Much like the ADV bikes we mount them on, adventure tires are a balance of priorities. It seems like any benefit comes at the sacrifice of something else. Want more off-road traction? To get that you must give up on-road performance. Want them to last longer? To get that you must give up off-road performance. Michelin understands this balance as well as anyone so when they started developing the Anakee Adventure the goal was to stretch the performance characteristics of the tire in every way without any sacrifice.
Michelin invited us out to Death Valley to learn about the tire and spend a few days riding the tire in a variety of conditions. Designed with large displacement ADV bikes in mind, the 80% on-road 20% off-road Anakee Adventure fills the gap in the Michelin Trail range between the 90/10 Anakee III and the 50/50 Anakee Wild. Using technology originally developed by Michelin for road racing, the Anakee Adventure uses 2CT and 2CT+ technology. This innovative construction and compound technology uses a harder more durable rubber compound in the center of the tire with a softer compound on the edges, this gives the tire increased wear resistance on straight sections while increased grip when the bike is leaned over.
The tread pattern on the Anakee Adventure looks fantastic and gives the bike a rugged off-road look. But it’s not just about looks, there is a ton of technology packed into the tread pattern to make the tire perform. The tire is fully-grooved even in the center for enhanced traction on loose surfaces, bridge blocks are used between the outer tread blocks to stiffen the blocks for increased cornering stability and the tread grooves widen towards the tire shoulders to improve water and dirt evacuation. It’s a worthy stamp of approval when a manufacturer picks a tire as original equipment and BMW is using the Anakee Adventure on the mighty 1250GS as well as Moto Guzzi on the new V85TT.
Ride Impressions: Adventure bikes are so versatile and can be ridden everywhere from singletrack off-road to street touring, but while the bike itself may be capable of a huge range of terrain, it also takes a versatile tire to make it all work. During our ride in Death Valley we rode this tire on a variety of motorcycles ranging from a BMW 1200 GS Rallye on the large side down to a BMW F800 GS on the smaller side and a day on a Suzuki VStrom 1000 also. For me the Anakee Adventure tire makes a lot of sense on a 1200 GS, KTM Adventure S or VStrom as it’s a good match for the on-road/off-road capabilities of these bikes. And honestly in a way I like a less off-road focused tire on these bikes as it lessens the temptation to take the bike too far off-road and get into bad situations. That being said the Anakee Adventure offers good off-road performance, on gravel and packed dirt it is great. It has good traction and is very predictable when it slides. On asphalt the grip is also really good and the only complaint with on-road performance would be that the tire is pretty loud when leaned over. In sand and mud you definitely have to be really careful with this tire but to be fair that isn’t what it was designed for. I love the dual compound technology as that should really extend the life of the tire while still offering good performance. They say, “You can’t have your cake and eat it (too)” but with 2CT you kind of can. If I owned a GS the Anakee Adventure would be one of my first choices. If I had an Africa Twin/1090 and wanted to go on a street touring trip with my cruiser-riding friends it would be a great choice also. If you're Interested in purchasing Michelin Anakee Adventure tires go to www.TMBRMOTO.com for the Michelin Anakee complete line.
