Dunlop K70 Tires

Hi I am looking at Dunlop K70 tires for my 75 Commando There are not a lot of tires available right now They list a 3.25 /19 and a 3.50/19 Can anyone advise me Should I use the 3.25 on the front or use both 3.5 and has anyone any experience with these tires Thx Jack

I had K70s on the P11 as they were available in the correct size and were a reasonable road tyre for that application....
If you do go with them, I expect you'll be in a minority here?? (Though I believe some Tri*mphs came with them back in the day)
If it's for the 'traditional' look I'd go with RoadRunners....

i have K70s on my '72 T120 and 68 A65 because they have 'the look' from the 60s they also have the characteristics.........cupping on front due to tread blocks squishing under braking and getting a flat profile on rear in just about 2k miles get some avon roadriders please!

K81s were the standard tyres on my Norton when I brought it new 410x19 I ran the 350x19 on the front when the front was replaced, but the Avons RR are so much better, I always run a narrower tyre on the front seems to steer better in the corners.

Ashley

I have K70's on my Norton for past three years. 18 inch rear rim though. Got about 7000 mile and front looks great. Rear needs replacing soon as it has squared off. I like them for when I encounter dirt/sand/gravel on the roads. Have had RoadRunners on my Triumph and has a few close calls on dirt and on wet manhole covers. The K70's are better for that IMHO....but if riding hard/fast, then a more modern tread & build will be best.

Ran a 4.00 x 19 on the rear . 23 T sprocket . Rev & dump clutch in 2nd in rain , wheelspin @ 30 - 40 mph plus , playing with the rpm .

Accidently lifted a 50 ft rooster tail of grit and gravel , winter . side of m way . Drift was over traffic , 2 lanes . OOOPS .

Did 9 miles in 6 minutes , pissing down weather & pissinged of rider . Last mile or so at 45 . Ran 113 in third . To wet to see speedo . Oh dear .

Probly had a 3.60 road runner on the front . YOU CANNOT LEAN half as much as with the K 81s . But for touring 7 dirt roads , no problem .
better feedback generally to, as to road surface . Were the Numero Uno hard track Flat Track tyre in the U S . The Perreli liquorice looks similar ,
and is most deffinately NOT suitable for a Commando . V soft sidwalls . Was the ' Cushin track ' No 1 flat track choice .
On tarmac the slip angle matches the brake & or throttle setting .
Past half throttle youd have the back out past 90 degrees .

Check guard bolts with the big tyre . 4.00 18s a bit small . 3.5 useless rear . Good Front . 3.25 'd have lighter steering . better in deep gravel .
Less traction on tarmac. less brake , less corner .

Better a ribbed or something on the front, for tarmac ?? Saw a loe wocket free , 69. the other day . K 70 Front, K 81 Rear . Not a Go Hard set up .
Or very admirable if you have to PANIC .

so 3.500 19 F & 4.00 19 R , for ' balance ' for crossing it up . Leanig & power slideing . Which itll do . Unlike the Pirelli ' slide away ' .
a 3.25 front youd wanna keep it more upright & use more back brake . if its got one that works .

You wont need to jack up the exhaust system for clearance on them .
good with the higher wider ' dirt track ' bars .
Shoulder is broader so more gap under pipes , leant over . But youd only really ' lean ' drifting it .



You might recognise it there , you might recognise its got No Brake , too . So ye nay wanae gett heavy on the lever , lentover .

Thisisthe Orrendous Pirrelli . Go On . be a devil . Live Dangerously . Try One . they were twenty dollars . How they got to N Z isnt explained . good Dirt Tyre though .



theres probably STILL a half full container of them there ! .

K70s and K81s might get you past the parking lot at Pebble Beach, but are at least 4 or 5 generations behind what is available today. Your Commando was designed for road use, K70s can't hold a candle to what you can purchase for road use now. Why would you even consider going backwards in safety?

Tires are like shoes, if you want to ride in the dirt, get dirt tires. and a light dirt bike to mount them on. If you want to do a road/dirt dance get a set of dual sports, but any time you compromise the mission of a tire, you lose a bit of the characteristics of each; you are creating a mule; good at this and that, but not great at any.

Michelin, Bridgestone, Avon and Pirelli, to name a majority, have offerings that are superior to any "period correct" tire. Any one who scrimps on tires to save money is an idiot! You get what you pay for, hopefully people that cheap out in obvious safety areas have made paid up end-of-the-line plans in place...

Buy the best tires; save your money rebuilding light bulbs and final drive chains.

Best??

" K70s can't hold a candle to what you can purchase for road use now. "

Ah , but thats like saying a Commando is a obsolette antiquated inadequate relic of ages past .

( which is what the english Motorcycle press was saying by mid 70s , you needed sophisticated electric starters ,
overhead camshafts , four cylinders , plastic instruments a plethoria of idiot lights , Why, the Ducati by 1980
had the world leading ' sidestand warning light ' . Where would we be without these modern conveniances ? . )

He might not want them for the road . Current K 70s like most NEW vintage tyres , ( car or cycle )
have improved cases & compounds .

I might not try a Dunlop Universal though . Someone used one for granate chip roads , as it didnt wear .
Where modern ones could chew out in 500 miles , on that . Good Concrefied rubber on a ' cured ' ( antique ) Dunlop Universal .
NO traction on damp tarmac though .

Can be benificial having a tyre you CAN lock up & or slide , though . To much traction would twit the Commando frame on undulateing twisty roads . Then where would you be . In the hedge , likely as not .
If there was one .

From what I can make out the k70s that you buy these days look the same as the original k70s but in a much softer compound

baz said:

From what I can make out the k70s that you buy these days look the same as the original k70s but in a much softer compound

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My thoughts exactly. Although a agree with much of Roadscholars sentiment, I believe modern K70s would be far superior to the K70s of old.

The classic styles would need to use a modern compound as the rules changed about what could be used to manufacture rubber tyres some years ago.

All depends what you want to do with the bike.
Dawdle around at parade speeds, never leaning more than 5 degrees, it matters not. (A significant portion of old duffers playing old bikes)

Or, wring it's neck and run it hard, beveling the foot peg rubbers and grounding the pipes as well, get modern rubber, it works better.

All my pre-Commandos wear K70’s, (P11’s, Atlas, ES2) Commando has Road Riders, and will likely get Road Rider II’s when the time comes. Availability is definitely a concern at the moment, I guess it depends on what you can get your hands on.

If you are running stock WM2 rims, according to Dunlop's spec's, 3.50-19's are the ones to fit. As of today, Revco.ca has 2 in stock, and their prices are usually some of the best in Canada.

Interbak said:

Availability is definitely a concern at the moment, I guess it depends on what you can get your hands on.

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I'm seeing the RR MKII's in stock now at the US suppliers. Rather pricey, but available.