Tyres for the summer?

[Rupe]

Need some new tyres for the summer (and ideally a bit longer), but they need to put up with some good old vairred NZ conditions: sand, wet mud (when ever poss),farmland, hard pack, gravel, pretty much the lot.

Also want something that lasts a while, my last rear was a bridgestone m404 and it didn't last long enough.

Any ideas, whats everyone been using recently, and how they doing? Those mitchy xc's any good?

[vazza]

S12 XC.. Awwwwwesome tyres. I use them front and rear.

My rear has lasted so long..

[green machine]

Need some new tyres for the summer (and ideally a bit longer), but they need to put up with some good old vairred NZ conditions: sand, wet mud (when ever poss),farmland, hard pack, gravel, pretty much the lot.

Also want something that lasts a while, my last rear was a bridgestone m404 and it didn't last long enough.

Any ideas, whats everyone been using recently, and how they doing? Those mitchy xc's any good?
I have a S12 XC on the front,that grips well and seems to be lasting well.....i go with an MH3 or MS3 on the back tho......i really like them cause man do they hook up.A few of the boys are running them and the seem to hold up well......on the Pumice Blast they just ate up the muddy hill climbs

[flyingcr250]

I have a XCS12 on the front,that grips well and seems to be lasting well.....i go with an MH3 or MS3 on the back tho......i really like them cause man do they hook up.A few of the boys are running them and the seem to hold up well......on the Pumice Blast they just ate up the muddy hill climbs

during the summer i run a pirelli scorpion extra on the rear and a s12 on the front.

[vanmajor]

Michelin 6 Day tyres front and rear.


Long lasting & they track really well. I used them at the first round of the national enduro champs this year at Operau and they were faultless.

[t595]

Michelin 6 Day tyres front and rear.


Long lasting & they track really well. I used them at the first round of the national enduro champs this year at Operau and they were faultless.

what he said.

rear s12 will tear the knobs off in the hardpack,fronts are good but the side knobs peel off after a while on hardpack too

[Rupe]

what he said.

rear s12 will tear the knobs off in the hardpack,fronts are good but the side knobs peel off after a while on hardpack too

Had a s12 on the bike when I got it and ripped the knobs off, reckon they are to soft to put up with a summer thrashing.

Doesn't look like those 6day tyres are in stock anywhere, maybe not produced anymore.

Anyone know what the m12 xc compares like to a mh3?

[cheese]

MH3, mine has lasted well. Not that I've ridden much this year......

[Reckless]

I put a Pirelli Scorpian XC mid soft on beginning of winter it has lasted so well I'll leave it on for summer!
I went in for the all round Scorpian MX extra which my mate that races heaps,swears by but ended up being talked in this one!

There's two ideas for you I quite like the Pirellis they seem to last really well but still give good traction.

[little.whittle]

I have a M12 xc... Still like brand new with about 10 hours on... Will see what its like after the M3DE

[camchain]

Me, I'd stay clear of S12s for the summer, they're a very focussed soft terrain tire. Have a look at the 'spider web' diagram in the Michelin brochure. That diagonal knob on the front is designed for penetration in the slop but not for cornering grip on anything hard-ish. Persuaded a mate to swap from S12 to Mich MS3 on front and he loves it. (Haven't tried MH3 for summer but tempted)

Was real impressed with recent Metz MC5 rear. A really robust tire. Maybe not the ultimate soft terrain performance with it's wide & inflexible centre knobs, but this makes them longer lasting. Budget limits got me into a Mich AC10 rear at the moment. Cheapest Michelin but it seems OK to an average rider like me. They're an unsexy road legal knobly but likely to last well and should be OK as a summer tire. You jokers with 19s have a bit more choice with Michelin range, why the hell don't they make all the tread options available on their 18 inch tires?

Photo: Check out pic of Bridgestone after a Maramarua GNCC. Not naming names but this off one of quickest Clubman guys and saw another in same condition on one of the Elite guy's bikes as well. Maybe best not to conclude toooo much from this as you could probably destroy any tire if thrashed on gravel, but thought it was interesting.

[4stroke]

put a bridgy m402 on last week and still have the pirelli scorpion midsoft on the front that is lasting prety well, the s12 xc lasted well till the hard pack arrived then fell to pieces, for a four stroke in the summer id be running the
m402 or the metzler mc5, those are the usuall choices for me, although it is hard finding good tyres in 18" tho, 19" have way more choice.

[Ride it till the red]

I seem to absolutely chew through tires compared to the guys I ride with for some reason. Happens no matter what I put on but Pirelli Scorpion Extra's definately seem to be the best lasting. I rate them wet or dry and will be sticking with them at this stage.

[little.whittle]

http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-516121.html

I run M12 rear and a bridgstone M59 on the front.. the bridgstone has done a gud 60hours and seems to be a very good tyre

[Reckless]

I seem to absolutely chew through tires compared to the guys I ride with for some reason. Happens no matter what I put on but Pirelli Scorpion Extra's definately seem to be the best lasting. I rate them wet or dry and will be sticking with them at this stage.

Good to get some feedback on the extras, same as my mate says.
Everytime I've gone in to get some Steve has talked me into some other Pirelli. But the Scorpian Mid soft I have on the 08 and the Pirelli MT320 thats been on my sons 200 for a long time have lasted bloody well.



Photo: Check out pic of Bridgestone after a Maramarua GNCC. Not naming names but this off one of quickest Clubman guys and saw another in same condition on one of the Elite guy's bikes as well. Maybe best not to conclude toooo much from this as you could probably destroy any tire if thrashed on gravel, but thought it was interesting.

Jeepers Cam, those tyres in the pics are thrashed, If thats only one ride they must give them arseholes! You'd wonder if a little less throttle would make them hook up better, the rider a bit quicker and not stuff the tyre. Where they on 450's?

[4stroke]

tyres can last along time, it just depends how throttle you use and how aggresive you are on it, a mates got a yz144 and he goes through tyre faster than i do on the 450 and we ride just as fast as each other, but he is all ways up on the top of the rev range and i short shift untill i need the hp then let the big dog eat.

[telliman]

put a bridgy m402 on last week and still have the pirelli scorpion midsoft on the front that is lasting prety well, the s12 xc lasted well till the hard pack arrived then fell to pieces, for a four stroke in the summer id be running the
m402 or the metzler mc5, those are the usuall choices for me, although it is hard finding good tyres in 18" tho, 19" have way more choice.

yep, def the bridgy combo, the hard pack roots any tyre though unless your riding ripped or watered tracks, spare set of wheels with older tyres is a good investment!

[Rupe]

Quite like the look af a mitchy s12 xc on the front,

On the rear I reckon it's between, a mitchy mh3, m12xc, or a perelli extra's

Any more ratings on the m12xc would be good

[Reckless]

Quite like the look af a mitchy s12 xc on the front,

On the rear I reckon it's between, a mitchy mh3, m12xc, or a perelli extra's

Any more ratings on the m12xc would be good

I did a google Rupe, the feedback on the S12 front seems to be good grip but lets go a bit unpredictably?? only new out yet though.

read it here http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-794532.html

[4stroke]

I did a google Rupe, the feedback on the S12 front seems to be good grip but lets go a bit unpredictably?? only new out yet though.

read it here http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-794532.html

i found the s12xc a lil like that on the rear, it would all of a sudden just let go and you'd be facing the wrong way..

[tommorth]

am agreed on the rather sudden loss of grip from the s12xc awsome up until then though and seems unstopable in the mud and sand only 8hrs on it so far bu tseems to be holding up fine

[browny]

easily the best tyre for wear on my 650 is the mich s12.the price isthe only down side,for my budget anyway.i normally use duro's.cheap and nasty,great on soft stuff,terrible on the hard.very easy to destoy in one shingle blast but cheap.

[camchain]

Jeepers Cam, those tyres in the pics are thrashed, If thats only one ride they must give them arseholes! You'd wonder if a little less throttle would make them hook up better, the rider a bit quicker and not stuff the tyre. Where they on 450's?
RMZ250, dude was parked next to me and reckoned he couldn't figure out why the rear felt so weird until shock of seeing it! Probably still worked semi-OK due to a lot of tire contact on the hardpack. I had a wander round and there were a few pretty trashed tyres but nothing near as bad as these. The other one was on an RM250 2t (I just remembered they printed a photo of it in DRD). Just shows how agressive some guys ride. I always roll the throttle on in gravel type stuff to save tire. No podiums for me anyway.

[motorbyclist]

Michelin Starcross

Me and all my mates swear by these things for traction everywhere (sand grass mud dirt clay gravel concrete rocks and mum's garden) and they lasted much longer than the pirelli scorpio thing my mate tried.