Dirt bikes

AT81 are pretty ok everywhere and awesome nowhere.

 

The newer gummy AT81 is a very good rear tire IMHO, other than the price. I run them with the mx53 front. I like the combo of a grippier enduro rear and the sharp steering of the motocross front for trail and single track riding.

 

Thanks for the inputs. I was thinking Dunlops cuz they seem to be a tougher tire than other brands when it comes to rocks and the sharp edges they can present. The mix of AT81 and MX53 makes sense to me.

The current fitment, Sedonas, were chosen for budget and the thought that I'm just gonna tear 'em up anyway. Why spend big money?
Well, I tore them up, that's for sure, but I don't ever recall having ripped knobs off in multiple locations, and they never inspired confidence anywhere. Kinda goes to show you get what you pay for...

Anyone else?

 

I’ve got a MX33 front and a AT81 rear on my bike currently. The 81 is okay, not great. I preferred the MX33 for our area.
We put a michelin Starcross on Kris’s bike and he said it was really good compared To the MX33 though...
Really comes down to preference and where your riding. The last HS had about everything, loose loam, Hardpack slick mud, Rock and sand sections.
Never been a fan of Sedona’s myself. They are cheap but self destruct too soon.

 

^^^^^^^^

I am running the same set up, mx33 front, at81 rear. works well in loose stuff, wears well. was running at81's front and rear. the front was "ok" but, nothing to write home about. the rear just puts up with a lot of abuse, and different terrain, really well. plus with dunlops rebates, i generally get 60 bux off a set. makes it worth it. Ski

 

I'm gonna go all Melka on your ass and say Michelin Starcross. They're most excellent around here in the Ohio River Valley with pretty much the same conditions you described.

 

If I wasn't concerned about survivability, I'd be looking at Michelins all day long. It's not that they can't survive our conditions or perform better day to day, it's more a question of for how long. I'll take a good look at the Starcross options.

Bike Bandit has the 21" MX53 and 19" AT81RC for $185, no tax or shipping. Other popular distributors were as much as $40 higher.
I may just go to my local dirt guy...help keep him floatin' in cash regardless of the price/have him install them. (For the life of me, ever since I started changin' tubeless tires back in the '80s, I can't change a tube tire w/o fuckin' one or both of the tubes up, like every time. )
FWIW, I won't spend the money for Tubliss or Mousse.

 

I think it was when Kenda first came out with a cheap mx tire I was working at a dealership. I hated changing those because they were so stiff. Knobs would chunk off in short order too.

 

The AT81RC is the "desert" tire; the RC is for Reinforced Construction. Good tire for Tubliss or the desert, might not be great if you are on trails with roots or rocks or where you need flexible gripping sidewalls.

 

The XC-F came with a set of AT-81s, compared to the Dunlop MX33s, were shite on Michigan trails.

For the last swap, I went with Starcross 5s in soft compound. The front is fantastic, the harder you push, the better it grips. The rear, not so much. It spins a lot more than the Mx33, annoyingly so. Next set of hoops will be a Michelin front with the Dunlop rear, because I’m not a brand racist.

 

Has anyone tried the MX12 for extremely muddy conditions? I've been curious about it but haven't sprung for one yet.

 

Have one sitting waiting for a day that I need it.

 

AT81 is very ‘meh’ to me. I have tried a ton of stuff but I always go back to Michelin. I personally run the SC5 medium rear and Enduro medium front. I like that front more than the SC line. For a jack of all trades setup it can’t be beat. For muddy/soft terrain the SC5 soft is literally like cheating in the mud. But anything hard pack at all it its not that great and will wear quickly. The medium rear just flat works in basically anything and wears very well. The edge grip is the real standout on it and it clears mud very well too.

 

My Dunlop choices are limited by size...21'/f, 19"/r. I typically run 13.5-15 psi/f, 11-13psi/r. With Dunlops overall stiffer construction across their whole range of products, I thought even lower psi in the rear might help overcome the carcass' bias.

The Michelin stuff is starting to look like a better choice. I've been a Mich guy (road) for decades, but I never really concerned myself with dirt tire choices 'til now. Tire tech has changed above and beyond anything I might have known 20 years ago, but I remember liking Michs over Dunlops and Pirellis back then. Michs also have a variety of size choices for 21s and 19s across their models. Kinda likin' the idea of a "fatty" front, I want/need the larger footprint for technical (slow/steep/downhill) stuff but I hear they can fail to carve at speed on hardpack...still looking. Silly me, riding a 426 like a Scorpa.

I'm also gonna talk to my local guy, Ryan Betz, before deciding. Former AMA rider, current shop owner... comes well recommended. He has my suspension as I write. Seems like a relationship worth developing. One of his colleagues is a Trials monster - prefers Michelin, rides Dunlop to survive the terrain. I'll talk to him, too.

Bouncing this stuff off all y'all is definitely helping and I appreciate your experienced views.

In the back of my head I can hear myself saying, "Why compromise? Get some Michs!"

 

Try a 90/90 front "chubby" before going to a fatty because I know intimately that the 426 is not great at turning, and the fatty front likes to walk out of ruts, but the chubby is a little more compliant in the shape, handling, and deflection arena.

I really like Pirelli for mixed terrain, but I would suggest you look hard at the Kenda Trakmaster and Parker DT if you want good wearing tires with firm carcass. They tend to grip in a variety of terrain as well. I put about 1500 miles on a Parker DT rear in Baja over two trips and it was about 2/3 worn. Great longevity and decent grip in wet, dry, sand, loose rocks, and hard pack. Plus they are cheap! I didn't like the Kenda Parker front in sand (knifed over, and I'm not the only one with that complaint), and it tended to wander on hard pack. I think that the 760 Trakmaster front is better suited. And did I mention it's cheap?

Another option for hard terrain is the Tusk D Sport tire. Again, cheap enough to try them out.

 

Everyone makes a reinforced product for desert/rocky use

Yep, good points and if you look there are many tires out there with the super girppy "soft" compound that help immensely on roots/wet slick terrain. The Metz Six Day Extreme Soft comes to mind, it's huge with the Endurocross riders

 

Try a Kenda equilibrium if you have a chance.

 

"Cheater," "Gummy," or "Hybrid" compounds.

 

Just to clear things up a bit. I am not interested in a stiff carcass, it just happened to be the only AT81 available from Dunlop that fit my wheel. I am interested in durability/longevity. It appears reviews reflect that consideration with the Starcrosses.

Not going cheap but, damn, them Starcrosses make the Dunlops look like a deal.

Metzeler. Wow, I have been gone from the dirt world for too long...didn't even think to remember them.
Damn rabbit hole is gettin' deep.

 

Me all the time around civilians.