Just a thought for anyone considering a rear trials tire.I dual sport my 390 and LOVE this bike.I tried a DOT Kenda rear knobby and destroyed it within 100 miles of strictly off road trails/hill climbs.I have been reading about the popularity of the trials tire making a comeback but was very skeptical.My choices for a DOT dirt tire are very limited so I made the plunge and picked up a pirelli mt43 and could not believe the difference.Perfect traction,smother ride,the bike felt more nimble and after 130 hard miles it still looks new,I'm sold.I did not notice the lack of downhill braking(as a lot of people have mentioned) as I lean on the front pretty hard as it is and generally use the rear for directional changes.Rack me up as another convert and highly recommend the mt43.
trials tires
- Thread starter flyinbryan
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Join the club Flyinbryan
I also fitted the same tyre to my 570 and agree 100%
I have NOT sacrificed any traction or handling traits over a knobbly, in fact I have gained. Reports on others sites claim in excess of 2500 kms out of 1 tyre. I thought I was going to suffer at the hands of the trials tyre when riding MX, but the MT43 is like the bike is on rails !! I'm stoked with it.
The down side is all the ppl who have not tried one. They look at your bike and the trials tyre and say WTF ??
I just say if you have never tired it, don't knock it. I have been thinking about one for years before I finally took the plunge, and now I think I will never use another knobby tyre again.
I also fitted the same tyre to my 570 and agree 100%
I have NOT sacrificed any traction or handling traits over a knobbly, in fact I have gained. Reports on others sites claim in excess of 2500 kms out of 1 tyre. I thought I was going to suffer at the hands of the trials tyre when riding MX, but the MT43 is like the bike is on rails !! I'm stoked with it.
The down side is all the ppl who have not tried one. They look at your bike and the trials tyre and say WTF ??
I just say if you have never tired it, don't knock it. I have been thinking about one for years before I finally took the plunge, and now I think I will never use another knobby tyre again.
Im itching to try one.
Have you hit the Bogs with it yet? The winters in northern england are pretty muddy and im sceptical about how they perform when up to the axels in cow *****.
Have you hit the Bogs with it yet? The winters in northern england are pretty muddy and im sceptical about how they perform when up to the axels in cow *****.
I have had some reasonable mud and it performed well. I missed our big mud trip to the alps this year which would have really tested it out. It's pissing down with rain right now, and with any luck I will hit the tracks in the next day or so and report back then.
I've been through some mud holes with mine and it worked pretty well.
There are a few places where a knobby sometimes works better depending on how you ride. For example, if you are in the habit of locking your rear wheel to use it as an anchor on a slick downhill, the knobby is a bit better because the trials tire cleans better when it is turning than when it is locked up.
But overall, for the kind of riding I do, which is mostly technical trails, the MT43 works about 10 to 20% better on some terrain, and much better on others. I don't feel I gave up anything for my style of riding and where I ride.
There are a few places where a knobby sometimes works better depending on how you ride. For example, if you are in the habit of locking your rear wheel to use it as an anchor on a slick downhill, the knobby is a bit better because the trials tire cleans better when it is turning than when it is locked up.
But overall, for the kind of riding I do, which is mostly technical trails, the MT43 works about 10 to 20% better on some terrain, and much better on others. I don't feel I gave up anything for my style of riding and where I ride.
Joined Apr 2002
3K Posts | 11+
Phoenix Arizona
Just mounted a MT43 and Tubliss system. 3-400 miles in CO, road, 2 track and single track. Tire worked great in all situations but one. Wet slimmy clay, but then knobbies were only a little better.
Very little wear after 400 miles. Inflated to 10 PSI.
Very little wear after 400 miles. Inflated to 10 PSI.
good information on the MT 43
I am running a IRC trials on my YZ250 works great in the nasty rocky trails with the rekluse clutch. I don't spin the tire on the trails, hooks up great, doesn't tear up the trails.
I use the tubless system on the YZ and my 570 works great with tubliss trials tire or knobby tires. Check your air pressure before every ride.
I thinking about using a trials tire on the Husaberg but am not sure if it's safe to use on roads as a dual sport tire.
I used a trials tire with a tube on a WR450 I dual sported and the tire got very hot on pavement so i removed the tire.
The tubliss system should let the tire run cooler but have not tested this yet
Have you noticed tire temperture being hot to the touch when riding 60 mph plus on pavement
A word of caution from passed experiences
The trials tire have great traction in vertical mode but if you start to play trail racer and lean the bike over(30/35 degrees) in slick dry corners it will put you on the ground fast.
I am running a IRC trials on my YZ250 works great in the nasty rocky trails with the rekluse clutch. I don't spin the tire on the trails, hooks up great, doesn't tear up the trails.
I use the tubless system on the YZ and my 570 works great with tubliss trials tire or knobby tires. Check your air pressure before every ride.
I thinking about using a trials tire on the Husaberg but am not sure if it's safe to use on roads as a dual sport tire.
I used a trials tire with a tube on a WR450 I dual sported and the tire got very hot on pavement so i removed the tire.
The tubliss system should let the tire run cooler but have not tested this yet
Have you noticed tire temperture being hot to the touch when riding 60 mph plus on pavement
A word of caution from passed experiences
The trials tire have great traction in vertical mode but if you start to play trail racer and lean the bike over(30/35 degrees) in slick dry corners it will put you on the ground fast.
The MT43 is DOT legal and safe on pavement. The competition trials tires are better than the MT43 on the trails, but won't last at all on pavement - they would fall apart according to those who have tried them.
Joined Apr 2002
3K Posts | 11+
Phoenix Arizona
Haskell said:
I had some 15-20 mile sections of asphalt at 60-70mph. Tire responded well and was only slightly warm to the touch when I came to a stop. I just kept telling myself...it's DOT rated...it's DOT rated. I also run the Pirelli Scorpian DOT knobbie on the front. Both worked great. I always liked the Scorpian's ever since they came standard on the 04-05 Bergs. They were like $135 USD for the pair delivered, through Motorcycle superstore
CodeMonkey said:
My first trials tire was a Dunlop 803. Absolutely loved the tire in the technical terrain (slippery rocks and roots and rocky inclines). Downside is that the pavement tore it up eventually tearing the center strip of knobs off the tire. Recently mounted the Pirelli MT43.......MUCH easier to mount than the Dunlop by the way. I would say that the MT43 only performs 70% as well as the Dunlop in the gnarly terrain but so far no signs of wear from the pavement. I have the MT43 on one rim and a MT16 on another and just switch back and forth depending on the terrain I am riding that day.
Well i just joined the pirelli MT 43 club.
This tyre is awesome it's like velcro. i ride hard gravel dirt roads and some trail riding wich is often hard, rocky and sandy. To day was my first ride on it and i had 12 psi in it.
Will do some more testing and report.
This tyre is awesome it's like velcro. i ride hard gravel dirt roads and some trail riding wich is often hard, rocky and sandy. To day was my first ride on it and i had 12 psi in it.
Will do some more testing and report.
To really get the benefit of the trials tire you want to reduce air pressure to around 8 psi.....especially for the MT43 because it has a stiffer sidewall I run ultra heavy duty tubes and 2 rim locks. I highly recommend 2 rim locks beacuse the added traction will spin the tire and rip a hole in the tube. If you do not ride on the pavement the Dunlop is a better choice for traction in the gnarly stuff in my opinion. Do not buy the Dunlop if you ride pavement though. Also, if you are a brake slider you will not like a trials tire.
The guys that I ride with in the southern Nevada desert have experimented with a number of trials tires. Recently we have experimented with the Dunlop, Michelin, IRC and the MT 43. The only one that seems to last is the MT 43. I have one on my KTM 300 and have run several hundred miles in the desert on it. It does not last too long on the FE 650 though. Not much seems to last on the 650 though. It is much better than knobbies.
VegasPlayer said:
Too true, but jeez do you get some flack for it. It seems that the people who knock this tyre are the ones that haven't tried it yet, and are not willing to. OH well !! Their loss....
Not any flack - just strange looks while we are unloading the bikes. We never see any of the amatuers from the loading area more than a mile or so out from the loading area.
WoodsRooster said:
After the first ride with the tire @ 12 psi it seems i need a second rim lock. The valve stem was straight before the ride now it's not, the tire might of spun 2mm. I Ride in very rocky conditions on dirt roads often at rather high speeds and my bike is rather heavy, big tank and i weigh around 250lbs so i like the stiffer side wall of this tire. But at 12psi i got 3mm of rubber on the rim so it is flexing. will try 10 psi next time.
on a hill i ride specially noticed the grip of the tire, This hill has a trail twisting upp it and the trail is lined with lose fist size rocks. on knobby's you are fighting the bike spinning clawing through the rocks to find grip in the underlying soil. With the mt 43 you just float on top of the rocks easy as pie, you have to watch the load (torque)on the motor and rear wheel though or the tire will spin and you lose grip.
I am thinking about trying a trials tire on my fe450, i run the neutech tubliss. I see alot of people recomend a second rim lock. Would you need a second rim lock with the tubliss? I dont see any way to run a second one with this tubliss set up. Thanks.
walker1008 said:
The Tubeliss is a full circle rim lock, so no extra needed, until it isn't. See my post on the Tubeliss thread.
Steve
I have had excellent success with the MT43/Tubliss combo on my HTR 350 for the last year. The MT43 works almost but not quite well as a competition trials tire and much better than any knobby for most trail conditions. The heavier walled MT43 works much better with the Tubliss system than the regular thin-walled trials tires. The MT43 has suffered from several puncture flats which were easily repaired with tire plugs. Initially, I tried the Tubliss system with an IRC trials tire. This combo performed very well except that the very thin-walled, flimsy tire carcass was too susceptible to puncture flats which I found cannot be repaired with tire plugs
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