What tires are you running?

At the risk of starting a civil war, I am asking what kind and model of tires you are using on your dual purpose machine.  At least I didn't ask about the type or make of oil you are using!!  I just put a set of Shinko 705's back on my Honda, good and cheap but I am always looking for something better and a good value. The 705's certainly wear well, I got over 4500 miles on the last pair.

Trouble maker!!!!
Shinko 804/805 my current selection on the Africa Twin and that's probably what will go on the XRL when the time comes...

I've tried lots of different ones over the years on different bikes.  I ran 705's on the KLR because I didn't ever plan to do much mud with the top heavy pig.  Great tires for everything but mud.  Shinko 244 rear is an excellent tire for all dual sport duty.  Wears well, holds up to all terrain well, not loud, the carcass is not rock hard so it actually grips.  I like a little more grip and tread depth than the 244 front can do so I pair it with the Pirelli MT21 front.  Excellent front tire for all dual sport duty.  When it finally starts to cup on you, you can flip it.  You can't do that with the Dunlop 606 front.  That and the MT21 does everything better than the 606 front.  The 606 rear is a great tire if you have a bike with plenty of power and you like to crack the throttle a lot.  The hard carcass holds up to the abuse and will dig a frickin' trench in soft soil or wet gravel roads.  But when it wears down in the middle it gets pretty loud.  Not the best choice for a bike that isn't pushing a lot of power.  It's just so hard it doesn't conform to the terrain and provide traction.  I may or may not be running non-DOT tires on a bike as well.   

Rotella   

I ran the Shinko 244 several years ago but didn't get 1500 miles on the rear out of them.   Them and the Kenda 270's wander too much for my taste on the black top but they allow me to rip on gravel roads. The Shinko 705's were shipped to the house for $96 for the pair.....Woody, how well do the Shinko 805's work on pavement?

270's are sketchy.  244's are much betta!

Woody, how well do the Shinko 805's work on payment?

Harold, I think they work just fine on pavement myself, they're cheap enough I didn't have to try them on "payment" so far! LOL!...  I've have had no sketchy moments whatsoever in 4000+ miles! For the money I think they're a phenomenal tire! I like them just as much as the TKC80's but much longer life. I like them enough I've got the next set sitting in the garage waiting for they're turn! There's probably 1/4 inch left in the center knobs, sure I'd like to get 7-8k out of them but I like my gravel WAY more than I like pavement so as economical as they are I'll keep for now!

The Moto-Z Tractionator Adventure I think it is looks pretty tempting to try too!

Castrol conventional Dino till I hit around 10k then I'll probably go with Castrol Actevo.... 😜

(quote)  Woody, how well do the Shinko 805's work on payment?

Stinking auto correct !!!!

I've got a Dunlop D606 on the back, I like it pretty well but it's definitely whiny and a bit squirrelly on pavement.

Kenda 270 on the front and I don't like it. Very squishy, and doesn't track well on pavement at all.

I'm running Pirelli Scorpion Rallies F/R on the AT, and I'm really happy with them. Good grip ont eh road, predictable and they dont wander at all. At full road psi, they're pretty darn good offroad. If you drop a few PSI, they get even better. I really like 'em.

I have a set of D606's on the 530. The rear is ok, but I really dont like the front at all. Both ends walk around on the pavement, and they don't give as much grip in the gravel as a full knobby should.

My standby favorite  DOT knobby is the Kenda 760 trackmaster 2. Good wear, phenomenal grip in the dirt, stable and predictable on pavement. They're going on the 530 [along with a tubliss conversion] as soon as the 606s are toast.

Try a set of Kenda Big Block's. I usually run Twinduro's but they wear poorly. Bought the big block's double the miles over the Twinduro and everybit the better grip in dirt and gravel. Both are garbage on pavement but, if I wanted to ride pavement I wouldn't be on my DR.

On the KLX250S, am running Dunlop D-606s, front & back. Great wear factor and traction on pavement and off, noisy as hell on pavement ... have your ear plugs fully inserted! 

Try a set of Kenda Big Block's. I usually run Twinduro's but they wear poorly. Bought the big block's double the miles over the Twinduro and everybit the better grip in dirt and gravel. Both are garbage on pavement but, if I wanted to ride pavement I wouldn't be on my DR.

That is the opposite of my experience on my 1200GSA.   I got more miles out of the TKC80 then I got out of the Big Blocks.  ALso the TKC's do quite well on pavement, it is after all a road tire with aggressive tread.

In 2013 I was asked to compare the two tires for the BMW MOA Magazine.

Here is a summary of my notes:

The Big Blocks are a slightly better tire for off road riding than the TKC80's. The one biggest difference is wear. The Big Blocks wear twice as fast as the TKC80. I get 3000 mile on the rear TKC80 and got 1500 miles on the Big Blocks. I will double that for the fronts.

The big blocks are less expensive so I did a quick comparison. I got prices from Motorcycle Superstore:

Big Block
Rear $132/1500 miles = 8.8 cents a mile
Front $98/3000 miles = 3.3 cents a mile
8.8+3.3=12.1 cents a mile to ride Big Block Tires

TKC80
Rear $191/3000 = 6.4 cents a mile
Front $144/6000 = 2.4 cents a mile
6.4+2.4 = 8.8 cents a mile to ride TKC80's




I have again been asked to make a comparison between the TKC 80's and the Anakee Wild.  So far the Wilds have preformed in a similar manner as the 80's off payment and not quite as good on payment.  At 6000 miles the front is cupping and the rear is shot.  The Wild are noticeably louder on the blacktop.

Quote from: hbadventure on August 14, 2017, 12:00:15 PM

Try a set of Kenda Big Block's. I usually run Twinduro's but they wear poorly. Bought the big block's double the miles over the Twinduro and everybit the better grip in dirt and gravel. Both are garbage on pavement but, if I wanted to ride pavement I wouldn't be on my DR.

That is the opposite of my experience on my 1200GSA.   I got more miles out of the TKC80 then I got out of the Big Blocks.  ALso the TKC's do quite well on pavement, it is after all a road tire with aggressive tread.

In 2013 I was asked to compare the two tires for the BMW MOA Magazine.



Here is a summary of my notes:

The Big Blocks are a slightly better tire for off road riding than the TKC80's. The one biggest difference is wear. The Big Blocks wear twice as fast as the TKC80. I get 3000 mile on the rear TKC80 and got 1500 miles on the Big Blocks. I will double that for the fronts.

The big blocks are less expensive so I did a quick comparison. I got prices from Motorcycle Superstore:

Big Block
Rear $132/1500 miles = 8.8 cents a mile
Front $98/3000 miles = 3.3 cents a mile
8.8+3.3=12.1 cents a mile to ride Big Block Tires

TKC80
Rear $191/3000 = 6.4 cents a mile
Front $144/6000 = 2.4 cents a mile
6.4+2.4 = 8.8 cents a mile to ride TKC80's




I have again been asked to make a comparison between the TKC 80's and the Anakee Wild.  So far the Wilds have preformed in a similar manner as the 80's off payment and not quite as good on payment.  At 6000 miles the front is cupping and the rear is shot.  The Wild are noticeably louder on the blacktop.

I wonder if that is because I am comparing the BMW X country and a DR. Both 650's similar weight. But ya the DR probably spins the tire more than the BMW.  And the front tire on the DR has very little wear, keep it off the ground and they last longer.   I may post up some pics. My Kenda's are good and the Twin's are about shot, same miles. I'm going to try the big blocks on the Bush Pig next and see what i get. I do spin the back tire on the DR a lot on gravel and when in dirt. The BMW just isn't as much fun in the dirt so probably doesn't get twisted up as much. Probably is the reason. I have to replace my Twin's on the DR before the Flint Hills Stampede, what is the recommendation for the stampede? Is a brand new Big Block the wrong way to go?

Just wanted to give an update on the D606s .. as they started to wear, they got better on the road- which makes sense.  I took them off at about 50% for some more road freindly tires, but as the miles racked up on them, they definetly got better everywhere.

Now, I have a shinko 244 front, and a 700 rear on the 530. They most certainly aren't full knobbies, but for around here they work great. Tolerable in mud, great on the road, very predictable sliders in the gravel, and i got the pair for about $100. I only have a couple hundred miles on them, but so far I like them. In full disclosure I'll probably go for a 244 rear when i smoke the 700, as the 244 is much more knobby like than the 700 is, and I dont think it would give up anything on the road, and definetly be better in the dirt.

I am getting ready to go back to a 80/20 tire much like the Shinko 244 or the Kenda K270. Been using the Shinko 705 for the past 2 1/2 years. Anyone have another suggestion for a dual sport 80/20 tire?