HELP! I NEED NEW TIRES

mkall32 · May 17, 2004

I finally need new tires for my 2001 501e. I don't have much extra time to research all of the available tires out there. I sure would appricate some advise on tires for desert riding. Whats the best brand?

Thanks for your help
mkall32
2001 FE 501e
Mesa,AZ

husabutt · May 17, 2004

I tried a Dunlop K695 on the rear of my 97fx600 and wore it out so fast. Went back to the stock Michelins as they wear like iron. Good choice for desert use I think. Dirt Bike magazine did a tire shoot out and of course rated the new Dunlops highest and made a small mention on the durability of the Michelin's. I think the durability difference is huge. Of course you will give up a little traction in the hard pack but great for slightly sandy conditions which we both see a lot of.

t-jet-tim · May 17, 2004

tires

Maxxis makes a great desert tire.I believe it is
the IT.Here in the east the Michelin s-12s are great.
Most of the desert riders on the KTM site run the Maxxis.

dave186 · May 17, 2004

I have been running YELLOW Michelin Starcross tires for like a year now. the things wear like the teeth on a backhoe. I wish they hadnt stopped making them, i would buy more for sure, if they ever wear out.

berger · May 17, 2004

Alot of the guy's out here are running the Maxxis IT's. I think it's more of a money issue than performance. They are a very heavy tire and a real bear to put on. I swear by the Michelin M12's. The M12's hold up much better than the S12's in the terrain here in Az.. They don't seem to chunk as much or try to climb the sides of ruts the way the S12's will.

DezDuster · May 17, 2004

Tire selection is, of course, dependant upon need. Lower cost = Maxxis. Higher wear w/decent traction = Michelin. Traction in varied Western desert terrain = Dunlop. I've used all the above on my Fe501 and I prefer the Dunlop Sports 110/100-18 Desert AT D739 & the 80/100 - 21 Dunlop 739 front, but they do wear out faster. Sandy areas don't really favor any of these, but hardpack and rocky sections are traversed most efficiently (IMHO) by the Dunlops.

dave186 · May 17, 2004

for sand you cant beat the dunlop 773, but around here the 756 is by far the most popular of all tires.

KenR · May 17, 2004

In the desert, we're running Dunlop exclusively on the 501 and 650's - 739 Desert AT's 120/18 in the rear and 739's or 756's in the front. I recently tried the 742 in the front and it's a nice blend of the two aforementioned front tires, offering good traction and reasonable wear. The 756's don't last long but they are grippy.

A buddy of mine is running a 20" front with (I think) a 756 on his 650. He swears by the combination, saying the bike just rails corners, though it is a little twitchy at high speed (nothing a GPR doesn't fix). Ty Davis also runs the 20" so maybe they're on to something.

44014 · May 18, 2004

i can tell you what not to get pirrelli mt 18s i wrecked a brand new rear one on one ride on my fe600 plenty of traction for about 4 hours anyway thats my 2cents

cheers doug

ENFORCER4 · May 18, 2004

Just my .02

I use michelin S-12 and have heard great things also about the M-12 by Michelin.

Both of my bike's hook up good enough to wheelie out even in snotty conditions, What more can you ask?

Wear has been excellent also!

tuts · May 18, 2004

KenR said:
.....In the desert, we're running Dunlop exclusively on the 501 and 650's - 739 Desert AT's 120/18 in the rear and 739's or 756's in the front..

i used to use the same combo. i switched to a new combo which is cheaper, last longer and the bike is more flickable.

i run perilli mt 16 120x18 and perilli mt32a .
i tryed the michelins combo but thought the sidewall was way to thin, it needed too much air pressure to stop rimming it.

tuts

Splat · May 18, 2004

I tried the IRC VE33 enduro tire and it lasted over 800 miles. It still has half it's tread left.
Most guys around here are running the Maxxis. Like berger said, it's because they are cheaper. Gary, a guy from Tucson that rides a KTM, told me his secret weapon; a trials tire. I put one on about 2 monthes ago. It is unbelievable. Totally awesome in the hard rocky stuff. Grips like velcro on the loose sand covered hardpack. Gary told me it would hook up in the sandwashes even better. I couldn't believe the difference. The trials tire lets me go a gear higher in the turns in the sand than when I used knobby tires. It really brings a grin to my face when I hit the sand now. I used to hate the sand washes.

Splat · May 18, 2004

Hey Ken,

We need to ride up at Bartlett as soon as I get my suspension back from ****'s.

You guys can try the trials tire set up in the sand and on the singletrack.

Probably won't get it back until Memorial weekend, so I'll be slummin' it on the DRZ this weekend.

berger · May 18, 2004

Hi Brian,
I still say we need to get a group ride together from the site. I need to get back out to Bartlett while I can still afford to drive out there. The 470 should be ready for a break-in ride in a week or 2, if not I guess I'll have to ride the 550 (Oh darn... ::wink: )

maichusa · May 19, 2004

We have mostly(if not only) sand tracks, I ride Trelleborg tyres and find them best for these circumstances.

Taffy · May 19, 2004

having used the mich s12 for years on the front because there really is nothing that comes close-sorry if it offends but the truth often does: i went to michie SM45 front and the difference is another leap forward.

to say i have found the edge is an understatement. sadly though, it can be seen that my word wasn't enough for anyone else to try it.

cynical buggers the lot of you but you'll all rot in hell while a sip a dry martini so i shall have the last laugh

Taffy

Mackberg · May 19, 2004

Find what's on sale. Buy the cheapest and knarliest ones you can find. Then go ride your but off and have some fun.

Mackberg :wink:

berger · May 19, 2004

Taffy,
I don't think they are available in the states. If so I have never seen any.

Splat · May 20, 2004

Mackberg said:
Find what's on sale. Buy the cheapest and knarliest ones you can find. Then go ride your but off and have some fun.

Mackberg :wink:

That may work in the mud and grass, but hard pack and sand is a totally different challenge. We get visitors from up north that are amazed at how slippery the hardpack is with the sand on top. The sand washes are unlike anything you can compare to in Illinois. The most gnarly tires work great in mud, but not in the rocks and hardpack.

dave186 · May 20, 2004

I think they discontinued the SM45 or something like that, we got a few on closeout from the distributor, they just wanted rid of them.

HELP! I NEED NEW TIRES

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mkall32

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KenR

44014

ENFORCER4

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