confirmation . Or not . So , how does this whole new tyre evaluation thing work ? There are a bunch of different bikes . A few iconic BMW GSs , a few of KTM ’ s Orange Ogres , a Pan America , a pair of Husky Norden ’ s , and a brace of insane Ducati Multistradas ( because hell to the yes the world needs dirt-tyred Panigales ). On Day One , they are all fitted with brand new Karoo 4s . A bunch of us ride them for a few hundred kays ( mainly on dirt , but some tar as well ), swap bikes now and then , and try very hard not to ride off a cliff ... no , wait , that ’ s just me . On Day Two , spanking new Tourance Next 2s are fitted , and we spend the day praying the Highway Patrol is elsewhere , while we examine the bitumen-biased credentials of these tyres . Our dirt riding was in and around St Albans , Wisemans Ferry , and the Wheelbarrow Ridge Road . Our bitumen bash was up and down the Putty Road , because that one road will test all your tyres , all your suspension , and all your manhood , quite well .
The weather was cool . The roads were mainly damp – most of the dirt was very wet , but we did get lovely dry tarmac for the Putty , which enabled pushing like a bastard . It ’ s hard to think of a nicer way to spend two days ...
KAROO 4
What it ’ s supposed to do ? The Karoo 4 is the radial tyre you ’ d fit if you were planning far more dirt than road , but still needed something that would let you ride the 200km of tar you ’ d need to ride to get to your dirt . It ’ s certainly a dirt-biased tyre , with great tear and abrasion resistance , and it ’ s meant to offer the same level of performance when worn as it does when new . I can ’ t speak to that aspect , but it clearly looks and feels the full Adventure business .
How has it been improved ? The knobs have ben redesigned . They ’ re more aggressive and have been engineered to self-clean . Yeah , I know . I wondered how that happens . Seems it ’ s in the way the knobs are designed , and they have a steeper forward face ,
62 KIWI RIDER