TRF Forums

Hello Ladies and Gents..

I need a new rear tyre for my DR350 which is nearly ready for trail riding.

I will be mainly riding in Surrey and then the Westcountry now and then.

Michelin AC10?

Maxxis M7305?

Can anyone recommend good front and rear combinations? I will have to also use roads to get to the byways.

Cheers,

Matt

Anything road legal and knobbly will do. You will find huge differences in running different pressures (6psi up to 15). Tyre types don't make too much difference.
Could be a good debate though...

Can't stand AC10s... The rear is not too bad but the front is like riding on a knife edge and gets very slippery in the wet.

I'm using Metzeller Six Days Extreme on my 450 EXC at the moment. Been very happy with them and they've coped very well so far in all conditions (wet and dry) including Pikes Peak rally earlier in the year, a bunch of trail riding and a fair bit of "brisk" road work. They wear pretty well too which I wasn't expecting. Not too pricy either at £100 for a pair.

As with anything, it boils down to personal taste in the end and sometimes you just need to try a bunch of tyres out for yourself to find one you like. I'd definitely avoid the AC10s though (although, I'm sure you'll find people who'll swear by them! )

I had ac10s on my bike never believed a tyre could affect the handling so much. Gave them to a guy and he did one ride and chucked them away unbelievably bad.
Fim stamped tyres will not last long as have smaller tread depth.

Six Days are FIM approved and last well (for me at least).

Agreed the 6 days is a great tyre for general trail riding especially on a four stroke.

My opinion:

AC10's - avoid at all costs! The fronts are lethal (particularly as we enter Autumn/Winter). The rears are not a lot better.

Maxxis IT Pro (7304 & 7305) - been using these for the last year or so. very happy with them in Surrey, Wales, IOM & France. Not great in Devon. They wear very well and give great grip for most conditions. They are FIM and road legal.

If going for the Maxxis - be aware that Oponeo offer them at a good price BUT the fronts they send out are often the 7304D (dessert). These are not marked as road legal.....

Hope this helps?

Derek

I thought they were called "six days" because that's about how long they last on my bikes!

Tyres for Trail riding is a topic that appears every few months. There is no definitive "right" answer.

Here is my opinion:
The first response was spot on. It is tyre pressures that are very important. Tyres with around 15psi will bounce off rocks and have less grip than a tyre at 6psi. The lower tyre pressure also makes the bikes suspension much "plusher" . However, if like most riders you use tubes then low pressures give a high risk of punctures and so 15psi is about the norm.
More enlightened riders are using the Generation 2 Tubliss system which allows low tyre pressurs to be used with much less risk of a puncture and they can be run flat anyway. almost all Pro riders use mousses - pre drilled to make them much softer ie to feel like low pressure tyres.
Metzeller 6 day tyres have good grip but last 6 days - if you are lucky and rides are less than 100 miles.
AC10 rears generally OK. forget the front.
Maxxis IT 7304 front - generally considered to be poor for grip 7305 rear good for wear and grip. i find the maxxis 7313 front and 7314 rear much better.

Tyre purchase is a compromise between wear and grip.

6 days * 200 miles per day = 1200 miles. That's not too bad

Thinking about it, 1200 miles is probably not far off what my current rear is heading for. Must have been riding like a jess!