gumby1

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Aug 30, 2002
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I've read some recent articles in dirt bike magazines that have said that trials tires are better than knobbies in many off-road riding situations. They recommended IRC TR-11 and Michelin trials tires, but said trials tires are not made larger than 4.00-18. Is this true? Are there any larger size trials tires? Do you have other recommendations besides IRC and Michelin? Where is a good source to purchase trials tires?
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
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Dec 26, 1999
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Any of the following will be able to get you the tires.
RYP
Lewisport
Tryals Shop
Maineiac

I believe that the Michelins are pretty much the standard but have not heard negative feedback on the Dunlop or IRC's.

What other size were you looking for?

FYI from the F.I.M rules:
Motorcycles must comply with the Standing Regulations of the FMNR.
Tyres must be of the Trials type, in accordance with the Technical rules. Tyres must be normally available from retail and wholesale sources. Prototype tyres are not allowed. Any replacement tyre must be of the same construction, profile, and compound and carry the same manufacturers mark as the original tyre.


So having a wide range of sizes and profiles would seem a bit prohibitive. While a 4" section may seem narrow you will be suprised at the massive grip you can easily get because of the design of the tire as a whole.
 

Girlrider

Member
Sep 1, 2000
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If I were to run it on an enduro bike I would go with the Dunlop as it has harder side walls and less likely to puncture it. Also if it does go flat and you are tubeless it will not come off the bead like a Michelin will. However for trials I would go with the Michelin.
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
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Dec 26, 1999
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Then a 4.00x18 should be pretty darn close to a 110/100x18 right? :thumb:
 

wayneg

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Aug 29, 2001
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I have just put on a Mitas trials tyre on my bike (I won it as a prize when entering our champs this year as an earlybird entry :thumb: ) and it seems to be pretty good so far. It has much firmer sidewalls than either the Dunlop or Michelin, and also firmer rubber than both as well, so should handle a fair bit of abuse, and it still offers reasonable grip, probably not enough grip for an expert level rider riding on huge rocks, but ok for me and my usual wobbling about.

Normally I use the Dunlops as they have firmer sidewalls than the Michelins and softer knobs which for some reason seems to work better for me in our conditions, but at my level it probably wouldn't matter much. The Michelin is definitely harder wearing than the Dunlop, and the IRC is a little bit harder wearing again.

The biggest problem will be sustained high throttle, high speed use as the knobs will wear really quickly. Also handling at high speeds is not very good as they are only 3 ply tyres, compared to Metzler enduro tyres which are 6 ply (I think!), and also you tend to run the air pressure much lower, so cornering will feel a little bit vague. If you are riding in really slippery conditions and run the air pressure down fairly low (6psi) then you will get better grip than on a MX or enduro tyre.
 

DAB

Member
Feb 6, 2001
18
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At the Trials Training Center in TN, we sell both the Michelin and IRC. Ray Peters and Chris Florin (our sponsored champ riders) both swear by the Michelin. ALL of the top pros ride with these. The pros like the feel of the Michelins. The IRC is stiffer and wears a bit better, and is cheaper. In my experience, they are less prone to getting cut on sharp edged rocks and they hook up well in the mud.

If you're going to trail ride with it, the IRC might be the choice. We run them on the back of the GasGas Pampera trail bike, and this combination is the absolute killer weapon for the really knarly steep, slippery, rocky mountain trails we have around here. It's quite fun to ride that thing to the top of a mountain and look down and wait on some guy who is sweating and cursing and trying to push his knobby-tired KTM up the hill.

dan
 

TexKDX

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Aug 8, 1999
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the size is governed by the FIM for trials competition, hence the reason there is no real trials tire any bigger than that. You might find a "trials universal pattern" tire bigger, but that is not a trials tire by any stretch of the imagination.

Ray Peters ran trials tires on a Husky TE610. It is enough tire for the intended type of riding and techniques deployed on a dirt bike using trials tires.
 

Doc

Two-Stroke Nut
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May 9, 2000
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Lampkin developed the 800 series Dunlop tire in about 1996, I'm not sure if they have changed. It is great in indoor/man-made sections (with the stiff side walls, they balance easier on flat surfaces), but for natural terrain, Michelin is best.
 

Trialspode

Member
Dec 2, 2002
3
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Here's the truth,
on "tubless wheels" the the michelin has a higher chance of popping off the bead, I run the Michelin for my local trial becuse they are more redily available. However, at the Scottish six days I run the Dunlop, becuase it has a lesser chance of falling of the bead leaving me stuck out on the Moors.
this is for trials.
For my KTM520 or my Cr450F, I run the "Michilen X11 tube type", It is available through Parts and Western powersports, any dealer can get these, the trials tire works better in most conditions than anything else, I prefer it here in the Northwest us woods, Jawbone, even Baumgardner Idaho. Size?They are only made in one size, and it works great. The trials tire on enduro bikes has been one of my best kept secrets.

The Irc has a weaker side wall and feels "squirly" in the rear.

DS
 
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