Looking for a DOT knobby

[MacWildcat]

Been looking for a cost effective DOT knobby. I'm not looking forward to spending $90 for a tire.

I found a killer deal on this Dunlop KTM OEM tire on EBay - $50 including shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KTM-400- ... 41496c8848

Has anyone had experience with the Dunlop 907? I bought one of these tires last fall, figure if I get 500 miles out of it, it's worth it.

The price of tires are ridiculous right now... and I'm needing to buy three!

I'm also looking at the Shinko 700 series rear tire. Not as aggressive, but the reviews are good.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Tire.aspx

I discovered the Maxxis Maxcross IT has a DOT designation. I ran it last year on my KLX400 and was impressed with the wear.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Tire.aspx

Anyone other suggestions let me know.

[katbeanz]

Not exactly a glowing review on mcsuperstore, the only one too.. .

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Tire.aspx


"David Canby, OR Dunlop D907 Ran the tire on a 250 mile dualsport ride with 80% dirt and the tire was destroyed after the first 130 miles. Will never buy this tire again."

I tried an excella, about 300 miles of AR and it was gone, next an IRC VE33, not DOT, really tall knobs and a soft compound, never had so many flats with the same tire. It was like a magnet for anything that would make a puncture.
The last 606 I bought from Letko, price was virtually the same as americanmototire.

[MacWildcat]

Yea, I saw that review of the Dunlop 907. Didn't know how much credibility to give a single review. The 907 was used as the OEM tire on KTM and Huskys.

But then again.... Suzuki routinely put Deathwings on their bikes from the factory.

I'm leaning towards the Maxxiss Maxcross IT. Has held up pretty good on the KLX400. I'll probably go one size wider to slow down the wear a little.

I still have a brand new Maxxiss 6006 120-80/18 DS tire for sale cheap. One heck of a good DS tire, don't think it's available anymore. I bought this for my KLX and decided it was too narrow and short for my purposes. The size is better suited for the 200-300cc bikes.

I really like the Pirelli MT-21 and Dunlop 606, just not willing to pay $90 for a tire.

[Savage]

Larry do you already have the 907 in your 1st link? Or are you thinking of buying it? Dang good price unless it doesn't last. I think I've bought all my tires from bikebandit. I'm happy with my 606 but I'd like to try something different next time just to try. (don't know if I will though) Have you tried the Trakmaster II?

[Stu]

You get what you pay for. My Dunlop 606s on my 525 KTM with my incautious throttle hand have held up the best of any tire I've put back there. Good grip in off road stuff as well. As a compromse DS tire on a bike that destroys knobbies it has done very well indeed. It has outlasted by a bunch the cheaper tires I have tried.
Letko has a good price on them.
Stu

[Savage]

How much for the 6006?
I've heard some guys really like the 908rr but it's too expensive for me to give it a try.
How much is the 606 at Letko?
What are you running on the front Stu?

[ricknmo]

I picked up a front and rear Dunlop 606 at Letko and they were about $80/tire.

[Hank Moody]

I really like the 606s and they a strong side wall so if you do flat you won't destroy the tire. They hold up well too. I can get almost an entire season out of one rear, but it depends on the amount of riding I do of course.

Just a word to the wise here. If you have a shop mount your tire you MUST check the pressure. I bought my last 606 from Letko and had them mount it. I didn't check it after picking it up and MoRiding happen to be checking his and he checked mine. I think there was 50 + psi in my rear tire! No wonder it didn't do well in the sand

Like my Dad told me always count your change no matter how dumb or smart the cashier looks. Always check your tire pressure no matter how good or bad the dealership is, even the best ones mess up from time to time.

[Savage]

That's a good price if they're close to you. I bet it would be over $100 at one of the shops here. There USE to be a good MC shop here. He would welcome any and all biz. Now they won't touch your tire unless you buy from them and then they still charge you to get them mounted. They bend you over twice per tire. It taught me how to mount tires though.

Seems most of you on here like the 606. I don't have any dual sport complaints with it, but it slides out easily on the trails. I'm just wondering if there is another tire worth trying next go around. It does hold up pretty good to road riding though.

[troy]

There is no end to tire discussions. The D606 is a really safe bet and holds up well. I keep trying other tires and coming back to the D606.

I figure rather than nick-pickin' about what tires I use I should focus on actually learning how to ride my motorcycle! One thing I can tell you is this: I've never come back from a ride and said, "I would have enjoyed that riding experience if only I'd had a different tire."

[Hayden]

Troy Wrote : I've never come back from a ride and said, "I would have enjoyed that riding experience if only I'd had a different tire."


You will some day Troy. Trust me. I didnt think I would ever say that either but I do feel the difference in tires now. You cant go wrong with the 606 or the MT21 From Pirelli. One Tire I would absolutly stay away from is the Pirelli Scorpion XC Heavy Duty. Mid Hard is what I had with a DOT rating. It was horrible. It looked good and lasted ok but it was a HUGH pain to spoon on and take off. I busted all the metal cords in the beed when taking it off with a spoon. It was just so stiff.....never again. They really didnt hook up like I wanted and did not inspire confidence at all on the trail. Too hard I think. This last fall in AR during very wet conditions, they ended up being down right dangerous. I hated them.

The Tire I will rave about though is one that Sean turned me on to last year. The Kenda K771 Millville. I love this tire and although not a Dot rating, it is the most confidence inspiring tire I have rode yet. I like it better than the MT21 or the 606. It hooks up great and I can lean into corners and exit like I really want to. I had this on in Colorado last year while following sean down mountain single track trials. Although I couldnt keep up with his pace I wasnt to far behind and I could push the bike harder than I was capable of riding it. After I took them off, it was no where near the same. I had spooned on the Scorpions that same week and I now found myself farther back in the pack and could not push as hard as I wanted. I made the decision right there and then, the Millville is the only thing going on the back of my 450 from now on.
Had the Millville on in Moab last year too and it was the same feeling. I pushed hard in the sand and rock out there just like in CO and never missed a beat.

Someone mentioned the Maxxis 6006. I have run 2 sets of these. One set touring and one set in moab. They are pretty soft and will wear quickly although give good grip on the hwy and in rainy conditions. They are a 50/50 tire if you ask me and will leave you looking for traction in full off road conditions.

Like I said the 606 and the MT21 are good standbys and have never had a problem with them. I do like to leave these tires for the 650cc range of bikes. Big stiff lugs and wear is pretty decent. Anymore though for the 450, I like the off road tires better than the DOT tires. They just hook up better and dont slide around like the harder DOT tires.

Hayden

[Hayden]

Savage.

I reread your last post. If your not happy with the 606 give the Millville a try. If you look at a 606 it has a very round profile for cornering on the street. The Millville is more squared off on the edges and have HUGH lugs out there on the sides with lots of space between them. I feel this is the reason that I can corner so well off road with them. The Millville is much more V shaped than the C shaped profile like the 606 if you get what I mean. I think you will notice the difference if you try one.

Hayden

[Savage]

Have you ever ran the TM2 to compare to the Millville? I'm guessing they give the same amount of offroad traction - great. I ran it before tryin the 606 because I knew all Kenda tires I've tried so far were soft and I'd go thru it fast and then could try the 606. One time a guy was following me on asphalt and I got on it and he said he could see my tire balloon up and I was just skimming on the center knobs. I don't have any complaints with the tire but it did wear fast for me.

I know what you mean about the rounder profile of the 606 and I can feel it on the trails. I do like how hard the 606 is. I think I could get a flat and keep on riding until I got home.

I may stick with the 606 again this year because I don't plan on taking the drz through any tough trails with my weaker knee. If I want to hit SCreek I'll take the klx. It's lighter and has dunlop 756's.

(I really like tires, even for my nitro r/c's)

[MacWildcat]

I think I'll probably save the Dunlop 907 I got ridiculous cheap for the KTM when I'll be riding mostly trail. It looks like a tire that won't hold up well to the weight of the KLX400 or pavement use.

I tried the Pirelli XC-MH standard duty duty tire. I think being the standard duty tire it wasn't as hard to mount. It's actually on the KTM at the moment, I put it on to get through the DMV ordeal last summer. At least 50% gone so the tire spins instead of hooking up.

I think since I had good luck with Maxxiss Maxcross IT, I'll give it a go again. I really love the Pirelli MT-21 but I can just about get both tires for the cost of a MT-21 right now.

When I had a DR650, I tried a Metzler Karoo. Not quite as aggressive as a 606 or Mt-21. Great part was the stiff sidewalls. I followed Luc (attempted to follow Luc!) for 30 miles of gravel roads. Found out when I got home the tire was flat!

Someone asked about the Kenda Trakmaster? Tried one of these once, never again. Really flat profile, noisy enough you need ear plugs, and they buzz so bad at high speed your butt goes numb.

Troy Wrote : I've never come back from a ride and said, "I would have enjoyed that riding experience if only I'd had a different tire."

Troy here is my ruined ride/tire: Kenda 270, mid July, 70 miles from nowhere. Some folks love the Kenda 270... granted it gives you a smooth ride on pavement. Better have your life insurance paid up though. Get a flat with this tire at highway speed and you'll have butt pucker twitches for a week! Such flimsy tire when it goes flat the back tire will try to pass the front tire.

[safiri]

What Hayden said!

Size (Width/Aspect Ratio) Matters: I was of the misguided opinion that a larger tire (140, 150 width) was better. Wrong. For off-road on a 400/450, the smaller tires (110, 120 width; 90, 100 aspect ratio, but not /80!) do much better and last fine. Less mass to accelerate, less rotational inertia/momentum/stability, less width so sharper profile.

• - That sharper profile digs in better.
  - Less mass so you can accelerate faster (the engine has to bring the wheel/tire up to rotational speed, as well as the bike+rider up to translational speed),
  - Less mass so less gyroscopic stability, so you can lean/turn the bike easier
  - Less "unsprung" weight so the rear suspension can do its job better (accelerate up/down faster to absorb the hits)

I ran a Pirelli MX-Extra (non DOT) in CO and was happy with it. But I am not Hayden! Swapped back to a D606 in the middle of Moab last spring. It worked fine, too. But I put on a 120, not a 150!

As to the D908RR: Rounded like the D606, but less hookup. Lasts longer, though. I wouldn't buy the front again, but rather a D606 or similar. I used one on my 400 LC4 for a CO off-road ride. Too much tire (too large, too heavy) for that bike's power and weight. Not a lot of hookup when leaned over, but it is a very wide tire.

[safiri]

Someone mentioned the Maxxis 6006. I have run 2 sets of these. One set touring and one set in moab. They are pretty soft and will wear quickly although give good grip on the hwy and in rainy conditions. They are a 50/50 tire if you ask me and will leave you looking for traction in full off road conditions.

I am pretty sure he is referring to the trip he and I took our F650 Dakars to Moab. At the time very few knobbies existed for a 17" rear wheel. We took the Dakars places much better suited to a bike 100 lbs lighter. The tires did ok.

Like I said the 606 and the MT21 are good standbys and have never had a problem with them. I do like to leave these tires for the 650cc range of bikes. Big stiff lugs and wear is pretty decent. Anymore though for the 450, I like the off road tires better than the DOT tires. They just hook up better and dont slide around like the harder DOT tires.
Hayden

Which brings me to the original question posted by Mac.

Mac: Why do you want a "DOT" knobby?
(I was hung up on that for a few years, but then gave it up with my RFS.)

[MacWildcat]

Might help to clarify I'm looking for tires for the KLX400 that can hold up to lots of gravel road miles each year. Not willing to pay $90 for a tire that is wore out in one weekend. Inevitably, I end up in situations though that require a knobby.

If anyone has a line on a good non-DOT knobby that has good longevity and reasonable price, I'm fine with it.... I don't need to have DOT.

IF I was looking for tires for the 400 exc, longevity would be 2nd seat to performance.

The Maxxiss Maxcross IT is sold as a dirt-only tire. I only discovered by accident it had a DOT designation stamped on it. 120/100-18 (150! probably feels slow because it takes some time to burn the side knobs off the swing arm and guards)

[Savage]

So I guess the question is, What tire lasts the longest on pavement and still works good in the dirt, dot or nondot? No such tire I guess? lol

Seems alot of ppl online like the mt21's and 606's. The 21's just don't look very aggressive and for some reason look like they'd wear out fast. No?

I heard someone say they'd rather have a tire that hooks up good and wears out fast, instead of one that hooks up so so (like the 606) and lasts a long time. Makes alot of sense.

[katbeanz]

If anyone has a line on a good non-DOT knobby that has good longevity and reasonable price, I'm fine with it.... I don't need to have DOT.

The Maxxiss Maxcross IT is sold as a dirt-only tire. I only discovered by accident it had a DOT designation stamped on it. 120/100-18 (150! probably feels slow because it takes some time to burn the side knobs off the swing arm and guards)

That's another deal with the 908, they only come in 140 width but last a long time. Jim L of Letko told me he gets 3500 miles out of one on his LC4 620? I've been using them on the back of my XRL, but the 610 still gets a 606.
If you're not hung up on DOT take a look at the equivalent rear tire of a bridgestone ED77. That's what I've been using on the front, nice heavy sidewall and not too spendy and durable.

EDIT, ED78, i think neduro told my buddy hayduke about them, BigDog had mentioined the 77's a couple years ago.

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/produ ... milyId=286

[Hayden]

Sorry Savage. I have not tried the TM2. The only tires I have run over the years is the 6006, 606, MT21 and the Millville.


Hayden