Knobby on front w/ 60/40 (street/offroad) on back?

[AZDEZURT]

So I'm getting my first set of dual sport tires on my Drz400 dirt bike conversion. I'm going with Shinko E700 since that's all the local guy has in stock and the shinko 244's seem to be on back-order everywhere on the planet. My front knobby (sedona brand something rathers) has plenty of knobs and looks really good. I was wondering if it's recommended that I change out the front as well or what to expect if I leave the front tire a knobby and only replace the back with the E700?

[ptgarcia]

It's not a big deal, I run mix-matched tires all the time. Just be aware of each tires handling characteristics so there are no surprises.

[Anthon Berg]

Agree with ptgarcia.

I believe the term for this setup is a mullet :)

– That combo may even be the best combo for some situations. The front tire basically holds the bike up: Lose grip there for more than a moment and you're down. So a front knobby is great because it will hold you up if you may encounter slippery or slidey stuff occasionally. And the rear tire makes the bike go, and also makes the bike powerslide :) So a smoother rear tire will hold up better on the pavement where a knobby will get torn and rounded under power. And it'll also be fun on gravel because it will powerslide easier.

Just take care when you're on pavement and if you're used to how a front tire behaves with stickier non-knobby tires.

[bucket list]

4 hours ago, Anthon Berg said:

Agree with ptgarcia.

I believe the term for this setup is a mullet :)

– That combo may even be the best combo for some situations. The front tire basically holds the bike up: Lose grip there for more than a moment and you're down. So a front knobby is great because it will hold you up if you may encounter slippery or slidey stuff occasionally. And the rear tire makes the bike go, and also makes the bike powerslide :) So a smoother rear tire will hold up better on the pavement where a knobby will get torn and rounded under power. And it'll also be fun on gravel because it will powerslide easier.

Just take care when you're on pavement and if you're used to how a front tire behaves with stickier non-knobby tires.

??? a mullet ?

[TrentMcfarlane]

I had this same question.

What rear tires are you looking to switch to?

[AZDEZURT]

5 hours ago, Anthon Berg said:

Just take care when you're on pavement and if you're used to how a front tire behaves with stickier non-knobby tires.

I'm new to asphalt actually. I've worn my dirt knobbies down driving down the paved roads so that's why I'm going w/ a dual sport rear and I guess keep my current knobbie on front since it still looks good. 

Thanks for the feed back folks!

 

[AZDEZURT]

22 minutes ago, TrentMcfarlane said:

I had this same question.

What rear tires are you looking to switch to?

Shinko 700 - but only because of availability. I'm thinking about heading out here in about an hour to get the tire changed out but will probably make some last minute calls for other tires. I was looking at Shinko 244 but everyone's out of them. Maybe a Dunlop 606 if anyone has them in stock.  

[TrentMcfarlane]

19 minutes ago, Brian_AZ said:

Shinko 700 - but only because of availability. I'm thinking about heading out here in about an hour to get the tire changed out but will probably make some last minute calls for other tires. I was looking at Shinko 244 but everyone's out of them. Maybe a Dunlop 606 if anyone has them in stock.  

The Skinko 700 has some high praise on Revzilla. And they are pretty cheap! https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/shinko-700-dual-sport-tires?rrec=true

What sizes are you planning to get? I'd love to backpack off of you for this because I still don't quite understand tire sizes and where you can make adjustments from stock sizes and why.

[bucket list]

3 hours ago, TrentMcfarlane said:

The Skinko 700 has some high praise on Revzilla. And they are pretty cheap! https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/shinko-700-dual-sport-tires?rrec=true

What sizes are you planning to get? I'd love to backpack off of you for this because I still don't quite understand tire sizes and where you can make adjustments from stock sizes and why.

The Shinko 4.60x18 is close to the stock size of 120/90x18. I like keeping close to the stock size, some guys go bigger 130/90x18 or 5.10x18 for more of a planted, heavier, slower revving feel, maybe more traction in some dirt surfaces. But the stock rims are narrow and they profile the tire a little more rounded them they were designed.

I've used many different tires on my DRZ for the 4 year, 40,000kms I've had it, from full knobbies to several 50/50 tires and I just bought an other new set of Shinko E700's 4.60x18 and 3.00x21  because I liked the first set I tried. They have there limitations off road, you can't expect to power up a steep long, loose dirt hill, but other than that they work great for 50/50 work.

[AZDEZURT]

9 hours ago, TrentMcfarlane said:

 

What sizes are you planning to get? I'd love to backpack off of you for this because I still don't quite understand tire sizes and where you can make adjustments from stock sizes and why.

Sure no problem. I can send you the exact sizes later but I think bucketlist might have nailed it. These tires are directional so be aware of that. I didn't realize it until I was installing the front wheel back on the bike and noticed the directional arrow. The tire guy mounted one of them wrong so had to go back 45min away

[TrentMcfarlane]

3 hours ago, Brian_AZ said:

Sure no problem. I can send you the exact sizes later but I think bucketlist might have nailed it. These tires are directional so be aware of that. I didn't realize it until I was installing the front wheel back on the bike and noticed the directional arrow. The tire guy mounted one of them wrong so had to go back 45min away

Oh speaking of that. Where do you go to get your tires put on and balanced? Any store selling tires or is it a specific motorcycle shop that does it? Cycle gear?

[AZDEZURT]

I went to a shop that only does motorcycle tires. Cycle gear does them out here provided they're off the bike. Locally they charge $25 for mounting if you buy the tires from them or $50 if you bring in your own tires.

I opted out of balancing because of the cost due to the rimlock. I'm not sure if the other models (S, SM) have rimlocks but the guy said the rimlock was 3 oz right there and he'd have to counterbalance right off the batt against that. The cost was adding up too quick and I don't plan on going on highways or anything so I opted out.

 

[TrentMcfarlane]

Called a recommended shop and the guy immediately said Shinko 700 are some of the worst tires ever. He said they're made of nylon?

He said some Continentals are better choice but he'll call me back with my recommendations.

[AZDEZURT]

35 minutes ago, TrentMcfarlane said:

Called a recommended shop and the guy immediately said Shinko 700 are some of the worst tires ever. He said they're made of nylon?

He said some Continentals are better choice but he'll call me back with my recommendations.

LOL, I guess I'll find out. I ended up getting a new front tire too since some of the outside knobs had cracks at the base. 

These are my first set of dual sport tires and I really like them on road compared to my dirt knobbies. It's night and day. Offroad, well, I have yet to put them through their paces. I've driven in some nearby dirt / sand / desert wash road near my house and in the sand they swim like a fish. I'm fortunate to live about 5 minutes from State Trust land in the desert so I should have an opportunity to see how they perform there later today.

Also, I think I'll be balancing these tires. Those rimlocks really screw up the pleasure of driving at speed on the road w/o something to counterbalance them.

 

[TrentMcfarlane]

9 minutes ago, Brian_AZ said:

LOL, I guess I'll find out. I ended up getting a new front tire too since some of the outside knobs had cracks at the base. 

These are my first set of dual sport tires and I really like them on road compared to my dirt knobbies. It's night and day. Offroad, well, I have yet to put them through their paces. I've driven in some nearby dirt / sand / desert wash road near my house and in the sand they swim like a fish. I'm fortunate to live about 5 minutes from State Trust land in the desert so I should have an opportunity to see how they perform there later today.

Also, I think I'll be balancing these tires. Those rimlocks really screw up the pleasure of driving at speed on the road w/o something to counterbalance them.

 

Looks good! I'm sure they'll do just fine. Don't trust everything people tell you, even the tire gurus!

[AZDEZURT]

Actually, having taken these out in the desert, up a pretty good hill and up and down washes I admit I'm pretty impressed with these tires. My only complaint is the fishiness in the sand. I guess we'll just have to wait and see for longevity.

 

[bucket list]

Called a recommended shop and the guy immediately said Shinko 700 are some of the worst tires ever. He said they're made of nylon?
He said some Continentals are better choice but he'll call me back with my recommendations.

Haha, my guess is shop guy has never tried the 700's.
The rubber compound is fairly soft and sticky, they won't last as long as a Heidinou or Mitas, but on pavment or any hard dirt surfaces they grip well, sand not so good.

[EmpireofDerp]

Shinko 700 - but only because of availability. I'm thinking about heading out here in about an hour to get the tire changed out but will probably make some last minute calls for other tires. I was looking at Shinko 244 but everyone's out of them. Maybe a Dunlop 606 if anyone has them in stock.  

Im running a front Motoz Tractionator IT with a D606 rear, best setup I've had yet. I love that IT front, it just grips absolutely everything, can rail pavement, loose gravel, dirt, mud, rock, sand, it just works everywhere. The D606 works everywhere but isn't great on wet clay, otherwise it's great and sticks hard on pavement.

[AZDEZURT]

15 hours ago, HellzyaaBuddy said:

Im running a front Motoz Tractionator IT with a D606 rear, best setup I've had yet. I love that IT front, it just grips absolutely everything, can rail pavement, loose gravel, dirt, mud, rock, sand, it just works everywhere. The D606 works everywhere but isn't great on wet clay, otherwise it's great and sticks hard on pavement.

I'll probably try your setup next time around. I've been reading a lot of good things about the d606.

[salty-dual-sport]

On 6/22/2019 at 11:30 AM, AZDEZURT said:

LOL, I guess I'll find out. I ended up getting a new front tire too since some of the outside knobs had cracks at the base. 

These are my first set of dual sport tires and I really like them on road compared to my dirt knobbies. It's night and day. Offroad, well, I have yet to put them through their paces. I've driven in some nearby dirt / sand / desert wash road near my house and in the sand they swim like a fish. I'm fortunate to live about 5 minutes from State Trust land in the desert so I should have an opportunity to see how they perform there later today.

Also, I think I'll be balancing these tires. Those rimlocks really screw up the pleasure of driving at speed on the road w/o something to counterbalance them.

 

How are those tires working out for you? Ive got a 2019 drz400s that Im looking to add these to.. would love to hear your experience so far .. also, for sizing, did you do rear 4.6 x 18    and 3.00 x 21 front ?  I've been mostly road riding, but plan to get into the woods / gravel roads once its not monsoon season here in the pacific northwest  .. thx