Anyone tried Metzeler Karoo 3s yet? I think I'll get another few grand out of the Tourances, but time to start thinking...

Just returned from a two day ride with a mate on his KTM640 with brand new Karoo 3's. They look awesome, quite chunky, he raved about them almost every stop. You'd need to do a bit of off road stuff to justify them in my opinion.

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What are they like on-road, as I'm planning an off-road trip with a fair amount of asphalt prior to hitting the rough stuff?

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Collating Scottish Usable Off-road Trail Database

Message me with known useable routes for addition please.

My mate reckons they feel awesome on and off road. Don't know about longevity though.

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I have now been runing Karoo 3 for one season in north Italy (all conditions). My experience is that this is a true 50/50 tire. With very good performance on the road. I have done a lot of driving on twisting mountain roads and nothing negative to say. Off road performance has also been good and perdictable, specially on gravel and under dry conditions. Under muddy conditions it does however become clear that this is not a knobby, and I never learned to trust it 100% under muddy conditions. Lifespan somewhere between 4000-6000 km.

Hope this helps

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2010 XT660Z.

Mods so far: AIS removed, De Cat, Barkbusters, MX front fender, OTR bashplate, Garmin 350, TKC80, handelbar raised 25 mm. Kev Mod, Foamfilter, snorkel removed.

Past bikes: YFM450, WR450, KLR

I put a pair of Karoo 3's on recently for a 50/50 mix of street and gravel road and am not happy with them at all. The whole bike vibrates noticably coming from both front and rear tyre. The front does a poor job on gravel roads with the big block pattern sliding across the stones rather than digging in to provide grip. Not recommended. I'll probably go for TKC80's next time.

After having tryed the Karoo 3, I have installed TKC to try the difference and so far I have ridden about 1000 km on my TKCs in various terrain.

The difference is as expected. The TKC performs better in all kinds of off road situations. The front is firmer on all kinds of offroad surfaces and the rear more predictiable. The Karoo 3 is however better on road and grips really nice in the tight hairpin turns, and it also seams to turn alot easier on the road. In terms of millage, the TKC rear is already showing signifikant wear after 1000 km and it seems to wear a lot faster and more uneven then the Karoo 3 did.

The Verdict: Up to you and your riding style. I am personally concidering a combo with Karoo 3 rear and TKC front to see if I can get the best of both worlds

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2010 XT660Z.

Mods so far: AIS removed, De Cat, Barkbusters, MX front fender, OTR bashplate, Garmin 350, TKC80, handelbar raised 25 mm. Kev Mod, Foamfilter, snorkel removed.

Past bikes: YFM450, WR450, KLR