Not trying to start another tire thread here. Finally going to take the ADV on a proper adventure. I am on my second set of conti trail attacks. Perfect tire for my day to day use and ok enough for the fire roads I get to ride once in awhile. When I bought the bike it had the mefo super explores on but mostly burnt up. But Im headed to Baja for Ten days looking for tire suggestions. It will be a mix of off road,pavement and all else we run across in Baja. Im thinking the mefos would be a good choice... Any input would be fantastic.
I've got 2,500 miles on my first Mefo SE rear and I'm pretty happy with it although it does seem to be wearing quicker than the scorpion. I will say when it was a fresh new tire pavement was a little squirrelly on a a good lean, and spun the rear a couple times on wet pavement (I think that's to be expected though with a nobbie 50/50). Now that it's worn a bit it handles fantastically on pavement and still rips off-road. I'm no expert and have never done Baja but I think you'll be happy with a fresh set of the Mefo SE's.
Just did Baja last fall with my 990R. Dunlop 606 front tire works well in everything but mud and Mefo SE hooked up in a similar fashion. Word on the street for Baja riding is 606 front with a 908 rear (haven't tried that combo yet but am planning on it this spring). Good luck and have fun!
Have not rode Baja, but my first reaction was the 606/908rr combo. I am a huge fan of the MEFO's, but those knobs on the 908's work really well and you can get a lot of mileage from them if you're not on the tarmac too much.
How many miles you planning on doing? If under 3000 miles i'd go with the 606 front and 908 rear. If around 5000 miles i'd go with a TKC80 front and a Mefo or Heidenau rear.
Rode the Compadre Trail down to Mikes in Dec and the 908 sucked in the sand, better on the hard pack though.
+1 for the tkc80 front and Mefo rear. That's what I rode in baja last April and will ride again this April.
Another vote for 908 rear and 606/mt-21 front combo. I sorta look at prepping for baja in sort of a damage control manner though. The 908/606 combo is tough. Tough is good in baja. :jose
Baja? Well C if your taking the 5 down forget about knobbies, mefo will be your 50/50 tire IMO, Matt and Kelly get about 1500 miles out of scorpion rally's and the 908 wasn't much more. How do we ride? We have a heavy right hand... Knobbies won't make the whole trip the way we ride. I'm sure a bunch of guys on here will disagree with me but I know how we ride. Oh and you don't even ask if I can go?
Potential "new" options from Mitas. E-09 rear E-09 front The current question is "where can I get these".... I am working on establishing a working relationship with Mitas so we can stock them.... still a work in progress. Hoping to have them for spring time or sooner if I can manage to make it all happen.
One question, why don't you ride to the interesting part on your worn standart tires, change them in Mexico to knobbies and start the fun with fresh tires. We always start our vaccation trips on very used MT90 (we get from the dealer or friends) and change them at the destination (Iceland, Romania, Balkan,...). I love the MT21 front and rear on sand and rocks, it will be shot after 1200miles, but still enough to bring you home on asphalt. The E09 kombo in 90/90-21 and 150/70-18 is what I ride now, the back is OK, it will be down after 2000-2500 miles. The front won't be good in sand, its OK for asphalt, gravel and in the forest, but not for sand and mud. I do not care for the livetime of the tire, I want fun also on asphalt. If you are careful on asphalt with the throttle you get out more, but it is fun to drift the corners on the alp roads with the E09 :) Just wondering Harry
The other concern are tubes. Most people DEMAND that you use ultra heavy duty tubes with high pressure to avoid the super time consuming flat fixes. I got away with heavy duty tubes and +30 pounds front and rear without issue. But definitely don't use the stock tubes, as I have had them pinch super easily, even on paved roads.
Motoz Tractionator Desert rear is good. Front is good offroad but not the best on pavement. Less than half the cost of 908 with similar lifespan.
I rode my 950SE from Los Angeles to Montana, and back this past summer. Totaled just over 4000 miles round trip. Rode hundreds of mile off road through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Rode thousands on slab at 80+ MPH. Can't speak highly enough about the Dunlop 908 rear and TKC front. It was a brilliant combo. I know a lot of guys love the Mefo, but when you're in the dirt, there's just no substitution for real knobs. I thought the tire wore really well. I started with a brand new tire and the shot below was from the last day of my 4000 mile ride.
Not to hijack, but I bought a set of these to run to Cabo and back. Do you think they will last 2,500 of Baja (maybe 200 miles of pavement)? I was thinking about shipping a set down to La Paz or Cabo but would be easier not to.
Pirelli rally scorpion pro front MEFO Rear On your 50 50 riding If bike was smaller single cylinder. .I would run same front with pirelli mt43 rear. Friends made fun on such combo on my 525 and after 3 years that I sold the 525, that is what theire wearing on the rear.
Yes, but that 200 miles of pavement for the front isn't my cup of tea. The rear is great. There are better choices for the front. MT21, 606, Pirelli Rally and some like the TKC 80 but it has a soft sidewall compared to other tires so air up to help avoid pinch flats.
