Front Tire Review - my favorites

[Windblown]

Let's get a list going. Add yours!  Here are 4 of my favorite front tires for big ADV bikes and a very short set of comments about them. 

 

From left to right - Pirelli Scorpion Rally, Motoz Enduro S/T, Motoz Rallz, GT216AA  Fatty

 

 

How I use them

Pirelli Scorpion Rally  - Good Intermediate range tire that will go anywhere you want to go. It doesn't do anything badly.  You can find it's limits on pavement but you won't hit the limit anywhere close to the legal speed limit. 

 

Motoz Enduro S/T - Better offroad grip than the Pirelli in the soft stuff and just a touch more skittish on the street.  Good tire for local/regional riding where you want to be ready for whatever comes up. 

 

Motoz Rallz: Put some pressure in this tire and you can cross the USA on it. (Done it 4 times) and still be ready for anything shy of extreme mud. An all weather AT type tire.

 

Goldten Tire GT216AA - This is a specialized tire. When I first tried one I was prepared to be disappointed using it on a big bike but it rocks in eastern rooty, rocky, muddy, forest fluff  woods. The extra sidewall height and width really sooth out the ride and bit is incredible.  I don't know about when at race pace but at normal off road riding pace you pretty much forget thinking about front traction of deflections. It just goes wherever it pointed.  This is not a pavement friendly tire though.. It's one of the few tires I've ever ridden on pavement where the speed limit plenty fast enough... LOL. 

 

So what's everyones favorites? On or offroad bias doesn't matter, just a tire you think does a great job at what you bought it to do and what's good about it.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by Windblown

[Ray Ride4life]

I'm still looking for the best for me, all the Mitas tyres are a no go as i liked none of them (E07, E09 and E13).
The Michelin Anakee Wild was my favourite and so far can share that place with the Heidenau K60 Ranger i run now.
After this i want to try the Dunlop D908 rear with a D606 or Perelli M21 front, not sure yet.
Unfortunately i'm bound to more pavement than i like so i have to take in count that a tyre should do well there too. I don't care about noise but it has to have enough grip and the Anakee wild and Rangers do that also very well.

[NeilW]

1 hour ago, Ray Ride4life said:

I'm still looking for the best for me, all the Mitas tyres are a no go as i liked none of them (E07, E09 and E13).
The Michelin Anakee Wild was my favourite and so far can share that place with the Heidenau K60 Ranger i run now.
After this i want to try the Dunlop D908 rear with a D606 or Perelli M21 front, not sure yet.
Unfortunately i'm bound to more pavement than i like so i have to take in count that a tyre should do well there too. I don't care about noise but it has to have enough grip and the Anakee wild and Rangers do that also very well.

I couldn't stand the SCREAMING of the Pirelli MT21  Front tire above 40 MPH. I had to take it off. Off road it was like a tractor. Never slipping on gravel roads at any speed. I loved the traction but HATED to noise.

 

Edited January 16, 2023 by NeilW

[Ray Ride4life]

14 minutes ago, NeilW said:

I loved the traction but HATED to noise.

Like i said, i don't care about noise. How was the grip onroad?
If i want a comfortable long trip on the pavement i take my other bike.

[AZJW]

 

Dunlop Trailmax Mission.  Best all around front I've tried so far with my riding 60% pavement, 40% AZ rocks/ gravel. 

[NeilW]

31 minutes ago, Ray Ride4life said:

Like i said, i don't care about noise. How was the grip onroad?
If i want a comfortable long trip on the pavement i take my other bike.

Rainy pavement was non-issue.  It rains here in Oregon a lot and I rode with them in the rain a lot. I am not a road racer but never felt the front or rear slip in the rain. on pavement.  Here is my review 

Pirelli MT 21 Rallycross Review: Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike Tires

---

Pirelli MT 21 Rallycross Review: These highly dirt-biased ADV motorcycle tires are a huge step up from stock for off-roading.

 

[r1superstar]

On 1/16/2023 at 1:26 PM, AZJW said:

 

Dunlop Trailmax Mission.  Best all around front I've tried so far with my riding 60% pavement, 40% AZ rocks/ gravel. 

 

What tire are you running in the rear?

 

 

[NeilW]

1 hour ago, r1superstar said:

 

What tire are you running in the rear?

 

 

@r1superstarI get all my tires in pairs because that is how the manufacturers want them reviewed. So I ran the stock scorpions. Then Pirelli MT21’s, then shinko 804/805. On Saturday I took off the Shinko rear and replaced it with the MT 21 rear I kept. (Rabaconda tire changer review). But I haven’t ridden on it yet paired with the Shinko. It still has about 2/3 tread left and I loved it rain dry and dirt when it was on before. 

Edited January 18, 2023 by NeilW

[AZJW]

2 hours ago, r1superstar said:

 

What tire are you running in the rear?

 

 

MotoZ RallZ 150

[Redneckj]

Stock, Pirelli Scorpions:

 

Great all around tire.  GREAT on road,  Good on standard gravel road.  POOR on muddy and slippery surfaces.  NO death wobble at any speed.

Mileage is documented on this forum.

 

Michelin Anakee Wild

 

  Great all around tire.  GREAT on road grip.  This is the best wet weather tire I have run to date.  GREAT on Standard gravel road.  Good on muddy and slippery surfaces.  Death wobble increases from 75 mph and up.  Follows groves in highways at any speed.  Front tire should be good for 5000-6000 miles.  Rear Tire is good for 2500-3000 miles

Much much more noise than the stock Pirelli's.  

 

Motoz Rallz

 

Great all around tire.  Good grip on the road, wet or dry.   GREAT on standard gravel roads.  GREAT in the mud and on slippery surfaces.  This is the worst front tire in the tires ive tested in the Death Wobble category.  75 MPH and up it gets really sketchy.  I have tried lowering the air pressure and raising the air pressure, nothing helps besides slowing down.  The Mileage is incredible.   Id expect to get 7000-8000 out of a front (if I can take it that long) and 5000 out of a rear tire (possibly more).   NOISE is very loud.  If you don't wear ear plugs while riding on the highway, this is probably NOT your tire.  

 

I am going back to am Anakee Wild front when I get around to changing it out.  I am going to put the stock tires back on the stock wheels for a touring set up and run the Anakee Wild front and a Rallz rear on the Woody's wheels for ADV riding.  

 

[Ray Ride4life]

@Redneckj You might want to try the Heidenau K60 Ranger. I run these right now and pleasantly surprised, just as good in the wet as the Anakee and ik looks like they get a great mileage.
Just can't say anything yet about dry soft sand but a have a lot of fun with them in the mud.

[r1superstar]

8 hours ago, NeilW said:

@r1superstarI get all my tires in pairs because that is how the manufacturers want them reviewed. So I ran the stock scorpions. Then Pirelli MT21’s, then shinko 804/805. On Saturday I took off the Shinko rear and replaced it with the MT 21 rear I kept. (Rabaconda tire changer review). But I haven’t ridden on it yet paired with the Shinko. It still has about 2/3 tread left and I loved it rain dry and dirt when it was on before. 

 

 

I was just curious as to what @AZJW was pairing it with.  I NEVER mix and match sets on any motorcycle I ride.  But, that's just me...

[Redneckj]

7 hours ago, Ray Ride4life said:

@Redneckj You might want to try the Heidenau K60 Ranger. I run these right now and pleasantly surprised, just as good in the wet as the Anakee and ik looks like they get a great mileage.
Just can't say anything yet about dry soft sand but a have a lot of fun with them in the mud.

How does the K60 ranger front tire perform on the highway at high speeds compared to the Anakee Wild? 

[Ray Ride4life]

45 minutes ago, Redneckj said:

How does the K60 ranger front tire perform on the highway at high speeds compared to the Anakee Wild? 

I find them very similar, i try to avoid the highway as much as possible but the 150km/h i reached was no problem.
Very slow on asphalt you notice the studs more than at speed.
But suspension is also a factor often overlooked and i have the Touratech WTE Extreme kit.

[PNGL]

I hope this thread continues, as I'm currently trying to decide on a new front tire.
So far I've only had 2 fronts on my T7. I've had the stock Scorpion which was phenomenal in every way on road and meh to abysmal offroad. Currently, I've got the Motoz Tractionator GPS, which is equally as good onroad, but much better offroad than the stocker. That said, two weeks ago I ended up riding in a bunch of mud and rain and the GPS front absolutely could not match up to the Tractionator Adventure rear that I have on. The rear was planted and digging, while the front was skating around everywhere.
Now, I'm looking for a new front that will still hang pretty well on the road and stay stable through the gears, but can also cut through some mud too. I'm more or less narrowed down to the venerable TKC80 or Anakee Wild front...

[Hollybrook]

@PNGL what about a Motoz dual venture?  I have one mounted on my dirt wheels but haven't used it yet so no first hand experience. 

 

I thought about one of the fronts you mentioned but have a long highway ride to get to any significant off road locations.  And, I plan on a rear Rallz when I burn through my current TKC-80 on the dirt rear. 

[PNGL]

@Hollybrook My brother has the DV on the front of his Tenere. We were riding together the other day and he was totally planted and good to go. That said, he said it is obscenely loud on the road and I've seen quite a few people complain about it being wobbly at speed. I'm interested, but kind of hesitant on that one.

[S.Ga.Rider]

Im currently running a heidenau k60 scout front with a shinko 705 rear. Mostly dirt roads, sand and pavement. I have been happy with the k60. It has given plenty of grip and ive been pleasantly surprised by the shinko. I dont usually run non knobbies but it has done well. It doesnt have the drive of a knobby of course but it has driven me out of what Ive been in with good mileage. 

[Ray Ride4life]

Why the Scout when they have the Rangers now? I'm happy with these at the moment.

[jdub53]

I'm currently on my second Bridgestone AX41 after 6,500 miles on the first one I'd tried following removal of the OEM Scorpion STR. Removed the first AX41 when I did because the center knobs had just started cupping with the center tread depth down to 3mm (tread depth new is 9mm). In every situation on/off road, wet/dry the AX41 front never once gave me a reason to even think about it so I didn't hesitate to go with another. 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by jdub53

[Simmons1]

I am only on my second front tire. I am trying a Shinko 804.  I live in Texas where there is not a lot of sand or mud on dirt roads. It works good for me on both blacktop and dirt roads. I am surprised how quiet it is until it starts really cupping as which time I either turn it around backwards or replace it.

 

I pair it on the rear with an old style Mitas  E07. 

 

I have lots of experience with this  combo on both my Super Tenere and Africa Twin.

Edited January 24, 2023 by Simmons1

[AZJW]

1 hour ago, jdub53 said:

I'm currently on my second Bridgestone AX41 after 6,500 miles on the first one I'd tried following removal of the OEM Scorpion STR. Removed the first AX41 when I did because the center knobs had just started cupping with the center tread depth down to 3mm (tread depth new is 9mm). In every situation on/off road, wet/dry the AX41 front never once gave me a reason to even think about it so I didn't hesitate to go with another. 

 

 

 

 

That AX41 looks to be a bit more aggressive ( a good thing) than my current choice front, the Dunlop TRAILMAX Mission.   I know you had cold/ wet weather issues with the TMM rear, but did you run one up front and if so, how does that compare to the AX41? Thx.

[jdub53]

6 hours ago, AZJW said:

That AX41 looks to be a bit more aggressive ( a good thing) than my current choice front, the Dunlop TRAILMAX Mission.   I know you had cold/ wet weather issues with the TMM rear, but did you run one up front and if so, how does that compare to the AX41? Thx.

 

I believe the AX41 is definitely more aggressive than the Mission front, and that's what I was looking for on my T7.

 

My experience with a Mission front was on my R1200GS, installed in March 2020 at the same time as the Mission rear. While I've documented elsewhere on this forum the many issues with the rear tire, the front Mission was an absolute rock star on the GS in every situation I encountered considering its 50/50 design. Unlike the rear, never a single mis-step on dry or wet pavement or in wet off-road conditions. Deep gravel challenged it a bit, and no sand where I live.

Edited January 24, 2023 by jdub53

[Stevoh]

Running Motz rallz on the front and will be putting another on next time, after two shocking front tyres, motoz tractionator adventure ( worst tyre in the world should be banned) and Golden tyre gt something  only good for 1200km!!

Motoz rallz does everything good .

Just put an mt21 on the rear $150,  sick of forking out over $300 for motoz rears and only getting 3000km.