My job might be taking me back home to the Pacific NW after a few years of the dry and the desert down in southern California.

As I posted up before I have a dual sport bike now and am hoping to get a lot of riding in as well as commuting if I do end up heading back north. The current job looks like it would be in Bellevue.

I am aware of the needs for proper equipment as far as riding gear, high visibility, waterproof stuff, while commuting through town in Norway I would ride my scooter to work if it was anything but icy/snowy.

I know that even with a dual sport tire that is designed better for street use that traction is not something to be taken for granted even when its dry. Those of you who do ride in the rain are you using more street oriented tires or swapping completely over to street rims or is it rideable on your normal "all round" tire?

I have been looking at swapping the Trail Wings on my WR250R for the Pirelli MT21's as I feel the trailwings are not up to snuff for the offroad but am concerned that both these might not work for commuting in the wet which I figure will be often once fall starts.

Thanks TTers!

No advice from the Oregon/WA DS crowd?

I swear I am really an Oregonian Born and raised this California thing was only temporary :P

Try posting this in the dual sport forum bud. You'll have much more informed responses from guys who ride in the rain all year long. Just my .02:thumbsup:

The usual compromise or trade offs apply. To get one set of tires to do all you will have to sacrifice somewhere. The 80/20 dual sport tire will not work well at Reiter and the street legal nob will suck on the street. Pick which tire suits your needs best. A 70/30 is great for somebody that commutes most of the time and rides fire roads or easy trails. My roommate just picked up some pirrelli 70/30s they are very good in the wet but I wouldn't ride them off road unless it's just dirt roads.

Otherwise change tires or two sets of wheels.

Jaynen said:

I've got a pair of DEATHWINGS on my NX250 and I don't like them. I'm sure you'd be better off with anything else.

As far as the Pirelli's go.. They have a good reputation.

-Bruce

Just got a new Perrelli rear & got rid of the deathwing. Man that has to be the worst tire ever made for a motorcycle. What were those guys thinking? Rode min home in the rain yesterday. The new Perrelli rear was fine, but when I pulled over on the shoulder to get behind the guard rail underneath the overpass, that stupid deathwing front tire slide out & busted my ass. Go with the P's. You'll like 'em.

mxracernumber1 said:

Uhhh... How do I say this..? If your riding in the rain.. why would you be using so much front brake to stop with.. any tire will washout from under you in that situation.

Gues you should have either replaced the front deathwing first or used more rear brake. Sorry you fell anyways.

-Bruce

I commute via bike all year long.. have been for years.. I have a VStrom 1000 that I use for commuting now, and just leave the Avon's on them year round since I don't take it off road much, but in the past.. like when I had my 950, I would swap out to Pirelli Scorpians in the fall, and back to D606 or D908RR etc in spring

Your trailwings would be ok.. unlike others, I think they're a decent 50/50 choice and with enough experience, you can ride the baldest tire, in the slickest condition.. it's all about knowing your equipment.. I rode up (and down) a steep, slimey, off camber 4x4 trail last week on my Husky with a bald rear TKC80 (which is not a great mud tire even when new) and a half bald Michelin Karoo on the front without too much problem - not suggesting that's wise, but knowing your equipment, and your limits are to me, always more important then tire choice

having said that, riding safely yet with confidence in rain takes lots of practice. Being able to adjust speed/reaction time, knowing how to spot potential slick spots (I basically treat any change in surface color of the pavement as a potential slick spot when wet) and when to know to pull over in a downpour to avoid a hydroplaning situation etc. I've done enough that I'm comfortable now even with full on knobbies, I just don't like how fast they wear down.

or you could just go with a TKC 80 for year round use.. they are great on dry pavement, pretty good on wet pavement and ok offroad (except for mud) and they last quite a long time.. not cheap though, and not sure they would have a size for your 250

I often find the region specific experts are better than asking questions in a general forum like the DS forum, but you are correct there are many other areas with rain so I probably could have asked there. I was interested in your experiences however because like you said in regards to Reiter you know what kind of tires will work at the local trails and also work on the road.

Thanks for the responses, keeps sounding like I definitely need to get some other tires on the bike besides the trailwings before any serious offroad riding.

Pirelli MT16 rear with a Pirelli Scorpion Pro front. Dual sported around S.W. Washington for 3 years with very good luck summer and winter. I chose the more agressive dual sport tires due to 9+ months of off road mud.

Good Luck and have fun!

10 years of year-round commuting has taught me...

Buy a cheap streetbike with a fairing and windshield. :prof: :ride:

Seriously.

I used to do winter riding on a Triumph Tiger, then a KLR, then a KLX650. I kept downgrading to more dirt-worthy mounts, and it sucked for cold weather. I got tired of sacrificing comfort and convenience for maneuverability so I bought a 76 GL1000 with a Vetter fairing, lowers, and bags for $900 and things were so much better. I don't care how much you spend on gear, nothing stops rain unless you like rubber clothing (I don't). Once I bought the GL I was so much happier. I've since gotten rid of it and bought a BMW K100LT for not much more than the GL and like it even better. If I was still strictly an urban commuter, then I would use a DS bike. There is nothing better in the city. I only have a sleepy 20-mile roundtrip drive nowon country roads, so I don't really miss it.

If I really feel the itch I can break out my DS'ed Husaberg, but I don't. I keep the Berg for dirt and the Beemer for slab. Whenever I put the Berg on slab, it's probably going to be a ticket. :busted:

I would agree with Pro_Marinero. There is no such thing as a combo dirt/street bike. The closest you can get is a DRZ400 but then you have the tire issue. No tire is good for both.

I think a cheap street bike plus a cheap dirt bike is better than a compromise bike. I used to have a street-legal XR400 but I hated it on the street. Then I put hard knobbies on it and I hated it on the dirt AND the street.

Look at it this way, it's a good excuse to own two bikes!

Greg.

sactoxr250 said:

I wasn't using the front brake just the steering wheel. Just making the turn on the grass was enough. The deathwings just suck, that's all. Been riding long enough to know better, jsut never on tires that bad.