Off-road

If your route includes a lot of dirt, mud and rocks, you’ll need a tyre that “digs into” the terrain and can find support even in very rough conditions. In other words, the tread pattern needs generous spacing between the blocks and plenty of depth for the tyre to do that job.

On the other hand, a tyre with these characteristics won’t perform as well on-road. The blocks generate considerable noise and discomfort, and they wear quickly in contact with tarmac.

For this type of terrain, our favourite is the METZELER KAROO™ 4. Put simply, this tyre falls into what we call the 10/90 category: 10% on-road and 90% off-road. Ideal for anyone taking on a big adventure over off-road terrain, but with solid performance on tarmac as well.

Mixed surfaces

Now, if your route isn’t off-road enough to justify a 10/90 tyre, it may be worth looking at more versatile, intermediate options. In this case it’s useful to have an all-rounder on your bike, precisely because of its ability to perform satisfactorily on both surfaces — provided the route really is mixed.

Here, the most versatile option in our range is the METZELER KAROO™ STREET, which still has a strongly off-road foundation. It’s considered a 50/50 and delivers good performance on both dirt and tarmac. That’s possible thanks to a more on-road carcass profile without losing the off-road essence, which lives in the blocks.

Another alternative is the well-established METZELER TOURANCE™, a more on-road option. It’s therefore a tyre suited to urban use as well. It still has an off-road look and feel, so it holds up when taken onto dirt — just in a different way from the KAROO line. It can be classified as something close to 80/20.

This is a tyre worth considering for trips along the Carretera Austral, since virtually the entire route is paved and only a few sections have rockier, sandier ground. You’ll get excellent mileage and comfort.

On-road

For trips where the bike sees almost nothing but tarmac, the focus has to be on comfort, mileage and grip. The strongest name here is without doubt the METZELER TOURANCE™ NEXT 2, whose profile is derived from the Sport Touring line and results in a tyre with the ideal characteristics for this type of surface. It’s a 90/10 product (90% on-road and 10% off-road).

Forget any worries about tarmac performance — this tyre will certainly deliver. But be aware that off the tarmac you’re better off with products featuring the characteristics described above, and above all with taking a riding course, because the tyre alone won’t solve the difficulty of riding on dirt.

Finally, to close out our selection of the best tyre, we have the METZELER ROADTEC™ 01. Here we’re talking about a 100% on-road product. Developed to offer maximum comfort and mileage on tarmac, it’s a dual-compound tyre with a very high silica content, which makes its grip on wet roads exceptional.

It’s a great option for fully paved routes and regions with heavy rainfall. On a trip to Curitiba along the Estrada da Graciosa, this tyre is perfect, because it covers every situation you’ll encounter.

There’s also a sportier version of the METZELER ROADTEC™ 01. But here we’re focusing on touring and Big Trails, and leaving sport bikes for another article!

I hope you enjoyed our selection. Happy choosing, and have a great trip!