DOT tire suggestions ?

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diymirage
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DOT tire suggestions ?

Post by diymirage »

hey guys,

my tires are starting to look like street tires more then nobbies so im thinking its about time to get some new ones

id like to get some tires i can go offroad with but since this is mainly a commuter bike they need to be DOT approved
(the big print "not for highway use" is bound to attract cops sooner or later)

any affordable suggestions ?
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Post by nearma12 »

I used to use Kenda Trackmaster. I think they are rated 80% dirt 20% street. They work very well off road and are DOT legal. I recommend them if you want real knobbies for off road riding. Plus, I think they are only around $110 or so for the pair.
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Post by SS109 »

Motoz has three series of tires now that are DOT legal.

http://www.motoz.com.au/
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Post by Julien D »

pirelli mt43 trials tire is DOT approved. Seems to do quite well on-road if you keep the pressure up around 13 or so. At about 6 - 8lbs it excels off-road as well.

gets my vote anyway...
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Post by cornishwrecker220 »

maxxis maxxcross or michelin ac10..both road legal,hard wearing & have an excellent knobbly pattern tread :grin:
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Post by Mr. Wibbens »

Trackmasters wear like iron but they are so hard that they get very little traction when things get loose
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Post by Fletch »

I have the ac10 for off road only and it's fine for that. I run 16 psi due to the rocks and it is wearing well no issues, grip is good, it's never washed on me. I got it for cheap that's why i'm running a dot front.
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diymirage
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Post by diymirage »

thanks for all the input guys

(a few thoughts on some of the tires mentioned)

kenda...was that the one that got some bad reviews for loosing nobs ?
(i might be mistaken on that but i thought i read something)

motoz...hard to tell if they will ship to the US from the website you gave me
plus...the price seems a bit steep for a (to me) unknown brand)

pirelli...definatly a good option, when i hear pirelli good quality race tires come to mind and the idea of buying dirt tires from them is rather appealing
the thread pattern on the MT43 reminds me of just about every honda MT or MB iver ever owned (seems a bit tame but it sounds like its good off road aswell)

all the other tires mentioned look good (and are cheaper then the motoz) but they all look like an all out dirt tire
i wonder how they would do in the rain?
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Post by scheckaet »

about the motoz, some of my riding friends found them at cyclegear and are last I heard pleased with them. There was a thread about them not long ago on the site.
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Post by SS109 »

>|<>QBB<
diymirage wrote:motoz...hard to tell if they will ship to the US from the website you gave me
plus...the price seems a bit steep for a (to me) unknown brand)
Prices are in line with all major brands and even better than some. Buy them through Kelly at http://www.motosportz.com/ for the best price and service. Mine were like $126 for the pair shipped. Just don't buy the Enduro IT's!!!
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Post by SpudRider »

I cast another vote for the Kenda, K760, TrakMaster, rear tire. However, the front TrakMaster tire gets mixed reviews. :wink: The rear TrakMaster tire performs surprisingly well on pavement, and will not fail you off road. I have the K760 rear tire currently mounted on both my KDX220, and my 200cc, dual sport bike. I have also mounted the rear TrakMaster tire on my Honda XR650L. You can get the best price on the TrakMaster tire from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC. :wink:

http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/produ ... ilyId=5395

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Post by ihatefalling »

I ride a buttload of DS on my DRZ (KDX is woods only).

Dunlop D606 is a 50/50 tire.
It is DOT.
For aggressive DOTs that hook offroad and don't flex in the pavement curves, they last longer than anything out there.

Air up to 30 for street, down to whatever you want for offroad.

I've heard a few guys say they like Motoz, but they can be hard to get.

NOT ripping on anyone but, had some of those TM IIs on the rear and gave it away after 2 rides. Too squirelly in the hard street corners. Hooked good offroad tho.

Me goofing off for the camera on D606.....they'll go a little deeper than this:

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Re: DOT tire suggestions ?

Post by SpudRider »

>|<>QBB<
diymirage wrote:hey guys,

my tires are starting to look like street tires more then nobbies so im thinking its about time to get some new ones

id like to get some tires i can go offroad with but since this is mainly a commuter bike they need to be DOT approved
(the big print "not for highway use" is bound to attract cops sooner or later)

any affordable suggestions ?
Indeed, the Dunlop, D606 rear tire will perform better on the the street than the Kenda, TrakMaster rear tire. However, the K760, TrakMaster tire will perform better off road, and is much more affordable than the Dunlop D606. Therefore, choosing between these two tires is necessarily a compromise between street friendliness, and affordability. :wink:

Spud :grin:
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Post by bcdonyo »

>|QBB<[/url]
ihatefalling wrote:I ride a buttload of DS on my DRZ (KDX is woods only).

Dunlop D606 is a 50/50 tire.
It is DOT.
For aggressive DOTs that hook offroad and don't flex in the pavement curves, they last longer than anything out there.

Air up to 30 for street, down to whatever you want for offroad.

I've heard a few guys say they like Motoz, but they can be hard to get.

NOT ripping on anyone but, had some of those TM IIs on the rear and gave it away after 2 rides. Too squirelly in the hard street corners. Hooked good offroad tho.

Me goofing off for the camera on D606.....they'll go a little deeper than this:

Image
I vote for the D606 as well. You can get tires cheaper, but they will cost more as they wear out 2 or 3X faster, and you can find DOT tires that work better off road, but they won't handle on the street as well and will also wear faster.

That said I'm going to run a Metzler Unicross front and Pirelli MT43 rear on my plated KDX as it sees very limited street use.

I have an ATK605 that has about 1,500 miles on a set of D606's and the rear is about 60% worn and the front 40%.
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Post by ihatefalling »

True all that. One good thing about it is the KDX doesn't throw a ton of power down on the knobs, so they will last longer than on a big bore.
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Post by SpudRider »

Yes, a Kenda TrakMaster will last much longer on a KDX than it will on a 400cc, or larger motorcycle. I just bought my KDX220, but so far it doesn't seem to burn through rear tires like my XR650L does. :wink: My current, Kenda, TrakMaster rear tire is wearing very little on my KDX220. The TrakMaster rear tire lasts a very long time on my 200cc, 4-stroke, dual sport bike. :grin:

Another factor to consider is weight. Even in its smallest size, the Dunlop, D606 rear tire is heavier than the smaller sizes of the Kenda, TrakMaster rear tires, increasing the unsprung mass and inertia of the rear wheel. Nevertheless, I have employed the D606 rear tire on my XR650L, and it is a very good tire. :grin: I'm just disappointed the price of the D606 tire increased so much this past year. :roll:

Spud :grin:
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Post by ihatefalling »

Yea no kidding....tire prices are making me sick
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Post by Klammer »

I have run all the above mentione DOTs on my DRZ 400. Dirt Rider magazine rated the Pirelli Scorpion Pro as the most like a pure dirt tire of all the DOTs. I completely agree with them, awsome tires. I've gone through two sets. Currently I testing the Pirelli MT43 trials tire out back and the Scorpian Pro in the front. Very impressive so far. The MT43 is not a true trials tire in that it is a bias ply tire, not a radial, so it holds shape better when flat. Awsome on the street, rocks, wet roots, dirt, sand, ok in mud but stay away from clay. It wears better than the dunlop 606. My 2 cents.
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Post by bcdonyo »

Ah the Scorpion Pro is one of the best front off road tires and it happens to be DOT approved. It's all I run on the front of my 650 Husaberg, the rear however chunks and is wasted after 5 rides, which is why D606 rears are all I run out here in the rocks on my big bikes, street legal and dirt only.

The OP stated he wanted a tire for street commuting, that could handle the dirt. With a bais twords durability and street worthyness my ratings would be for the tires I've used:
1) Dunlop D606-wear like iron, good off road and on.
2) Pirelli MT21-medium wear rating, okay off road and good on.
3) Metzler Unicross-medium wear front, quick wear rear, great off road and okay on.
4) Pirelli Scorpion Pro-good wear front, poor wear rear, exceptional off road and poor on.

On my big thumpers I like the Scorpion front and D606 rear. If I was going to put a lot of highway miles on my KDX (like my ATK) I would deffinately run D606s. I haven't tried Kendas, Motoz, or the MT43, so I can't speak for them.
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Post by diymirage »

allright, thanks guys, i think im gonna look into the D606s


now, since i still have the worn out whatever tire i run on the back, here is an interesting question, how can i stud it for winteruse?
(i wannt say i read somehwere about someone putting carriage bolts in there, that a good idea)



also one a side note, i wonder if someone has a studded front tire laying around i could get for cheap)
newbbewb wrote:DIYmirage has it right.


-1996 KDX 200 woods weapon (converted to 99 green body)
-1996 KDX 200 plated street toy (barney edition)
-2003 Yamaha TTR125-L (wifeys bike)
-1997 KDX 220 project bike
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