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Aaron H. (mount angel, OR)
2009 KLR 650 likey
First off, made in Brazil. These have a very stiff carcass which makes mounting the rear very difficult (for me anyway), but probably equates to a sturdy tire. My KLR hooks up and tracks very well on shallow to deep gravel, much better than the stock 750's. They seem plenty stable on pavement. They didn't slip on their 65 mile maiden voyage of 50/50 street/ gravel. I can't attest to their durability, but don't expect to get over 3k miles out of them and you won't be disappointed.
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Arthur V (Westcliffe, CO)
Metzler Karoo
Friends: I am about to mount my second set of Metzler Karoo tires on my 2008 BMW R1200 GSA. The tires seem dangerous on dry pavement for the first 200 miles until the knobs wear in a little bit. After the break in, the tire handles well at steady speeds of 70-80mph and feels stable in high speed turns.
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Jared B. (Oshoto, WY)
Metzler Karoo
This tire is SOFT! I ride a KTM 950 SE and it is known to eat rear tires alive, but after about 600 miles with 70% dirt- 30% tarmac mix, the center lugs are pretty well haggard. I am impressed with the Motorcycle Superstore's service etc.. but I cannot afford to put another tire like this on my bike.
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badargs (waipahu, HI)
So far so good.. more or less.
Mine came with my GS adventure. I was surprised at how well they did off road and how stable they are on road. They vibrate and are noisy, which is macho I suppose. Been on them for 1300 miles and by the looks of it, be lucky to get to 2600 with the rear. Center is flattening quickly. Front has barely any wear, but, seems to be misshapen. Had it balanced, still makes a pulsing noise rather than solid whirr of knobs. Really climbs around off road. Bike really gets up and goes in soft sand and sticks to mud. Had Avon Am24s on my KLR and tourance on my f650. They were useless. Knobbies are the only way to do single track on anything other than slick rock, and they're fine for slick rock as well. Was planning on going to TKC80 for next set, due to the rapid wear on the karoos, but may stick with a set of karoos instead.
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Gary (Lakeville, IN)
What I expected
For an aggressive Dual Sport tire the Metzler MCE does a good job in most venues. On Road it is noisy as it is a full knob! It grips well on dry pavement, slips a little in the wet. It grips wet pavement better than others I've used on my smaller machine (XR 650L Honda). Wear could be better. I made it about 2800 miles with about a 50/50 mix of pavement and off pavement with a fully loaded (bagged) KTM 990 Adv on a trip.
Good traction off road with better control in mud than I expected with a 650# machine
Priced reasonable enough I'm keeping a set "in stock" for some of my more "adventuresome" rides. I guess really I got a little more than I expected!
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mike (franklin, NC)
karoo
karoos on the klr are awesome. commuting 25 miles one way on mostly 2 lane roads. handling in wet or dry is great. getting great wear. better than irc, or maxxis. ive tried both. the karoos are better on and off the road. love these tires and will definitely buy again.
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Allyn (Tucson, AZ)
Metzeler MCE Karoo 2 Rear Tire
Haven't had it on the bike long (Suzuki DR 350). As with all the Metzeler tires I have purchased in the past, this one lives up to my expectations. Have taken it on and off road. For a full knob it isn't too buzzy on the street, fairly good hook up an the rock and sand we ride in AZ. This sort of terrain is hard on tires and I can usually tell after the first ride whether it is going to hold up or not. It probably isn't a great mud tire. As with most dual sport items (including the bikes themselves)they don't do any one thing great but as an all around tire it is much better than others I have tried.
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edgar m (murrieta, CA)
noise
The tire does the job in sand and hard terrain but becomes very noisy on the road above 30 mph. The bike is a lot lighter and unstable in the street than with the tourance tires, which are 70/30.
