DOT dirt tires | GTAMotorcycle.com

DOT dirt tires

doozerdave

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What are you guys using for street legal dirt tires?

I ride almost 100% dirt but still want to be legal on the road. I currently have Metzeler six days oem tires on my bike. They don't seem to be nearly as good as the Bridgestone M203/204 tires were in the sand at Ganny. I've done a bit of research and I'm thinking Dunlop 606 rear with 908 front might be a good combo.
 
Kenda trakmasters, although my next front is a dunlop, I think.

Some guys like the moto z tractionators.

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Are you guys using the Kendas mainly because of price or are they actually really good? Or are they just good for the price?

The Bridgestone M203/M204 set that I had on the YZ250F was only $160 for the set (bought from the US when our dollar was good). After 3 seasons the front was still in excellent shape, and the rear was close to done. The rear only started chunking in the last season.
 
For me they are good for the price.

They do what they're supposed to and get me through or over most obstacles, but because they are on a dual sport that is ridden to the trails they mostly get worn on the road anyway.

I got about 4000 km from my last trakmaster.

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Mike, what Dunlop are you considering for your next front?
 
Mike, what Dunlop are you considering for your next front?

Sorry, I was wrong... it is a Michelin T63 that is sitting in my workshop awaiting installation.

I think I bought it because it was cheap, good reviews, and I wanted to try something different from a trakmaster which was on backorder anyway.

bodyparts-michelin-motorcycle-tires-dual-sport-t63.jpg
 
I've used the following on my 530:
1- Metzler six days: good on dirt and clears mud well, decent side bite up front and back. Not great on dry sand - overpriced !
2- MotoZ Tractionator I/T (intermediate terrain): noisiest tire on street I've ever experienced. Closest sizes are 100/80 front and 130/80 rear, they're plenty wide enough but the rear tire has a massive overall diameter. Great all-round tire that lasts very well despite some chunking from fast pavement riding. Good in sand, great on gravel, very good mud clearing and side bite out back, decent for that up front but not stellar - the S/T version is supposed to be the cat's meow, even better than the I/T
3- Pirelli MT21 - liked the front, hated the back. Doesn't bite hard enough into anything out back but very stable and good on pavement and lasts a decent amount of time. Knobbies round off from riding pavement, they don't chunk apart. I won't buy them again, there are plenty of other tires that are better off road
4- Pirelli XCMH (MH is their mid-hard): this is close to an MX tire that Pirelli gets while being DOT. Fantastic out back, pretty good up front but stability on pavement sucks up front, the tire wanders around but once you get used to it, it's no big deal at all. I'd buy these again - they're very very good

So for the four tire types above, all were DOT, 90/90 up front and 140/80 out back with the exception of the MotoZ. The Pirelli XCMH rear looks the narrowest but I don't care what it looks like.
Other tires I've thought about/considered for the future:
1- Dunlop 908 front with the 606 rear mostly because the rear 908 is bloody expensive as hell though I've been told they last forever.
2- MotoZ Tractionator S/T
3- Michelin S12 (non-DOT tire) or their DOT equivalent which I think is called the AC10
 
Nice, thanks for that Alon!

I've heard that people like the D606 rear paired with a MT21 front. I'm leaning towards D606 rear with D908 front. The 908 rear looks like it's more road oriented by the tread pattern. Doesn't look like it would have a whole lot of bite in the middle.

As for sizes, I think it's stupid that KTM has a 140/80 on the rear. It just seems like overkill. According to the manual, the 450 comes with a 110! I would like to play with smaller rear tires to slightly drop the back end since I'm only about 5'10".
 
Which 450 comes with a 110 rear? Perhaps the MX bike but that's got a 19" rear. I just assume that KTM knows what they're doing almost all the time and the only time I've seen or heard of people running a narrower rear is if their favourite tire is not available in a 140/80 or for the reason you've stated perhaps.
 
450 XC-F has a 110/100-18 with pivot suspension. 450 XC-W has a 140/80-18 with PDS suspension. Maybe I won't mess with sizes too much. I'm going to shave my seat first. Tire sizes only make a few millimeters difference anyway.
 
Awesome tutorial, thanks! I've already looked at the seat concepts low seat, and in fact it is my backup plan in case I totally f it up. LOL...
 
I love mine - it's got a very grippy top surface and has held up really well.
 
Some guys like the moto z tractionators.

^ terribly loud on tarmac but amazing on any off-road terrain. Traction is so good I had to learn to ease off the throttle in almost any slippery occasion as I was wheeling and crashing in 2ft deep puddles, up muddy hills and other otherwise poor traction spots.... These things just grip.
 
Dee, which tractionators did you end up getting, the S/T, I/T or H/T?
 
subscribed. A firm trade deal I've lined up has a Husky TE250 arriving in my garage shortly. It's got full-on knobbies, so I'll need to replace. Thanks for the info so far.
 
subscribed. A firm trade deal I've lined up has a Husky TE250 arriving in my garage shortly. It's got full-on knobbies, so I'll need to replace. Thanks for the info so far.

Nice! Street legal TE250?
 

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