Pirelli XCMH?

Anyone here running Pirelli XCMH (XC Mid Hard)? My rear MT21 is due for replacement and my local dealer has the XCMH in stock but has to order the MT21. I ride 80% dirt and was reading the XCMH would probably be better suited for sand, rock and dirt.

Looking for size suggestions as they appear to be taller than my current 120/80-18 MT21. I would want to choose from the 110/100 - 18 or the
120/100 - 18.

http://www.pirelli.com/tire/us/en/motorcycle/sheet/scorpion_xc_mid_hard.html

you will chew thru it a lot quicker than the mt21, but will love the increase in offroad performance. experience has them wearing quite quick at first, but after a couple of rides/heat cycles isnt too bad. the 110 would be the more suitable size. i think the 120 would go in and would improve milage, but it is a big tyre and may push to the point of needing a regear.

millert85 wrote:

you will chew thru it a lot quicker than the mt21, but will love the increase in offroad performance. experience has them wearing quite quick at first, but after a couple of rides/heat cycles isnt too bad. the 110 would be the more suitable size. i think the 120 would go in and would improve milage, but it is a big tyre and may push to the point of needing a regear.

I went with the 110 on the back and broke them in at the Desert 100 Ironman Poker Run @ Odessa, WA a couple of weekends ago. These things hook up in the dirt/sand/mud! and the 110 was the correct choice. I highly recommend these if you looking for your next mostly off-road tire.

I just bought a set of XCMHs to replace the stock DeathWings. They seem quite a bit taller than the stockers- the side stand now seems too short. I can't wait to try them out- hopefully this weekend. They sure LOOK gnarly enough!

BTW, I got about 4k miles from the stockers before I heaved 'em. I probably could have stretched them to 5k if I only used them on -road. They were pretty bad off-road even when new. I'll be getting a second set of wheels and some street-oriented tires in the not-to-distant future. Two bikes in one!

Haven't had a decent off-road ride with the new XCMHs yet. One thing is for sure: they really suck on-road. The tires are very squirmy and I doubt there would be very much braking force. I know: that's not what they are made for. I'll try again this weekend to find some dirt but the forecast is for mucho rain.

I just spooned one on the front last weekend. Wouldn't you know it...it's rained every day since. I hope to give it a decent workout next weekend and give you an idea how it performs.

Sorry for the big delay. I just came back from a day long solo dual-sport ride in central Mass. It's the first time I've had the new XCMHs in anything halfway challenging. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about them.

Mixed terrain- mud, rocks, roots, etc. is where they shine. Anything that the knobs have to lever against. Where my WRR would wash out the front before, now it stays planted. Rear-tire traction is fabulous. They even did OK in the small amount of sand that I encountered.

Where they are NOT OK is on hard-pack, such as a fairly smooth gravel road packed down by 4-wheeled vehicles. It chatters through turns maybe even worse than with the stock Death Wings. Incidentally, pressure was set at 14 PSI front and rear.

On-road performance is unbearable. Tire hum will drive you to drink (I don't need any help there ), I can hear the knobs scuff when braking, the bike wants to fall over when leaned over in turns and much more vibration is felt through the grips. To me, the WRR is now a very unpleasant ride. I may just use the XCMHs for planned off-road excursions and get something else for everyday use like the Distanzias, AT-90s or maybe even street-only tires.

I always planned to get a second set of tires for street-only duty. It looks like I'm going to have to speed up the process. Maybe, all along, the Death Wings were (are) the best all-around tires.

I only have the XCMH on the front, but am very happy with it's performance so far. I have about 1000 miles on it, 2/3 dirt/gravel, 1/3 pavement. Offroad this thing hooked up well in everything I threw at it, hard pack, deep loose gravel, big baby-head rocks (ok, not so much hooked up but gripped well), mud and wet logs. As good as I hoped. On road, there is hum, but I found it quite bearable and don't have any issue with vibration through the grips. I'm satisfied with wet performance on road...got caught in a downpour that a friend of mine would describe as "like a cow pissin' on a flat rock". Grip was very adequate, as is dry performance. We'lll see how the life, I'll update when I know more.

I run the XCMH's on my WRR. I like them alot. I am on my second set..only cause with the sand I ride in, I like the knobs big and sharp. In hindsight, I took off the first set sooner than I really needed to, and will have them for a spare set.

I had a 120 rear on the first set and got the 110 for the second set. Less rotating mass and still plenty of traction.

I took off the deathwings after 29 miles....one ride....hated them.

As far as the XCMH's with road performance and knob noise, keep in mind, they are a 90/10 tire, and not a 50/50 tire. I ride them on the road and have no issues...but I also know they are a dirt tire, so I do not push them at all..its a knobbie tire, not a street tire.

Like bikes, there is no one tire that does it all.

I too had a chance to do a bit of road ridding with my XCMH's and didn't find them much worse than MT21's which used to be my tires of choice. They did seem a bit sketchy on the freeway at 60+ MPH but that's certainly not what I bought them for. Granted I passed on having them balanced so that could be part of it. Around town they are cake as far as knobby's go and I still love them off-road which is why I bought them. Thinking I may need a supermoto conversion in the near future so I can have the best of both worlds.

I realize this is an old thread, but I wanted to add my experience in order to provide information to anyone trying to decide which tires to go with.  This thread was instrumental in my decision to give them a try, so I wanted to give back.

The stock Death Wings nearly caused me to crash a number of times.  My research indicates this is a normal experience for them.

I first upgraded to Michelin T63 front and rear.  These were much better than stock, but they still liked to wash out in the loose stuff.  The back tire was lousy in the sand.  I couldn't get the bike up on top of the sand if it was very deep, and the back end kept wallowing back and forth.  This made riding in sand washes miserable.

Prior to heading to Moab, UT I installed a set of Pirelli MT21 tires front and rear.  These were excellent.  They did pretty good in all areas including sand, a major improvement from the T63 tires.

When I wore down the back MT21, I came across this thread and a couple others like it and decided to give the XCMH a shot.  The MT21s did well in the sand, but I still wanted more, as a lot of my riding is in the So Cal deserts.  This tire is by far the best out of the bunch for mostly dirt riding.  I've had the XCMH on the back for over 1,000 miles now, and I will be buying another one when it wears out, plus the matching front one to go with it (those MT21 front tires sure do last a long time, don't they?).  

The XCMH provides the best off-pavement performance I've had out of a DOT tire.  I went with the 110/100 - 18 back tire, and my 13/47 gearing did seem a little high once going to the larger than stock size.  Changing to 13/50 made the bike an absolute blast to ride in the dirt.  I recently did a ride at Ocotillo Wells, CA which is very sandy in places, and the bike did excellent.  I was able to play in the washes instead of trying to hold on for dear life.  

The XCMH seems to be lasting about as many miles as the MT21 did, but I'm not riding on pavement as much these days.  The pavement does seem to wear it down quickly.

Lee

I have been running the XCMH's on my WRR for my 'dirt' tires. If I know I am going out on a long DS ride (COBDR or TAT) I will switch to a 606 or TR8 in the rear and probably leave the XCMH on the front.

On my last dirt tire set I went with the XCMH rear (110 size) and the XCMS front. Have to say I like the performance of the XCMS better than the XCMH for the type of riding I do with that tire set. I would say it is a bit more skittish on the pavement than the XCMH front but I am not usually riding a lot of pavement with those tires.

The XCMH front is my favorite for the front. Off road traction meets my ability and the trails I have the courage to ride. This front has taken away any apprehension I used to have for deep sand. On hard pack, I find that when it breaks loose it finds traction again quicker than others I have used (MT-21, 606, Trackmaster etc...). I easily get between 3-4 K out of them with a 70 - 30 mix of road / dirt and find the knobs wear quite evenly, maybe helped by the fact I always balance them I tried the 120/100 XCMH rear with the front for my 2800 mile Baja trip, and the traction was great off road, good on road and when I returned, still was able to put another 700 on them. It's just too tall though. Road hum: I wear ear plugs so all tires are quiet for me. Because I'm too lazy to change air pressure, I run 22F and 26R and works for me as a nice compromise for street / dirt.