Metzler Sahara, Mefo Explorer & 50/50 tires

I have already worn out my stock Trailwing rear tire I tried to order a new one but Bridgestone does not have them for sale here anymore. I ordered Metzler Sahara and i rely don’t know what i will get. So what do ya think about Metzler sahara ?

rokka wrote:

I have already worn out my stock Trailwing rear tire I tried to order a new one but Bridgestone does not have them for sale here anymore. I ordered Metzler Sahara and i rely don’t know what i will get. So what do ya think about Metzler sahara ?

There was a recent discussion on tires where WR0007 mentioned he was interested in the Sahara as well but couldn't get them. I don't think anybody responded saying they'd actually had the Sahara tires on their WR.

Web reviews of the Sahara seem mixed at best - although it might getting the same unfair trashing the Trailwings get, from people expecting it to be something other than what it was designed and intended for.

I think 0007 mentioned he went with the Mefo Explorer 99 instead, a tire I am thinking of when I wear out this latest set of Trailwings. Walter Colebach uses them for his trans-Siberian unsupported rides, so they must be a pretty damned good dual sport tire. And... they come in sizes the same as the stock tires, which I like.

http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/4804/776/
http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/4813/776/

They don't look like a mud/sand tire - but then, no 50/50 dual sport tire ever will be. For true 50/50 riding, they remind me of the old "enduro" tires we used to ride on. I wonder if they will wear longer/perform better to give them good value against the cheaper alternatives.

They'd better last at those prices!!!

There's also the performance issue.

When you look at how much gas you'll pump into your bike to wear a set of tires out, things need perspective.

You could put three sets of Shinkos on for the price of one set of these.

If they lasted twice as long as the Shinkos, you'd still be $100 behind - but if they were a much nicer tire to ride with, I wouldn't worry about the $100. If I really wanted to economize my riding, I'd have bought a Kawasaki 250.

But, without having had a set of these to compare with uber cheap alternatives, it's hard to make that call.

Mefos are good tires, we've used them for years; just put a set on my husband's DR650 and another set on a buddy's DR. Here's a book on them:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123273

As you read you'll find that most folks mount the front in reverse, they do seem to wear better that way. If you decide to give them a try, you might check the prices at trailtricks.com.

Sarah

I think that the Trailwing tire was a god compromise. Not as good as nobbies in sand and mud, not as god as motard tires on pavement. Better than nobbies on pavement and not to mention motard wheels in the dirt. But i think that the tire works for my driving and i also expect Metzler Sahara to do the same. I will write a report on the metzler after this summer. It was a expensive tire here. 230 USD.

Jäger wrote:

There's also the performance issue.

When you look at how much gas you'll pump into your bike to wear a set of tires out, things need perspective.

You could put three sets of Shinkos on for the price of one set of these.

If they lasted twice as long as the Shinkos, you'd still be $100 behind - but if they were a much nicer tire to ride with, I wouldn't worry about the $100. If I really wanted to economize my riding, I'd have bought a Kawasaki 250.

But, without having had a set of these to compare with uber cheap alternatives, it's hard to make that call.

I don't disagree with you there. I'm just a cheapskate , which is why I've been running the T63s. I've run two dualsports and commuted a couple days a week plus local dirt riding for several months (3,000~ miles) on one set, and I can probably squeeze another 1,000 of easy dirt and commuting out of them. Since the organized rides around here always have either mud, or sand, or both, I wouldn't want the saharas or explorers for one of those rides, but I think they would be a great compromise for the general mixed riding I do between organized DS rides, and they look like they'd be great for less aggressive offroad on a bigger bike that's harder on tires like a KTM 690 or my buddy's Aprilia. I'd probably shell out the $$$ to try the mefos before trusting myself to shinkos based on what some of the locals here have said about their handling - I just got sticker shock when I clicked your link.

" I'd probably shell out the $$$ to try the mefos before trusting myself to shinkos based on what some of the locals here have said about their handling "


Since I'm about to order some Sinko's I"d sure like to hear what the locals have to say!

rokka wrote:

I think that the Trailwing tire was a god compromise. Not as good as nobbies in sand and mud, not as god as motard tires on pavement.

I've had no complaints with the Trailwings and how I ride - which includes a six hour return slab commute most weeks. Hour-wise, most of my time is spent on gravel forestry and mining roads, old decommissioned roads, branch roads, etc. Generally, hard surfaces whether wet or dry and little single track. The milage at the end of the year would end up being pretty close to 50/50. Slab or dirt, the TWs have been nothing to complain about. But the few times I've had to plow through muddy sections (I usually avoid mud and slop like the plague), I can see where the complaints come from. But my tires are also aired up right to factory spec as well, so...

But this will be my last set of TWs, at least for a while. First, I seem to have run out of people so frightened of the TWs they practically give them away brand new, so I'd probably have to buy a replacement set for something close to what they actually sell for. Second, after three sets, you can't help but wonder if there's a magical tire out there which is so much better.

And third, for whatever reason, changing tires is an exercise in frustration for me these days - everything is easy but getting the the first side of the new tire started on the rim. Maybe because I do it with only my two Motion Pro trail irons, but I can't ever recall fighting and swearing like this putting new Trelleborgs on my MX bikes when I was a skinny little kid with two big screwdrivers... Anyways, with lots of people on heavy, high horsepower bikes talking about getting around 12,000 miles on a set of Explorers that will reduce my tire changing frustrations if nothing else, it is time to be trying something new. Even when they seem to be a little hard to find and significantly more expensive.

And I will probably get a shop to put them on, too! There, I admitted it...

Buzzbomber wrote:

I'd probably shell out the $$$ to try the mefos before trusting myself to shinkos based on what some of the locals here have said about their handling - I just got sticker shock when I clicked your link.

I didn't price shop the Internet to find the lowball price. I just happened to come up with a small business for the Explorers and Motorcycle Superstore for the Shinkos. Probably a price disparity just because of that. But one thing about the Explorers (and the Saharas to some extent, seeing as we're hijacking Rokka's thread) as they are a lot harder to find than tires from the common herd, so the pricing isn't going to be as competitive.

We have kind of hijacked your thread, haven't we Rokka? Kind of turned it into a discussion on tire value and Explorers with the Saharas kind of getting lost along the way.

mordicai wrote:

Since I'm about to order some Sinko's I"d sure like to hear what the locals have to say!

I seem to recall Scotty saying he is pretty happy with them, among other folks.

I think most tires you buy today are pretty good. My suspicion is that, what really makes the difference, is the rider buying the right tire for the kind of riding they do.

So unless you're like Skierd and are one step away from being a professional tire tester, the trick seems to be finding what other riders on similar bikes, riding similar terrain in a similar fashion are happy with. I don't ride dirt like my hair's on fire with half my time spent in the mud, so what those types of riders are using isn't of any use to me. The guys/gals putting in long days, in 50/50 conditions that don't include mud and sand, often with luggage on with their camping gear, those are the riders whose tire choices I'm interested in.

Match the tire to the bike, the conditions, and the riding style, and I think most people will end up with tires that work for them. Too many (in my opinion) end up trying to force a tire to work in conditions and riding styles it was never designed or intended for. And of course, in the end they lose - because the tire doesn't care. Then they give the tire a name like "Deathwing" or something like that to get even. And again, the tire doesn't care... but some of us can profit from that... at least for a while...

rokka wrote:

I have already worn out my stock Trailwing rear tire

So what do you consider "worn out" Rokka?



That's about 5000 miles on my last Trailwing, but the last ~ 2000 miles was mostly all higher speed slab or city driving because everything else was still covered in ice and snow.

Quote :

We have kind of hijacked your thread, haven't we Rokka? Kind of turned it into a discussion on tire value and Explorers with the Saharas kind of getting lost along the way.

I dont mind.

My tires are not that worn out. I have 2200 km on my tires and it is in better shape than yours. But i want to change any way because i dont want to have flat tire out there in the woods.

mordicai wrote:

" I'd probably shell out the $$$ to try the mefos before trusting myself to shinkos based on what some of the locals here have said about their handling "


Since I'm about to order some Sinko's I"d sure like to hear what the locals have to say!

Jager's got a point about matching the tire to the conditions, it's more about expectations than outright objectively measured performance. That said, one guy I've talked to regularly who uses the Shinkos on a KLR seems pretty happy with them overall - obviously not thrilled with mud performance, and not crazy how they handle corners in the rain, but otherwise pleased. The other guy around here who runs them on a DRZ called them "worse than deathwings" - his words. He claimed they were surprisingly good in mild/dry conditions off-road, but squirmy and unpredictable on pavement with terrible braking traction. I haven't tried them because I ride more like the guy with the DRZ and am afraid I'll hate them consequently. Then again, I ran the stock TWs for about 4500 miles and thought they were fine except in snow, wet grass, and mud, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Everyones experiences are differant , but so many people on the net seem to love the Shinko 244's that it's hard for me not to be convinced that it's a good tire. Only way to know if it works for me is to try. SORRY about the highjack!

The other tire I have been eye balling is the Michelin trials competition tire that's coming off my Beta
I have half a mind to slap it on the WR and burn it off, the traction a trials tire has is just crazy and the tire says DOT on it
I quickly measured it and it is 1 inch taller then the TW