Heidenau has been making tires in Germany since 1946, with motorcycle tires entering the mix in 1993. I ran the K60 Scouts on the Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 project bike, and now I have mounted the K60 Rangers on the much lighter Ultimate Motorcycling Honda CRF300L Rally project bike. Heidenau tires are available through many local dealers and also through Cedar Rapids Tire (CRT) in Iowa, a USA distributor that provides free shipping to the lower 48.
Ultimate Motorcycling Associate Editor Freeman Wood reviewed this tire on his 600-pound BMW R 1250 GS, and his overall impression was that he was very pleased with the performance of the Rangers. While the street/dirt ratio was more off-road aggressive than he needed, that is exactly what I want for the Honda CRF300L Rally. CRT and I estimate the street/dirt ratio to be 30/70, while the German HQ says 40/60. Of course, none of those are scientific numbers, and they may play out differently depending on which bike the tires are mounted on.
After putting 1700 miles on the Rally’s stock IRC Trails GP-22 tires, I discovered I need far more bite off pavement. In Oregon, we have mostly gravel and center-ridge/crown jeep roads with slippery sides from grass or debris buildup. It unnerves me every time I cross tracks to avoid an obstacle or rut ahead, and my front wheel slides down the side of a crown. The Heidenau K60 Ranger tires have side tread blocks that help resist tire slide on those nasty crowns.
I rode the K60 Rangers for 1800 miles on freeways, city streets, highways, hard-packed dirt, gravel, bouldery jeep trails, and mud. I loved the traction they gave me. They are quiet on the Rally—no hum or howl—at speeds up to 80 mph on asphalt, and I didn’t feel any knobby vibration, even coming to a stop.
The Rangers are secure in high-speed asphalt twisties in the rain and low-speed gravel 180s off-road. Locally, there is a slow, four-mile jeep dirt trail that is rocky, boulder-strewn, and features the occasional rain run-off stream running down its center—a challenging ride. Impressively, the Rangers’ grip makes the slow-speed climb a line-picking challenge rather than a traction issue.
Keeping up with my speed demon friends in the twisties, the steering is very predictable and transitions smoothly into closely spaced turns. The Rangers don’t fall in or resist leaning; they go where I put them with light steering pressure. At freeway speeds, the 325-pound Honda CRF300L Rally bike feels connected to the ground, even while lane weaving with the engine topped out at 80 mph. After the first 50-100 miles, I stopped thinking about them, except when I wanted to make a mental note of a performance highlight.
I use a Rabaconda Street Bike tire changer for all my garage tire changes. While the 120/80-18 rear went on smoothly, the 90/90-21 front gave me fits for about 15 minutes because of its stiff sidewalls. Once I found the technique for dealing with such a stiff, skinny tire, it slid right on. They balanced with about as much weight as I typically use—no surprises.
I have put 1700 miles on the K60 Rangers, and I am not surprised that I have used exactly half of the starting tread depth. I do admit that nearly 1400 of those miles are asphalt, and that would account for chewing up this 70 percent off-road-biased tire.
Every time I hit the dirt, I feel the traction and the accompanying confidence that comes with it. I don’t ever question if the Rangers will get me up a hillclimb, through a mud section, or slip out anywhere along 60 miles of hard pack or piled gravel. I also have no traction concerns riding in the rain at aggressive twisty speeds or on the freeway at the CRF300L Rally’s top speed.
Spending real time on the Heidenau K60 Ranger tires showed me how reliably they deliver the traction and stability I wanted for the CRF300L Rally. From wet asphalt twisties to rocky climbs and Oregon’s loose gravel, the Rangers handle a broad range of conditions without drama, with the Rally staying steady and predictable. Once past our honeymoon period, I stopped thinking about the Rangers unless I wanted to note something specific about their performance. For the riding I do on the Ultimate Motorcycling Honda CRF300L Rally Project Bike, they suit the terrain well and perform as I expect from a 70/30 tire.
Heidenau K660 Ranger Tire Sizes
Front
- 90/90-21 (tested)
- 110/80-19
- 120/70-19
Rear
- 120/90-17
- 130/80-17
- 140/80-17
- 150/70-17
- 170/60-17
- 120/80-18 (tested)
- 140/80-18
- 150/70-18
