"Dirty" tires that are also capable of long stretches of pavement

[OreoGaborio]

Recently picked up a CRF250x and Sylwia wants to take it on a weekend long dual sport adventure without the use of a tow vehicle...

Need recommendations for "dirt tires" (I use that term loosely) that can stand up to riding a couple hours on pavement, do a little dirt, then get her back home.

[loudbeard]

No

[Paul_E_D]

none

[OreoGaborio]

It's a dual sport ride, she's not going fuckin muddin.

[Paul_E_D]

You have the ratio backwards. 2 hours of dirt and 10 minutes of highway, yes. That bike would be living hell for 2 hours on the slab. It really can only cruise at about 45 mph comfortably. faster than that and you are wringing it's neck

[OreoGaborio]

She's done this trip twice before on a borrowed CRF230, and everyone else she does it with is on a variety of pretty similar bikes, so obviously it can work... It'd be nice to know what kind of tires would be suitable.

If she "can't do it", then you guys tell her that. I'll watch.

[Paul_E_D]

It's a dual sport ride, she's not going fuckin muddin.

Then buy some cheap shinkos and replace often

[Paul_E_D]

She's done this trip twice before on a borrowed CRF230, and everyone else she does it with is on a variety of pretty similar bikes, so obviously it can work... It'd be nice to know what kind of tires would be suitable.

If she "can't do it", then you guys try tell her that. I'll watch.

We did this in Guatemala on that exact bike. We all wanted to be on the 230 type bike when we hit the roads. The 250 was like a board and never relaxed. It's not even close to a dual sport bike.

[nhbubba]

Dunlop D606's?! I had a DRZ400 with a set of D606's on it. They were okay in the dirt. But the bike was pretty miserable on the road. Above 45-50 just wasn't any fun.

I have shinko 700's on a WR450 now. Noticeably worse in the dirt. Must be better on the pavement but hard to tell as the bike hates highway use.

[OreoGaborio]

She and I have already had this discussion. Where am I now? Right, I'm on NESR, asking for tire recommendations.
Again... if she can't do it, YOU tell her that.

THANK YOU for a straight answer, Colin.

[Tricky Mike]

I used to run Pirelli MT21 on my old KLR

[nhbubba]

THANK YOU for a straight answer, Colin.

Oh yeah.

Also look at the Shinko 705. Bit more aggressive.
Far too long ago I did a dirt/local road ride around NE VT with Carsick. He or one of his offspring were on a WR450 with the 705's and I was on mine with the 700's. They lay out about like they look; the 700's are better on the road but the 705's are better in the dirt. I trailered up. So I was regretting not going with the 705's.

Also look at the Shinko 705. Bit less aggressive.
Far too long ago I did a dirt/local road ride around NE VT with Carsick. He or one of his offspring were on a WR450 with the 705's and I was on mine with the 700's. They lay out about like they look; the 705's are better on the road but the 700's are better in the dirt. Doug was regretting not going with the 705's. Although in typical Doug fashion I think he had traded a used xbox and some scrap steel or something for the tires.

[OreoGaborio]

Really? Given the block size & separation I woulda thought the 700 were more dirt?

[Paul_E_D]

Forgive me for saying that no dirt tire will last for 2 hour slab trips and recommending that you spend as little as possible. The tires will suck in the dirt after one such trip. If you buy tires for the slab, they will suck in the dirt anyway. Honest answer. Your (Sylwia's) request is unreasonable at best. Sure it's possible.

Not being snarky, it just doesn't seem to matter which tire you get IMO.

[MattR302]

Pete is asking about dual sport tires, not dirt tires

I did the MABDR on my DR650 with a Shinko 244 rear with a IRC TR8 front. It’s pretty common setup in the DR world for 50/50 use. I’ve got about 3k miles on my set now and surprisingly they’re not totally shot, a lot of that was loaded slabbing back from VA.

I will probably replace them with the new Tusk Dsport tires when it’s time. They seem to be a copy of the Dunlop 606, have good reviews, and are budget-friendly.

[nhbubba]

Really? Given the block size & separation I woulda thought the 700 were more dirt?

Fuuuuck. Made me go to the garage and look again. I have my story exactly backwards. Now I remember Doug was sloshing around a bit more. He made the comment that he should have gone for the 700's like I did, not the other way around. Either way the WR has lousy road manners.
One of the younger types he rides with was on an older WR450 and was TEARING it up. Very good rider. Sadly I don't remember what he'd picked for tires. I don't think it would have mattered; we were literally riding the kids back yard.

I still found the 700's much less capable than the D606's. But the D606's were sketchy on hard pavement corners, especially as they wore. And I hated just riding from Andover MA to Dublin NH, even on the relatively mild DRZ.

ADV tires are largely a compromise, especially in small-bike sizes. With the slew of smaller ADV'ers (ie CRF250L, KTM 390 ADV, etc) on the market now things may be getting better. But as of the last time I tire shopped I went with what Paul is suggesting; cheap Shinkos swapped often. ... AND I trailer that bike a lot.

FWIW I'm looking to swap the WR450F up to a middleweight ADV'er (read: Tenere 700).

[e30addict]

D606's melt like butter on pavement. If you want a deep knobby the IRC TR8 holds up better. They made it 5000 miles on the front of the Tiger so they should last forever on a 250.

Shinko 705's are my go to on the Tiger now. Perfect for twisties and great for fire road type stuff on that bike. Woods and mud, not aggressive enough for that heavy bike. They might be better on the 250. 700 is more aggressive and lasts almost as long. They're both relatively cheap last I looked.

[DirtDawg21892]

The kenda k270 or shinko 244 is a pretty solid 50/50 tire. I've ridden them on my TW and a DRZ and they're pretty comfortable on both.
Dirt cheap and last a good long while.

On a side note, I've got a brand new set of d606's collecting dust in my garage. It's a long story.
Let me know if you decide to go that route, we can work something out.

[DirtDawg21892]

It's a long story.

OK, it's not that long of a story. I bought a drz400sm and have been looking for a set of 21/18 dirt wheels for it. A friend of mine decided that he was going to upgrade his wheels and sell me his oem ones, but backed out after I purchased tires for the rims I had already paid him for.
Let me know if you know of anybody selling cheap DRZ wheels locally

[Kurlon]

Kenda Trackmaster 2s? DOT, wear like iron, do ok in NE woods?

[OneCheekRider]

I feel like I post this a lot here, but I have Kenda Washougal II front and Trackmaster II rear on my WR250R. They are both DOT rated and handle a variety of terrain very well. I used them on a 650+ mile dual sport trip throughout Baja. I was impressed with the wear after the trip as well. Great tires for not a big price. NOT great street tires but had a few long stretches of slab and they did just fine.

The Trackmaster II front has side lugs that fold easier on hardpack, the Washougal being much better suited for mixed terrain.

[breakdirt916]

Are you really starting an oil thread bruh

Just send it

606 rear or TKC80 and go easy dirt

What kinda dirt

[xrocket21]

I don't know jack shit and run dot Metzler MC360 mid soft and love them

[SRTie4k]

Just do a Tusk Dsport Adventure rear and MT21 front. You'll be fine riding several hours of pavement.

[DirtDawg21892]

Just do a Tusk Dsport Adventure rear and MT21 front. You'll be fine riding several hours of pavement.

I've had my eye on the Dsport. They're supposed to be almost as good as a d606 according to the internet reviews, but it sounds like the dunlop has a pretty significant edge in the dirt. I know a guy who has identical dr350's, one with the Dsport, one with the d606, and he says its a pretty big difference when you ride them back to back.
If it lasts at least as long on pavement, it's still a good deal. They are only like 60% as expensive as the dunlop last I checked.