Total Motorcycle Community Forums

hey,
since dirt bike tires arent meant for use on the asphalt, how well do they perform in terms of traction on the road- what are some do's and dont's when driving a dirt bike on the road?

Simple answer is... Don't.

Knobbies suck on pavement. Very poor traction. A real dirtbike has no cushdrive in the wheel or the clutch and so transfers every shiftshock load straight into your expensive tranny. A real dirtbike has no lights and no charging system to power them if added later. Even 'enduro-type' CRF-X's and such don't have enough wattage to run decent lights without adding expensive power coils to the electrical system. And it's illegal.

Some places will allow you to jump through the proper hoops and eventually get a dirtbike registered, after much time, expense and hassle, but they are starting to eliminate that opition in many places. Soon, there will be none who will allow it.

i am using a set of Dunlop D606 DOT knobbies on my dual sport. they are a very stiff knobby and handle riding on the road very well. i read someware they are speed rated to 98MPH but my personal high speed has only been 60MPH. at that speed i had no problems and as i said they handled very well.

George

I have a DR600 with knobblies on it. This is more of a hybrid than a crosser. Basically, tarmac kills knobblies..... quickly! You will find them rounding off, so if it is a true dirt bike, you will end up replacing your tyres fairly regularly! I'm just killing mine at the moment, and then will put on an Enduro type tyre with better road capabilities. Chances of playing properly off road in the UK are remote anyway

Also, if it is a true dirt bike, you might find that the tyres are not road legal. You have an accident, you are going to be busted for sure, if your cops are anything like they are here.

it depends on what type of knobbies you have on it, hard or soft, hard knobbies are death tires on the road, when I owned my 98 Suzuki RM125 I rode it on the road with a street bike keeping up with me and he measured how fast I was going with his speedometer, I hit 80 MPH

Rite then, I have purchased a new enduro style on-road bike. But i dont wanna look a gimp all in superbike clothing riding an enduro bike.

Iv looked for some armoured enduro style gear. but cant find any! its all thin stuff! anyone know a place where i can find styling of off-road gear... with the safety of on-road gear?

Iv also just got myself some nice berik contender mx boots and tbh they just aint flexible enough for gear changes while ur sitting down!

Pirelli MT21's are great on my street-legal Yamaha WR426F. Rated at 90% off road use, they still offer impressive grip and durability. Now I'll save a few bucks and try Kenda's K776F Enduro up front, and K270 Dual Sport for the rear ...
I like my textile Teknic Chicane Jacket with removable back, shoulders and elbows armor, removable liner and adjustable vents.
Fox Racing's offroad Tracker boots would work well, intended for a bit of walking too. Also, Fox's Panther Race pants are on sale. "Off-road toughness and race-pant performance."

I use to use chang chin nobbies on a 77 gs400 and they where good in the winter but in the summer they would wear down pretty fast, but also slide a fair bit, which went well with the lack of brakes on the bike.

Hey LadyMX, I knows you.

What you been up to Chels?

You could always go the street tire route like on the Suzuki DR-Z 400. I put a link to a picture of one below. I have seen this on Yamaha's and Honda's.

http://cdn-0.psndealer.com/e2/dealersit ... _1_400.jpg