Most aggressive off-road tire that is still street legal AND...

...doesn't sound like a sack of bumblebees when on the highway?
Something good in mud (mainly) and sand (secondly) that doesn't hum like a tractor tire going down the road.
Recommendations, please?

A "good" mud and sand tire will look like a tractor tire and make road noise accordingly. A "poor" mud and sand tire will look like a street tire and be quieter on the street than the tractor-type tire.

In other words, you can't have it both ways. Compromises have to be made that you're willing to live with.

Kenda K270 rear

Get ear plugs.

What he said ^^ The Kenda Trackmaster will get you decent traction in mud and sand but makes a little racket on asphalt. Next step would be to the Dunlop D606, it gets decent traction and is quieter. The Pirelli (sp?) would be the next step. I've used alot of all thre eof these and would probably use the D606 if low noise and decent traction is what you want. YMMV

i ride w/a guy that has a Kenda 270 on a KTM 350... i'm in central fla., almost ALL sand.... that tire sux, he's all over the place.... IRC M5B rocks in sand, and i DS it, and it wears OK..... Kenda Trakmaster wears pretty good, and is OK in sand too, but M5B rules.....

you will never get it all....

kenda washougal front (yes it is DOT.)

The trackmaster II rear is loud as hell but works good offroad.

Good earplugs are your friend.

I found TKC 80s to be a great compromise but they do not last long and are pricey. They handle great on the road though.

"that tire sux"

Maybe, but what tire pressure was he running?

Agree a few lbs can make a HUGE difference off road with any tire you run. Also agree...for sure get some ear plugs. Protect your hearing....I would never ride without them.

I guess I really need to look into just getting a second set of wheels, particularly a rear, for my bike and change them out depending upon what kind of terrain I'm expecting.
Thanks for the recommendations so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ZVWUL6qwU

trakmaster 2

I think it depends on your bike, it's power band and how long you stay on or off pavement.....my 690e with a 908R rear and D606 front is ideal for my trips....YMMV

Pirelli XCMH.

It's DOT certified, and has a pretty decent life.

Run 'em on my 640 Adventure.

+1
I use them front and rear on my 2 DRZ400s.
Thought about trying the XCMS too.
MH is a mid hard tire, MS is a mid soft tire.
Supposedly the mid hard is good for riding in mixed mud, woods type stuff.
The mid soft is better where there are more rocky type areas.

I got that info from a dirt tire selection web page.

The XCMH on the rear of my 640 isn't DOT approved. The Motorcycle Superstore web site said it is. But the one they sent me has no approval markings. The RockyMountain ATV web site says only the front is DOT.

Not that I really give a damn whether it is or not. My 640 rear tires never last long enough to sweat it. This one is shagged after 800 miles just like the MT21 it replaced. But I just thought a heads up to double check was in order.

I do like the harder sidewalls on the XCMH over MT21's for offroad. But on road it doesn't corner or stop as well as the MT21. I am going to give some MotoZ's a whirl next. I hear good stuff about those.

Teraflex, also one of the quietest tires on pavement.



Here it is next to a 140, next to a 120


Quieter than both of these Michelins, quieter than a 606. Some people hate them, I love them, a nice do everything tire, it just doesn't like wet roots.

I like the looks of that one, for sure.
Is there a tire that DOES like wet roots?

I always ran D606's on my drz, which are ONLY good for 50/50 dual sporting. The metzler 6 days on my street titled xcw where good tires off road, but the rear only got about 1000kms before it was shot, the front lasted 2000kms before it was getting slippery. I am getting 1200+ kms out of the trakmaster rears and are as good as the metzlers, as for the front i just installed a pirelli MXH and can tell its not as good as the metzler front. Dual sport tires are all about compromise, but i am willing to change tires more frequent for the best off road traction. I am only connecting trails with the road and not much more, maybe 90/10 dual sporting with the xcw.

I ran the 606s on my WR. I was struggling and struggling off road (rocks/roots/grass/you know, all the nightmares for a tire). Then I rode a buddy's WR with MT21s. MUCH better...but probably more "new tire vs clapped tire" than actual capability. Then I rode another buddy's bike with Trackmaster 2 rear and a Southwick 2 front. ALL Kenda fronts are DOT from what I can see. If you want a DIRT combo that happens to have the DOT labels, I think the TM2 and the SW2 combo is just that. I will be spooning them on my WR when I get home.

ac