DAMN Riders - No rules, Just ride!

I want something more agressive for the 990 that will still do street. I know it is a compromise, but I have come up with three contenders and want to know what you guys thought. I am looking at the Conti TKC's, Dnlop 908's and MEFO Super Explorers. Any of these have to be better than the Scorps. Any input would be appreciated.

TKCs

+1 on the TKCs. I'm planning on buying a second set of rims to use for dual-sport rides for the KTM and want to mount TKCs .

You really need 2 sets of wheels; 1 with real dirt tires, 1 with good street tires which can do dirt roads, like the Scorpions. Or you need 2 sets of tires and to be able to change tires easily. Or buy a dirt bike and leave the 990 to ST and dirt road work.

If I had the 990, I would leave it road biased and just run it down dirt roads in decent conditions.

I guarrantee none of the tires you mentioned would have made much of a difference today. The 908's would be the most aggressive though. The 990 is a big heavy thing to be chucking around on trails. Are you prepared to let it get banged up? It is fairly capable, but it is hard work off road.

I'll vouch for the TKCs too. Had them on the Capo for 3000 miles back in the fall. They wear pretty quick, so I have them and Tourances that I go back and forth on depending where I'm riding. That being said, you will probably be surprised how well TKCs handle on the road once they get worn in. Here's a photo of my wife and I on the Dragon just short of touching down. I drug the pegs a couple times with them while riding solo and they feel almost as solid as Tourances.

mdubya wrote:You really need 2 sets of wheels; 1 with real dirt tires, 1 with good street tires which can do dirt roads, like the Scorpions. Or you need 2 sets of tires and to be able to change tires easily. Or buy a dirt bike and leave the 990 to ST and dirt road work.

If I had the 990, I would leave it road biased and just run it down dirt roads in decent conditions.

I guarrantee none of the tires you mentioned would have made much of a difference today. The 908's would be the most aggressive though. The 990 is a big heavy thing to be chucking around on trails. Are you prepared to let it get banged up? It is fairly capable, but it is hard work off road.

+1
unless you are gonna get a dirtbike for offroad, a second wheelset is the way to go. I have a second one for the DR and its nice being able to go from street to dirt in minutes rather then struggling w/ tire irons.

A smaller dual sport is in the cards. Hopefully late this spring, but maybe not until later in the year. I will continue to primarily do street/dirtroads on the 990, but I won't hesitate to do easier trails. I have already done a few creek crossings and such and the bike is very capable. I don't mind dropping it or scratching/breaking it. It was bought to be ridden. Before I do trails, I will pickup some crashbars and better tires though. Regardless, I will not be going down any frozen icy road on the thing anytime soon. I just had zero control today and that was disturbing. I just want the bike to be more capable so I can have more fun. I am really leaning towards the TKC's, especially since so many of you like them. A second set of wheels isn't really something I want at the moment, the cost of those would be a big chunk of a woods bike.

Ladies and Gentlemen - another DAMN Rider tiptoes to the edge only to get sucked by the void into the Dirt Side!

Within 6 months after buying my KLR, I had my EXC... I know the feeling well.

I did that same thing as Ken, but on a KLR budget

After dragging the KLR around GR a few times and one good crash later, I picked up my cheap little DR250 for trail riding.

Bucho wrote:

mdubya wrote:You really need 2 sets of wheels; 1 with real dirt tires, 1 with good street tires which can do dirt roads, like the Scorpions. Or you need 2 sets of tires and to be able to change tires easily. Or buy a dirt bike and leave the 990 to ST and dirt road work.

If I had the 990, I would leave it road biased and just run it down dirt roads in decent conditions.

I guarrantee none of the tires you mentioned would have made much of a difference today. The 908's would be the most aggressive though. The 990 is a big heavy thing to be chucking around on trails. Are you prepared to let it get banged up? It is fairly capable, but it is hard work off road.

+1
unless you are gonna get a dirtbike for offroad, a second wheelset is the way to go. I have a second one for the DR and its nice being able to go from street to dirt in minutes rather then struggling w/ tire irons.

+2 on the second wheel set. I have two sets for the DRZ and I have it down to about 10 minutes to change between them. I even brought the second set with me to Greenridge last year so I could ride into Winchester on the bike.

For you and the 990, I would say you are better off getting a good used dirt oriented bike. As was said, the 990 is one heavy beast for getting it around on trails. I have about $600 into the second wheel set and that would be a fair chunk toward a new 250, or a good used 400-450.