Tires are the most subjective topic I know. From "dangerous at any speed" to "this is the only tire to buy", everyone has an opinion and usually a favorite. I used to run Heideneau K60's one pair after another. But their performance was always a compromise in one way or another. There are better options out there. I'm still experimenting, and suffering on the tire changer switching rubber from street to dirt depending on where I'm headed. Bike size, load, destination all play a huge part of which tire will be right for you. So at the risk of being down voted to oblivion, here is my experience. Please let me hear yours.
Performance evaluated on 2018 BMW R1200 GS Rallye, 2022 Yamaha Tenere 700, and 2024 KTM 890 Adventure R Rally.
Goal: decent off-road performance with acceptable bite in sand and rocks. Stable on road to 100 preferably. Wear to 4000 miles.
Heideneau K60 Scout Front good pavement handling. Some wobble occasionally in side wind. Stable to 125. Rear dirt traction poor, front not great either. Rear squares off quickly and affects handling but will last a long time. Front will feather after 4k miles but last to 6k. Be careful on wet pavement.
Dunlop Trailmax Mission Front slight wobble above 80 on pavement. Tire profile tends to keep the bike upright and doesn’t feel sporty or dive into turns. Washes out on dirt. Rear good on pavement ok on dirt.
Dunlop Trailmax Raid Front decent in dirt. Does not wander in sand and handles rocky terrain well. Aggressive pavement riding shows surprisingly good cornering. Considerable head shake above 80 on pavement.
Michelin Anakee wild Rear wears quickly. Front very poor on pavement. Weird behavior at turn in, requires extra effort to stay in turn. Severe wobbles above 75 with any uneven surface or wind.
Mitas E07 Front wants to push and go off track in sand. Very stable and predictable on pavement to over 100. Rear is acceptable on and off road. Average wear.
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR Front doesn’t feel controlled turning in dirt. Can wash out. Acceptable in sand. Moderate traction for braking. Excellent on road, predictable and stable over 100. Rear is acceptable on and off road. Average wear.
Motoz Tractionator Rallz Front severe wobble above 80. Traction in dirt is good, pavement just ok once broken in. Rear great off-road. Can slip on pavement when cold or even hot when pushed hard.
Continental TKC 70/70 Rocks Front surprisingly good in sand. Doesn’t really have bit off-road but is acceptable. Great on pavement. Cannot find stock in 21” in 2024. Rocks rear is good enough off-road and very good on pavement.
