Dual Sport Tires

[tom400ex]

I picking up a 1993 DR350 and it needs tires. was wondering if anyone could suggest a good tire for more street riding then dirt riding, but still have knobbies

[GPracer2500]

I've had good luck with Kenda K270's. They wear well for what they are and still work surprisingly well in the desert. A careful balance of lower tire pressure for traction vs. higher pressure for rim/tube protection is the key. Plus, they are inexpensive. If I recall, I can get a set for my bike delivered to my door for under $100. They have a slightly odd "squishy" feeling on pavement but once I got use to it I stopped noticing it. IRC GP1's are nearly the identical tread pattern but I'm told the rubber compound is different and they don't have the "squishy" feeling [shrug]. I'll probably try them at some point.

I'm going to try IRC GP-110's next. They're suppose to be an even better street tire than the K270 while still retaining some off-road worthiness.

During the winter (my off-road season here in AZ) I've used Dunlop D606's and Pirelli MT21's (among others I wouldn't necessarily recommend). They are both good off-road bias dualsport tires although I like the MT21's better--the front especially. They look like pretty much straight-up off-road tires but work surprisingly well on pavement. Pavement traction is almost never an issue with those tires. But they are loud and don't last particularly long (by street tire standards).

I get about 1300 miles out of D606's and MT21's and I'm expecting to get about 2500 from the K270's (maybe a bit more since I'll let a mostly-used-on-the-street tire wear down farther). That's on an XR650R. During my off-road season I ride about 50% dirt, 50% street. During the other season it's more like 90%+ street. Basically, I run a mostly-for-the-dirt tire for half the year and a more street bias tire the other half.

I strongly recommend balancing the wheels even though many don't bother when it's a "dirt bike" wheel. I can feel a huge difference. You can do it yourself with not much effort and almost zero cost.

[tom400ex]

thanks fot the reply. the info helped