Bigtallbastard
Voice of Reason
May as well get this one started. These are the tires I have used on big bike and why I like them or dislike them. I go for tires with a stiffer sidewall because Central Oregon is full of sharp baby head rocks, lots of lava and gnarly shit out here.
TKC80s
Decent offroad traction, lasted about 900 miles on the rear of the 1090, great road manners and pavement traction, front is terrible in the mud, sidewall is made from Japanese rice paper
Dunlop 908RR on the rear
The original gnarly big bike tire, able to throw roost into your neighbor's yard, stiff sidewall, stiff tread, was only available in a 140 for years so it was square on the rim. It was really expensive but the price has come down. Still kind of expensive. Did not last long and was not confidence inspiring on wet pavement. I never ran a 908 front because I thought it would kill me on wet pavement.
Motoz Tractionator Adventure rear
Great tire, great traction, great wear properties, stiff sidewall to protect the rim, pretty long life but I can't remember exact mileage before I took it off. This would be my go to for TAT or Baja.
Motoz Tractionator Rallz rear
Same as above, great traction, stiff sidewall, great road traction and manners but it is wearing a little faster. Performance wise the Rallz and Adventure are close enough to each other I would run whichever is available, the Rallz gets the nod for dedicated off road prowess and the standard Adventure get the nod if there is going to be more long distance pavement as well as off road.
Motoz Tractionator front
The dirt performance is excellent and it has a great stiff sidewall. I had to ride one of these more than 12 miles of sand and gravel after it deflated and came off the bead. (bending KTM front rims will be another thread). The initial high speed pavement handling was a little sketchy. It would start shaking its head and was not confidence inspiring. A friend experienced the same thing with the Rallz front on his 790R. Once the tire had some wear it settled down and quit doing that. The front is just starting to cup but any knobby used on these bikes will do that.
Pirelli Scorpion MT 90 front and rear
These were the stock tires on the 990 Adventure R and I am actually still a big fan. Decent sidewall but not nearly as tough as the Motoz. Good wear properties, good traction in dry conditions, not a mud tire but would do as well as any of the current crop of 70-30 tires like the TKC70, etc. They were great on the pavement but the front did have a funky little oscillation if you let go of the bars. The minute you put your hands back on the bars it was enough to stop it. Its an older tire but still a player.
Mitas E09 Dakar front
Its in my garage waiting for the Motoz to wear out. The knobs are smaller than a TKC80 but the sidewall is as stiff as the Motoz maybe more so. I've been told it won't last long so we will see.
TKC80s
Decent offroad traction, lasted about 900 miles on the rear of the 1090, great road manners and pavement traction, front is terrible in the mud, sidewall is made from Japanese rice paper
Dunlop 908RR on the rear
The original gnarly big bike tire, able to throw roost into your neighbor's yard, stiff sidewall, stiff tread, was only available in a 140 for years so it was square on the rim. It was really expensive but the price has come down. Still kind of expensive. Did not last long and was not confidence inspiring on wet pavement. I never ran a 908 front because I thought it would kill me on wet pavement.
Motoz Tractionator Adventure rear
Great tire, great traction, great wear properties, stiff sidewall to protect the rim, pretty long life but I can't remember exact mileage before I took it off. This would be my go to for TAT or Baja.
Motoz Tractionator Rallz rear
Same as above, great traction, stiff sidewall, great road traction and manners but it is wearing a little faster. Performance wise the Rallz and Adventure are close enough to each other I would run whichever is available, the Rallz gets the nod for dedicated off road prowess and the standard Adventure get the nod if there is going to be more long distance pavement as well as off road.
Motoz Tractionator front
The dirt performance is excellent and it has a great stiff sidewall. I had to ride one of these more than 12 miles of sand and gravel after it deflated and came off the bead. (bending KTM front rims will be another thread). The initial high speed pavement handling was a little sketchy. It would start shaking its head and was not confidence inspiring. A friend experienced the same thing with the Rallz front on his 790R. Once the tire had some wear it settled down and quit doing that. The front is just starting to cup but any knobby used on these bikes will do that.
Pirelli Scorpion MT 90 front and rear
These were the stock tires on the 990 Adventure R and I am actually still a big fan. Decent sidewall but not nearly as tough as the Motoz. Good wear properties, good traction in dry conditions, not a mud tire but would do as well as any of the current crop of 70-30 tires like the TKC70, etc. They were great on the pavement but the front did have a funky little oscillation if you let go of the bars. The minute you put your hands back on the bars it was enough to stop it. Its an older tire but still a player.
Mitas E09 Dakar front
Its in my garage waiting for the Motoz to wear out. The knobs are smaller than a TKC80 but the sidewall is as stiff as the Motoz maybe more so. I've been told it won't last long so we will see.