Tire up - TE310

[So Cal Husky]

Fall is here and its time shed the MCkroo's , anyone out there run bridgestones? I'm looking to do away with DOT rated tires so M403 and M404 intermediate terrain? I know that the trade off is going to be more dirt than street, was just looking for feedback!

 

[CJBROWN]

They are good tires for offroad.

If you ride trails consider a Pirelli MT43 trials tire on the rear. The grip is fantastic. Not the best choice for mud though.
A LOT of local riders are running the trials tires for your trails up there. I didn't believe it 'till I put one on my KTM 250xcf-w.
If you ride with Chris Horgan in the Piutes he pretty much insists on it.

Pretty much anything is better than the karoos for offroad. They are a great 50/50 tire, but in dirt they feel like mostly worn out knobbies. The front is horrible. I still have them on my 630. I can deal with the rear, but the front is gonna get switched out.

 

[vettaboy]

I pulled the karoos off as soon as I could and put a set of Bridgestone Gritty ED03/ED04 on. Raced a local MX this past weekend, very muddy and had no traction problems. I commute to work during the week on them, 24 miles of pavement each way and a few extra miles of dirt road when I can. So far it's the best all-around tire I have used!

 

[robertk61]

I have Bridgestones on mine (203/404) and they are excellent. Done about 5 rides on them, the front looks like it has hardly worn at all, and the back is just starting to wear a little.The 203 hangs on like grim death.
I would reccomend them to anyone and you will notice a HUGE diference from the DOT tyres.

 

[So Cal Husky]

I have Bridgestones on mine (203/404) and they are excellent. Done about 5 rides on them, the front looks like it has hardly worn at all, and the back is just starting to wear a little.The 203 hangs on like grim death.
I would reccomend them to anyone and you will notice a HUGE diference from the DOT tyres.

Grim Death? awesome, i'm thinking thats exactly what i need.....203 / 404.....thank you!

 

[montanaman]

I just got a new TE250 and it has the Karoos. I have only run them about 50 miles off road and 20 on pavement. They sucked in the deep sand but otherwise felt ok. I new to this whole hard core dirt riding other than my 800 GS . What makes these Karoos so lousy? The ones for the GS get great reviews.Is it just because it is a DOT tire?. Looks chunky enough to me.

 

[mnb]

They are 50/50 tires. But the problem with the Karoos is the lazy wandering tread pattern. Look at the two blocks and how they wander around the the tire, leaving LARGE spaces of emptiness.

Compare that tread pattern to the more evenly distributed TKC80 tire, also a 50/50 tire. Karoos feel TERRIBLE in turns on pavement. Especially when you lean into the huge gaps in the tread. It is NOT a pleasant feeling at all.

 

[Slowpoke]

The MotOZ aggressive Tractionator S/T tires have become one of my favorites. Long lasting, great hookup and now are apparently DOT.

 

[Paul B]

Mate I run 203/204 combo for the lsat couple of years now. I'lll never run anything else as long as they are available.

 

[So Cal Husky]

Paul, you get any street time on the 203 / 204 combo, curious as to how slick they are for street, also, what kind of life do you get out of them?

Montana man, yes the karoos get decent ratings, however one of the worst tires i have ever run in the dirt and very inconsistent on the street. there are alot of 50/50 tires out there that are less expensive and do a much better job.

 

[montanaman]

Paul, you get any street time on the 203 / 204 combo, curious as to how slick they are for street, also, what kind of life do you get out of them?

Montana man, yes the karoos get decent ratings, however one of the worst tires i have ever run in the dirt and very inconsistent on the street. there are alot of 50/50 tires out there that are less expensive and do a much better job.

Thanks.. I figure a few hard rides like I did on Saturday will chew them up enough to make me get them off. I am very interested in the MotOZ tractionator mentioned above. I went to the site and they look amazing. You can switch the rear tire for wet/dry and get more wear out of it. If its a halfway decent tire on the street I think that is my next tire. The Bridgestones seem to be better for soft terrain and that is not what I am riding here in So Cal and the AZ desert. Hard and rocky.. Any one else have the motOZ?

 

[ghte]

Bridgestone 403/404's, Dunlop 51's and Motoz are my favourites and buy whicher is on special at the time. All good tyres and as intermediates offer a pretty good across the board performance and are reasonable on wear. Note I am not a fan of the 51 fronts-Mate have a crack at the Motoz fronts-unbelievable and a unique tread pattern

 

[espeemack]

They are good tires for offroad.

If you ride trails consider a Pirelli MT43 trials tire on the rear. The grip is fantastic. Not the best choice for mud though.
A LOT of local riders are running the trials tires for your trails up there. I didn't believe it 'till I put one on my KTM 250xcf-w.
If you ride with Chris Horgan in the Piutes he pretty much insists on it.

Pretty much anything is better than the karoos for offroad. They are a great 50/50 tire, but in dirt they feel like mostly worn out knobbies. The front is horrible. I still have them on my 630. I can deal with the rear, but the front is gonna get switched out.

What do you run on the front? I run D606 front and rear on a TE310. Going to try MT43 rear next. Ever try MT43 front?

 

[fasteer]

+1 Pirelli MT43 Trials rear: with Tubliss this is outstanding tire for rocky dry trails.
Said to be poor in mud, but then, so am I. Luckily we don't see much of that in the Rockies.
Gets a bit sketchy on loose downhill sidecuts. Climbs like Spiderman. With 1500-km of mixed DS riding it shows very little wear.

Front is another Pirelli; Scorpion XC Mid-Hard. Works really well, can't comment on longevity.

 

[CJBROWN]

What do you run on the front? I run D606 front and rear on a TE310. Going to try MT43 rear next. Ever try MT43 front?

My favorite offroad tires for many years has been the D756. The 739 front I will pull of a new bike and throw them away . The 756 has been replaced by the MX51, have not tried one. The D752 is pretty good for a budget knobby as well, have not tried one on the front.

For DOT tires the 606 is good. I just installed a Scorpion Rally on the front of the 630 and it sticks like velcro. Fantastic tire. If I can get it to quick wobbling at speeds over 65 and get some miles out of it I'll be a happy camper.

The trials tire on the front works fine on a trials bike but not for an offroad bite. Not enough bite for soft conditions, will wash out badly. Would be okay for slickrock. Most will run the most aggressive knobby they can find for the front.

The MT43 is also not so good for big bikes with high HP for riders that like to spin up. It will rip the knobs right off. And not so good for a DS that needs 60-70mph road running. But they are unsurpassed for trail riding and just never slip. In fact, power-slides or steering with the throttle is no longer possible. That tire just follows the front around corners, so your technique has to change a bit, takes some getting used to. They work amazingly well even in sand washes. Hooks up just as well as a knobby, way better in TST (tight single track). Two rim locks are recommended so you can run it at 6-8lbs offroad, 10 for fast dirt roads, and 20-22 for on road. The side walls are very soft so it feels like a flat tire on the road. Some guys are able to deal with that and run them on their dualsport.

 

[crazyhead24]

try Kenda trackmasters dot,huge knobs and last way longer than most

 

[Bunny007]

What do you you recommend for moderate sand, like here in Florida?

 

[ioneater]

Thanks.. I figure a few hard rides like I did on Saturday will chew them up enough to make me get them off. I am very interested in the MotOZ tractionator mentioned above. I went to the site and they look amazing. You can switch the rear tire for wet/dry and get more wear out of it. If its a halfway decent tire on the street I think that is my next tire. The Bridgestones seem to be better for soft terrain and that is not what I am riding here in So Cal and the AZ desert. Hard and rocky.. Any one else have the motOZ?

I have the Tractionator s/t on the front and back. I usually run really low pressures (6-7psi rear, 8-9psi front) with a Tubliss system and can make these things stick almost like a trials tire in rocks, roots and logs. They perform VERY well in mud due to the aggressive knobby pattern. The downside is that the knobs start cracking at the base on the rear tire because the tire is flexing so much at those pressures. With the Tubliss setup, the cracks eventually get deep enough to start leaking. Mine was bleeding slime so bad it was all over the underside of my fender after the last Desert 100 running it at 11psi. I mount them in the "wet" direction and leave them that way. I may try the IT version on the back next time as I'm currently on my 2nd s/t. I sliced my back tractionator at the PNW gathering last year hopping around on some of the lava rock. Tubliss kept the bead intact and I road it flat for 3 miles back to the trailer. Not the tire's fault at all.

 

[ADHD]

+1 on the Pirelli MT-43 for the rear. I had one on my previous bike at 8-10 lbs of pressure and the traction much improved in all terrain (except mud). My new te310 came with Michelin M-12 (rear) which is just OK and a Michelin S-12 (front) which is excellent in the sandy soil here in eastern NC. Once it wears out I can't wait to replace my rear tire with a MT-43.

I do like the looks of those motoz though...

 

[310Dan]

My favorite offroad tires for many years has been the D756. The 739 front I will pull of a new bike and throw them away . The 756 has been replaced by the MX51, have not tried one. The D752 is pretty good for a budget knobby as well, have not tried one on the front.

For DOT tires the 606 is good. I just installed a Scorpion Rally on the front of the 630 and it sticks like velcro. Fantastic tire. If I can get it to quick wobbling at speeds over 65 and get some miles out of it I'll be a happy camper.

The trials tire on the front works fine on a trials bike but not for an offroad bite. Not enough bite for soft conditions, will wash out badly. Would be okay for slickrock. Most will run the most aggressive knobby they can find for the front.

The MT43 is also not so good for big bikes with high HP for riders that like to spin up. It will rip the knobs right off. And not so good for a DS that needs 60-70mph road running. But they are unsurpassed for trail riding and just never slip. In fact, power-slides or steering with the throttle is no longer possible. That tire just follows the front around corners, so your technique has to change a bit, takes some getting used to. They work amazingly well even in sand washes. Hooks up just as well as a knobby, way better in TST (tight single track). Two rim locks are recommended so you can run it at 6-8lbs offroad, 10 for fast dirt roads, and 20-22 for on road. The side walls are very soft so it feels like a flat tire on the road. Some guys are able to deal with that and run them on their dualsport.

I recently purchased the Dunlop MX51, love em. Stick like glue and seem to have good wear condition to them.