I'm not real happy with the Karoo front, on road ok, offroad it sucks! What have you tried and what are the results????? I have used a 606 in the past and found them to be ok but would like a little better bite on the front. Michelin Desert? Scorpion Rally? Pirelli MT -21? Your thoughts?
I fitted a new set of MT21s two days ago & gave them a good workout off road today. Very happy with them - they have a far more aggressive knob pattern than the Karoos. I have also used D606s & they were fine, although I think these MT21s might be quieter on road. They also feel softer than the 606s (from memory), so may offer better grip on road. I posted a photo of the MT21s on a thread yesterday if you are interested in having a look.
Scorpion Rally here. Off road it seems good. I've tested it on the White Rim Trail, Gemini Bridges, Taylor Canyon, Black bear pass and few local roads/trails. It hasn't worn much, hooks up good , and seems sturdy enough for the square edge rocks. On the pavement it acts like a knob. Pretty quiet so far on the road but doesnt feel as planted as a karoo. No problems up to 90. I've ran the mt-21 on my 950 and was happy. Hooks up good and surprisingly stable and quiet (initially)on the road. Probably can't go wrong on either one.
The rally looks much more aggressive than the mt-21's. I am just looking for better offroad tire than the 606 i had but it still has to run down the twolane backroads as well. I'm surprised to hear that the mt-21 works that well as i always thought it was more of a road tire than the 606. May just try a Rally they are cheap as well.
'Nother rally here. Love it. And they are cheap so that was a clincher. At least a couple of the ADV guys on a 950/990's have tried everything and they love this tire. Was enough to get me to try one. Velcro offroad. At 80 on the freeway it does skate a bit. No worse than the karoo on rain grooves. I added a rim lock and balance weights on the opposite side, inside the rim. Worked out quite well. Smooth as silk on road, and I can air down to 15-18 for dirt now without worrying about spinning the tire and pulling the valve stem. The karoo fitted to the 630 is the (T) which is the 'Traveler' model. The regular Karoo 2 is a little more aggressive, a lot better looking tire for dirt than the traveler. Still nothng like the rally though. The MT21 and D606 are perenial favorites with a nod to the 606 for performance. The '21 is kind of an old design. Frankly I think the rally vs 606 is a toss-up, with pricing on the rally giving it a slight edge. We'll see what wear mileage is like down the road here.
Great feedback mr. Brown. Nice to have others to bounce ideas and questions off of without the usual b/s replies about starting another tire thread... I am going with the Rally front and a longerlasting rear for my adv. riding.. Thanks again.................. how about changing out that rear spring, its way to stiff for my 190 pounds?????
