Are these Trailwings as bad as people say...

[humbos]

....as the title says? I have landed myself a vara 1000 4300 miles on a 55 plate and it has these tyres fitted. are they ok or lethal as suggested on some forums. and how many steady miles could one expect one to survive on the rear? As I will soon be an owner I will be joining the site for the valuable info to be had.

[Boris]

....as the title says? I have landed myself a vara 1000 4300 miles on a 55 plate and it has these tyres fitted. are they ok or lethal as suggested on some forums. and how many steady miles could one expect one to survive on the rear? As I will soon be an owner I will be joining the site for the valuable info to be had.

Mine weren't lethal but neither were they what I would describe as particularly good. From new they tracked over ridges in the road and white lines much like a tyre nearing the end of its life. I changed them after 5388 miles as the rear was as good as done. I put road tyres on (Road Attacks) and the handling was transformed. The rear road attack lasts me about 4500 miles and the front twice that.

[AlanH]

They are not really lethal - it's just that there are far better tyres out there. It depends on riding style and many people never have any issues with them.

[Muzz]

Well, I never liked them or really trusted them (I never liked them on my @ either), and replaced them with Road Attacks, which were very very good, but the rear squared off for me pretty quickly (in under 2k), so I replaced it with a Trail Attack (after I picked up three screws/nails in one incident), which has much more tread depth and is standing up rather better. Same compound, so same great grip wet or dry. I still have the Road Attack on the front, and it looks like I'll get 7 or 8k out of it.

IMHO, it's well worth spending the money to get some good tyres.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

Bear in mind that the name "Trail Wing" refers to a whole family of tyres. It's like asking if BattlAx are any good! (That name covers sporty thru touring tyres.) I've used a few different makes of tyre over the years.

Feel: Compared with a sport-touring tyre most dual-sports tyres have a more rounded profile. That means leaning into a bend will be slower, but once there it might feel "locked in" to the lean; you have haul the bike back up. In S-bends you will feel yourself working the handlebars. Also the tyres will be more sensitive to road markings and imperfections. To reduce the effect try running a couple more psi. (Most sport-touring tyres will have a sharper vee profile that allows the bike to lean in and stand back up more easily.)

Grip: I never had any problems with the OE Trail Wing 101/152s. In the dry I could easily catch the footpegs in corners, so grip exceeded ground clearance. In the wet I never had reason to doubt the cornering grip. It's difficult to judge grip under braking since my bike has ABS, but I've never noticed the ABS come into play with any of the tyres I've used.

If you want a more sporting feel go for a road-oriented tyre. The Pilot Road is a great tyre, but Battlax BT-020 and Pirelli Road Attack etc. come in Vara sizes too. If you want the dual-sport look, Trail Wings and Avon Distanzias will do the job just fine. Lots of members like Conti Trail Attack too. Don't make the mistake of believing these tyres will give your bike any real off-road ability. In the mud dualsport tyres will slither around all over the place. You'll need something more agressive like TKC80s, but they aren't so nice on the road.

[Mabels Old Man]

Bridgestone also make a battlewing tyre which was the original fitment on my ADV. They were good. I've got trail attacks fitted now which I would fit again without hesitation.

[TWIN BURNER]

Never had a problem with the trail wings on my @ even though they were worn out and as hard as nails when I bought the bike. Still did near 1000 miles on the through the winter before buying Bridgstone BT45's which transformed the handling and feel of the bike

[Maverick]

I personally know them as Deathwings. They will let go when you least expect it in the most unlikely circumstances. I had less moments over the years with worn TKC's compared to Deathwings in a short period of time

[humbos]

Well a mixed bag of personel opinions .. the bike has wiped me out so it looks like im gonna have to stick with them and see how I get on with them. (suck it and see ...as to say) But if I have a near death experience, they're .......................gone!!

[davsato]

mine are the original tyres from when the bike was new. theyve lasted quite well, i dont think theyre bad but there are better tyres for less money around so there you go, i wont be bothering again.