Saturday, May 2, 2015

Dualsport tire comparison for WR250R - Part 4

The last rear tire I tested was the Kenda K760 Trakmaster II in a 100/100-18. Although it seems a lot of WRR riders choose this size, I found it too small, too squirrelly, and too much of a sacrifice of top-end speed. So off it goes to Kijiji.

The next size up is the 110/100-18. It's on the left, the Pirelli MT43 I've been running lately is in the middle, and the 100/100-18 K760 is on the right. As you can see, for just one size up, the new K760 is quite a bit larger than the other one, and almost the same diameter as the MT43.


Here's the K760 compared to a Heidenau K60 Scout (4.00-18). Again, almost the same diameter which means I'm not losing too much top end for those inevitable paved highway sections. 


I'v only had the MT43 on my bike for about 1000 km of 50/50 riding. It's performed really well although I find the wear on the centre knobs somewhat alarming. Getting 2000km out of it will be lucky!


The K760 mounted up really easily once it sat in the sun and I gave it a squirt of Armorall. Love that new tire smell. That's an Ironman 47T sprocket. Still looks like new after 1000km of 50/50 riding.


Aaaand ready to ride.

The 110/100-18 fits the bike really well. Lots of clearance around the swingarm, no problems sliding it in. Weight is 11.9 lbs, compared to 13.7 lbs for the MT43 (4.00-18) it replaces.

It also handles great. Spent a few hours test riding at the local sand pit/MX playground, on various gravel and bush roads, in some big clay mud-holes, and on some stretches of paved highway. I didn't notice any power loss from the heavier rear tire compared to the smaller 100/100-18, as some WRR riders report. In fact, being slightly smaller in diameter than the MT43, and lighter by almost 2 lbs, my throttle felt a little more responsive although top-end was noticeably lower. Traction is excellent and together with the Pirelli Scorpion Pro in front, cornering and braking were positive and predictable. Other than tread howl at highway speed, my initial impressions is this is an excellent DOT tire combo for more aggressive offroad DS riding.