990 Tire's for Dirt

Looking for some aggressive off road tires for the 990. Any suggestions?

[uk_mouse]

It's a bit like asking someone what engine oil they prefer, you'll get a whole load of opinions

My personal preference is the Adventure Rider favourite Dunlop D908RR on the rear, and a Metzeler Unicross on the front.

I find those to be a good compromise between dirt and tarmac performance, very much biased in favour of the dirt. The Metzeler front is especially good, I have managed to do reasonable stoppies on the dirt, which is pretty impressive for a bike of that weight.

Tarmac handling gets a bit "interesting" above 60 mph - my bike gets into a pretty unsettling high speed weave, which I'm sure is due to the front tyre. But it's fine to get you to the start of the next trail.

And another good thing about these tyres is they are both quite cheap - about 50 pounds each here in the UK.

[cpmodem]

+1 on the 908RR. BTW, its the rear that gives that weave. I've tried the 908RR rear with all manner of fronts, and the weave is there as long as the 908 is. The Unicross is an excellent offroad tire, butt be careful with it on the 990. Its only rated for 81mph.

[emelgee]

Another vote for the 908RR on the back, with a metzeler Karoo 2(T) on the front. Decent grip on the loose stuff, and stand up to abuse well. Also quite useable on the road.

[Pete156]

Originally Posted by cpmodem

+1 on the 908RR. BTW, its the rear that gives that weave. I've tried the 908RR rear with all manner of fronts, and the weave is there as long as the 908 is. The Unicross is an excellent offroad tire, butt be careful with it on the 990. Its only rated for 81mph.

Is this weave regardless of rim size? Above 70 my bike is all over the place in a straight line, much better in corners. Thought it might be due to my narrow rims and front 908.

[Pete156]

Originally Posted by emelgee

Another vote for the 908RR on the back, with a metzeler Karoo 2(T) on the front. Decent grip on the loose stuff, and stand up to abuse well. Also quite useable on the road.

Do you have the high speed weave on pavement?

[jsrider]

Originally Posted by Pete156

Is this weave regardless of rim size? Above 70 my bike is all over the place in a straight line, much better in corners. Thought it might be due to my narrow rims and front 908.

It appears that the 908RR rear tire on an ADV causes weave, while on an SE doesn't. The SE has a narrower rear rim than the ADV. The ADV really likes a 150 rear tire.

[Pete156]

I have a 2.5 rear on my ADV with 908s, that is why I am asking.

[Jimmydean]

Has anyone tried the TKC 80's. I had these on my Dakar and they where great. I am looking to put them on my 950 soon. Any help would be great.

[autolycos]

I'd give Mefoes a look. I have run the Mefo Sport MFE99 Explorer with great success on my XT225.

Also, their Stone Master is DOT, too. It looks like a MONSTER of a tire.

[trialsntribulations]

Anyone tried these? HEIDENAU K60

[radiowazee]

Originally Posted by Jimmydean

Has anyone tried the TKC 80's. I had these on my Dakar and they where great. I am looking to put them on my 950 soon. Any help would be great.

Yup. I like them. A great 70/30 dirt/pavement type of tire. Nice grip on the pavement, plenty of bite on the dirt. I blew through about 1/2 of my rear in 2000 miles (picked up a big ass nail, had it replaced) so the tread life is decent (not great), but that's fine by me. The tires aren't that expensive.

I'm putting on the new 150/18 "made for the 950" this time (had the 140/18 before.) We'll see if I notice any difference. I think the 150 is rated tubless (stronger sidewalls, etc.). I like the sound of that -- even tho I use tubes. Not ready for the switch to tubeless just yet.

Anyway, the TKC-80's are a proven tire. Great hybrid performance with more of a "dirt" design than something like the stock Pirelli Scorpions (which I'd call a 30/70 dirt/pavement tire.)

Can't go wrong with Cont IMHO. I run the road attacks on my K1200RS and the TKC's on my 950. Good quality product.

My $0.02

H

[uk_mouse]

Originally Posted by Jimmydean

Has anyone tried the TKC 80's. I had these on my Dakar and they where great. I am looking to put them on my 950 soon. Any help would be great.

I had TKC80s on my 950 for a while. Definitely less aggressive than my current combination (see above). It probably didn't help that I was using them over the winter - lots of mud about, the front tyre isn't knobbly enough and I kept losing the front in every corner. With the Unicross on the front and your weight forward you can really chuck the bike over to a suprising degree on all sorts of surfaces.

If I only had one set of rims, I'd consider the TKC as a compromise tyre - in fact it may be the best compromise tyre there is, but if you want pure dirt performance it's outclassed by other offerings.

Cpmodem - interesting info about weave being caused by the rear tyre - thanks. I assume the pressure will affect it somehow? I've been running 15psi in the rear recently, thinking of going lower, I'll have to be careful on the tarmac!

[YOGOI]

908 rear runs great at 15 psi EVERYWERE. I sometimes bump it up to 20 psi if I'm doing nut'n but road, but... dam it works well at the lower presures, and beleave it or not. It wears the same if not better at the lower psi too.


TKC fronts have two down sides IMO.
1. its so square, the nobbs will rub on the low fender.
2. Most important, the side walls are way too soft, and bending your rim will be that much easier. If your in a moto shop, grab a TKC front and a 606 front (or what ever you might want to try) and compress the side wall with your hand, you will be surprised by the differance.

[cpmodem]

Originally Posted by uk_mouse

SNIP>> Cpmodem - interesting info about weave being caused by the rear tyre - thanks. I assume the pressure will affect it somehow? I've been running 15psi in the rear recently, thinking of going lower, I'll have to be careful on the tarmac!

I tried the 908RR's down to 20 psi, butt they just got squirrely'r. Love them on the dirt without paniers though. Huge roosts! Still my fav offroad.