Tyres

[DaveS]

Ok I got my XR 400 this evening and what a beauty she is too.
The chap I bought it from reckons the tyres on there are road biased.
So what do people recommend for green laning, but also bearing in mind in most cases I'll have to travel and hour or so to get there on the roads.

[Lord Vader]

Never mind the tyres,where are the pics???

[DaveS]

[Pete Rock]

Good show old sport (always wanted to say that )


Engine cases are barely scrubbed, looks very nice, like mine but less beat up. It´s got mirrors too, properly civilized.

I had a hard time convincing a cop the other day that my tires were road legal, he thought the big letters on the side of them saying "MOTOCROSS" mean they are offroad only , he also was laughing his ass off when I told I had been nowhere near any dirt, he was a nice chap with a sense of humour, bless him, if you don´t have nice cops there I think some MT21´s are nice enough, or T63´s.

The MOTOCROSS ones do hum as you go though, make huming "Jeremiah was a bullfrog" a lot less lonely with them as backup, and boy do they hook up when blasting out of mud puddles.

[Tony]

People i have spoken to who ride the xr's on the sort of terrain you describe reccomend Michelin AC10's.
I have fitted the rear one 110/100-18 and a michelin 18MFR heavy duty enduro innertube.
I will fit the front 80/100-21 and a 21MD tube when the existing Bridgestone gritty edge is worn.

I got the pair off ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/80-100R21-110-...QQcmdZViewItem

Fitted the tyre myself (never done one before.) following the tyre fitting info posted on this site. I did try to reuse the old tube, but it was a cheap thin one and it tore as soon as it saw a tyre lever. The michelin tubes are much better and not much more expensive.

As I have little bike experience I am not yet able to give an opinion on what is good or bad, but apart from a couple of rear "step outs" in the wet, the rear seems okay on and off the road.

[insainwayne]

I have done alot off laning and enduros, and found Maxxis the best, great off road grip, and good road wear, but not road legal. but thats up to you. I do have a brand new rear I'm not going to use that will fit your bike, £30 plus postage if you fancy it.
Most of the Mx road legal tyres you will pay alittle more for. and there not quite as good, fine for this time of year, but wait till it gets muddy. It will be hard to keep rubber side down. Also I can get most tyres I have a trade MX account. So let me know and I can get prices for you.
Wayne.

[Lord Vader]

Very nice dave
Nearly to nice to take her playing in the mud

[snapper]

I used to use Romvelo Enduro Tyre - M23s on the 'Berg. It's mainly rough bouldery stuff with boggy areas on the tops up here, they worked better than anything else legal I tried, the berg was so grunty it used to wear them fairly quickly on road sections but I guess they'd be better on an XR. Best bit is the price, £35 rear and 29 front.
http://www.dirtbikestore.co.uk/acata...sories_66.html

[Mudwiz]

Dave, don't ignore the option of a full on Trials rear tyre, MT43 or similar. Match it to a full enduro front, and the tyres on that bike will do 4000 miles between being fully knackered, might be worth changing at 3000!

When you are feeding in the torque, not just letting rip and spin, they seem to grip very well, on all sorts of ground, including big mud. My TTR runs that combination at the moment, and it is working really well, predictable too. Other benefit is the rear will run flat without too much issue, runs at about 6psi anyway! Has no problem with roads too, certianly upto about 60-65.

[iswoolley]

So what do people recommend for green laning, but also bearing in mind in most cases I'll have to travel and hour or so to get there on the roads.

As already mentioned Michelin AC10s are basically road legal mx tyres, so plenty of grip for muddy lanes. However riding for an hour on the road will quickly wear them out. Consider the old favourite of Pirelli MT21s which will wear well on such a light machine. I've had experience with both and would recommend that you start with the AC10s until you're up-to-speed with the bike and the lanes, then switch to MT21s to save a bit of cash in the long run.

Alternatively take a look at Trelleborg Army Special T-644 tyres (http://www.trelleborgtyres.co.uk/). I've heard very good things about these (grip and wear), but have no personal experience.