Battle Wings

[Web_Bodger]

Got to add my two penny worth...

I have put 26k on my main DL1000 and in those miles I have always had Trailwings on except for one set of Battlewings.
I got 10k out of my first rear Trailwing which was amazing, but I never managed to replicate it. I gave Battlewings a try about 2 sets of tyres in and to say I wasn't impressed doesn't cover it. They were rubbish in the wet, they just let go with no warning. They wore out really quick, being a softer rubber and they cost more. So it was back to Trailwings.

I recently went on a tour of John O'Groats on my newer DL1000 which had 4k on and the original trailwings. The rough roads up there sorted the tyres out and I needed a new rear tyre when I got back.

I went into National Tyres and was told they didn't do Trailwings anymore- disaster. But luckily they found one V rated rear tyre left so I had that. Don't know what I'm going to fit when Trailwings disappear, probably Avons.

My other DL1000 has road tyres on - Bridgestone 020s which I like but you can't get those anymore either.....

Don't know if I ought to say this on a Vstrom site but I have also fitted Trailwings to my Varadero XL1000 which I ride through winter, that's how confident I am in TWs!

It looks like I'll be the only one mourning the end of Trailwings. But in my opinion they were a great tyre. I've been round tight corners two up, everything scraping and out cornered sports bikes. They gave great feedback in the wet, you knew exactly when the back end was going to slide and the front never did. They gave much better mileage than Battlewings and were cheaper.
Suzuki knew what they were doing when they fitted Trailwings as original equipment to the DL1000.

cheers WB

[Biccy Monster]

This should give you all a chuckle,

I am in need of a new rear tyre on my Vee it cam to me 4000 miles ago with Trailwings on, now having ridden both what the NHS and the Police have to offer in the relms of Motorbikes and more specifically tyre choice I'm a great believer in changing riding style to suit the tyre, yes the trail wings squirm under heavy breaking and when thrown onto a corner but fed in smoothly I enbarrased and advanced rider on a GSXR750 on a recent trip to the bends...

however time for new tyres, so price up a set of Battlewings (I live in the sticks and the dirty B-roads do errr themselves to "heavy tread") my local specialist bike tyre place £225 fitted....my local bike garage Sid Moroms in Slough firstly had "never heard of them mate!" and secondly rang me back with a quote of £380!!!

I laughed and said, no thanks.

So begins the hunt for cheaper quotes!!

[GrahamT]

my local bike garage Sid Moroms in Slough firstly had "never heard of them mate!" and secondly rang me back with a quote of £380!!!

I laughed and said, no thanks.

So begins the hunt for cheaper quotes!!

I am surpised at Sid Morams, I know they are not the cheapest, but they are usually knowledgeable, and did warn my son that it would be cheaper getting his K75 clutch fixed at a specialist BMW dealers, as they didn't have the experience, so not your traditional rip-off merchants.
I have been recommended Ride-in Bike Tyres http://www.rideinbiketyres.co.uk in Reading, which isn't that far from Slough, though I haven't tried them myself yet.

[Biccy Monster]

Cheers mate, I'll give them a call

[Puffer]

I've been highly impressed with the Battlewings fitted to my Wee Strom, so impressed that I've just had my second set fitted as well as putting some on Mrs P's F650gs prior to our trip to Spain next month. The first ones on the Wee did over 12000 miles and still had a fair bit of tread left, but not enough for our anticipated holiday mileage, and the wear was even all over with none of the cupping I used to get on the original Trail Wings.