TE630 Rear Tire Replacement

[johngil]

I was at the bike shop today and compared the 908 and the 606. The 908 is huge! Price is huge as well. All the 950 guys I ride w/ use them, but they have 100 HP to deal w/.
Maybe post a photo w/ the 908 mounted up on your 630.

 

[ContraHusky]

CJBrown's suggestion wouldn't work with Tubliss, ...

Sure it will...tape the weights up on the side of the inside of the rim instead of in the channel. Actually, the best way to balance a Tubliss system is to install the tubliss thing with no tire, and balance the rim+Tubliss first, with weights on the inside of rim. Then install the tire and fine-tune with a couple of small weights if needed.

 

[jhan]

Sure it will...tape the weights up on the side of the inside of the rim instead of in the channel. Actually, the best way to balance a Tubliss system is to install the tubliss thing with no tire, and balance the rim+Tubliss first, with weights on the inside of rim. Then install the tire and fine-tune with a couple of small weights if needed.

I usually have the tire shop balance it. It's much more cost effective than me spending 1-2 hours on it. Yes I'm slow, or should I say, I'm a perfectionist, or try to be one . But I might just try to do that myself next time with your suggestion. I think I read some where you are not suppose to use sticky weight on off road bikes. Is that like some old wife's tale?

 

[ContraHusky]

I think I read some where you are not suppose to use sticky weight on off road bikes. Is that like some old wife's tale?

Well, only because they're prone to falling off. A little dab of good silicon adhesive can fix that.

 

[CJBROWN]

Well, I got my Scorpion Rally front and it's a terrific looking tire. Nice tall knobs, good spacing, heavy duty sidewalls. If it sticks on tar and wears decent it's gonna be a great tire. For $68 if I can get 1200-1500 miles with it I would be happy, a couple thousand I'd be thrilled.

The standard motion pro rim lock is 2-1/2 oz. The tape weights I have, that I thought were lead, are steel because they've outlawed lead weights in this freakin' nanny state, so they were a royal biatch to bend to match the inside contour of the rim. I had to hammer them on a vice, and I had to use like 8 or 9 of them to balance out the rim lock. It was such a hassle to put it together I didn't take any pictures...sorry!! They stick well and then I put about 4 wraps of duct tape around the rim so for sure they are not going anywhere. Mounted up the tire, no problem, and it balances perfect. Next time I'm in AZ I'm picking up some lead tape weights. The steel ones are pure BS. But it all turned out really well so I'm pleased with how that worked out.

I had a 100+ mile ride to go on tomorrow, mostly dirt, so I was pressed to get it done. Turns out they put Karoo (T) which are the 'Travelers' version on these bikes and they are complete crap offroad. I have no idea why this version is so expensive, they're like $300 for a set. So in the trash they go. I'm gonna get a few hundred more miles on the rear before it goes in the dumptster, and then I have an original version Karoo, which are about half the cost, and at least it has a little more meat on it, will see how it lasts. When it burns out I may try one of the Motoz Tractionators. The Desert HT would probably be good for the Death Valle trip coming up at the end of the month, but I'll burn the other Karoo first. Would also try a D606 or an MT21. The latter comes in the right size now for the 630.

Took a quick spin up the freeway and front seems even less stable than with the Karoos but at least it doesn't weave so bad on grooved pavement. So I dropped the forks all the way down when I got home. Will wear in the tire a little and see how it does. Anything over about 65 on this bike and the front end is just wobbley - not fun. Hopefully I'll get it dialed in so it can at least travel some miles on the hiway when required. 65 seems painfully slow, I prefer 75-80 to make some time. I may be resigned to keep the speed down on this one.

 

[rjdenya]

I'm on a second set of Pirelli MT-21's (140/80 rear) (90/90-21 front). I liked the life span and traction with mixed on and off road use. I did not baby them at all. in fact, towards the end some knobbies had chunked off the rear tire but not too bad considering the power output of the bike. I was doing some aggressive road testing with my JD tuner and wasn't worried about the tire. It was close to the end of it's usable off road life anyway. I'd say you can get 1,200 miles with normal use and it's time to replace the rear tire. There should be some tread left but not enough for any real off road riding traction. The front MT-21 will go about double that mileage and still have usable tread. As I said before there is a noticeable difference with using Dyna Beads to balance the tires. The front tire's even wear and smoother ride of the bike were the most noticeable with the beads installed. Well, smooth as a 600cc thumper with DOT knobby tires can get . Without the balancing beads, I noticed uneven wear with the front tire relatively soon. I couldn't tell the difference with the rear tire although I didn't have any balance or uneven wear problems with it before.

A Dyna Beads starter kit with applicator was around $16.00 from Rocky Mountain ATV. They are well worth using in my opinion.

BTW, I do not have rim locks.

 

[CindyTalk]

Has anyone used the Michelin M12 (front and rear). Local bike shop recommended these.
half hour drive on the road and then into the forest, rocks, roots, mud, gravel, sand??????

 

[jtemple]

When it burns out I may try one of the Motoz Tractionators. The Desert HT would probably be good for the Death Valle trip coming up at the end of the month, but I'll burn the other Karoo first.

I burned through a set of Motoz in about 600 miles. If you do a lot of pavement riding, they won't last long at all. Pirelli MT21 has been the perfect balance of mileage and good off road hookup for me.

 

[jtemple]

A Dyna Beads starter kit with applicator was around $16.00 from Rocky Mountain ATV. They are well worth using in my opinion.

I might give some Dyna Beads a try the next time I change tires. How many oz of beads did you put in each tire? The description reads like I need 1oz for the front and 2oz for the rear.

 

[CJBROWN]

Here's what I've been able to gather from the forums on rear tires based on my 80/20 dirt/road use:

At 750 miles my Karoo Traveler is toast. And they are not a cheap tire, like $150. That's ridiculous for the miles they last. They are not very good offroad either.

Yeah, I keep getting mixed reviews on the Motoz. They are reported good offroad which they should be given the knob spacing, but also that they burn fast on tar. Some people really like them though, but most say they're not so great for on road, both handling and wear.

I'm waiting on a quote for a Mefo Super Enduro from a local distributor, may go that route. Good all around but a little spendy.

The D606 gets used a lot and but seems to burn pretty fast too. Seems to be the most popular tire out there for offroad on dualsports. In the product test they weren't recommended for larger bikes, but were targeted at the 450 market. One possibility though. Only comes in the 130/90 size.

And the MT21 has been a perenial favorite but just about everything works better offroad. And they don't last that long either. It's in my top pick though to try out. Come stock on the KTM 690R. Good reports for on road and just okay off.

Good reviews on Michelin Desert Baja and T63. Both aren't too expensive, typical wear though, maybe 1000-1500 miles...maybe. Might be worth a shot after I burn a few others. Seems to me Husky's used to come with these.

The D908 is very popular with the 950/990 crowd, but at $200 I dropped it off my list pretty quickly. And it doesn't seem to last any longer than the others. Good traction though, but reported a bit squirelly on road. In fact, the front is off everyone's list, it's horrible. Some of these guys really like the Mefo super enduro with the longest reported life, and good on road and off.

Bridgestone has the EDO series, comes stock on the KTM 450/530 EXC's. Probably not too great on road, would be a good tire for 90% dirt. And there are tires from Continental, the TKC's, but to me those are a GS tire, not too excited about them for the TE. The Michelin tires are very similar in tread pattern, as is the Pirelli Scorpion Rally.

So...what's left?? I dunno, I guess these are my choices in order of preferrence right now. Unfortunately I'm not all that excited about any of them. Prices are what I've found online for them.

1. Mefo super explorer - $150
2. Motoz Tractionator desert HT - $98
3. Pirelli MT21 Rally Cross - $80
4. Pirelli Scorpion Rally - $78
5. Dunlop D606 130/90 - $90

BTW, the front Scorpion Rally is fantastic. Works fine on road and sticks like velcro offroad. If I can get a couple of thousand miles out of it I'll be thrilled.

 

[johngil]

I guess I've come to terms w/ the 606 front and rear. It's an okay tire at an okay price. I run them on my 800 and now on the 630.
I'm waiting for a report from a buddy who is trying a set of Kenda Parker DT's.

http://www.kendausa.com/en/home/motorcycle/mx/parker-dt.aspx

 

[CJBROWN]

I guess I've come to terms w/ the 606 front and rear. It's an okay tire at an okay price. I run them on my 800 and now on the 630.
I'm waiting for a report from a buddy who is trying a set of Kenda Parker DT's.

http://www.kendausa.com/en/home/motorcycle/mx/parker-dt.aspx

No 130 or 140 though?

 

[johngil]

No, they don't. I'd be willing to give the Kenda a try though. A 120/100 isn't a small tire and was intended for higher horsepower bikes than the 630 as well. There are always trade offs. Good or bad, rear tires aren't around long enough to be a big bother.

 

[SilverBullet]

Good synopsis and short list of best available 140/80-18 tires. Curious though why you selected the Pirelli Scorpion Rally? I have read much better reviews for the Pirelli Scorpion Pro. Not sure how long that tire lasts on pavement but is rated very high for off road.

_

 

[CJBROWN]

Good synopsis and short list of best available 140/80-18 tires. Curious though why you selected the Pirelli Scorpion Rally? I have read much better reviews for the Pirelli Scorpion Pro. Not sure how long that tire lasts on pavement but is rated very high for off road.

The 'scorpion pro enduro' has much wider spaced knobs so the logic was the 'scorpion rally' would be far better on road without sacrificing much for off. Pirelli sure has a plethra of tires to choose from don't they? I've come to really like thei brand in general. I have Scorpion Trails on my Kawasaki Versys, same tire they put on the F800GS and Multistrada. Wonderful tires.

These threads/posts pretty much won me over on the rallys:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=668388
I know Javier is a really hardcore rider and if he liked them they have to be good. He also liked the Mefo super explorer on the rear and is the west-coast distributor for them so I'll probably try one of those on the rear. There are other big-bike riders that have nothing but good to say on the super endoros as well. Javi says 7-8K on a 950 and they ride all over Mexico and south america on them. Good pics and info on the Mefo at twisted throttle. BTW, he's about 12% less to ADV forum members than TT. KTM Twins site also has Mefos. Well, anybody has gotta be less than TT, everything is full-boat retail or more there. We are talking the Super Explorer, not the regular explorer. It's quite a bit more aggressive without being a full-on knobby like their 'Stone Master' tire.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=591036
The main poster/tester here writes about his experience with the Rallys on his 950/990. The rear isn't so hot but the front is.

Frankly, I've never seen any write-ups on the scorpion pro!!

EDIT: BTW, the pro enduro is a FIM tire and some of those come with REALLY short knobs. I was particularly impressed with the Rally with it's knob height and good spacing without being too close nor too far apart. Take a look at that last thread above and check out the details. For me it was like getting a velcro tire for dirt, completely transformed my bike. Now I just gotta find the right rear to match it. Replacing tires every 800-1000 miles is a joke!

EDIT II: Now I remember why I ruled out the scorpion pro right away...read thru this one:
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274025
(Would probably last 5 minutes on my bike!)

 

[Stroker Ace]

Tried the Dyna Beads and hated them!!! tried the stick ons and hated them****************************************! Got the re-useables and love the you know what out of them. Beautiful machine work, weighed in grams and oz's. Allen set screw holds tight, won't come off until you want to balance your new tire, buy one set and you're done!!! I have about a pound of the steel weights, and use them to get the desired weight, then put on the spoke weights, and done!!! My bike is smooth as glass on the road, and I'm running MotoZ's....... Just my 2cents...http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?topic=1088.0

 

[rjdenya]

I might give some Dyna Beads a try the next time I change tires. How many oz of beads did you put in each tire? The description reads like I need 1oz for the front and 2oz for the rear.

Yes, one oz for the front and 2oz for the rear. That is what the starter kit comes with. If you have rim locks then you'll need to add more to compensate for them. There is a chart on Dyna Beads' web site I believe.

 

[rjdenya]

Tried the Dyna Beads and hated them!!! tried the stick ons and hated them! Got the re-useables and love the you know what out of them. Beautiful machine work, weighed in grams and oz's. Allen set screw holds tight, won't come off until you want to balance your new tire, buy one set and you're done!!! I have about a pound of the steel weights, and use them to get the desired weight, then put on the spoke weights, and done!!! My bike is smooth as glass on the road, and I'm running MotoZ's....... Just my 2cents...http://ridedualsport.com/forum/index.php?topic=1088.0

I'm curious what you hated about the Dyna Beads? Once installed they never need replacement, or adjustment, you can't see them...or hear them...or know they are there. They constantly adjust as the tire wears. Please explain.

 

[rjdenya]

I burned through a set of Motoz in about 600 miles. If you do a lot of pavement riding, they won't last long at all. Pirelli MT21 has been the perfect balance of mileage and good off road hookup for me.

I totally agree with ya jtemple on the Pirelli MT-21's. Check out the rear MT-21 tire on my buddy's 2011 KTM 530 EXC. Would you believe 2,700 HARD miles!! What a great tire. Yea it's toast now but I'm impressed.

 

[jtemple]

Yes, one oz for the front and 2oz for the rear. That is what the starter kit comes with. If you have rim locks then you'll need to add more to compensate for them. There is a chart on Dyna Beads' web site I believe.

I'm a little skeptical about how they work. They're just little spheres rolling around inside the wheel, right? Seems like they would just settle into low spots as the wheel spins, without regard to balancing weight.