I just got a 2009 KLX250s and I believe it still has the original tires on it and would like to replace them with something more off-road friendly. I plan on riding 90% off road and 10% on road.

 

Michilen mc51/64m f/r. Pretty good traction and the ***** are not easy to break off in the rocks.

 

Unless you go for a dirt bike tire, I think the best you'll do will be a 50/50 tire. As @durielk said, Michilen tires are good, as are Maxxis. Have run both on my woods bike(KDX220) and they both held up well with the roots and rocks. If you're looking to go the budget route, Shinko tires are good.

 

Shinko 244's

 

I originally went with Dunlop 606 as that is the most aggressive DOT tyre you can get. If you go 90% dirt then that would be your minimum. Since then I have gone to Michelin Starcross, which is a full off road tyre as I do almost all dirt. So much better.

 

Yeah, I'm kind of in the same camp on this idea. If you say 90% dirt, then a decent DOT knobby is probably best. There are a lot of decent DOT knobbies available now. There is no one tire that is perfect or superior to everything else. People ride in different areas with different soils, rocks, etc. How people ride is fairly different too.

I use a Kenda Parker Desert front and a Kenda K760 Trakmaster II on the rear. I ride in rockier terrain most of the time. The main reason I use these is that they've lasted longer in rocks than just about anything while still providing great traction at a great price. Depending on your terrain and how hard you push, it can all vary. Among all the biggies like Dunlop, Pirelli, etc., there are some very good tires. Sometimes the bigger issue can come down to price and wear.

 

Michelin Enduro Mediums
Maxxis Enduros
Motoz Extreme Tractionators

 

Nosy question and a bit off topic, but in the rocky terrain did you ever use a modern trials tire? Just curious. I doubt a modern trials tire would last long on the road, just curious if you ever did one.

 

Has anyone used the Metzeler MC360?

 

That's actually a good question as several hardcore riders I've known have used them in Moab which of course is a lot of rock. You're right about their longevity on pavement at any normal highway speed, and they seem to have an Achilles heel with sharp punctures. They perform extremely well in some specific conditions, but the looser and scrabbly the terrain gets...gravel, loose smaller rock, etc...they lose traction quickly and without warning. It seemed to be more of a thing for awhile, and I don't see them nearly as much as I used to.