Terrain Specific Tires

Tires can make or break your ride day. The wrong tire will have you not hooking up and moving forward, turning your fun day into a frustrating day. That's why it's important to know what you need from a tire and where you ride the most. Compromise isn't always the best thing in a dirtbike tire but needs to be considered. Like where you ride, your riding style and what bike you ride. These are all factors in selecting the proper tire for your bike. 

MX tires: MX tires, like the Dunlop MX34 or the Bridgestone X31, are designed for groomed tracks lean angle and forward bite in mind. Most are pretty stiff, in tread and sidewall, and most have tall tread blocks that dig and provide forward traction. They tend to chunk outside of their desired arena, like the desert. Or they're too stiff to conform to the ground in the woods when riding over roots and rocks. Specific MX tires, like the Dunlop MX14 for sand or the Michelin SC6 Med. tires have their own places on the track to. If you ride Buffalo Creek in Canton TX, you better have an MX14 to get thru half the track! Or have a med.-hard MX tire to run Sandy Valley MX out in Primm NV.  And if you haven't tried the Dunlop Factory Spec tire, we definitely recommend them. They really work! 

Woods tires: Or enduro tires require a different approach to traction. You can lump "extreme" tires in here too but let's see about fast single-track riding in the woods first. You want traction in both dry and wet conditions, a sidewall and tread that flexible but won't fold over when the speeds pickup. The Dunlop AT82 is a great tire, as well as the IRC VE33. Versatile and long lasting, they will last a season and perform the whole time. Dropping tire pressure will help in wetter conditions as well with these tires.

Extreme tires:  Gummy tires are a favorite of every rider at 27MOTO. They flat work when the trail gets nasty. Wet rooted sidehills in Barnwell Mountain are so much easier with a fresh gummy tire on the bike. Even running just a gummy rear tire is amazing. Rocks, downed trees and muddy trails are what they are designed for. There are straight gummy tires, like the Kenda IBEX and then there are hybrid gummy tires, like the Tusk Talon or the Dunlop AT81EX. These have a stiffer enduro style sidewall with almost trials compound tread for awesome traction. And when speeds pickup, they won't fold over on you and get spooky. The Talon is a favorite tire here at 27MOTO. For the money, it performs on par with other double the price hybrids. Gummy tires do not last though, so keep this in mind. We swap them around on the wheel at about 7-10 hours to get a fresh edge but they are done 20 hours. If not sooner. 

Desert Tires: Desert tires need to be tough. They need puncture resistance and a compound that will provide traction without chunking and have some longevity. The Dunlop AT82 or the Maxxis Desert Int. are solid tires that will last a season. Adding the Tubliss system or a mousse insert goes a long way in the deserts of Nevada and Arizona too. Check what the Best in the Desert guys are running at the next race and you'll learn a few things.

All-around tire: Really, there's no such thing. Sure it may hold up and do okay in most disciplines but you will always be giving up somewhere. 

Spare wheels are a great investment: Buy a second set of wheels and have them ready for your second favorite riding area. Or as spares for the next race. An XC guy that already has a 18" rear wheel could score a 19" rear spare wheel and hit the MX track with a tire designed for it. And he's saving his woods tire for the following weekend. Setup a spare set will soft mousse inserts and some gummy tires for extreme riding on your TE300, then swap the stock wheels back on with the woods tire the following weekend. It beats swapping tires every weekend and opens up your riding area choices. 

Trying different tires is always recommended too. The IRC M5B surprised us with how it works in the dry desert hill climbs out in Nevada and California. It's supposed to be a mud tire! But get out in the garage and out on the trails and see what you like. 

Changing Tires: It does not have to be a chore! Number #1 is tools for the job, Get off the ground or the 5 gallon bucket and make/buy a tire stand. This will literally save your back and ass! Jay Clark has a ton of Youtube videos and he gives away plans to build a stand. Buy some quality tire irons and mounting lube to make the job easier and faster. Practice, watch a ton of videos and practice some more. It's not a bad job once you get the steps down. And go into the job being positive about the outcome. That will make it easier too.