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I'm the new guy here, soon to be owner of an older XR600 that I'm buying with the intention of seeing how much I like this Dual-Sport stuff and perhaps upgrading in the near future if it fits.

I do have a question now though, which has probably been answered already, though I couldn't find it when I searched. The XR I'm looking at has DOT knobbies on it, and rides a little rough for commuting/general purpose status, although probably perfect for heavy OHV stuff. However, I'm looking to do quite a bit of on-street riding as well.

I've heard good things about Conti's, and bad things about Stones. Who makes a good 50/50 tire that will get decent mileage on combined street/hard pack/gravel/very seldom if ever ohv use?

Ian

This question comes up quite a bit. Since most of us on this forum belong to other forums the question hasn't been addressed here. There is no good answer, and lots of opinion concerning brands.

Short answer: There is no tire that does both off-road and on-road well. All are a tradeoff. I don't believe that there is a tire that is 50/50 if you are running the gamut from pavement to OHV trails.

For me, tires are considered in these categories, from street to off-road:
- pavement
- gravel
- sand
- trail / OHV / off-road
As you move down the list you need more of a knobby.

Note: A knobby will work on the pavement, but a street tire won't work (very well) as you move down the list. Thus, I adjust my choice down a category when choosing a tire.

Here is a good source for tires (they get all of my business), with pictures: http://arizonamoto.com/Merchant2/mercha ... Code=DualP

I have had good luck running Pirelli MT21 and Dunlop D606 knobbies on pavement. They don't last long, but they are knobbies. They are both very similar.

Dunlop has a "Rally Raid" tire out that is meant for long distance events, such as the Dakar. I think a front MT21 or D606, along with a rear RallyRaid 908, is what I am going to go to once this set of MT21s wears out.

TKC 80s are said to be a great pavement / gravel tire that does ok off-road. The price keeps me from trying them.

The KTM 640 Adventure comes with Pirelli Scorpion AT. Also made is a Scorpion S/T that is less gravel / more pavement oriented. I run Scorp ATs on my F650 as a daily cummuter (40 mile RT), as I do occasionally get into gravel when out for fun. I trade gravel rideability for lifespan.

There goes the neighorhood

Well, I figured there's only one way to get faster than you on the BTT, and that's mimic your every move. So I bought a Dual Sport.

Ian

I vote for the Dunlop D606. Yes it is a knobby, but the knobs are hard and large--it wears long. On my KLR650, I had stock dualsport tires "50/50". I found they were hard to ride dirt or even gravel road corners. When I put the D606 knobbies on, I noticed a huge improvement off-pavement, and not a big difference on pavement.

Like Safiri said, buy a tire class more aggressive than you think you need.

That's my opinion. Tires are definitely something people disagree on. So I agree to disagree.

Troy, just wanted to say Thanks for putting the Plattsburg route together. I think I had a dozen guys following me after the Holt deal. I was a little nervous leading and made a couple mistakes but recovered.
Nobody complained about being bored.
Thanks to you and Mike for answering my gps questions, I put what you guys taught me to good use.

if you dont run Stones I 'm telling!!!!

Seriously, I have some notes on what tires I am spooning on the DRZ after the Terrorflex dies its inevitable asphalt induced death. It revolves around Pirelli, Maxxis and maybe that Dunny mentioned above. Sadly, no dual sport tires on the TB list.

As to the BTT, you should aspire to Dean's lap time, not mine. That guy is nails on that little bike whatever the hell it is (refresh my memory)...

katbeanz wrote:Troy, just wanted to say Thanks for putting the Plattsburg route together. I think I had a dozen guys following me after the Holt deal. I was a little nervous leading and made a couple mistakes but recovered.
Nobody complained about being bored.
Thanks to you and Mike for answering my gps questions, I put what you guys taught me to good use.

Glad you had a good time! That's a big group! I was very bummed about not being able to ride today.

yea we missed ya...

tim wrote:yea we missed ya...

Tim, which bike were you on? Sorry I didn't make the connection.

katbeanz wrote:Troy, just wanted to say Thanks for putting the Plattsburg route together. I think I had a dozen guys following me after the Holt deal. I was a little nervous leading and made a couple mistakes but recovered.
Nobody complained about being bored.
Thanks to you and Mike for answering my gps questions, I put what you guys taught me to good use.

Nothing boring to me about 80mph (indicated) on gravel!
And by the way, I headed the wrong direction on 92! But I still made it home OK.

We had a rider from Lawrence on a red KLR of all things! Glad to have "The Harm".

katbeanz wrote:Troy, just wanted to say Thanks for putting the Plattsburg route together. I think I had a dozen guys following me after the Holt deal. I was a little nervous leading and made a couple mistakes but recovered.
Nobody complained about being bored.
Thanks to you and Mike for answering my gps questions, I put what you guys taught me to good use.

And this was some great thread Hi-Jacking!

troy wrote:I vote for the Dunlop D606. Yes it is a knobby, but the knobs are hard and large--it wears long. On my KLR650, I had stock dualsport tires "50/50". I found they were hard to ride dirt or even gravel road corners. When I put the D606 knobbies on, I noticed a huge improvement off-pavement, and not a big difference on pavement.

Like Safiri said, buy a tire class more aggressive than you think you need.

That's my opinion. Tires are definitely something people disagree on. So I agree to disagree.

The Pirelli MT21 is dang near indistinguishable from the Dunlop D606. I have run whichever was available or cheaper.

If you decide to go this route, I would encourage spending some extra $ and get a Dunlop Rally Raid for the rear. Use a 606 or MT21 up front. Lots of good info on the Dunlop RR at http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=152976 You may have to register, but it is free.

The RR should last a lot longer on pavement, and be smoother too due to its larger center blocks. I believe these are still cheaper than TKC 80s, and better off pavement.

I like my D606's but mine make a lot of noise on pavement, which I suppose is normal for any knobby.

BigO wrote:I like my D606's but mine make a lot of noise on pavement, which I suppose is normal for any knobby.

Somebody riding an XR600 on pavement should not be concerned with tire noise.

Tim,

Dean rides the DR-Z125, or the TT-R125 usually. But I'm assuming you're talking about the TT-R90. The fast one.

Well, I pick up the bike this Saturday, so perhaps the weekend after HPT I can get in on a ride or three.

Ian

Last summer I tried a Metzler Karoo, a little less aggressive than the 606 or MT21. The Karoo was designed for the large displacement, heavier dualsports. It worked pretty good with just a little less bite than the Dunlop and Pirelli. What I noticed immediately about the Karoo was the heavy carcass, real important for the 600 lbs Beemers. They all cost about the same, just expect lower miles on a big thumper. I got about 2,000 miles out of the Karoo on my DR650. I back to a trusty MT21, just can't stay away from this tire.

carlrf wrote:

tim wrote:yea we missed ya...

Tim, which bike were you on? Sorry I didn't make the connection.

Blue DRZ

The Dunlop Rally Raids D908RR are very cool, front and rear. They are a little harder compound than the Dunlop 606 or Pirelli MT-21, so they wear better and bite harder at speed. If you ride maybe 50% pavement (I pity you if you do) think about the Continental TKC-80's. But, hey, they are all good tires, I say try them all, wear 'em out, try some more.

http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tirecat ... .asp?id=96