Kenda K760 rear. I'll probably never run a different rear tire on a dual sport. Hooks up well and covers tons of ground.
On Geomax: A buddy just got one of those too on his KTM 525 and really likes it. Not DOT though, which I think is a big mistake for the current riding trends. In one riding locale here the coppers sit at the local gas station waiting for plated dirtbikes to roll up with non-dot tires and write tickets. Bastards. You probably don't have to worry about that in Scotland, eh? (DOT= department of transportation, good ol' USA)
I never noticed that they did not have a DOT# , E numbers apply to tyres over here ,I think... Don't know technically what is different about an E rated tyre to a DOT tyre but it seems crazy that Dunlop would limit their market place. I wanted to get the 606 but I saw the geomax, I can not fault it's progress through Scottish mud. I would not say the bike feels nimble but being able to use it's power does give that illusion. If I get close to 1000 miles on this tyre I will be delighted. We will see.
I too finally tried the D606. Got a killer deal on a front and rear set for only $100. I also like the rear tire offroad grip and handling alot but not so much the front tire. I prefer the Pirelli Scorpion Rally you suggested and I have replaced twice. Will go back to that front tire after this one wears out and probably not buy another 606 rear because it is so noisy for me on pavement. It howls like a banshee, especially at 55-60mph it is deafening. Much much louder than the T-63 or Shinko 244 for me so I was surprised at your statement. I've went through four of those tires and will go back again as they dont give up very much offroad, much quieter on pavement, better when wet, equivalent mileage life and only 2/3 the cost. My 606 is the 130/90, was yours the 120/90? That could account for some of the difference. _
Update on above post: Short pavement ride yesterday after washing the mud of the bike has me now believing the majority of my noise increase is from the front D606. Under front brake use it howls even louder, even at slow speeds. Sound travels right up the triples and that's all I'm hearing as it drowns out any sound coming from the rear. Pirelli Scorpion Rally had only a small fraction of this noise. I checked again and I do have it mounted with the correct rotation. _
If anyone wants one of these front tires, I have a whole stack of brand new ones I am letting go for $15 a tire. http://www.ziptyracing.com/metzler-karoo2-front-tire/
Thanks! I just ordered the last two available and your website now is showing out of stock. Not my most favorite tire but couldn't pass up on this excellent price. If you get more post it up here again as I know plenty that wanted to order. _
Someone snagged 8 of them right before you. I actually have 1 left. I have updated the website to sell one more. Good luck.
Some guys seem to like the 606 front but i think it's just because they've never tried anything else. Seems to cup badly early on and just gets worse. None of these issues with the scorp rally. Even the 908 is reported better. I'm going back to the front rally after my michy desert wears out and that won't be long. It's the best tire ever in sand but evaporates on the hiway. 606 rear has about 700 miles on it now, starting to show some wear but still looking good. It's a little beefier than the T63 so I like it better, grips off road better. On road it's about the same. I dunno, it costs more and doesn't last any longer, but happy with it nonetheless. Will see how I feel when it's near end of life. Get rid of that 606 front and you'll probably be a lot happier. BTW, the karoo2 front is a very shallow knob, looks identical to a T63 front. They're good on road and good as a 50/50 knobby, but will wash out on any soft terrain offroad. $15 is a bargain though.
I had a D606 on the front of my 610 at one point, and when I switched from that to a "real" DOT knobby (AC10 in this case) it was like a totally different bike, especially in the soft stuff. Tires really do matter.
I haven't heard anybody talk about the AC10, how is the tire life etc? It seems like an aggressive deep lug tire. Also available and cheap around here.
Yes agreed. I will be looking at the tire very closely before spooning it on. I know plenty of dirt road only riders that would be happy to buy them both from me. My next rear tire might be a Motoz Tractionator. Saw one at LAB2LV and was impressed, very beefy sidewall and knobs, excellent wear as still looked brand new after 1-1/2 days of riding (Desert H/T compound though) and the experienced rider's opinion was that it hooked up excellent and was the best desert tire he had every used. DOT also! So thinking I'll try a Enduro I/T version for the mix of terrain I ride. _
The AC-10 is probably my favorite front DOT knobby. I ride almost exclusively offroad on my 610, fairly aggressively, and the tire works well. It offers way more front end grip (in dirt) than a D606, TKC, or a T63, and wears very well (see below). It is noticeably less grippy than a "pure race" front tire like a MX51 or Kenda Washougal. Relative to other DOT tires, I'd say it's fairly similar to the Pirelli Scorpion Pro FIM; I think that the Pirelli offers slightly better traction, but after one day riding rocky trails and dirt roads, half of the side lugs were missing from the Pro FIM, so I haven't run one since. The AC10 is a tough tire, I've never ripped a knob off one. I rode a DRZ from Colorado to Oregon along the TAT earlier this year with an AC10 front; all told, the bike did about 2,500 miles, with at least 2,000 being dirt. I had also ridden about 300 miles in Baja and 200 miles in Colorado on the same tire. This is how it looked after the trip: Definitely ready for the dumpster, but that is a lot of mileage.
That is a lot of mileage. Same pattern as the Michelin Desert - I have maybe a thousand miles on mine and it's starting to show wear. It will have no where near the life of the scorpion rally. Fast1 convinced me to get it a try and it's been good, best sand tire I've used on the bike. I was concerned with it washing out on pavement but nope, grips just fine - we were riding the darn things like sportbikes last summer in the Sequoias, getting back to camp on the twisty hiway. The AC10 only comes 80/100, so it's a little skinnier than the desert (90/90). It's also a bit less money. My concern with it on the big husky was that it wasn't enough tire. I don't think it has the same load rating either. Looks like at least one rider likes them for the big dirtbike though.
I'm not sure I would put a ton of faith into the width (or load) ratings. I never really worried about the width too much, but it looks (and works) just fine on the big Husky. Like you said, it's very similar to the Desert. I think the Desert may have a slightly different compound and knob height, but they are quite similar. They work "ok" in sand, way better than a D606 or something, but not nearly as good as an MX31/51, Washougal, XCMS, etc (IMO). A thousand miles on a front "starting to show wear" sounds pretty good to me! The AC10 will definitely show wear after that many miles. I would have gotten rid of the AC10 on my DRZ with half as much wear as that picture shows under normal circumstances, but on a big trip you make sacrifices. Riding at home, I probably only get 500 miles out of a rear and 1000 out of a front, maybe a bit less.
There are supporters and detractors for the motoz tires. Offroad traction is reported very good, well it ought to be with it's aggressive lugs, but also reported to simply melt on the hiway. Supposedly the desert IT has a harder compound and much recommended for the dualsport and bigger bike. Another front tire worth looking at is the IRC TR8. A riding buddy has a LOT of miles on one on his KTM 640 and it wears even and grips well. Not sure about sizing.
I forgot about the AC10. I actually bought one for my KTM to try but then ended up needing it on my son's KDX instead. After he went back to school and my KTM was down I rode single track on his bike twice in the woods. Really liked that tire and no noticeable wear after 6 rides, maybe 30 hrs in the woods. I remember thinking about it for the TE but largest size was a 120/90 so tried something else. Now I'm thinking 120/90 is fine and will give it a try. Much cheaper than a Motoz also. _
I use the AC10 in the front, but not the rear. I prefer a longer wearing rear, I have had good luck with Maxxis IT Desert and Kenda K760. 1lunger on here runs an AC10 on the rear of his 610 and I think he likes it. It's not a bad tire, I just like something beefier on the big bike. FYI, Michelin seems to have an odd width measurement scheme, so stuff often is wider than it sounds like it's going to be.
The IRC TR8 is on one of my bikes and it is a good dual sport front. It is a bit quieter than my D606's, and very slightly less aggressive. It is also just a fraction narrower than the 120 90/90 but the results are not noticeable. For a combination of more or less equal pavement and dirt it is a winner. I recently took one off of my Husky TR650 when I went to Heidi's all around, but will probably go back to it very soon. The Heidi front is better if you have a lot of high speed highway up front, but I am not doing much of that now as I just picked up a R1200GS for highway trips.
