Michelin Anakee Adventure : Long Term Review

Michelin Anakee Adventure : Long Term Review

Michelin Anakee Adventure Tyres (on a 2010 BMW R1200GSA) :

This is a long term review of the Michelin Anakee Adventure Tyres, which replaced my Metzeler Tourances.  Those Metzeler tyres were exceptional and were available at the point of changing so why, you make ask did you change from what you liked and clearly worked for you?  The answer to that is simply marketing. At the time I changed to these Michelins they were the stock tyre for the R1200GSA and then for the new R1250GS model range. So if you bought a new bike from BMW these are the tyres that came on a new bike and I wanted to try them out.  The power of marketing and brand awareness, eh. 

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The Michelin Anakee Adventure is currently the OE tyre choice for the following :

BMW MOTORRAD : R1250 GS
KTM : 790 Adventure, 390 Adventure
MOTO GUZZI : V85 TT
TRIUMPH : Street Scrambler, Tiger 850 Sport, Tiger 900 GT

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You can read the Long Term Review of the Metzeler Tourance Tyres here. 

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I put 10,290 miles on these Michelin tyres and at the point of change the rear was on the wear markers and there was still a reasonable amount of usable tread on the front. 

If you are looking to know the crux of this review, then here it is.  They are decent but there are better options.  Read to the end to see what I replaced them with and my initial impressions. No cheating though please. Don’t be jumping to the end of the review just yet. 

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Michelin Anakee Adventure :

The Michelin Anakee Adventure is a dual-sport tyre designed for adventure touring motorcycles. It is a reasonable all-rounder, offering decent performance on road and adequate performance on light off-road surfaces.

Technical Specifications :

The Anakee Adventure has a 80/20 on-road/off-road bias, meaning that it is designed primarily for road use, but it can also handle light off-road riding. The tyre has a dual-compound construction, with a harder compound in the centre for good wear resistance and a softer compound on the shoulders for better grip.

The tyre is available in 13 sizes and for tyres 17”, 18” ,19” and 21” in diameter. 

Compounds :

The Anakee Adventure uses a combination of two different compounds:

• The centre compound is a hard, silica-based compound that provides good wear resistance and stability at high speeds.
• The shoulder compound is a softer, rubber-based compound that provides the grip in the corners and should be beneficial in the wet and dry. 

Grip :

Michelin 2CT Technology and Michelin 2CT+ Technology combined with the Michelin Silica means the Anakee Adventure offers good grip in both wet and dry conditions. In wet weather, the tyre’s tread pattern helps to disperse water, reducing the risk of aquaplaning. The tyre’s softer shoulder compound provides good grip in corners.  In saying that though I did feel the occasional twitch from the bike, in all weathers, nothing that was actually, properly, concerning – but no one likes a twitch.  It was never something that developed into any kind of situation but it is something I never really experienced with the Metzelers. 

Wet Weather Performance :

The Anakee Adventure does preform well in wet weather. Having tested it in Scotland, Wales and Ireland it is fair to say that my times with these tyres experienced lots of wet road use, from showers to persistent and sometimes torrential and prolonged downpours.  The tyre also maintains a good level of grip in corners, even when wet, thanks again to that aforementioned softer compound towards the tyre edges. 

Dry Weather Performance :

The Anakee Adventure also performs decently well in dry weather. The construction mentioned above keeps things sticky in the corners and provides good stability at higher speeds.

On-Road Usage :

The Anakee Adventure is primarily an on road tyre. With a 90/10 balance let’s be honest, it is a road tyre that will have a little capability if you find yourself having to go slightly off road, like a fire track, gravel lane or forestry type road. It is not going to be good for soft mud, wet grass, sand, and really I wouldn’t even bother trying it on such terrain.  If that is the surfaces you spend most, in fact any time on, you may be best looking elsewhere. For the reasonably maintained tracks, you will be fine. 

But, this is where my biggest gripe is with this tyre. It is noisy. On my ride home from getting them fitted I heard it and then heard it every time I was out for the next 10,290 miles. Even with earplugs in there is a noticeable drone. Always. All the time.  By the time the tyres had reached the end of their life I was happy to get them changed. It is also safe to say I did not replace them with another set of Anakee Adventures. 

Off-Road Capabilities :

The Anakee Adventure is not a dedicated off-road tyre, it cites a 90/10 balance. Honestly though, just take it to be a road tyre that will allow travel on the likes of an Irish L road. (Basically a local B Road that has more grass growing up the middle than tarmac on either side of it).  Or a forestry road, or light gravel track.  If your use case is more than that you really should be looking elsewhere. The tyre’s tread pattern allows for decent grip on such loose surfaces, and the tyre’s softer shoulder compound should help to prevent the tyre from folding over on sharp stones. 

Road Noise :

The Anakee Adventure is a noisy tyre.  As mentioned above, coming from the Metzeler Tourance tyre I immediately noticed the increase in noise on my way home from having them fitted. Admittedly they are much more quiet than the likes of a set of Continental TKC80s. But that should be expected. If you are a road rider, there are much better and much, much quieter options. As you can see from the photographs the tread pattern does look quite aggressive.  It has that ‘adventure bike’ look, but in gaining that look you are sacrificing a huge amount of ride and rider comfort in the noise that you will be gaining. And obviously, gaining road noise is not a good gain. 

Tyre Wear over Time :

The Anakee Adventure, can not be faulted here. I got 10,290 miles out of my set.   Compare this to the 8,304 miles I got front the previously reviewed Metzeler Tourance tyres and it equates to a 23.9% increase.  During my ownership I also got a puncture, from a massive nail in a motorway tunnel with no place to pull in and stop and a lorry on my pipe. I had to ride the bike out of tunnel, trying to keep the most ignorant and aggressive lorry driver from running over me, all of this effectively only with a front tyre.  The tyre was repaired and continued without issue until the natural end of its life. The build quality is excellent. 

Cost :

The Anakee Adventure is priced competitively. At the time of my purchase I paid £186 for the set. Currently a set of Anakee Adventures for a 2010 BMW R1200GSA costs around £250.  (For comparison my latest set – not Anakee Adventures – cost a whopping £292. What I bought is revealed very shortly. 

Overall :

The Michelin Anakee Adventure is a decent tyre choice for an ‘adventure bike’ styled machine. It looks good and gives the impression that the bike is a bit of more off road and ‘guff’ than a predominantly road ridden bike is in reality.  It offers good performance on both road and rough road type surfaces, but it is far too noisy. The tyre is certainly durable and offers good wear resistance.

The tyre has a harder makeup, even by feel, than my previous Metzelers, and this is noticeable in its handling. Whilst I never had any actual issues, the bike was a little more twitchy than on the other tyres. The cornering didn’t feel as grippy, and I didn’t have the same confidence in the tyres as I did in the Metzelers. That’s not to say the tyres are bad, but if you have got this far in this review you will notice the same word keeps popping up.  ‘Decent’. And that’s what this tyre is, ‘decent.’  It doesn’t do anything really poorly, but it also doesn’t do anything exceptionally. It’s a decent allrounder. 

Simply put if you are looking for a dual-sport tyre that is heavily balanced towards on road use there are better alternatives.

Spoiler Alert :

I have now changed from these Michelins.  From day one I was unlikely to be putting another set back on.  If you are wondering what I went for next, I have went back to Metzelers. This time I have put on a pair of Metzeler Tourance Next 2s – and my first impressions are – excellent, sticky and quiet. My initial feeling is that I am really glad to get back on the Metzelers and they will be subject to a similar long term review at the end of their use.  

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Michelin Awake Adventure Gallery :

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Check out the Official Michelin Anakee Adventure Tyre Product Page Here

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