[Fogump]

The AT itself is just fine..

TYRES are what it's about....for ADVENTURE riding

Anyone got a definitive list of what alternatives will actually fit ?

I'm looking for maybe 50:50 On/Off but can easily figure out what will likely suit me.
I just don't have access to the experience for the new AT avaiable range of manufacturers sizes/specs as I'm just taking delivery.:smile2:

 

[Grumpyberg]

I've had great experiences with the Metzler Karoo 3's And the Heidenau's too Not sure if the Golden tyres will fit or indeed are still in production Karoo is nice and confident on roads even wet ones and not too shabby in the mud as a compromise tyre. Should mention my experience is not on an AT but a large German beastie ! Continental TKC 80 is OK on the roads even when it's wet and the best off road you will get without going full squirmy knobbly There is a new Michelin out based on there Dakar tyre but no idea what it's like Decisions decisions !?!? No matter what tyre you choose ride safe and often

 

[jefeyay]

I've been reading up on some of the tires in this list:
http://www.advpulse.com/adv-products/50-50-dual-sport-tire-buying-guide/2/

A lot of good choices and think I'm leaning toward the Shinko Big Blocks. Good price and some good reviews.

 

[Ti04]

I agree the original tires are not so great on road. Off road on hard dirt they are OK, but in the mud they suck. Gravel can be exciting too if it's very deep.
I have been reading reviews from different sites but I am looking forward to everyone's reviews here since most will be based on performance on the AT. What works on a DR650 or a big BMW may or may not be so great for our bikes.

 

[rusty1]

I have been running Heidenau k60 scout front and rear, I really like them, I have 12,000 kms on the rear and till have 1/8 inch left before the 2nd wear bar. The front had to be replaced at 8,000 because of 1/2 inch tear in tire from road debris. Work good on road, drag my toes. Work good off road, fair in mud I would recommend you try them.

 

[Hemdawg]

Mitas E-07

The stock tires were scary.

The rear end would slide unexpectedly on wet pavement, and off road, the stock tires were poor.

I did some research on the forums, and at 1500 km's, switched out to Mitas E-07's, the non-Dakar version.

These are considered 50-50 tires.

Not only do they grip better on pavement than the stock, they are also quite smooth.

Night and day difference off road compared to stock. I returned home today from riding the Moab, Utah 4x4 roads, and the tires performed very well.

The Dakar version are marketed as having stiff sidewalls, but I went with the non-Dakar, and am very happy with them.

 

[rusty1]

One thing I forgot to say, the tire pic's above do have 12,000 kms on them.

 

[Dirt Donkey]

I have had the Shinko 804/5s on Valentina for a couple of thousand Km now. I have found them much better on gravel and hard pack/ mud than the OEM. On the grassed surface they are ok but not agressive enough to really flick it about. (It is 30+ years since I had no fear on a dirt bike in the paddock 'though). Seeing I am more on the tar these next few months I have put the rear back to the original as I feel the 804 is not too good on the hot top as it has been really squirrely in the damp with the TC working a lot, (lowest level before off) and I am a little concerned with the font edge of the blocks. I smashed my T66's( Michelin) on my RDO4 into all sorts of trouble with the most confidence. I may need to be 60/40 on off road pattern. As an old man, I don't have a lot of faith in the Bridgestones. I shall see. Might be a Michelin man. Anakee 2 is better than the 3 I feel. Regards fellas. B

 

[6986]

Seems these are available in AT sizes........


https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-ww/motorsport/motorcycle/scorpion-rally-str

 

[Denburger]

Those PIRELLI Rally STR won't be available for some time Down-under (Australia)
But they do have a Pirelli Scorpion MT90/AT,
http://www.linkint.com.au/motorcycle-product/pirelli-scorpion-mt90-at-range_item.html
Look alright to me I might try them,
Anybody have any experience or comment on them ???

 

[6986]

Those PIRELLI Rally STR won't be available for some time Down-under (Australia)
But they do have a Pirelli Scorpion MT90/AT,
http://www.linkint.com.au/motorcycle-product/pirelli-scorpion-mt90-at-range_item.html
Look alright to me I might try them,
Anybody have any experience or comment on them ???

I have them on my AT currently and they are excellent tyres imho. They were original equipment on my former 950 Adventure and I liked them on that bike also. They are primarily road tyres but with the pressures dropped a little they perform reasonably well offroad on all but the muckiest conditions. They have a slight tendency to twitch when crossing linear white lines on the road but their performance overall is much to my liking.
Photo of the rear attached. Sorry about the sideways aspect but it was upright when I uploaded.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Although not cheap I have used pirelli tyres for years mt21 rally cross for road and trail
And scorpion or diablo for super motard wheels.
As the at is my first adv bike I will def use the scorpion rally when the stock dunlops wear out .

 

[TMac99]

Another vote here for Karoo 3's. They are great on the road - smooth and quiet, and much better on dirt/gravel than the OEM tires. I did a 400 mile ride this weekend with a group of mostly dual sport riders. It was a mixture of asphalt, dirt, gravel, and loose/wet rocks. They handled all of the conditions very well, especially the loose/wet rocks. The combination of traction control (on lowest setting) and the DCT really made me a much better rider than I really am when going up the rock strewn wet hill - the bike made it look easy when a lot of dual sport guys were struggling. The AT got plenty of compliments at the top of that hill :grin2:
I did not get to try the Karoo 3's in mud, so I can't comment on their performance in mud. They are still new, so I also can't comment on their longevity.

 

[Swen]

Shinko 804/805

I installed the Shinko tires on my bike and like them better than the OEM tires. It takes a while to get used to knobby tires on the road but the grip is much better than you would think. The handling of the bike was very different compared to the OEM tire. But I have to say I installed also 4mm Michelin Ultra Heavy Duty tubes with the new tires, so I could feel the weight of the tubes in the corners. After the first 200 miles you will get used to this. However I got 3 flat tires in 1500 miles with the OEM tire/tubes.... guess this will be much better now.
In the dirt the traction of the Shinko tires is good. Only the grip of the rear tire when when accelerating out of the corners is not on a top level, but I must admit this can also be a lot of fun In the rain they are as good as the OEM tire or even a bit better. This was the proof how bad the OEM tires really are. If a knobby tire is as good or better in the rain as a street tire, you know that Dunlop made a bad job here.
They last very long, are not too loud and are cheap to buy. A very good tire for 50/50 use. I would recomend this to riders who what to do longer tours on and offroad. If you ride mainly on streets I am sure there are better options available, but for the mix of on and offroad tours, the Shinko 804/805 is an amazing tire !!!

 

[Kiwimat]

This bike is awesome to ride, I have to say the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 90/10 tubeless tyres on this bike really make it shine, they tip in nicely, grip very well, DO NOT follow or track in grooves in the road, and when your halfway in a corner and want to tighten you line, no problems at all.
I haven’t ridden this bike with the original tyres and rims so I cannot do a comparison, but the way this bike is set up, it is a serious corner carver.


Not a bad effort scrubbing in the Pirelli Scorpion Trails

 

[Swen]

I installed the Shinko tires on my bike and like them better than the OEM tires. It takes a while to get used to knobby tires on the road but the grip is much better than you would think. The handling of the bike was very different compared to the OEM tire. But I have to say I installed also 4mm Michelin Ultra Heavy Duty tubes with the new tires, so I could feel the weight of the tubes in the corners. After the first 200 miles you will get used to this. However I got 3 flat tires in 1500 miles with the OEM tire/tubes.... guess this will be much better now.
In the dirt the traction of the Shinko tires is good. Only the grip of the rear tire when when accelerating out of the corners is not on a top level, but I must admit this can also be a lot of fun In the rain they are as good as the OEM tire or even a bit better. This was the proof how bad the OEM tires really are. If a knobby tire is as good or better in the rain as a street tire, you know that Dunlop made a bad job here.
They last very long, are not too loud and are cheap to buy. A very good tire for 50/50 use. I would recomend this to riders who what to do longer tours on and offroad. If you ride mainly on streets I am sure there are better options available, but for the mix of on and offroad tours, the Shinko 804/805 is an amazing tire !!!

Just in case some people see the review about the Shinko 804/805 tires I wrote. There is something I noticed during my tour in the Mojave Desert today. While the rear tire is still doing good the front tire sucks bad in the sand. I know most people hate sand anyways, but I normaly love it and this is the terrain where I am pretty good at. However, today with the Shinko front tire I was really in trouble. I would go as far to say that even the OEM front tire worked better in sand. My buddy has the Dunlop 606 on his Africa Twin and while he was just driving super stable in the sand without any problems my front tire was nearly unridable. A flat front tire on the street feels the same like the Shinko front tire in the sand.

On everything else the Shinko tires are great (the rear tire is really impressive !!!). But don't get the front tire if you ride in sand often.

 

[Drum Dog]

Just in case some people see the review about the Shinko 804/805 tires I wrote. There is something I noticed during my tour in the Mojave Desert today. While the rear tire is still doing good the front tire sucks bad in the sand. I know most people hate sand anyways, but I normaly love it and this is the terrain where I am pretty good at. However, today with the Shinko front tire I was really in trouble. I would go as far to say that even the OEM front tire worked better in sand. My buddy has the Dunlop 606 on his Africa Twin and while he was just driving super stable in the sand without any problems my front tire was nearly unridable. A flat front tire on the street feels the same like the Shinko front tire in the sand.

On everything else the Shinko tires are great (the rear tire is really impressive !!!). But don't get the front tire if you ride in sand often.

I will be getting these soon so I appreciate your input.
When you say not good in sand are you referring to deep sand or sand covered dirt/paved roads?

Thanks.

 

[High Country]

I've been going back and forth over the Shinko or the Mitas E-07, and you are right the Shinko seem to be a great tire for the price. I appreciated your post on the Shinko's. They seem to get better reviews from owners than the Mitas. Also finding that the Mitas are out of stock whereas the Shinkos are more available. That may say something in itself.

 

[Swen]

Yes the Shinkos get better reviews than the Mitas. So switching to Mitas will maybe not improve my situation. Tires are always a compromise, guess I have to look for a softer front tire. Sure it will not last as long, on the other side it's not fun for me when my buddy is flying through the sand like a Dakar Pro and I am riding like a drunken sailor :grin2: He switched from the Shinko 804/805 front and rear to a Dunlop 606 in the front and the Shinko on the rear. Also I have no problem with having not so much grip on the rear tire, but on the front tire this is much more dangerous. BTW, even to air down the front tire didn't improve the performance in the sand. For most people this doesn't matter so much, but I live in the Nevada desert and I can even see sand dunes from my balcony. So sand performance is for me much much more important than how the tire performs on wet roads. Someone let's say in UK or Germany has much different things on their list what a tire must be good at.

 

[superfunkomatic]

I really like the Scorpion Trails on my KLR. I went from Heidenau K60s to the Pirellis and it was night and day. They are like a sport touring tire. Surprisingly, they are okay in gravel but do wander more than a knobby - but not dramatically so.

I've purchased the Shinko 804/805 for my trip this summer, so I'll be able to see just how long they will last. The Pirelli MT90 AT were a close second but were so much more money that I thought I'd finally give the Shinko tires a try (hopefully I don't regret it). Can't find the Mitas E07 in stock anywhere.

This bike is awesome to ride, I have to say the Pirelli Scorpion Trail 90/10 tubeless tyres on this bike really make it shine, they tip in nicely, grip very well, DO NOT follow or track in grooves in the road, and when your halfway in a corner and want to tighten you line, no problems at all.