Metzeler Announces Next-Gen Karoo 4 Dual Sport Tire
All-new 50/50 rubber to replace Karoo 3.
When the all-new Karoo 3 was first announced back in 2012, there were fewer tire options for off-road loving adventure riders to choose from. Now the incoming fire from competitors is coming from all directions. After 9 years, the Karoo 3 is clearly due for an update. Now Metzeler is ready to fire back with their announcement of the all-new Karoo 4.
Like its predecessor, the Karoo 4 is made for adventure and dual sport riders who want good off-road performance and longevity in a 50/50 tire. The new rubber sits in between the Karoo Street and Karoo Extreme in Metzeler’s dual sport tire lineup. In developing the new rubber, Metzeler states they relied on their “cutting-edge technologies and processes” to expand the Karoo’s versatility on the dirt/street spectrum even more.
The new tire features a new patented tread pattern, which reps say raises the tire’s all-round performance levels on both asphalt and different types of off-road surfaces. Gone is the old chevron tread design, replaced by a more knobby-like pattern featuring center blocks that dig into the dirt straight-on. The new tread design definitely has a more aggressive off-road look with bigger cutouts and alternating side-knobs that would appear to clean out better in soft terrain than the old Karoo 3.
Metzeler says their new design is intended to increase the off-road performance level, especially on soft surfaces, such as sand, mud and clay. As for the road, the engineers have worked to improve in particular the overall handling and the behavior on wet, especially when leaned over on the tire’s edge. And hopefully, the longevity of the Karoo has been maintained or improved, but that remains to be seen.
The new Karoo 4 will be available for sale starting in March of 2022 with a range of sizes for mid-sized and large adventure bikes with 19″/17″ or 21″/18″ wheel combos. We look forward to giving the successor to the Karoo 3 a try in the new year!
Metzeler KAROO 4 Sizes
Front
- 19” 100/90-19 TL 57Q M+S
- 19” 110/80 R 19 TL 59Q M+S
- 19” 120/70 R 19 TL 60Q M+S
- 21” 90/90-21 TL 54Q M+S
Rear
- 17” 130/80 R 17 TL 65Q M+S
- 17” 140/80 R 17 TL 69Q M+S
- 17” 150/70 R 17 TL 69Q M+S
- 17” 170/60 R 17 TL 72Q M+S
- 18” 140/80 – 18 TL 70Q M+S
- 18” 150/70 R 18 TL 70Q M+S
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I’ve run a couple of sets of the 3’s and found them to be OK 50/50 ish tires but not great on or off road. It sounds like the 4’s have addressed the weaknesses of the 3’s. If they seem to be as good as the excellent B’Stone Adventurecross AX41’s after some real world usage and feed back, may give ’em a go.
Yes, the Karoo 3 was once one of the better 50/50 tires in the range but the competition has been improving over the years. It will be interesting to see how the new 4’s match up. Hopefully, it’s a significant improvement across the board.
Interesting. I ran a couple of sets of 3’s and was mostly satisfied with the performance on and off-road. By off-road I mean single track, mining and Jeep roads; not simply graded dirt roads. If they have a weakness, it is probably wet pavement performance. My concern looking at the 4’s tread pattern is its’ center blocks similarity to the garbage Pirelli Scorpions that came stock on my Tenere 700. Hopefully the shoulder lugs on this design negate the washy off-road cornering performance of the Scorpions.
I was just about to pick up some Trailmax Missions but maybe I should wait for the test on these?
No 19 inch rear tires. I do have a 52 Hummer Harley does 19in tires on the front and back
2017 Honda Africa Twin, I rode the Colorado BDR plus trip to it and back for a total of 2800 miles. The rear Karoo 3 completed smoked. Front still going strong at 4,000 miles.
Won’t be buying another Karoo Street given the delamination issues seen early in life. No interest from Metzeler or the vendor I bought them from…and I am not alone…