Knobby wear pattern,??

[Bill Hilly]

My back tire tread is getting pretty shallow in the center, and I will be replacing it soon. My front is not worn as bad, but probably about half tread. I have a parts bike with low miles, BUT it's been through the wringer, and it's rear tire's not a whole lot better that what's on my Hawk now, and the cush bushings are plumb shot in it's rim. I am surprised that they still seem good on my road legal Hawk with about 3,000 miles. The front knobby on the parts bike is great, and not really worn down hardly at all. Except for the front on the parts bike, all the other tires show a wedge like wear pattern The edge of the knobs that contact the road first, are very noticeably higher than the opposite edge. Even the front of my road Hawk is like this. I intended to buy a Dunlop 605 , 50/50 type tire, and run with my current front, but now I don't know if that would be wise to do. Should I just buy another DOT knobby for the rear, and run it with the nearly like new knobby on the parts bike? I also noticed that the sell some tires as being " for Honda" . Is there anything different about them from a basic Kenda if the same number, or it a specific width. https://www.amazon.com/4-50x18-Kenda...%2C229&sr=8-18
I appreciate all advice I get. Thanks

[buzz]

Honda or Yamaha all bike use these tires,not for me i need good knobby tires. And stiil running 1/2 wore front knobby.

[Bill Hilly]

Originally Posted by buzz

Honda or Yamaha all bike use these tires,not for me i need good knobby tires. And stiil running 1/2 wore front knobby.

I still have not ordered tires, but am wearing myself out going back and forth on what to do. My current rear tire is basically bald in the center contact patch , and my parts bike rear knobby is possibly 30 percent, but not worth the hassle to change, and risk of puncturing a tube . The front DOT stock knobby is still really good on it, but the lip on the rim is a little bent. I almost ordered a Kenda Dot knobby for the rear, with the intention of using it with the front tire of the parts bike, but even though my Hawk sees a lot of backroads, and gravel, and every once in a while a little mud, it also sees a lot of main roads as well. I have it geared up now since my motor is stout for a CG250 now, and with it having "longer legs" now, I was thinking that maybe a 50/50 would be better on both front and back.

[Bill Hilly]

http://http://I rolled the parts bike out of the shed, to get a better look at the tires, and the rear is not quite as bad as I remembered. I may just go ahead and run it on my road legal Hawk, with the half worn out front that's currently on my road Hawk, and save my better front tire for now http://

[buzz]

I'd run it,looks good to me.

[Bill Hilly]

Originally Posted by buzz

I'd run it,looks good to me.

I probably will eventually use it. The back wheel seems to be in good shape, except for the cush bushings, and I think the front seems pretty true, but it does have that flattened out place on the outside lip. I don't know if that means it's unsafe, but if it is safe, I would probably just order cush bushings, and run both the rims,and tires. I have new 50/50 Dunlop 605, and Tusk heavy duty 2mm tubes ordered. I don't air my tires down real low to run backroads , so from what I gather I don't need anything heavier than 2 mm. I may still run my stock knobby tires a few more rides, but avoid wet pavement.

[XLsior]

So far my dunlop 605 front and rear have been pretty good on the road and fair on gravel.



I don't have plans to ever do single track but I doubt they'll manage mud effectively.


wear has been ok and they've handled the wet/rain well enough to not feel panic when the clouds break.


I would call them a 60 road 40 offroad tread pattern.



They've gone up a bit in price though, so will likely be going with Shinko 244 next, Kenda 270 is basically the same as the 244...

[Bill Hilly]

I kinda regret buying these over the Tusk DSports now, but I did get a pretty good price, by using a discount code from eBay. I do a good bit of gravel road riding, and a lot of blacktop secondary roads, as well as main roads. I seldom hit much mud, and when I do, it's slowly, and carefully. I always wear a boot with treaded soles, and I am tall enough that as long as I am expecting it to possibly try to slide out from under me, I can catch it. I had my KPX in light mud, and it kept trying to slide out from under me. I had to put my feet down several times. I do hope that the 605 tires are at least somewhat better in gravel, and light mud,than the stock tires that come on bikes like the TBR7, and KPX, but I don't hesitate to take my KPX on gravel, because of the tires. I do kinda run it more on the fast roads, but a lot of the reason is that I would like more preload on the front forks.

[XLsior]

The 605 will be better on the road then the Dsports and will likely last longer with onroad use than a true knobby



the Dsports look to be about 70dirt 30 road. If your mostly offroad the Dsport make better sense. though reports suggest the carcass/sidewall is very stiff and more like a tubless tire and they ride like eel shit on the wet pavement...

[Thumper]

I've had good experiences with Tusk DSport rear tires on my Storm and on my Templar. I managed to get the wider version on the Storm. It doesn't interfere with the chain. I chickened out on the wider one for the Templar I probably could have installed it.

On pavement, the Dsport is actually quite sticky. Also, the closely set lugs are really quiet on the road. I have also run it on wet pavement and don't experience any unusual squirreliness. It isn't any more slippery than a more radical knobby. In fact, the close spaced lugs are wide in the center and maintain contact better since they are rounded with the tire.

I've never had a flat on either one. These are tough tires. I have had flats on my front tires (not Dsports).

The sidewalls are definitely harder than a standard knobby. But this means that you can run lower pressures. I've dropped to single digits on them and they perform better off road but don't squash out or pinch the inner tube.

But they do not perform as well as true soft knobbies, which are more prone to flat tires. For me, this is a good combination of bulletproof durability and long treadwear. I am not a full on agressive motocross racer

I am going to put one on the new KTM when I am getting it ready for State Police inspection for plating it if I have to. The tires on the KTM are not DOT approved.

[Bill Hilly]

I am pretty much stuck with using the D605s, and honestly they are probably what I need, because even though I spend a good bit if time on gravel, I don't fly. I do hope they are at least a little more suitable for mud, and gravel than the stock tires on my KPX, mainly just so both bikes have their own purpose.

[XLsior]

I purchased a spare rear tire as as availability has been a bit hit and miss in my particular rim sizes requirements and who knows what prices might be like 1 year from now...



It is a Shinko244 compared to the tread pattern for the Dunlop 605 which I am currently running front and back...