THE DUAL SPORT TIRE REVIEW

[Buzz]

Shinko 705

Use 80-20

Street- Great.  While not advisable, you could do a lite track day. Wet grip is also good.

Dry dirt- Good. If aired down to 15 psi these tires work fine for forest service roads, and general adventure riding.

Wet dirt- Bad. This is not a hard core off road tire. If ridden in real mud, expect death. NO HILL CLIMBING!

Longevity- Good. Not a super long life tire. The tread wear is fine, but tend to wear strangely if one does a lot of highway miles. A gap forms between the crown and the edge.

Bike- This review was done on a DR650 ridden aggressively. The best use of this tire is on a simular bike, used for adventure touring and commuting.

[Buzz]

SHINKO 700

Use 70-30

Street- Good. The tire is moderately noisy. Wet and dry grip is good, but not spectacular.

Dry dirt- Good. It's main use would be forest service roads. Light trail riding is fine at slower speeds.

Wet dirt- Bad. As a 70-30 tire, mud will be an issue. Especially with the front. Hill climbing is not recommended.

Longevity- Good for a semi dirt tire.

Use- Test was done on a DR650 ridden aggressively. This tire is fine for riding to the mountains, then putting along easy trails. Well the rear anyway. I wouldn't use the front for a bonfire.

[Buzz]

SHINKO 244 "GOLDEN BOY"

Use 50-50

Street- Good. It is slightly noisy. Grip is fine, but noticeably not a street tire. Wet grip is acceptable.

Dry dirt- Great. On hard pack dirt trails, this tire shines. If aired down the rear does a decent job of mimicking a trials tire.

Wet dirt- Good ish. While not a tire that will ever impress any one in the mud, it does a decent job of not killing you. The lighter the bike, the better it works in slop.

Longevity- Good. For a nobbed tire it's good. Not recommended for cross country trips.

Use- DR650, XT225, Highly modified XR200 ridden aggressively. This tire is a mixed bag. On a 650 it makes a decent trail tire. On a 230 lbs woods bike, I have no issues doing any hard enduro. This applies only to the rear tire.  The front would make a fine bonfire.

[Buzz]

KENDA K270

Use 50-50

Street- Bad ish. This is more bike dependant. On a heavy 650 they tend to feel squirmy. This feeling fades as the tire wears down. On a lite weight bike this is not noticed. They are a bit noisy.

Dry dirt- Good. They very simular, if not better, than the Shinko golden boy listed above.

Wet dirt- Good. Once again see the review for the golden boy.

Use- As you can tell, this tire is so simular to the Shinko golden boy, they are almost interchangeable. Once again this review applies to the rear tire. The front tire should only be used for fire tending duties.

[Buzz]

PIRELLE MT21

USE- 10-90


Street- Good. They work well for what they are. Grip (wet and dry) is good considering the lack of asphalt contact. They feel like a very soft compound.

Dry dirt- Great. This is a dirt tire that pretends to be street legal.

Wet dirt- Great. Nothing short of a dedicated off road tire is going to work better.

Longevity- Bad. Like a real off road tire, it's is not going to put up with much road use.

Use- DR650 ridden aggressively. I ripped the rear nobs apart on a 300 mile street ride. I still use the front tire in combination with less aggressive rear tire ( aka Kyle's mullet). IMHO this is the best street legal off road front tire I've found for the mighty DR. Tire life on the front of a DR650 is a non-issue.

[Fencejumper09]

Motoz Tractionator H/T (rear)

USE 80-20

Street- Good. They work well for a knobby but I haven't pushed them too hard. Very loud (bring your ear plugs!)

Dry dirt- Great. This is a great tire for this category and also dry rocks. The traction achieved with this tire makes it difficult to keep the front tire down on hill climbs.

Wet dirt- Great traction in mud but slick rocks are a struggle

Longevity- Bad in terms of miles compared to road tires but I haven't had anything last longer on the 690

Use- KTM 690 ridden very aggressively off-road and only pushed to loft the front tire on-road.

[Fencejumper09]

Continental TKC 80 (rear)

USE 80-20

Street- Good. They work well for a knobby but I haven't pushed them too hard. They are semi loud.

Dry dirt- Great. This is a good dirt tire but the more rounded profile makes traction easily lost.

Wet dirt- Not a good tire if you plan on lots of mud.

Longevity- Bad in terms of miles compared to road tires but sufficient for what it is.

Use- KTM 690 ridden very aggressively off-road and only pushed to loft the front tire on-road.

[Buzz]

DURO MEDIAN

Use 80-20

Street- Good. They are quite, and round. Grip is good at best. They have a plastic feel to them. Feels like a very hard compound.

Dry dirt- Good. Like the Shinko 705, the are fine for forest service roads.

Wet dirt- Bad. Expect to take time off work for broken bones. Also make sure your deductible is paid up. I took to calling them death throws.

Longevity- Good. Well, I assume they are. I got rid of them after a cracked rib incident. The compound is hard anyway.

Use- Great for upside down a DR650. I can't comment on much else.

[Buzz]

DUNLOP 606

Use 60-40

Street- Good. They are a bit noisy, but grip fine for what they are.  They have a rounded profile that corners well. Grip is good, until it's not. I found the break away to be disconcerting.

Dry dirt- Good. Good grip over hard pack.   Rocks are a little more trouble.

Wet dirt- Good. Mud is fine. Wet rocks cause spinning.

Longevity- Good. The knobs wear down as expected. Not bad for a dual sport tire.

Use- DR650 ridden aggressively. The are some of the best comprise tires I have used.  I have 3 sets of rims for this bike, so I don't use them. No need to compromise.

[Buzz]

Kenda k760 TRACK MASTER

Use 90-10

Street- Good. Surprisingly good grip for a full knob. Very soft compound. Also they are quite.

Dry dirt- Great. They have too much traction for me. Pin the throttle, bury the back tire , and find the frame on the ground. Rinse repeat.

Wet dirt- Great. See above.

Longevity- Bad. Unless you ride in only soft conditions, buy them two at a time. If you are riding more than 100 miles of road to get to the trail, strap the second one to the seat.  You'll need it for the ride home.

Use- DR650 used as a ditch witch, rock slinger, plowing fields, and general earth moving projects.

[Al Goodwin]

KENDA K270

Use 50-50

Street- Bad ish. This is more bike dependant. On a heavy 650 they tend to feel squirmy. This feeling fades as the tire wears down. On a lite weight bike this is not noticed. They are a bit noisy.

Dry dirt- Good. They very simular, if not better, than the Shinko golden boy listed above.

Wet dirt- Good. Once again see the review for the golden boy.

Use- As you can tell, this tire is so simular to the Shinko golden boy, they are almost interchangeable. Once again this review applies to the rear tire. The front tire should only be used for fire tending duties.

Let me add a bit here...if I can...

These are the most UNSTABLE, INCONSISTANT, UNPREDICTABLE, POS tires I've ever ridden >:(.  I honestly thought I'd left EVERY nut, bolt, and adjuster loose the first time I rode them :o. 

Then I thought someone had snuck into the garage and replaced the swingarm pivot with a universal joint, allowing movement in all directions......

Then I thought..."Maybe I broke the frame?" :o....

None was true.....just SH**TY tires. :-\

[klaviator]

I'll throw in my 2 cents.  I've been running Shinko 244s for quite a while now.  They are really good all around tires.  They aren't great at anything but do almost everything well.  On the street I can ride my KLR like a sportbike and they just stick.  They feel a bit squirmy when new but that quickly goes away.  They work pretty well off road although they don't handle muddy like a real knobby.  They are dirt cheap and last longer than many other tires I have tried.  One issue I have is that breaking the bead on the rear tire a a real PITA when it comes time to change tires or just fix a flat.

I ran Kenda 270s on my old DR250.  They seem to be about equal to the Shinko 244s off road but they suck on the pavement.  They where good for about 2000 miles rear and 4000 miles front on my DR.  They look a lot like the Shinko 244s but I see absolutely no reason to buy these over the Shinko's.

[KevinB]

Continental TKC70

Use - 80/20  street/dirt

Street - Great. I was able to ride the TR650 like a motard with these tires on 21/18 wheels.

Dry dirt - Good. Moderate single track and FS roads were no problem on the big Husky...no traction concerns at moderate speed.

Wet dirt - A little better than a street tire.

Mud - Not great, but much better than I expected. My first trip to Fort Bluff was on these tires just after I got the TR650, solo. There were lots of long, rutted mudholes and I fully expected to have to phone a friend to drag me out. The '70 was spinning like mad, but kept inching it's way through the axle-deep slop.

Longevity - I put @ 2.5k miles on them before switching to another tire...still had nubs on them. Mileage shouldn't be an issue on small to medium size bikes.

Use - Husky Terra 650 ridden moderately as a dual-sport and semi-motard.