Tires for the X

I see we already have a tire thread but it seems to be filling up with only R² tire suggestions. I thought I would start a thread for us X riders and what tires work best on the street. Let's hear your suggestions. I am ready for some new meats and need some help picking them out. What tire is holding up best for you on the road? My stockers are squared off already with slightly less than 5K on them. They may have lasted longer if I had some twisties to ride, but in Florida we have nothing but flat straight boring roads. I want a harder compound with some longevity.

I ran D208's in my sportbike, and they were really nice; great wear, awesome traction and shed water real well. Compound was pretty rigid, which would probably explain why they lasted as long as they did. I don't see them listed for the WR, though. Looks like the tire that seems to compare close to that are the D607's. One guy is running them on his KLR650 and has over 8000 miles on them.

SheWolf wrote:

I ran D208's in my sportbike, and they were really nice; great wear, awesome traction and shed water real well. Compound was pretty rigid, which would probably explain why they lasted as long as they did. I don't see them listed for the WR, though. Looks like the tire that seems to compare close to that are the D607's. One guy is running them on his KLR650 and has over 8000 miles on them.

Listen to teh Shewuff, for she knows all =3

I've got about 4,500 on my stock tires and the rear is about toast.
I have a set of Distanzia's 120/70 and 150/60 to put on as soon as my tubes get here.

I'll post up how I like them and a week or two.

Is this theard limited to street tires for our X bikes?
Not looking to hi-jax a

im running conti road attacks 120/70/17 f, 150/70/17 r, the extra width has made the bike feel so much more planted and seems to cope better with the abuse too

What else have you guys put on the x?
I'm needing a front tire very soon. I've been looking at the Conti SM, and possibly Pirelli Rosso (maybe Strada).

I'm running the Continental SM tires. I quite like them and have been meaning write a detailed review on them but still haven't got one done.

The Contis are pretty sticky. They mount quite well. They are also really light. There is a definite weight difference between a Conti SM tire and a good Pirelli. I believe what Conti says about them being designed for the lighter weight motard as opposed to the normal sport bike weight.

I have used the Conti SMs of road a fair bit. They have suffered some minor cuts and chunking during very rocky technical trails. Not from gravel, but tough technical stuff. In mud they suck because anything other than a full knobby does. On gravel they're great. No lugs to fling rocks. On dirt they're pretty good. I think they give up just a little bit to a dual-sport tire when you're trying to lean over in a dirt corner. Still, I'll take the better pavement traction of the Contis over something like a Distanzia because that's where I most want my traction.

I'm a BIG Pirelli fan, but I wouldn't even look at a Pirelli Strada for a little motard though. It's great for a sport-tourer like my Ducati, but too beefy of a tire for the WRX. I briefly contemplated the Pirelli Dragon Super Corsa Pro SC2s because they are now available in a 150, but they are a DOT race tire and overkill for running on the street.

If I had a heavier motard (>350lbs rather than the 290lbs of the WRX) then I would likely run Pirelli Diablo Rossos. Those are super sticky but super soft. On my Ducati I can easily get them to start shedding rubber on the road. I haven't had a set of them on the track, but I fear they may not last. They would be fun on a motard, but for now I'll stick with the lighter weight of the Conti SMs.

I have had Distanzias SMs for about 1000 miles. I'm happy with them.

I actually really liked the 090s, but they were worn out in 2000 miles. I ride gravel roads and a little easy single track, so I wanted something with a little grip. I'd bet a sport tire like a Metz M3 would last forever on the WR.

Quote :

05 KLR 650 (420lb dirt bike)
03 Kawi Z1000 (For Sale)
07 Ducati ST3s (yes, I drank the Ducati Koolaid!)
08 WR250X (yes, this thing rocks!)

ZED ~ you're selling the Z? Why?

1moreroad wrote:

ZED ~ you're selling the Z? Why?

It's mainly because I'm just not using it than much. I expect there's someone out there that would make better use of it. It's embarrassing how little milage I put on it this year. It's still a fun squid bike, but I'm now finding the little WRX is more fun for commuting and I can't get a ticket just for shifting into 3rd gear.

Nice post, Zed! Thanks!

I see your point w the Pirelli tires. I have the Strada for my commuter tire on the Ninja, and I also saw the Rosso's as well as other's mentioning that specific tire on an x. But I just love Pirelli's. Though, in this case, it seems there are better efficient tires out there.

My stock tires lasted me almost 7k for the rear and am at 9k for the front. I don't know why most didn't have as good of luck as I did with the stock, but they lasted me well beyond my expectation.

I'm most likely am going to get the Conti SM set this week! I made up my mind after more researching.