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-   -   good tire combos (https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum/klx-250s-71/good-tire-combos-38250/)

WHIP-N-DIP 06-13-2012 06:39 PM

good tire combos
 
What do you guys think is the best combination? Of course, it depends on what you're riding most and where you're at and so on and so forth, but what are you riding now and what do you recommend? I ride 10 miles and back to work 5 days a week, want something that rips in the dirt and doesn't wear out too fast, on my old bike i used to run TW302's and I wanted something definitely more knobby. I was planning on ordering 606's, but what size fits the rear for an 09? I called into my local shop and he said the smallest was 120.

ahnh666 06-13-2012 07:45 PM

Front Tire Size: 80/100x21
Rear Tire Size: 100/100x18

not sure, but doesn't look like the 606 come in the oem size....maybe 90/90x21 front and might have to go super wide to 120/90x18 for the 606...i'm just going by what i see at http://www.newportcycleparts.com/cat...unlop_dirt.htm

guess according to http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.com/tire...dventure/d606/ ..what i see is fairly correct...

ahnh666 06-13-2012 08:43 PM

if you don't want to go with fat tires, you can go with other brands like.....kenda k270...bridgestone, irc and shinko all make more road friendly tires too....

http://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpghttp://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpghttp://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpg

kenda k760..appears to be more of an aggressive dirt tire and still dot approved for highways...same for the irc battle rally..or pirelli xcmh

http://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpghttp://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpghttp://images.motorcycle-superstore....Front_Tire.jpg

zomby woof 06-13-2012 09:37 PM

Do not put a K270 on the front of your bike. Great on the road, not so in the dirt. I loved the K270/rear and Millville sticky/front combo. Great on and off road, and very long lasting.
I used the K270 4.50/18. That's the one to use. For some reason the 4.60/18 is a smaller tire.

TNC 06-13-2012 11:06 PM

Uh oh!...a tire thread. Aren't those about like oil threads?:D

Whip, do you require DOT tires for your consideration? This used to not be a big deal, but I see more and more rangers even in rural areas actually checking such things when they stop you on public roads. Don't know if it's revenue related, political, or what...but something to think about.

redpillar 06-14-2012 03:18 AM

This year I am trying a set of Dunlop MX71 front and back, for the tour of idaho. I have liked the dunlop 606s and MT 21 fornt and back and the MT 43 pirelli trial tire was really nice.

mikey113 06-14-2012 05:08 AM

I'm running the d606 rear and a Pirelli rally pro front, it is basically a knobby. It handles like a dream on or off road. Super impressed, will not change the combination.

WHIP-N-DIP 06-14-2012 01:07 PM

what size is your 606? 120?

djchan 06-14-2012 03:45 PM


Originally Posted by zomby woof (Post 475942)
Do not put a K270 on the front of your bike. Great on the road, not so in the dirt. I loved the K270/rear and Millville sticky/front combo. Great on and off road, and very long lasting.
I used the K270 4.50/18. That's the one to use. For some reason the 4.60/18 is a smaller tire.

Youch. I just put a 270 on the front in order to pass inspection. It does feel really good onroad but I have yet to thrash it offroad. Looks like it would be good on the rocky trails I ride with the smaller knobs - almost like a trials tire. Only time will tell.

TNC 06-14-2012 04:03 PM


Originally Posted by djchan (Post 476017)
Youch. I just put a 270 on the front in order to pass inspection. It does feel really good onroad but I have yet to thrash it offroad. Looks like it would be good on the rocky trails I ride with the smaller knobs - almost like a trials tire. Only time will tell.

I don't know...you may get different opinions on this. I ran the 270's on a KLR650, and they worked pretty well. Still, I'm pretty much done with any of these 50/50 tires. I'd rather run DOT knobbies...a ton of quality candidates out there...and have mediocre performance on the street with stellar performance in the dirt. The pavement riding on the KLR was a little more important to me because the bike will run a good bit faster on the pavement than our KLX. In the dirt, however, it absolutely sucks to have mediocre tires and may even be dangerous in some situations. Everyone is different in their needs and/or preference, and that's why I made that "oil thread" statement at the beginning. There may not be any absolutes on tires for everyone, but you gotta admit that 50/50 tires aren't as good as knobbies in most off road situations.

zomby woof 06-14-2012 07:40 PM


Originally Posted by djchan (Post 476017)
Youch. I just put a 270 on the front in order to pass inspection. It does feel really good onroad but I have yet to thrash it offroad. Looks like it would be good on the rocky trails I ride with the smaller knobs - almost like a trials tire. Only time will tell.

Just be careful, and don't forget it's on there. The problem I had is that it would feel fine, even good, and then it would go away when I least expected it. Be especially careful in mud, and wet dirt/grass.

klx678 06-16-2012 03:49 PM

FWIW, I have about 25,000 miles on Duro Median HF903/904 on a KLX650. My brother did DOT knobbies on his NX650 Honda - lasted 1000 miles. Great off road, but burn fast on road. I have been off road with the Duros, not anything like knobbies, but as good as or better than those you pictured. About $120 a pair, last me about 4000 miles before the rear is too lacking in tread for traction on dirt/gravel, then I swap out both. They have dealt with the mud and clay I've encountered and stick as well as any tire I've run, including the older tread Avon Gripsters (aka Slipsters when on dirt/gravel) which stuck like glue on the road.

Whether you want to try them is up to you. I still run them because they worked so well and at $120 a set I just couldn't beat them with anything else. I took the chance when I was laid off, working part time at the bike shop, and couldn't afford more money. At this point I could put on whatever I want, but stick with what has proven to work and be very affordable to replace when they quit working.

I also did a 12 mile commute to work nearly year around, then a 60 mile one way commute when teaching school. During that time we did lots of playing around on dirt/gravel roads with the occasional decent trail. The tires are less an issue than the sheer weight of the 650 for me. No problems with the tires wen dropping the air a tad.

Lutz 08-25-2012 06:37 PM


Originally Posted by zomby woof (Post 475942)
...Millville sticky/front ...

Is that a DOT tire?

Blackheart58 08-25-2012 06:45 PM

I like Kenda 270's on my KLR650, I don't like it on the KLX250, for the same reasons ZW said. I prefer Trackmasters on the front.

I run Kenda 270's on the rear of either bike, but, I don't have mud or grass.

The K270's are a bit squirrely at extreme lean angles on the road....the knobs/sidewall are just so flexible. But, OFF-road in the dry, aired down, they are almost as good as Trials tires.

zomby woof 08-26-2012 02:54 AM


Originally Posted by Lutz (Post 480805)
Is that a DOT tire?

Yes. I believe all Kenda MX fronts are DOT.
FWIW, I've run those on my MX bike, the KLX, and now my vintage MX bike. I continue to be impressed by those tires. Since the price has gone up, there may be a better value out there now,

I liked the K270 rear in just about every situation on the KLX. I preferred it to the TM II I'm running now.

RimBender 08-26-2012 03:10 AM

the k270 is a weird bird up front but can work pretty good. The 3.25 is wide and soft sidewall and acts diffent than the 3.00 which is thinner and stiffer sidewall. The key is getting the psi set where each works well. If you flat the 3.25 there no limping along, it's that soft when flatted. The 3.00 is alittle more conventional. I used to run the 3.25 front at low psi with a trials on back on my dirtbike and it worked amazing well in the wet roots and rocks, but for some reason the compound can be kind of slick aired up and leaned over on asphalt.

LearjetMinako 08-26-2012 03:25 AM

Guess I'm the only one that likes the K270 for all terrain ride. The only time I've had problems is when it came to mud. It would clog the knobies and turn the tire slick.

Lotrat 08-27-2012 12:07 AM

I'm gonna try the K270 rear and K760 tracmaster II front. Got the pair on my Amazon wish list for $118 no tax + free shipping.

RobG 08-27-2012 02:38 PM

I ran TrackMasters on my KLX... like 'em. The front is quite good. The rear tends to like to kick around if it gets loose, like on tiny rocks. It's almost done so I may try a TrackMaster II until the front is done, then replace both with something else. Considering Pirelli XCMH's or maybe even Michelin T63's. Dunno.

Rob

stro 08-27-2012 05:49 PM

tires tires tires
 
I have run
kenda 270
mitas stone eaters
dunny 606
MT 21 perrelli
so far favorite is mitas up front (90/90) and 606 rear (tho this MT 21 seems as good or better), prob is both these come in 120 size (abit tall).

Lotrat 08-28-2012 04:29 PM


Originally Posted by zomby woof (Post 480848)
Yes. I believe all Kenda MX fronts are DOT

I went off to their website to look it up.

MX Tires
K780 SOUTHWICK II - Doesn't say
K785 MILLVILLE II - Doesn't say
K775 WASHOUGAL - Doesn't say
K781 TRIPLE - Doesn't say
K782 SAND MAD - Doesn't say
K772 PARKER DT - DOT Approved
K335 - DOT Approved

Dual Sport Tires
K760 TRAKMASTER II - DOT Approved
K270 DUAL SPORT - DOT Approved
K761 DUAL SPORT - DOT Approved
K784 BIG BLOCK - DOT Approved

I did find that a few online stores say that some of the MX tires are DOT. So I sent Kenda an email.
Here is their response:

Front MX tires are DOT approved.

KENDA Powersports Division
Gus Niewenhous
Sales and Marketing Manager
gniewenhous@kendausa.com
614.729.7878
7095 Americana Pkwy
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068


I guess they don't list DOT approval on their website unless the front and rear are DOT approved. Thanks for the tip ZW!

Kawi Wawi 08-28-2012 08:19 PM

Just picked up a couple of MITAS tires (MEE-tas). Never tried them before, but they look sweet and the price is great!
The rubber compound feels good and I like the look of these lugs (aggressive). I won't be mounting them for another week or two, but I'll come back with a report.

C-16 'StoneEater' DOT Rear 110/100-18 & C-21 'StoneKing' DOT Front 90/90-21

http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dc.../MITAS_C16.jpg http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-LW.../MITAS_C21.jpg

Kawi Wawi 08-28-2012 08:23 PM

Oh, and if anyone is considering the MITAS C-18 rear in 120 width, I don't recommend it. It looks SUPER wide - I measured the unmounted C-18 tire, and it was 5.7 inches at the lugs.

My Dunlop D606 (mounted) is only 4.7" wide at the lugs (120/90-18).
I'm thinking 5.5 inches is the absolute max width of the rear tire for our bikes (measured at the lugs). The C-16 that I bought is 5.2" unmounted.

LCubanaso 08-28-2012 10:59 PM

Earlier this year I mounted a Kenda Trakmaster II on the rear and a Pirelli MT21 up front.

For offroad (maintaining DOT status) this combo works really well. Both tires look like they would wear rather quickly on a constant diet of pavement riding.

The only other tires I've had on the KLX were the stock Dunlop 605s (didn't impress me offroad).


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