Hey people -

What are the best tires for say 70% road, 30 % slick trails/mud ? A durable but cheap and long wearing set - any ideas ?

Rob

 

What kinda of bike do you have? The sf or the s?

You are asking alot from rubber circles...... There isn't a tire alive that does mud AND roads well. The heidenau k60 is widely touted as a knobby with exceptional road handling... Although I personally haven't tried them in the mud, they feel great on the asphalt and hook up real nice on gnarly logging roads. They cost a bit more than the next tire I'll mention.

I had a pair of shinko244's on the SF (17" rims) that I previously owned and they performed well on all surfaces (except mud). These tires can be found for 100$ a pair.

Hope this helps

 

I love my tires (signature), which are 70/30. Great handling on the street and solid on fire roads. They're also lighter then the stock tires.

 

Hey what size are you running in the rear?

I'm considering that to replace my k60 rear and match the k76 front a bit better

 

Thanks for the feedback - I have the "S" model. 2009. I just gotr the bike recently, it had a tick, I put in Kreiger cam unit, runs sweet. Stock tire sizes -

 

I have run the Duro Median HF903/904 on my 650 for about 12 years and 30,000 miles. Have had no traction problems in any mud we've hit when doing dual sporting around SE Ohio and West Virginia. I also have found them to stick extremely well when chasing my friends around on their SMs (Aprilia 550, XR650R and DRz400). One is amazed how fast the bike actually can corner (550 rider, who is really good). I get around 4000 miles before I get new ones. The center of the rear is pretty well flattened and the tread is too shallow for decent traction. I do the front just because it is a tough stretch to do 2 rear.

It is a great tread for the job using webbing between blocks side to side for cornering stability, while retaining full depth to dig in when going forward.

Again I've not had problems I noticed, and asked a friend following if it looked like the tire was cleaning well in the mud - aka a roost of mud. He said it looked pretty good.

I put a set on my KLX250 for riding in Michigan. I went one size smaller on the back to be able to break it loose easy when I wanted and to avoid bogging the relatively small engine. Took the lead from MX bikes - they don't use fat tires. I had good experience with the tire digging in the sand without bogging too bad. Unfortunately I haven't gotten the opportunity to test it out in Ohio mud since the Michigan sand bit me.

I buy my tires from a shop that treats me right. I got the 4.10-18 rear and 90/90-21 for about $100. There is a 120/80-18 and a 4.60-18 that are virtually identical in size per the Duro site, but as I say, I figure a bit smaller, significantly lighter, and also a fair bit cheaper (as a side benefit) made the 4.10 a good thing - but that's my choice and judgement for my use.

For about $100 it's hard to not try them. I never changed after running the OEM 650 tire (similar to that of the KLX250) and Avons after that. I bought the Duros when I was near broke (unemployed) and needed tires. Now I could afford to put on whatever I want, but I've not seen anything do better for what I do. They just work - both on and off road... scrape a toe in a corner or sling a roost of mud or pea gravel.

 

Thanks very much for the information. I live on the Canadian east Coast - Prince Edward Island. Our soil is red (iron oxide) and when wet makes sticky mud. Lots of hardwood trees so wet leaves in the fall. No sand (except for at our lovely beaches). Rob

 

You pretty much described where I've ridden the 650 in Ohio. No problems. We also tend to have clay in areas where there were roadways cut at one time or another or if the ground has eroded away enough. Some gets really gummy and can actually clog up the front wheel.

I got my old SR500 low front fender packed with some clay on one haul road. It would stop the wheel and just plow. When we got out of it we dug out as much as we could to get the wheel to turn... But then when running down the road the clay "baked" into the fender due to the heat generated by the tire rubbing on it. We actually had to take off our fenders and dig the partially dried and hard-packed clay out of them! Miserable stuff there.

I ran the Avon Gripster which is claimed as a 30/70 off-road/on road, but it was more like a Slipster. I was on grass one time having to try to go up a relatively mild hill - it wouldn't get any traction - it would just slide and spin.

I've never had a traction problem with the Duros, but I've never gone out and buried myself in mud. I'm sure knobbies will far outperform them, until they hit the road. Still, I've done some pretty muddy jeep roads without problem. Ant that road thing - the Duros stick! I've got one turn on Ohio SR164 where I actually scrape my toe cornering in it. I've never had them even hint at breaking loose in normal conditions. I get in a corner hot I just lean harder - further.

That is why I still run the low buck Duros over anything else - they've proven their worth to me over the years and miles. Why change?

 

My rear is 120/80 18.

 

Need a new knobby rear tire for my 07 350s, thinking...
Sinko 505
Pirelli MX-X
Motoz Tractionaitor X
Bridgestone M604
any thoughts?