KX Riders
Maintenance & Technical => KX500 Original => Topic started by: stock500 on November 08, 2007, 03:55:24 PM
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I am in need of some new rubber on my bike, and I was wondering what the best tires were. I don't have much money so they have to be pretty low cost. I know that may rule out the best tires. I ride in desert conditions, and dunes. For the dunes I will throw on a paddle. 8 paddle vs 10 paddle for my stock bike is still up in the air, because everybody I talk to has a different opinion on that. My friend really likes the Cheng Shin 755 even though it is a hard terrain tire. Any thoughts would be great. My bike takes a 120/90-r19 size tire on the rear.
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For price and wear get a Maxiss IT Desert tire.
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First off, I can say I've been real happy with buying tires at this place.
http://www.tiresunlimited.com/default.htm
I just got the Bridgestone M 201 & M 202 so far I have been happy with them. http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIRES/Bridgestone/Bridgestone%20MC/bridgestone_m201_m202.htm Seem to work well at the river riding area we go to. Lots of sand, soft dirt, and hard packed dirt when we get 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the river. Held up great at the Clayton Okla. ride I went on a few weeks ago. That ride has nothing but rocky trails from small chat like stuff to rock "fields" that made us turn around. The Bridgestone's didn't have chunks torn from the knobs like some of the other guys tires.
I'm setting up the K5 for Dual Sport use. I'm going to run the same tire as my KLR650 just the next size bigger on the rear. http://www.tiresunlimited.com/ALL%20TIRES/Continental/continental_tkc80.htm They work well on the KLR, I'll be glad when I get to try them on the K5. Still lots of work to do on the conversion.
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I don't know how they compare in price, but I really really like the Dunlop 756 rear. Very nice in all situations but sand. I can't get any hookup in the sand.
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My next rear tire will be the Dunlop 739 A/T. It's heavier duty for desert riding.
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just got my 120/90/19 Kenda Millville...looks good we'll see!
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I've settled on the Kenda Millville and that's all I run now, F & R. The Maxxis IT is longer lasting, but I really like the feel of the millville. Cam.
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i have always liked michelin tires, but they have a shorter life then anything else. the kenda tires are the only tires that i know of that i have not tried. i think i may do the millville next...
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I had a Maxxis IT last year, excellent tire especially in the wear performance. I am not good enough to tell tires apart from a traction aspect so to me they are generally about the same. KX500's just blow the rear tire off anyway, so I will more focus on "longevity". I've run Maxxis for years now. AWESOME tire and an awesome tire for cheap money. Dunlaps are overrated IMO. Yes they are a great tire, but they are a great tire for a month, then they are junk.
Right now I am running a Dunlap 739G it's a 120/80-19. I specifically wanted to see how an 80 series profile tire would behave cornering wise on my 500, and I must say I like it a little better. You get a little less traction, which is actually a good thing when cornering a KX500. On the downside, I don't like the 739G in the woods, as it bounces hard off obsticles from less sidewall flex vs. a 90 series tire. And just like all my other Dunlap's the longevity is ok, (but nuthin' great for a $90 tire). So probably going back to Maxxis next time around, maybe Maxxis might produce a 120/80-19 in the IT........ (Hey Maxxis, you listening ?) LOL
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I found the Maxxix Maxx Cross Desert IT. It looks like a pretty beefy tire, and one of the reviews came from a 500 owner, and he said it lasts longer than any tire he has ever run. The 60.00 price tag is pretty nice also. If you want to check it out here is the link.
http://www.rockymountainatv.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&priceRange=allPrices&navTitle=Tires+and+Wheels&webTypeId=139&webCatId=8&brandId=161&prodFamilyId=3242
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mt44 laguna cross tire anyone?
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Dealers usually have large piles of used tires or Cheng Shin
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For the price, Kenda Trak-Master 2's are the best. They last forever. Infact, they would last me so long, that I started removing every other row of rubber to get 50 times more traction. They are heavy though.
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I run the Dunlop 739A/T. It is an expensive tire but i find that it lasts longer and wears better than others. I have also ran the maxxis Desert I/T It wears good for awhile then it goes really fast. I live in Yuma Az the terrain iis wash sand with hardpack and rocks.
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Pirelli MT 44 Luguna cross does hook up, Big Green. Mud wheelies
Also try Kenda Washougal. Arm stretcher. Cheaper and better.
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i am by no means an expert o tires, but
somting i have noticed is if i ride on hard serfaces the tires that have the shortest life (without cracking and spliting) tend to preform better.
if i ride soft or rocky terain i like harder rubber tires that flex less.
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For hard tracks (blue groove like the old Bridgestone M22 worked well on) the Kenda Carlsbad sticky works really well, but wears fairly fast. For pretty much all around, long wearing, do-it-all, I think the Maxxis IT is the way to go.
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I found the Maxxix Maxx Cross Desert IT. It looks like a pretty beefy tire, and one of the reviews came from a 500 owner, and he said it lasts longer than any tire he has ever run. The 60.00 price tag is pretty nice also. If you want to check it out here is the link.
http://www.rockymountainatv.com/productDetail.do?navType=type&priceRange=allPrices&navTitle=Tires+and+Wheels&webTypeId=139&webCatId=8&brandId=161&prodFamilyId=3242
Just bought a '96 KX 500 that had a brand new Maxxis Desert IT on the Back... and one on the front had mild wear.
My first ride was out in Victorville -> Stoddard Valley. Thought I didn't spend a great deal of time Monkey'ing with Tire pressures, I did drop the pressure on-the-trail because they didn't feel like they were hooking-up all that great out there.
I never really got a confident feeling from the front... escpecially in rocky sections with your typical desert shale stone. The front tire would deflect off smaller rocks in an almost scary fashion. A little of this may be suspension clicker settings... but the bike was setup for a slightly bigger and heavier rider than myself.. but i'm very aggressive on the desert floor.
I dunno... I'm thinking more of a Soft-to-intermediate terrain tire may be more confidence inspiring out there in that particular terrain.
I'm curious to here what other SoCal riders out mounting on this Beast for Gorman? For Victorville? For Lake Elsinore?
And please... I'm very interested in the WHY you like tire X in terrain Y. What behaviours about them did you think excelled in this locale over which other tire you've also ridden at that same locale.
Any input greatly appreciated. Thank you.
BTW... di I mention that I thoroughly LOVE this K5! This thing romps ALL OVER the '01 KTM450 MXC I used to have.
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Kenda Washougal are the best for the money. Pirelli Laguna Cross has awesome traction. It all depends on riding terrain. I always go with intermediate, but look for aggressive nobby pattern. pay attention to pattern and side nob style. anything that resembles a broken paddle, or a scoop to the tread will hook up. Random patterns seem to work well, but tend to be too middle ground for me. Side nobs give you the stick on turns. The same is true for front tires. Compare spacing between nobs also. The tighter the pattern the better it will work on hard pack. Wider spaces work better on muddy and sandy conditions. It helps keep the tire from loading up. New front tires help to ride tight lines and new rears are for all around throttle control.
There is alot of previous discussions about tires on here. Check out the search deal.....
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I think tires are a personal preference, there are going to be tires that all will agree are junk and others that nobody can agree on. Terrain has the biggest impact on what tire to use, and not familiar with your terrain I wouldn't make a reccommendation. I personally use Bridgestone tires for MX, why, because they sponsor my son, are they the best :? :? I also use IRC, and Teraflex for other applications. What does your dealer stock? that may be a deciding factor as well.
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but look for aggressive nobby pattern. pay attention to pattern and side nob style. anything that resembles a broken paddle, or a scoop to the tread will hook up. ...
There is alot of previous discussions about tires on here. Check out the search deal.....
Sorry man, I realize that you can't know my level of experience right off the bat. I've been hip to what you're saying since way long ago.
My only reason for putting out this question is that if I ya pick a tire that is to TOO much designed just for sand and mud.. then the Desert Rocks will tear-off knobs crazy fast.
Anyhoo... hopefully some other SoCal natives will see my question and lemme know which tires hook-up better in those locales I mentioned.
... and yes.... I've been extensively using the searching tool... hence the reason I came upon this discussion thread. Yet thank you for your concern and desire to help.
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the best tire for a 500 is a sand tire.