I have a long ride coming up in September. California to Arizona on the freeway and once in Arizona going to Utah via back country dirt roads. I need a tire that is more aggressive than stock. I thought of the Motoz Tractionator, but the M speed rating, 81 MPH, turns me off. How about K60 rear with a TKC80 or 606 Front. What about TKC 80 all around? Dunlop 908 rear with a Dunlop 606 front? Open to all suggestions. Thanks, Brian
You probably read in the "Stupid Questions" thread on ADV that I am looking at this too. I can tell you with authority that the D606 front is a good tire but prone to sloping center lugs after 1200-1500 miles. I reversed mine at that point but still managed only 2000 -2200 miles per tire. I ordered a Motoz Tractionator HT Rear yesterday but at the same time a K60 Rear and TKC80 Front on H5's recommendation. I should get them in a week or so.
Thanks Charlie. I know the Tractionator and K60 or totally different tires. The Tractionator is a dirt tire and the K60 being more of a street orientated tire. Let us know how you like the Tractionator especially on the roads.
Depends on where in California and how much of Utah, but I'm doing a 3,000 mile trip in July from Eastern Washington through the UTBDR and I don't think the TKC80 would make it on the rear without changing mid ride. And I doubt the D606 would even last on the front--let alone the rear! I would go Heidenau all the way if you're doing similar mileage. I happen to be going with a set of Mitas I imported from Canada the should be comparable to the Heidenaus, but that's a special case. I'd also suggest taking a 15 or 14 front sprocket and changing for when you do the off-road bits.
D606's...absolutely LOVE them but man it gets expensive real quick having to change them every 3K - 4K miles!!! I too will probably try H5's recomendation when the time comes.
I'm going to second ignaciobob on the Mitas. I simply can't say enough about these as an all rounder. Especially on the mileage and street traction. Outstanding value around $250 plus shipping. The E07 rear is about due at 10,500 mi and in all honesty the last 2-3k i really tried to kill it! So could well imagine higher mileage on them. Most of my riding is currently street coastal latitude 38 bay area. Last summer up in the sierra's for a week and maybe 1000 miles of dirt.
K60 Rear and IRC TR8 front. Knobs on the TR8 are just slightly closer together than the D606 (my go to DS tire for the most) and much taller than the TKC. Very good on the road and almost as good as the 606 off. Use 606's all around if you don't mind the wear.
For guys who are looking at TCKs and 606s, for big bikes, I think that the AC would be too aggressive. A D606 is probably a good choice for that purpose, I have used them in the past and they are a decent compromise tire. On a much smaller bike (DRZ400K) I did about 2500-3000 miles of mixed use (mostly dirt road dual sporting on the TAT) on an AC10 front. It was JUNK by the end. Not sure how well it would last on a bigger bike with more pavement.
Also, you need to look at the Dunlop 908RR. It's a tough, long lasting tire, and I used it on the COBDR last year (rear only). Fab One Up and I both used them, and the ride included quite a bit of pavement on the way home. Good tire.
I use the D606 front and rear on my XR600 and usually only get about 3000km before I am looking for new ones. Still running standard on my Strada, only got 1500 km on itbut then going for the Mitas.
We're using the Heidenau K60 on all our bikes till now. Great allrounder. Does very well in the rain too. Of course there's give and takes, they not suitable in any decent mud but they last and last and last ! We usually swap them at about 10.000 km when it still has some 4 mm of thread left. The front lasts two rears more or less. I've tried a set of TKC80 as well but they had about 6 mm left after some 5000 km and I found them lacking grip (rather substantially) on wet roads. The front has some "sawtooth" on it too. They seem to wear pretty quick on anything over 100 km/h (+/- 60 Mph)
I run a pair of Mitas tires. E-09 in the front and rear. I used a E-21 stone eater on a trip to Baja last fall. The 21 was a little aggressive for most riding, but was awsome when I needed it. It held up very well and was pretty stable on the asphalt. I was with 3 KLR's, so I wasn't going that fast . I have about 3000km on the E-09 and they have stood up very well. I'll continue to purchase Mitas tires for the foreseeable future. MX1canada in Vancouver is the only North American distributor.
In a couple weeks. Should be this month. http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=24055330&postcount=119
I was going to do the K60, but I think I am going to try the Mitas E-07 front and rear. The E-09 Dakar looks good too. Drzcharlie did you receive the Tractionator?
Got the rear one. I need to decide on which tire for the front as the Tractionator front is reportedly too aggressive on tarmac. Thinking I will do the E-07 on the front.
Friday I rode with friends to Big Bear mountain. We hit everything from deep sand washes to hard pack with rocks. The stock tires suck in the deep sand. Anything above 25 mph and I had no control. This changed my opinion on which tire to get. I going to order the Tractionator Desert HT in the rear and grab the Tractionator IT for the front.
