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Anyone ever been in the same boat wondering if you should just go full off road tire or stay DOT? I'd like to stay DOT. I'm starting to wonder how much better it would be traction wise with better off road tires than the current stock tires on this KTM. I'm sliding all over the place and its fun to control it but sometimes when I lose the front and wash out I'm thinking its time for better tires. Is there a DOT tire that is almost as good as off road or is there a night and day difference between them? Looking to keep the bike plated.
Jay
2013 gixxer 750
2009 Ducati M1100s
2017 KTM exc-f 350
Dunlop 606 for DOT.
It's sketchy enough (mentally, for me anyway) cornering on pavement with DOT knobbies, never mind tires not designed for that use. They work much better than I had expected, but I still don't know where the limit is and I'm not dying to find out. I just know it's well over the speed limit.
Pay close attention to your tire pressure if the front is washing out. If it is too high the tire won't work well. Most people run 12psi-ish as a starting point for pure dirt tires. I'm not sure what Dunlop recommends for the 606 (probably more for extended street use) but for dirt use, tire pressure is a trade off between traction and flat tires. I've heard of people riding to the dirt spot at a higher pressure, then dropping some air for the dirt ride, then adding some at a gas station to ride street back home.
Front end washing out can be due to a bunch of setup issues, too, like fork springs too soft, ride height too high in the rear due to spring rate or sag setting, forks too high in the triple clamps, triple clamp adjustability on some ktms set incorrectly, even clicker settings. But most likely it's simply that you need to learn where to not ask too much of the front tire, if you are new to dirt riding.
Last edited by Imbeek; 09-03-17 at 12:10 PM.
Motoz Tractionators
Beta 200RR
you can get as dumb as you need on 606's on the street.
I don't run dots.
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
I run DOTs....they lean a little better and grip a little better on the sides than knobby (which wash out with minimal warning in a lean)
I also run the motoZ
FREE $10 UBER CREDIT W' PROMO CODE --> PON41
1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
You're relatively new to offroad riding right? I wonder how much of this is the tire, versus how much of this is offroad skills. Learning to read the dirt, pick the line, how much front brake you can get away with etc. And getting used to the front sliding around a little.
nedirtriders.com
Well I'm not asking for technique here just experience with dirt rubber. I can imagine that the DOT stuff has its limits compared to pure off road rubber. I guess what I want is a DOT rubber that borders the line of off road. An analogy is race dot's like Pirelli Dragon Supercorsas.
Jay
2013 gixxer 750
2009 Ducati M1100s
2017 KTM exc-f 350
I ran the Moto Z from LA to Barstow to Vegas...hard terrain version and it rocked! Definitely a good knobby for being DOT approved
And chip is kinda correct, if you want the best dirt tire, when will you even be checked for the DOT? Just run a real dirty
My limited experience in dirt is a fresh knobby (MotoZ or other) is better than any worn tire...I see racers throw kinda meaty tires in the trash for that reason
FREE $10 UBER CREDIT W' PROMO CODE --> PON41
1994 Yamaha YZ250 CA Street Legal 2-smoke :smoke:
Sorta along this topic, I have an old set of Dunlop 606's that were on the bike when I bought it ~5 years ago, I took them off shortly after I bought it. I'm considering swapping them back onto my spare set of rims for noob dirt riding, they seem in decent condition, no dry rot, but the date codes are '05 and '06. Ride em or toss em?
Those must be rich racers. I run 2 sets of wheels: training and race. I'm on 3 enduros on the same mt16. I could flip it if I gave a fuck, but having an edge on my tire isn't going to make or break my ride.
just ride them if there's still any give to the rubber.
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
pffffffft...
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
Jay
2013 gixxer 750
2009 Ducati M1100s
2017 KTM exc-f 350
Best tire name evah!
"Super Mousse" not so much. MOTOZ Motorcycle Tyres
Anyone use the IRC BR99? IRC DUAL PURPOSE
Last edited by Garandman; 09-04-17 at 08:12 AM.
Kenda trackmaster 2 is a decent DOT rear. Grips well in the woods, wears like iron, is heavy as hell though.
So after riding some serious terrain I'm going full off road knobbies. I'm going to try the m16 rear. Is there any reason to go 120/100/18 vs 120/90/18? I figure reducing pinch flats? Trying to find a good front to go with this. Stock profile is 90/90/21. Again would a tire 90/100/21 be better to reduce pinch flats? I checked out the ve35 and that tire comes with just an 80/90/21. At least where I'm buying my tires from.
Jay
2013 gixxer 750
2009 Ducati M1100s
2017 KTM exc-f 350
The MT 16 is available in both 120/100 and 120/90-18? That's crazy. Seems like such a subtle difference. IMO you are overthinking it. Pick the cheapest or easiest to source and buy.
I'm running the MT16 rear in 110/100-18 on my KTM 200. I like it. Although I think the 200 favors a narrower tire than larger bikes.
I'm running the Golden GT 216AA "fatty" in 90/100-21 up front and like it a lot, if you were curious.
I ran a couple IRC tires that the PO handed me when I bought the bike before that and like this Golden/MT16 combo much better.
For DOTs I've run the Dunlop D606 and liked them a lot. Great choice for a dual-sport, IMO.
You can fit the 120 on a 350. With the irc front/mt16 rear, UBS tube front and whatever I have in the rear, at 13.5psi each end, you'll REALLY have to try and get a pinch flat. I had to go up a few psi with the 4t. And that's me, running that bike as hard as I can in the woodsy bits.
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.
I just switched from a 120/100-18 MT16 to a 110 width, trying to quicken the steering. I also had gone 120 thinking it'd reduce pinch flats, but a smaller volume of air ramps up in pressure more rapidly as compressed so I'm not really sure which is better pinch-wise.
Just pinched another rear (120) at ~17psi on a 236lb dry bike a few weeks ago on a MSR UHD tube, but apparently I'm gifted![]()
nedirtriders.com
on UHD tubes ... the MSR aren't really that thick (~2.25mm), try a Michelin or Bridgestone (4mm) instead.
Beta 200RR
Cliff's Cycles KTM
NETRA enduro B-vet
Close your eyes, look deep in your soul, step outside yourself and let your mind go.