Metzeler Karoo 3
One of the most popular Adventure bike tyres, the Karoo 3 is used by the BMW Off-Road school and is a popular choice for Adventure bike riders who like to take on the odd trail or green lane. You can run these at road pressures off-road, which saves faffing around.
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Description
The Two Tyres 1-minute guide to the Metzeler Karoo 3
What is it: One of the most popular Adventure bike tyres, the Karoo 3 was used by the BMW Off-Road school and is a popular choice for Adventure bike riders who like to take on the odd trail or green lane. You can run these at road pressures off-road, which saves faffing around. We spent a day riding on these tyres on an R1250GS – they’re not the best tyre on the road, noisy and slightly cumbersome. So if you’re a pure road rider, look at the Karoo Street. The Karoo 3 has since been superseded by the Metzeler Karoo 4
What tyre it replaces: The Karoo 3 was an all-new tyre when introduced in 2015 to replace the MCE Karoo Enduro range. The Karoo 3 is still being produced but has now been replaced by the Karoo 4
Who is it aimed at: For the Adventure bike rider who looks for any excuse to get off-road. These will get you there on the road but aren’t the best choice if you’re a pure tarmac rider. However off-road they’ll get you almost anywhere.
Typically seen on: Any Adventure bike that’s going to get taken off-road. We’ve fitted them to the Yamaha Tenere 700, BMW R1200GS and the Moto Guzzi V85TT.
Karoo 3 highlights: Mud & Snow rated. 30% more mileage than the previous MCE Karoo. Strong carcass provides stability at speed, even when fully loaded.
Karoo 3 sizes: 19″ and 21″ fronts and 17″ and 18″ rears, which means they’ll fit on pretty much any Adventure or Enduro bike.
A more road-focused option: If trailblazing isn’t your thing then check out the Karoo Street which still has the off-road looks but slightly better road manners.
A more extreme option: If you’re going to be spending the majority of your time off -road, check out the Metzeler Enduro 3 Sahara.
The competition: Some good alternatives include the Continental TKC70 + TKC70 Rocks rear, the Anlas Capra X, the Heidenau K60 and the Dunlop Trailmax Mission.
Metzeler says:
The Metzeler Karoo 3 is an On and Off-Road tyre offering riders:
- Cutting edge tread design lends itself towards improved performance.
- Higher mileage yield than its predecessor.
- Improved off-road traction and handling.
- M + S RATED (Mud and Snow), a legal requirement in some countries for use during winter months.
- All sizes tubeless type.
The best companion for your off-road adventures. The Enduro on/off tire for your adventures far and away. A versatile product featuring rally-raid off-road traction and high speed stability with excellent mileage even fully loaded
Adventure mileage
The latest generation of polymers blended in the compound lend a remarkable resistance to abrasion and knob tearing.
KAROO™ 3 has a great effective mileage in this segment and provides the 30% more durability than its predecessor MCE KAROO™ and MCE KAROO™(T).
Off-road traction and power
The exclusive V-shaped layout of blocks with composite orientation of working edges and the variable spacing between knobs, provides excellent off-road traction in different conditions, especially those found in the long-distance rally raids on sandy, clayey and hard-packed paths.
High speed stability
The big size of the blocks of the tread pattern and their coupling with a stiff carcass, lends perfect stability at high speeds, even when fully loaded with luggage and passenger, when reaching the next stage of the adventure on paved or hard packed-roads.
Tyre Sizes
Front
110/80 – 19 M/C 59R M+S TL
120/70 R 19 M/C 60T M+S TL
90/90 – 21 M/C 54R M+S TL
90/90 – 21 M/C 54S M+S TL
Rear
130/80 – 17 M/C 65R M+S TL
140/80 – 17 M/C 69R M+S TL
150/70 – 17 M/C 69R M+S TL
170/60 R 17 M/C 72T M+S TL
140/80 – 18 M/C 70R M+S TL
150/70 – 18 M/C 70R M+S TL
Press Reviews
“Overall, we were pleased with the capabilities of the Karoo 3. Off-road performance was close to the TKC 80 and its on-road performance and tire wear was a step ahead. It surpassed the Heidenau K60 Scout in both on and off-road performance but was not quite a match for the Heidenau’s exceptional tire wear.
During our testing, the Karoo 3 was able to handle any terrain we threw at it. And when pushed beyond its limits, slides were predictable with no surprises. The Karoo 3 is an excellent choice for those that like to go fast on twisty asphalt but still want confident traction on rough off-road terrain.” ADVPulse
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“It takes ten metres to show the tyres are foolish. They’re dual-purpose, but lean towards trails. Steering is cumbersome, the Tiger wanders in fast turns, and there’s the tyre roar of a speeding JCB. In the wet it’s scary and our VBOX datalogger shows reduced front grip and subsequent ABS action add four metres to the stopping distances (up to 56m).
But the Karoo wins me over. First, you soon acclimatise to the steering. Second, the subtle mid-corner stray and eager TC lamp make great grip markers. And thirdly the tall 800 now feel’s the proper explorers tool. I might not be heading to exotic climes, but now the 800XCx makes me feel like I could. Isn’t that the point?”- Bike Magazine’s Mike Armitage
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“The Karoo 3 opens the door to adventures beyond what street-oriented enduro tires can deliver, while only slightly compromising on-road performance. It’s a good pair of hiking shoes that are still comfortable around town. Just don’t plan to go sprinting.” Rider Magazine
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“The portion of the route that was left to complete consisted of 50-percent highway and 50-percent direct with a total of approximately 1000 miles on our out-and-back loop. The ride quality of the Karoo 3 was immediately noticeable when we jumped on the highway towards the first dirt sections. The tyre was extremely quiet, especially compared to the Heidenau Scouts and Kenda Big Blocks that had previously been used on the Terra. Even the open-block design of the tyre provided much better traction in paved corners than the other tyres. We never felt the tyre squirm when leaned over with a full load of gear on board. Very impressive considering this tyre is expected to perform double duty. Once we hit the dirt portion of our adventure, we were a little concerned that the tyre could handle the varying conditions. Most dual-purpose tyres that work on pavement really suffer in the dirt. The rear hooked up well on the loose forestry roads, seeming to hunt for traction whether it was hardpack, loose dirt or rocky. Equally impressive was the rear tyre’s ability to drive forward in sandy conditions. The front tyre had a tendency to push before grip, and the dirt performance was better than the Heidenau, though sketchier than the Kenda.
As a multi-condition adventure tyre, the Karoo 3 gives up performance in certain areas. The front tyre really suffers in soft sand. It struggles to keep a straight line as it tucks and dives looking for a solid surface. Compared to a true adventure full knobbly, the Karoo 3s perform at about 50 percent in the dirt. Don’t expect these tyres to last as long as more pavement-biased tyres.
If you’re in the market for a new set of adventure tyres, we’d highly recommend the Metzeler Karoo 3. Apart from desert sand washes, these tyres performed outstandingly. After 1000 miles of 50-50 dirt/pavement, wear is minimal. Mounted on the Terra 650, we expect to get 3 – 4000 miles out of the rear and 5 – 6000 from the front.
If you’re not expecting pure knobbly performance in the dirt, we think you’ll be very happy.” Dirt Bike Magazine
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