Tires
From Suzuki DR650 Wiki
Tires! Even with the DR650's 17" rear tire there are still a fairly good number of tires to choose from depending on what type of riding you are planning on doing. We'll list them in the %street/%dirt format based on published data, riders experience or pull a rabit out of our hat best guess. So knowing that YMMV right along with traction you get. :-) We need your comments here riders!
Since the DR650 and the KLR use the same size tires..... This link will take you to the KLR community's awesome tire research and experience listing. It has pictures, links and rider comments on most of the major dual sport tire brands. All credit and thanks to the KLR guys for this great resource!
Contents |
[edit] Street
- Pirelli Scorpion Trail front 90/90-21 rear 120/90-17 & 130/80-17 95/5 Road/Dirt. Exceptional wet and dry grip. Excellent mileage and hi-speed stability.
- Pirelli Scorpion MT90 S/T front 90/90-21 rear 120/90-17 & 130/80-17 90/10 Road/Dirt. Excellent street performance with reasonable mileage.
[edit] 80/20
These are the tires I run on my bike. They are low cost tires. I've had good luck with them in street and dirt riding but they are not MX tires! In spirited twisties riding the rear tire breaks loose in a predictable manner. I got around 5k out of my first rear tire. The front was showing some cupping but not enough to need changing IMO.
- Mefo Explorer's 130/80-17 & 90/90-21 (Mefo knobbies as well) are not low cost tires. They are touted to run very high mileage so cost may be relative.
- Mitas E-07 are a low cost high mileage tyre. Not available in all countries.
[edit] 70/30
- Metzeler Enduro 3 Sahara are also are good high end tire that have wear well. These have been used in Baja racing.
- The Kenda 270, IRC GP-1 and Shinko SR244 are very similar. An excellent compromise in the dual sport world. Sizing comes at 3.0/21 in the front and 4.6/17 in the rear.
- Pirelli Scorpion MT90 A/T front 90/90-21 rear 120/90-17 a more dirt aggressive version of the above mentioned Pirelli MT90 S/T
The stock Trailwings are 90/90-21 in the front and 120/90-17 in the rear. You can also run 130/90-17 with success.
[edit] 50/50
- Dunlop's D606 130/90-17 & 90/90-21 are probably the most used 50/50 tire on the DR650.
- Continental TKC80 are very popular with many riders given there great off road performance. Though they last around 2k.
- Pirelli MT21 are another option. Italian made, they stick wet or dry on the street. But also wear down faster than the D606 or Kenda 270 which are harder rubber.
- ya ha
