Tire testing with Tubliss

[juicypips]

What you actually doing in Baja? If it's racing go mousses.
They are the only true puncture proof option.

If your just play riding I would go tubliss but my XP with them is vastly different too yours.
I found my high pressure bladder lost 3-10 psi every week for a few weeks then thought better of it.

As for slime I've not used it on my tyres I just use tyre soap, sounds like your Tyres are the issue over the tubliss.

 

[lankydoug]

I've had problems with Dunlop MX52 and AT81 knobs tearing and then air plus slime seeping through the tire fibers. Motocross tires are kind of light weight so I can understand this happening also they aren't designed for Tubliss on the other hand I have had a Sedona and a MT43 hold up for 3 times as long as I expected. Even after plugging the Sedona 3 times, one staub puncture was so bad I had to put two worm plugs in the same hole, it still lasted for months after that without a seep.

 

[MotoXImage]

What you actually doing in Baja? If it's racing go mousses.
They are the only true puncture proof option.

If your just play riding I would go tubliss but my XP with them is vastly different too yours.
I found my high pressure bladder lost 3-10 psi every week for a few weeks then thought better of it.

As for slime I've not used it on my tyres I just use tyre soap, sounds like your Tyres are the issue over the tubliss.

If your bladder is leaking like that most likely it's your valve seal. After mounting a second new tire and putting the valve back in mine leaked. If you haven't cleaned the valve stem out or the valve seat check em and make sure to flush them with some water. Afterwards I used a tire protector similar to ArmorAll on the rubber valve seat and coated the inside of the valve stem and leaking is almost zero after weeks. Good luck

 

[juicypips]

I touched nothing and it stopped but I will check the valve core seal next re tyre.

 

[HS507]

Ive had issues where it leaks for a bit and bounce it and re air it. Or break bead, add more soapy water, re air it.

 

[MotoXImage]

Ive had issues where it leaks for a bit and bounce it and re air it. Or break bead, add more soapy water, re air it.

Ive done that with the low pressure chamber but normally the inner bladder should not be affected by by sealing the tubeliss core and tire bead.

 

[HS507]

A

Ive done that with the low pressure chamber but normally the inner bladder should not be affected by by sealing the tubeliss core and tire bead.

Agreed! Jeff at nuetec, great customer service!

 

[vmxwinn]

Brrr.

God I missed this bike. Tires seem to work well. Decent traction even on half frozen/snowy single track. They would slide predictably when I would get too excited with the throttle/brakes. 10 psi front, 6 in the rear.

Will need to ride more before I make a final decision on them.

What is your opinion on these Shinko's now? I just bought a 546 front and 520 rear for my TE250

 

[gots_a_sol]

Rear is wearing a bit quicker than I'd like, but I've been riding it mostly on hard/rocky terrain. Front is holding up fine and works nearly as well as the Golden fatty.

I'll probably stick another 546 rear on it when racing starts up.

 

[Throttle on]

I can't make my mind up on the Tubliss- put the Gen 2 front on my 525 with a new MX 51 Mounted it carefully, with Armoral and pumped the inner to 110, the cavity to 10. Rode my usual loop and had to plug three leaks. Next time out I hit a square edge rock at 60 + mph, it tore a side knob and started weeping. I put a fresh Dunlop 81 tire on, no leaks except when the bike sits for a week, the slime start to weep from the low point. Love the traction and braking, not wild about the handling at high speed on hard pack. Put another front on my son's 525, it leaks down less after sitting. Have a set of rears sitting on my tire rack, not rushing to use them. Toying with the idea of running them on my 501 for Baja, but I have at about 10 K on ultra heavy tubes at 15-18 psi without a flat. Would love to just carry a plug&go kit and two tiny tubes but I don't want to get caught out with a lot of leaky tire action in Baja. Guess I'll stick with medium heavy spare tubes and less extra clothes. Damn

If you have not tried the Maxxis IT desert in the front I highly recommend it. I have run it with and without tubeless on a couple of bikes. I am a long time Dunlop fan however after the demise and discontinuation of the 751 and 952 fronts Dunlop has not made a tire that has satisfied me since. The 81 Dunlop was awesome when I first tried it but after only a few rides it's traction gave away and had a washout tendency especially on hard pack. The At 81 worked great brand-new but as soon as the knobs lost there new Sharp edges it began to be a scary affair. The Maxxis hangs in there even when pretty well worn out better than a near new Dunlop in my opinion. I push my Maxxis front pretty hard at speeds over 80 mph and it is very confidence inspiring. I am running Tu bliss on my FE 501s at both ends. The system requires daily maintenance as the instructions state. You do need to check the inflation of the bladder and the tire PSI before every ride. I do not use slime or Armor all in the outer chamber between the tire and rim but rather a healthy dose of dish soap and water like the manufacturer suggests. I have ridden a rear flat off-road over 50 miles in Baja cross grain dessert trails without any grief with the tu bliss. I now carry a mountain bike tire pump and Plug kit for cactus flats! Not a perfect system but it sure beats fixing seven flats a week plus tire removal with an inner tube. One more thing if you're riding at speed with the tu bliss system in Baja I suggest no less than 12- 14 pounds in the front! 10 or less would be ideal for slower singletrack rock crawling etc. you're in Baja now don't be afraid to put some air in those tires to prevent flats and save your rims. good luck!

 

[ghte]

Cant believe the milage I am getting from the michelin starcross 5 mediums. Have them on my 310's and Beta 480. They have brilliant traction, don't chunk and wear very well. I am told the new casing is light and flexible which I initially took to be potentially prone to side wall gashes etc. This has not been the case thus far now on my 3rd rear on the Beat at 1600kms. this is way more that I ever got from other brands including Dunlops, Brigestones Pirellis and Kendas.
I live in a mountainous area with a mix of rocks, clay, mud and sand in the valleys. This tyre just hooks up and keeps on doing it.

 

[NCSteve]

Cant believe the milage I am getting from the michelin starcross 5 mediums. Have them on my 310's and Beta 480. They have brilliant traction, don't chunk and wear very well. I am told the new casing is light and flexible which I initially took to be potentially prone to side wall gashes etc. This has not been the case thus far now on my 3rd rear on the Beat at 1600kms. this is way more that I ever got from other brands including Dunlops, Brigestones Pirellis and Kendas.
I live in a mountainous area with a mix of rocks, clay, mud and sand in the valleys. This tyre just hooks up and keeps on doing it.

That's good to hear about the Starcross 5. All the Mich tires I've tried recently wore quickly and chunked badly.

 

[MotoXImage]

I am currently no longer running the Tubliss set up anymore and have switched to Mousses for a flat free experience.



I am currently running a "Kenda K772 Parker DT" rear tire right now and it is holding up better than any tire I have previously tested here in the AZ High Desert. I have 20+ hours on it so far and its barely beginning to really show some noticeable wear. Nice thing about it. It can be reversed for hard pack or ran the other way like I have it installed for intermediate terrain. It has tall knobs to start out with and a 4 ply casing but its not too heavy.

I think I have found my "Go To" tire now. I did a 100 miler with my Buddy and his Daughter last Saturday up to the mountains and he complained several times about getting rocks thrown at him. His GoPro footage doesn't lie. He runs the Maxxis IT deserts on his '15 WR450 Yamaha.

"Kenda Parker" below:

View attachment 76667View attachment 76668

Just put on the Parker 772, 2 weeks ago. I only have about 200 plus miles but it's holding up very well in the California desert bordering Arizona, Desert Center Area. Hooks up good one hardpack, is predictable on hardpack turns, bites very good in deep sand. And yes, its also DOT and isn't bad on the road. It's a bargain.

 

[NCSteve]

I ran a Parker on the 300 with a tube and didn't like it. Was good on the fireroads, but way too loose and sketchy in the woods. I took it off after only a couple of rides and still have it. Maybe it deserves another chance with Tubliss

 

[MotoXImage]

I would say that might be worth a try Steve. I'm sure your area has a bit different terrain then what I ride here in the rocky high AZ desert. I do run the Parker in the Intermediate direction because once off the single track and rough 2 tracks. We are in the sand washes and ditches which are all over the place here in the AZ. mountains. In works pretty good in the sand.

The casing of the Parker seems to be pretty damned tough. However holding it in your hand its hard to believe its a 4 ply tread and a 3 ply sidewall casing, as it feels like its fairly thin.

You can't beat the price either, it is a good bargain at about 80 bucks.

Good point regarding direction. I too am running intermediate. My guess is that switching to hardpack might be a better choice for me. Improved hardback performance and less bite in the sand would be work for me. I'm on a TE310 and prefer a little less bite in the sand because coming from a dead stop requires more clutch work than I like. I do run tubliss at 7lbs. IMO the K722 feels light in your hands and on the bike and yes, the sidewalls don't flex much even at 7lbs. When I'm riding So Cal mountains the Motoz Mountain Hybrid hooks up like no other tire Ive used. It's also DOT but it does feel heavy in your hands but really stays planted over braking bumps and rocky chatter type terrain. The gyro effect is noticeable almost instantly on your first venture off road. It's weakness is in Moto type conditions because the bike is less flickable and slides easier when banking turns. If your a sit down rider typical of many dual sport enthusiast you'll love it everywhere.

 

[hakkalugi]

Running a battlecross x40 rear & Goldentyre fatty up front. My first ride the rear hooks up like mad might actually put a couple mroe psi in it I like to break it loose once in a while,my front seemed to loose pressure throughout the ride but when aired up & sitting doesnt seem to loose any. Not sure have only ridden the set up once so far & it was pretty cold out.

 

[MotoXImage]

I do have a new Kenda 760 Trackmaster in the garage and I will be trying it next, later this spring, once I pull the worn out "Parker"

"Kenda Parker" below:

View attachment 76667View attachment 76668

I do want to hear your impressions about the Trackmaster. Sounds like much of your terrain is similar to mine here in Southern California, (San Bernardino Mountains of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear plus the east of Indio to the Colorado River.

 

[Throttle on]

Ok, Here's what I put on to replace the Sedona 907 rear tire I took off after about 38 hours time.

I swapped this out last weekend and rode the bike yesterday. It is a climbing beast. We had a little cool down last week and 2 days of sporadic rain but it was still dry and compact out yesterday.

This is a "Kings 9661 Desert" Hard/intermediate Enduro tire. Its DOT approved and had excellent straight line hook up but of course it seems all new tires do.

I've had it sitting around for a few years. I don't think I paid more than $65.00 for this tire. Its a 120/100/18" size.

It was a bitch to get on with the "Tubliss", but so have all the other tires I've mounted. It has a very stiff sidewall. I ran it at only 5lbs. pressure and I will try lowering it to about 3lbs and ride it like that next time out. It should easily handle that low pressure setting as its very stiff.

It has heavy built in side wall rim protection. Reinforced side knobs and considering the rocks and climbs I rode yesterday for 45 miles it held up really well. The knobs don't roll over the sides of the tire very far like an FIM style tire but it took only a few miles to figure out its side bite when backing it into a turn and sliding it.

Forward traction is very good. Its a hard stiff tire, was very inexpensive, is a lesser known brand and should hold up to a few good months of riding until the late summer monsoons hit us here. At that point I'll change it out to something more suitable for the wet weather. I have a new "Sedona 887 and a 907" just sitting there waiting.

It absolutely amazes me how an inexpensive tire running the "Tubliss" system can allow that tire to perform so well. Its all about the low, low pressure and laying down some footprint.

View attachment 65807View attachment 65808

 

[Throttle on]

Big Timmy what's your opinion on this tire a year later? I am always interested in trying a less expensive good preforming tire. These 501s eat them for lunch! It sure looks almost like a D 606 knock off.

 

[Throttle on]

I am running tublis front and rear on my 2015 501s. This has got to be one of the coolest inventions and one of the best upgrades I have done to my bike to date. I originally purchased a front and then a rear. I was originally mostly interested in the reliability benefits of avoiding pinch flats and being able to plug a puncture without dismounting the tire on the trail. You can also ride in on a flat if you can not fix it as the inner 100psi bladder protects your rim and is a very effective rim lock keeping your tire from wanting to walk off the rim! Last summer I road a flat front Dunlop 606 over 75 miles on asphalt home on a 105 degree day with the tubliss with no problems! I've been in a similar situation with conventional tubes and no rim lock. It was a scary affair. Every ten miles or so I would have to pull over to let the tire cool so it would not come off the rim. This was on a Drz 400 Suzuki which like most Japanese dual sports do not come with rimlocks from the factory. That was the last day I ever road without rim locks of some sort. I now carry a plug kit and a mountain bike tire pump on long rides. This gives me so much piece of mind. Most of my dual sport adventures are at least 100 miles and often way out in the boonies where repairing a conventional tube on the trail would be a pain. Just last Sunday I did a 246 mile ride in the lost coast here in Northern California. For most of the day I was alone in back country where there was absolutely no cell phone signal. My pump and patch kit weigh a fraction of what an extra tube and tire irons do. I do my own tire changes and have found that tublis system method of mounting and dismounting tires is so much easier than the conventional method. If I pre-warm my tires I have gotten my tire changes down to just over 10 minutes apiece. I'm still experimenting with outer tire pressures. I have found running less than 14 on the asphalt is not a good idea. It seems to cause the rear to wear very quickly. I'm typically running 8 to 14 pounds front and rear depending on the terrain and the speeds I'm riding. Most of the off-road trails I ride are pretty fast so I'm not running the lower pressures I hear people talking about. If you haven't tried these yet go tublis you won't go back! My advice is you follow the installation instructions exactly and check both your inner and outer tire pressures before each ride. Rite now I running a Maxxis dessert IT up front. I love this tire. Even on the pavement it is one of the best performing non DOT knobbies for the front of a dual sport. It is a great tire in almost every situation off road and even provides decent grip when pretty worn out unlike some knobbies that start to wash out on hard pack as soon as the knobs lose their new sharp edges. I don't screw around with DOT tires on the front of my Dual sports. I push my front tire too hard off road to except the washout characteristics most DOT tires produce off road! I Just use caution on the pavement running an off road knobbie in the front. And like I said this Maxis works incredibly well on the asphalt for what it is even wet asphalt. I go back and forth between Dunlops 606, Motozs enduro IT tractionator, and a Kenda K270 dual sport in the rear. The Dunlop seems to hook up a little better on hard pack, loose gravel and on pavement than the motoz Whereas the Motoz really shines and puts the Dunlop to shame in mud, loam, and sand. The Kenda k270 I run is the best of the three on pavement low vibration and noise with good predictable road grip. I only spoon on the Kenda for extended highway trips. It has fair but not great traction off road only when new. Once it is half worn The Kenda provides very little grip off road. The Kenda is so cheap that if it wears quickly I don't care! It's also has a flexible sidewall so it's a breeze to change.