Dualsport Tire Combination for more Dirt

Looking for discussion on the best combination of dualsport/offroad tires for more dirt oriented dual sporting on smaller thumpers. Ones that will last longer, but still give good competitive grip.

Depending on the areas, I live between 15 - 40 miles from my closest local trails. Ride an EXC 400. I like to explore the backroads asphalt looking for new trails. Our trails here in georgia can be rocky, sometimes full of roots, very slick with mud or dry with dust. When dual-sporting we normally run intermediate offroad racing type tires like Pirelli XCMS, Dunlop 756, or Geomax 51, or Michelin S-12/M-12 combo. These seem to be some the best options for optimal grip around here. Regular dual sport tires don't give very good grip for the kind of riding we normally do, especially on the front.

Has anyone tried a dual-sport tire on the rear and offroad tire on the front combination? Like maybe an MT-21 on the back and a Pirelli XCMS on the front? Or some kind of longer lasting dual sport tires that give decent grip in the serious dirt that I don't know about?

Pirelli MT 16 (at least for the rear) Great in all types of terrain and DOT legal as well! They wear really well including extended pavement use. I use them on my KTM 350 rfs coupled with a Bridgestone M59 up front. My rfs KTM sees a lot of tough, rocky offroad stuff mixed with occasional pavement. Give them a try.

I have been using Kings tires on my KTM 640 Adventure, and I love 'em!

They last a really long time, provide excellent traction, and are low priced (I should be riding a KLR). They are also DOT approved.

http://www.kingstire.com/KT-963Rear.htm

Rear: Kenda Trakmaster II
Front: Pirelli Scorpion Pro

Love that combo for SE trail riding on my DR350SE, which is probably about 270 lbs (dry weight) + fluids + 140 lb rider + gear.

I often run a $22 AMS Sand Snake knobby up front, and a custom-grooved $60 Kenda K761 on the rear. This combo works fine in the Florida sand, but this knobby is definitely not a street tire. The K761 lasts at least 6K miles for me on a DR650SE, and I don't run them smooth. I'm considering the Kings rear tire posted above, as well as a Kenda K270 rear. I'm looking for something I don't have to groove, that lasts a long time, handles decently on both sand and pavement, and doesn't cost a fortune. Some people are getting 10K miles or more out of the 2 Kenda tires I've mentioned. I currently use a Shinko 244 front on the pavement, and it works well as a dual-duty tire. It's definitely no knobby in wet clay or mud though.

of course a mullet. knobby up front and 50/50 tire in the rear

tkc-80 fr - mefo or k60 rear
tr8 fr - shinko 242 rear

Kenda K270 is the worst tire I've ever put on a motorcycle..neither good on road or off! Cheap yes, but after the first 100-200 miles worn like you won't believe. Absolutely no traction offroad! And, they were mounted on a DR650.

Seems every day I see a new tire that would be cool to have.

I'm currently running Dunlop D606 on the rear and a TKC-80 on the front. I'm happy with it, however I've heard the TKC-80 doesn't do well in mud do to close together knobs.

Previous tires were Pirelli MT-21 front & rear. I didn't like the MT-21 on the front, it felt very unstable.

Interesting. Most reports of inmates running mullets love the bite of the MT-21 up front.

i was happy with mine. wore funny at the end but i switched when rear was toast. great match with mefo or k60 rear.

Pirelli XCMH on the front, MT43 on the rear with Tubliss both ends. Very little sign of wear after 1300 miles on an '07 KLX250S. About the same mileage to the dirt as the OP. YMMV.

My KLR had Perelli Skorpions on it when I bought it. Great street tire that sucked in dirt. Put over 7,000 miles on those tires & JUST changed them yesterday. They've still got another 1-2 thousand miles left on them. I went with a Dunlop D606 up front & a Heidenau K-60 Scout on the rear. Haven't had a chance to get them dirty yet but, that should change soon & I'll give an update.

I've heard the K-60 sucks in mud but, the KLR sucks in mud & I usually avoid mud anyway. Dirt, sand & rocks are what I usually ride when off road.

Thanks all. Never heard that term "mullet" for tires but I assume you mean more aggressive dirt tire on the front and longer lasting dual-sport tire on the back?

I've tried MT-21's and Dunlop 606 before. They just don't seem to offer enough grip (on front) for the kind of riding my buddies do. It's kind of an Enduro or Harescrambles, almost race pace type of riding on trails. I'm wondering if I could run a more dirt oriented tire on the front (XCMS Pirelli, Michelin S-12, Dunlop Geomax 51) and then run a little less agressive dirt tire on the back: MT - 21 etc maybe? For those who ride the more race oriented dirtbikes have you tried something like this?

Or maybe i need to go with more dual sport, longer lasting tires and just become a better rider in the slop!

thanks for your thoughts all!

Pirelli MT 16 rear isn't DOT, only the front.

xcmh font/mt 43 rear on both my husaberg 450fe and my ktm 250 xc

favorite combo for pretty much everything from dualsporting my husaberg to racing the snowshoe GNCC on my katoom

Some of the guys in my group are running the trials tires on the rear - some are racing offroad with them around here and doing well. But, those tires look like they are a challenge when it's muddy and slick. We had an extreme hill climb the other day on a trail ride and the guys on trials tires couldn't make it - and those riders are typically good hill climbers.

Question - If you run the same exact dirt tires front and back, how much longer do you think the front tires last compared top the rear?

I normally run a scorpion pro up front and a mt43 on the rear.
The trials tire lasts way longer than a knobby and works until its wore down where a knobby is done long before its worn out.
An mt43 generally lasts me around 2k miles, the only knobby I've had do that was a Mitas c20. Most of them a few hundred and they're done.
Normally at least two two one ratio on tire wear with knobbies.

Even the Sand Snake lasts a few pavement miles on the front, even if it squirms in turns, and it makes a D606 front look like a touring tire. Focused tires like this BITE into the terrain they're designed for. I definitely notice a difference when the ground gets soft, compared to the stock TW41 or the better Shinko 244 compromise tire.

As long as you're not racking up huge pavement miles, use a front that is aggressive and appropriate for the offroad terrain you typically ride, and then just take it easy when on the pavement. Even a gummy knob up front can last a while if not abused on pavement, while a gummy rear vaporizes quickly. The rear also seems easier to control if traction isn't exactly the best, while poor traction in the front can put you down almost without warning, so don't compromise on front traction. Focus on the most appropriate front tires, for your terrain, that are still in your comfortable price range.

For the rear, just find an affordable and long-lasting tire that can propel the bike in your terrain of choice. A K761 may not have much lateral traction offroad, but it'll push my DR through some seriously soft terrain if I can just stay on the gas. In contrast, most mild treads don't self-clean well in mud, even when spun up. Other terrains can be more forgiving of mild rears. For these reasons, I focus more on miles/$ when buying rear tires.

Just starting to get into off road, but based on some questions and a bad experience with a MT43 trials tire in the mud, I have a Trakmaster rear and Sedona MX887IT front. The Sedona is not a DOT tire. This is on a WR250R.