On my previous dual-sport I had great success with trackmasters front and rear. I think they may not hold up to well on the TE630 (also size isn't correct), I have been looking at the 606's or MT21's. Just looking to see what you guys have tried and liked. Does triming the steer stops help alot with turning radius or is it a waste of time? thanks
See the following: http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/te630-rear-tire-replacement.20723/ The steering stop is there for a reason. Be careful if trimming or removing it because the forks may hit where they aren't supposed to.
You can shave down the stops, but be careful and check for clearances as you do it. This bike has the turning radius of a bus if you leave the stops alone...
I had MT21s on my last bike. They provided great traction on rock dirt and most mud. A little bit of vibration on the road as would be expected with a knobby tire. My only complaint was that they wore out fast. Other than that I liked them.
Motoz makes some DOT tires now that are very good unfortunately they are out of stock on almost all fronts at the moment. The enduro IT DOT is am awesome do it all front tire with far better traction than the MT21. For the rear i really like the DOT MT43 Pirelli. I have run this combo on a few bikes now after trying many DS combos and love it. Long lasting and great traction on a huge variety of terrains.
The Dunlop 606 is very good offroad tire for larger and heavier bikes. It has a stiff carcass and the tread wears very well. The knobs are pretty aggressive, yet the tire handles pavement very smoothly. It is not so great on smaller lighter machines in the dirt.
big fan of the D606. I've used the Trakmaster II on smaller bikes that I've dualsported, but more powerful bikes chunk the knobs off in rough terrain.
D606 rear, or the Bridgestone Gritty rear (is virtually the same but lasts 10% longer), Pirelli mid-hard Scorpion front
Really like the improved off road abilities of the D606. A bit noisy on the road but tolerable. Too soon to tell about wear.
I didn't like the ED03/ED04 Gritty, I bought them on sale cheap when I was dualsporting an XR650R, needed DOT rubber for the compliance check. I put Maxxis Deserts back on.
they do sing a bit on the road, and you won't get stupendous street miles out of them. I wear them out in the dirt, not the street - so I can't say how many miles they're good for. A week in Baja goes thru about half their lifespan.
Im not sure if you can get them in the states but have a look for mich AC 10 tyres are dot legal in the uk.
What did you not like about the Gritty? I have not used, but my buddy did a 2 week Baja trip with me using the Gritty on his XR650R. He is always pulling wheelies and doing burnouts, I used 606 conservatively and we ran the same pressures. He had a bit more rubber left than I though both were toast, almost smooth in the center . Scott Dunleavy recommended him the Gritty, I believe my buddy was told that is what Scott raced Baja with. The tread looked VERY similar to the 606 but the compound or carcass could be different. I m thinking of using Pirelli DOT trials tires for this years trip...not sure they last 2 weeks 50/50 down there...
I got 1000 miles out of a rear MT42 DOT trials tire on my TE511. About 80/20 dirt to street. Still had tread but was about done.
Gone with Pirelli Scorpion Pro front and rear. DOT but only good if you are doing 90 - 100% offroad. Used them on several terrains and work well. However, be sure to fit rim locks! About the same price as 606's and wear seems preety good so far.
I didn't like their feel in the dirt. I might have gotten used to them over time, but that was the first non D606 I'd run on an XR in a while.
