First Stage Of Her Round-The-World Tour
Sonia Barbosa is one of those entrepreneurs, tireless, and above all, fighters women.Neither her 1’52 height, nor her lack of balance (she had never even ridden a bicycle before taking the bike) were an impediment to become one of those adventurers who travel the world with her motorcycle. Now, Sonia is dedicated to telling motorcycle travel enthusiasts all her “little stories” with her BMW F 650 GS.
To date she has published five books, and the sixth is on the way. This last one, entitled “The girl who was in a hurry to see the world”, will tell the story of Sonia’s experience of making the first stage of her round-the-world motorcycle trip in the middle of a pandemic.The adventurer, who started in Europe, left Spain on May 31 and finished in Vladivostok on July 8. In total there were 39 days of travel, 34 on a motorcycle, and more than 10,000 miles covering countries such as Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. All this with his BMW and our TKC 70 and TKC 70 Rocks. Although not all riders achieve the same durability with their tires, as it will always depend on the riding, the machine and the type of terrain, Sonia tells us today an example of what it means to ride with the adventurous tires par excellence.
“Top score for the TKC 70 Rocks”.
If Phileas Fogg had raised his head and could have witnessed the trip I made just two months ago for 39 days linking the Cantabrian Sea and the Sea of Japan with my BMW F 650 GS which many already know as “Trailera” and which I shod with Continental TKC 70 and TKC 70 Rocks, he would surely have given his tour of the world on two wheels. After riding 34 days with these tires and crossing Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and the imposing Trans-Siberian highway in the monumental Russian Federation, I can assure you that the result could be described as “excellent”. Without a doubt, its longevity is more than proven.
It is a rear radial tire designed to be combined with a standard TKC 70 on the front axle. Of the latter I can say that I already tested them for almost 7,500 miles in 2017 on my trip up to Alaska and, since then, I have continued with the same line. Nothing to be surprised since, when we are comfortable with something, why risk changing?
On the broken asphalt of the Ukrainian roads, they certainly responded much better than the TKC 80s as they are more road oriented and positioned between the TKCs and the TKC 70. I did not notice much difference in noise compared to wearing the TKC 70 on both tires or wearing the TKC 70 Rocks on the rear. No strangers and maximum safety.
Related
Undoubtedly, the biggest test for the ‘shoes’ of my BMW was crossing the Russian Federation since every day was an adventure in which, personally, I think that, on many occasions, it was not driving as much as dodging potholes. There was no asphalt in many sections of the Trans-Siberian and the Rocks brought out their qualities. With more lug and tread depth than the TKC 70s, off-road riding with them was a real experience. And if we add to this the fact that I had mistakenly ridden on tracks for 4 hours, with the bike loaded to the brim and with more than 90ºF, the thrill was guaranteed.
The Raingrip, which generates better wet grip and increased mileage, has been tested to the extreme. On rainy days, the dirt mixed with the water, turning the road into a real muddy mess, but the Rocks, with a rider who was gaining experience on this type of terrain as she went along, responded surprisingly well.
It has been more than half a lap around the world on these tires, riding on different surfaces and in different weather conditions reaching more than 10,000 miles when I arrived in Vladivostok. Already at the limit for some time, I managed to stretch them as much as I could and, in no case, despite no longer retaining the initial qualities (something easily understandable), they did not make any unusual movements.
I give top score to the TKC 70 Rocks. These tires from the German brand are more than recommended for any rider who decides to leave the asphalt and go off-road. Its Multigrip technology or, what is the same, greater resistance to wear in the central part to withstand kilometers and not wear out quickly, has been key in achieving this mileage.
Undoubtedly, highly recommended for all those who have not yet decided on a brand of tires and, those who already enjoy them, will continue to do so to infinity and beyond. Surely Phileas, after reading this article, would have it very clear. I hope you would too.
Related
