These are the only tyres I've tried so far so the comments are relative to these three tyres in UK conditions. I am searching for a green lane/TET tyre.
Heidenau's were comfortable and fun on road. Slow wearing, stable, low noise. Maybe a bit on the big and heavy side for my engine and 14/44 gearing. 6th gear was only usable downhill. Ok on gravel. I did not try them off road.
Michelin Trackers were great off road. (Trails and singletrack mix of dirt, mud, gravel/slate, some rocks and roots in Welsh forests). Running 16psi hoping to reduce risk of flats.
On road they are legal but not what they are really designed for. Grip was ok in the dry but a bit of a weave above 50mph (at 19psi) and the knobs of course vibrate the bike Gearing was 13/44 so 6th gear now more usable but I would not want to do long miles and high speed. Fast wearing on road. Wear noticeable at 100miles. Wet roads....it can do it but take it easy. I lost the front end on wet winter road. On a plus note the bike slides well. Only one brake lever end broke and a few scratches on the hand guard and foot peg.
MT21 were good off road. No worries in Welsh forest and TET. Clog up faster than the tracker in mud for sure so they slip and spin a bit more but did ok.
Also good on road. No weave at speed. Slight vibes. Knob edge rounds off but the wear so far seems ok and the tyre can be turned around once for a fresh edge off road. These tyres definitely gained more ability on road than they lost off road compared to the Tracker. So I think they will be good for the TET. Gearing 13/46 and the rear is a smaller circumference than the other two tyre so 6th gear is now usable.
Hope that helps someone with tyre choices.
Let me know if there's another recommendation for TET.
Any thoughts on the Pirelli MT43? It seems to get a good mention on this site. Can it handle some mud?
The MT21 in 80/90/21 feels a bit small and the speedo now reads >10% faster than real speed and the tube was a bit big for it. Next time I will try 90/90/21.
The Heidenau K60 and Pirelli MT21 quoted width measurement seems to be from knob to knob whereas the Michelin Tracker measurement is from sidewall to sidewall.
Good comments. You might like to try the Dunlop 606's. Despite been a 20 year old design I have found them an excellent overall compromise with an emphasis for the off road and adventure riding.
Good comments. You might like to try the Dunlop 606's. Despite been a 20 year old design I have found them an excellent overall compromise with an emphasis for the off road and adventure riding.
I am running D606's on the TTR they seem to suit the bike, I was running MT21's on the WRR but the day before we headed off to the Flinders ranges I swapped the MT21 on the rear for a D606, going from a 120/80 to a 120/90 on the rear with added security of the taller tyre in the rocks, I did 1200 odd kms & the tyre is still good..never had a flat with a D606
My mate had a MT21 on the rear of his WRR & it's pretty buggered now, worn & cuts from the rocks, I think I will stick with the MT21 front & D606 rear
Terry
-- Edited by TerryK on Saturday 19th of September 2020 03:10:57 AM
Really good tyre pic's, info and comparison thank you Coley :)
I have been a great fan of MT21's over the years as they suit my mixed 50/50 gravel / tarmac riding adventures. Had them on a KLR250 and TTR600, they gave a pretty good level of grip on wet or dry tarmac (ridden sensibly), were very good on gravel and light mud but were not very grippy in heavier mud conditions (which I now avoid anyway) and clogged easily but they seemed to wear very little which was a big bonus!
As I do quite a small annual mileage these days wear is not a major factor for me in tyre choice so I fancied trying something new when I got the TTR250 so am giving Michelin Enduro Mediums a go with Michelin BIB mousse's. Front 90/90-21 with M15 mousse and rear 120/90-18 with a M18 mousse. That combination is supposed to give a feel equivalent to about 14psi which I would say is about spot on and an ideal compromise for my gravel / tarmac riding environments. When I first picked them up I nearly didn't fit them as the tyres looked very open tread and I thought they would squirm like a drunk snake on the tarmac but decided to give them a go and I have been very pleasantly impressed with their on road stability! Sure they feel nothing like a road tyre and they really do want to keep straight and stable so find that I 'positive steer' into corners but they are very manageable ridden sensibly as I do (old fart pace). Can't comment on wear yet as they have only done 400 miles in 12 months and to be honest I will probably go back to MT21's or even something more road biased like the Anakee Wilds when these do wear down, but I share this as if you are more athletic and adventurous than me off road and like playing in swamps and can survive making the occasional 'mud angel' they would probably be an excellent choice!
I have included for fun a photo of a 17inch MT21 I fitted to the rear of my Kawasaki KLR250 about 15 years ago, a bike of similar weight and power to the TTR250. I put about 1000 miles on it before selling it on, it has had 3 owners since who have all used it for tarmac commuting, it has about 3mm left in the middle now and has done 5800 miles, not bad wear! :)
(sorry I don't know how to rotate the photo's)
-- Edited by Horizonti on Friday 18th of September 2020 07:43:53 PM
