MEFO Super Explorer, TKC 80?

[geometrician]

I like the Mefo SE rear & a Heidenau K60 front...

the D606 fronts are great if you are going for a weekend ride and want ultimate traction; as mentioned above when they begin to wear things get scary going in to turns on pavement & in the wet. They can be had for about $60 with some looking

The TKC80 front is pretty good offroad, great in gravel so-so on pavement. I ended up with it on my lighter KLR650 where it doesn't have as much work to do and wears well

The Mefo fronts wear funny & aren't as predictable offroad as you'd think

The Heidy K60 works really well on the street (best dualsport tire I've found as I tend to ride the front hard) and doesn't fill up with mud as fast as the Mefo or Scorpion fronts, which just suck in wet/loamy offroad conditions. I've had to turn around in some places when the Scorpions lose the front every 100 feet. Scotts steering damper or not, they are as slick as a bowling ball.

The Mefo rear wears like iron & when it steps out under hard throttle holds it line instead of sliding out. I roasted the last rear doing some insane burnouts, when it was all done it had hardly affected the carcass & there was still tread left. Other tires that have gotten the same treatment have shown cords within a minute of LC8 abuse. Tough tire, reminds me of old-school Metzelers (hmm, ya think?)

[Mooney 78865]

Sounds like a Mefo SE for the back and either a MT 21 or 606 on the front. I've run both the 606 and the MT21 on another bike (KLR) and found the MT 21 to be a bit more predictable with decent mileage.

[vabuckaroo68]

Heidenau K60's are about the best all round ADV tire. Check with Craig at CJ Designs.

[groovyspuds]

I've run Mefos for a while on KLR's and just put a Mefo SE on the back of the 990 (TKC80 up front). I love the Mefos but I will try some different fronts. 606 most likely since I want something more "dirty"

I have been amazed at how aggressive the Mefo hooked up in back while still keeping the bike commutable on street. Just ran the bike form Portland OR to LA and it felt great.

Not a huge fan of the Mefo front. Feels weird on street and not to predictable off road. On recommendation from the guys in Alaska, I ran the Mefo front backwards and that helped tremendously especially in mud.

I will keep Mefos on the back and experiment with the front till I find my sweet spot.....

[charlie264]

Mitas E10 front, firmer side walls than TKC 80. K60 rear.

[Mooney 78865]

Thanks for the input everyone. I bought a set of Heidenau K60 Scouts for both ends. I will say this, they were about as tough a tire to mount as any I've ever tried. VERY Stiff sidewalls! Very hard to get the rear to push down into the center of the rim. Granted the temps were in the mid 60's but they were left in the sun for a few hours before I started. Never the less got them on and balanced. Unfortunately work and weather have prevented me from doing anything but riding down to the local shop last weekend (Xmas shopping) where the consensus was "Heidenau? Huh, never heard of 'em" Which makes me think they MUST be good!
Anyway, thanks again!

[Dustodust]

I prefer the Mefo rear
great off road and wears well
a little greasy for the first 1000 miles be careful

908 was good offroad but wears out too fast and has a speed wiggle on high speed pavement lines
TKC wears out way too fast not worth the effort to mount

front is TKC or 606 , grips good OK wear
606 grips better but wears faster

never tried the Heidenau , it just looks too streety for my terrain so I stuck with the 'fo

[triplenickel]

Originally Posted by Dustodust

I prefer the Mefo rear
great off road and wears well
a little greasy for the first 1000 miles be careful

908 was good offroad but wears out too fast and has a speed wiggle on high speed pavement lines
TKC wears out way too fast not worth the effort to mount

front is TKC or 606 , grips good OK wear
606 grips better but wears faster

never tried the Heidenau , it just looks too streety for my terrain so I stuck with the 'fo

Funny we're 100% on the same page except for the Mefo/Heidi part. I like the K60 way more, based on running 2 of each and rears only I found they performed the same but the K60's both lasted longer! I avoid pavement 75% of the time.

[CamelBill]

Definitely a TKC 80 on the front, won't bother to mount anything else. For anything from 60/40 to more dirt oriented, Mefo is my choice for the rear. The 908 seemed slippery to me on pavement, and mileage was way worse than I expected, based on other people's posted experience. I think I got about 2500 miles and it was toast.

As someone else posted, don't waste your time or money on a TKC rear. Got less than a 1000 miles.

Best compromise I have found so far is the TKC on the front, and Mefo rear. I had over 3k on my rear Mefo, pulled it off to mount a 908, and then re-mounted the Mefo for another 1000+ MILES. YRMV, but for my type of riding (50/50 or 40/60) the Mefo is the best rear. The stock Scorps on the back are probably acceptable out back if you are 60% or more street, but still stay with a TKC up front if you ride any off road.

Good luck, happy holidays, and ride on!!!

[StevefrmGV]

Originally Posted by Mike955i

I've tried most of the combos out there and (for the 60/40 split you mentioned) I've settled on the Mefo SE rear and a Dunlop 606 front as the best combo for me. Not as Grippy as the Scorpions on the street but I can still grind toes in a corner and there's no replacement for a good knobby up front if you're serious about dirt. The TKC front works well but the weak sidewall caused a few rim dings with the stock wheels. The TKC and Rally Raid rears are excellent but wear out way too fast. The Mefo wears like iron but you do lose a little grip in the dirt; a trade off I can live with.

"DITTO" It,s my favorite tire combo - been running it for a few years about 35K miles.

[scottrnelson]

Have any of you guys tried the Shinko 705? The local shop highly recommends them. Are they too street oriented?

[Pantah]

Originally Posted by Mooney 78865

Thanks for the input everyone. I bought a set of Heidenau K60 Scouts for both ends. I will say this, they were about as tough a tire to mount as any I've ever tried. VERY Stiff sidewalls! Very hard to get the rear to push down into the center of the rim. Granted the temps were in the mid 60's but they were left in the sun for a few hours before I started. Never the less got them on and balanced. Unfortunately work and weather have prevented me from doing anything but riding down to the local shop last weekend (Xmas shopping) where the consensus was "Heidenau? Huh, never heard of 'em" Which makes me think they MUST be good!
Anyway, thanks again!

I read somewhere the Mefo and your brand come out of the same plant. Your front tire will be worthless in mud, but not bad on fast dirt roads. I see them as more of a street tire. But whatever...

[Mooney 78865]

Originally Posted by Pantah

I read somewhere the Mefo and your brand come out of the same plant. Your front tire will be worthless in mud, but not bad on fast dirt roads. I see them as more of a street tire. But whatever...

Quite possible the front will be worthless in the mud. Pretty sure it will be better than the OEM tire. In the 12k I've put on the bike so far, I'm fairly sure that a 460 lb bike in the mud, no matter what tire I put on it, is going to be a 460lb bike in the mud. No illusions there....

[crashmaster]

Originally Posted by Mooney 78865

I'm fairly sure that a 460 lb bike in the mud, no matter what tire I put on it, is going to be a 460lb bike in the mud. No illusions there....

Yep, you got that right. A paddle tire might have helped slightly.

[Mooney 78865]

Originally Posted by crashmaster

Yep, you got that right. A paddle tire might have helped slightly.

I bet the paddle tire would have limited the amount of help you got too! Great picture!!