Heidenau recently announced the development of an all-new Adventure Tire — the K60 ‘Ranger’ — designed with a 30% street / 70% off-road design. The new K60 Ranger will sit next to the K60 Scout in Heidenau’s lineup, which for a decade now has been one of the most popular Adventure Bike tires on the market. 

Known for their long-lasting characteristics, the 50/50 rated K60 Scout has long been a capable dual sport tire for getting you off the beaten path but it hasn’t been without some limitations. Notably, these begin to make their presence known in deeper sand, mud and loose dirt where the Scout’s road-oriented tread pattern struggles to dig in. 

That’s where Heidenau states the new K60 Ranger kicks in. With its more off-road biased design, it is intended to get riders  further into the backwoods with more confidence to tackle difficult terrain. The new tire features a more-open, knobby tread pattern with large gaps between center blocks, allowing it to dig into loose terrain, in contrast to the continuous center strip found on the Scout  Additionally, its side lugs are tied together with alternating crossbars that give it some additional stability under cornering.

Like the K60 Scout, the new Ranger gets a reinforced carcass with high puncture resistance in off-road terrain. The product description also mentions a new rubber compound that is said to improve tread stability off-road and offer excellent grip on wet asphalt, which implies this will be a softer compound than the notoriously rock hard K60 Scout’s. Only testing will tell how much longevity these new tires will have but Heidenau claims you can expect between 3,000 and 6,000 kilometers (1,860 to 3,700 miles).

With over 250,000 kilometers (155k miles) of testing under their belt, the German tire manufacturer feels their new K60 Ranger is ready to take on the competition from the Continental TKC 80, Bridgestone AX41, Mitas E-10, Michelin Anakee Wild, and others in this crowded category. How will they match up? Early reports look promising:

K60 Ranger Key Characteristics

• Application: 70% off-road; 30% road 
• Open tread pattern provides impressive traction and outstanding self-cleaning on loose surfaces.
• Alternating profile elements at the edge ensure even power transmission and enhanced sideways climbing ability (e.g., in ruts and single track).
• Special support features within the tire walls give a long lasting, stable driving behavior.
• Specially reinforced off-road carcass offers high puncture resistance.
• High level of tread stability off-road and excellent grip on wet due to new rubber compound.

The German moto publication Motorrad, got an early test of the new K60 Ranger in Europe and reported “on dry gravel and sand tracks, the knobby tires were almost under-challenged” and “trips through sand or coarse rubble can be managed stress-free.” During the asphalt portion of the test, they mention the K60 Rangers are “a bit louder than smooth tires on asphalt” but that “the tires roll into the lean position without suddenly collapsing and give you enough confidence for longer connecting stages with no swaying or major unrest in the chassis.”

We’ll learn more about how these tires perform once they are released to the market but more choice is always welcomed, especially from one of the top brands in the segment. We look forward to getting our hands on a set in the near future for a full test.

Pricing & Availability

No pricing information has been provided as of the date of publishing but the K60 Ranger is expected to come in a little lower than the K60 Scout which ranges between $115 to $250 depending on the size. As far as availability goes, Heidenau has confirmed the newest dual sport tire will begin appearing on store shelves January of 2022.

K60 Ranger Sizes

Front Tire: 

110/80 B – 19 M/C 59R TL M+S
120/70 B – 19 M/C 60R TL M+S
90/90 – 21 M/C 54R TL M+S

Rear Tire: 

130/80 – 17 M/C 65R TL M+S
140/80 – 17 M/C 69R TL M+S
140/80 – 18 M/C 70R TT M+S
150/70 B – 17 M/C 69R TL M+S
150/70 B – 18 M/C 70R TL M+S
170/60 B – 17 M/C 72R TL M+S