The Dual Sport Tire Buyer's Guide
Buying tires just strictly for street riding or for off-road riding can be complicated enough
without putting the two together. But both are just so darn fun! So it's understandable that
you would want a motorcycle that could do both. And sure, you could buy two sets of
tires for each kind of riding. But switching them out constantly when you change terrains
would be a pain. Plus storing so many tires can really cramp your workshop. Either way,
it's just a whole lot easier and more convenient to slap on a pair of tires that are made to
cross over the terrain barrier. But not just any ol dual sport tire will do. Depending on the
riding you'll be doing most of, there's a plethora of dual sport tire options.
The Ratio
One of the great things about dual sport tires is that tire manufacturers produce them with
varying ratios of street riding vs. off-road riding in mind. Depending on how much you
do of either, each tire is slightly different to try to accommodate that. The most difficult
part of this, however, is that in order to make a tire better for off-road riding, you need to
give up street riding quality and vice versa. If a dual sport tire is made for ten percent
street riding and ninety percent off-road riding, this does not mean the tire will perform
perfectly during that ten percent street riding but rather that it will be ok to ride on the
street ten percent of the time. On the other hand, this tire will give you a better
performance in the dirt most of the time. This tire would be a tire that you would only
want to ride on the street on the way to your off-road riding destination. If you want
something more middle of the road, a tire that is made to be ridden on the street forty
percent of the time and in the dirt sixty percent of the time, like this
Conti Twinduro TKC80 Motorcycle Tire, would be decent for both street
riding and off-roading. Tires like this, however, are not particularly great for either type.
These tires aren't meant to give you the best ride off-road or on the street but will give
you a decent ride for both.
Off-Road Riding
As if figuring out the ratio at which you will be on the street and playing in the dirt isn't
enough, another thing to really keep in mind when picking out your dual sport tire is what
kind of off-road riding you will be doing. With so many different types of off-roading
come countless types of off-road tires. Depending on if you'll be riding in the sand, mud,
gravel or rock, you'll need a tire to accommodate the terrain. For more information on the
types of off-road tires there are and a guide to help you purchase the right ones, check out
this Off-
road Tire Buyer's Guide.
This same principle carries over to dual sport tires. Depending on what kind of off-road
trekking you'll be doing, you'll require your tire to have different qualities. Keep in mind
what type of terrain you'll be in most when you look at a dual sport tire as well as how
often you will be doing it.
Maintenance
Properly maintaining your tires is an important part of riding both for the safety of you
and your ride no matter what kind of riding you're doing. Without proper maintenance,
tires will wear a lot faster than they should, become damaged or even cause you to be in
an accident that could have been very much so avoidable. Before any time you get on
your motorcycle to ride, take a few seconds to do a lap around your bike and inspect their
shoes. Check for cracks, debris, unusual wear patterns, and foreign objects lodged in the
tread or sidewalls. It's also a good practice to check your tires' air pressure before each
ride in order to make sure that they are at the appropriate levels.
Also keep an eye on your tire tread to tell when you'll need some new rubber. If your
tires tend to get a lot more of the street under them, you might want to go off of the penny
trick rule. You never want your tread to get any lowed than 1/32nd of an inch (0.8
millimeters) and even that is letting it get a little low. Many tires will come with tread
gauges that show you when you're in need of some replacements, but we really love to
just use a penny as a gauge (they're practically worthless as money these days so we're
trying to give them a new purpose). Grab one of the pennies that is lying abandoned in
your change bucket or snag one from a grocery store parking lot and flip it so that
Lincoln is looking at you upside-down. Then place the copper coin piece into the tread of
your tire and take a look at Lincoln's hair cut. Is some of his hair covered up or is all of it
showing? If Lincoln has a crew cut, you're tire tread is just fine. If all of his hair is
showing then you're tread has gotten too low and it's time to splurge on some new shoes
for your ride.
Unfortunately, not riding your motorcycle does not mean that your tires are going to last
for decades. Preserving that tread will only last so long as tires have an unspoken
expiration date of five years after they have been made. To find their birthday, check the
sidewall of your tire for a date stamp. This number should read four digits long; the first
two numbers are the week in which the tires were manufactured and the last four are the
year. This format was different prior to the year 2000, however, if your tires are that old,
don't bother trying to figure that all out and just replace them since they are definitely
past their due date.
If you're changing out a tire that has tubes, rather than cutting corners, replace the tubes
as well. If your tires have become worn down, then so have the tubes inside them. With
use, tires tend to stretch out slightly and, if they don't get replaced when a new tire is put
on, the tube could crease. When replacing tubes, always use the size that matches the size
of tire you're putting on your wheels.
Breaking them in
When throwing a new set of tires on your ride, keep in mind that they'll feel a whole lot
different than the ones you just wore down. With new rubber and new tread comes a
whole new feel. Be careful when riding on the road as there is a coating on tires that will
take a bit of riding to wear off. Cool it on taking corners too sharply or braking to quickly
until the coating has had a chance to wear off and you can get the grip you had with your
last set.
When riding off-road, you won't need to worry too much about breaking in the treads. If
anything, off-road riding breaks down tires a whole lot faster and you'll get the best grip
when you first hit the dirt with new tires. What you do need to worry about is having the
proper inflation.
Dual Sport Tire Inflation
When it comes to the right inflation for a dual sport tire, it can get a little tricky. Always keep a
tire pressure gauge like this
Motion Pro Professional Tire Pressure Gauge with you. With
street tires, you only need to check your service manual for the suggested PSI and stick to
it. For off-road tires, the best PSI depends on what type of terrain you're riding on. This
is also a factor with dual sport tires when you're riding off-road. Depending on the terrain
you're playing around in, you'll want to adjust your tires to be firmer for harder terrains
and softer for more mushy terrains. If you plan to be doing a lot of rock climbing on your
bike, keep the tires pretty well inflated. A general PSI for a hard terrain that seems to give
most people a good ride is 18 pounds. In sand or mud, don't be afraid to let quite a bit
out. We recommend sticking to a PSI of around 11 to 15 pounds. It's always a good idea
to check your service manual for the numbers that they suggest as well.
The tricky part comes when you're switching from off-road to street riding. It's easy to
let the air out of the tire when you hit the dirt, but you'll need to put some of that air back
in when you get back to the streets. We recommend bringing a tire pump with you for
your off-road riding but if you can't manage one, you'll need to find an air pump at a gas
station in order to re-inflate. Your tire should have a minimum PSI marking on the
sidewall for what you should run at when on the street. Riding below this level will not
only give you horrible handling and be extremely uncomfortable but can also be
dangerous.
Always make sure that you're running at the right PSI in order to get the best
performance out of your tires as well as have a safe ride. Overinflating or under inflating
tires can have some pretty nasty effects such as bursting a tire or increased fatigue. Check
your tire pressure often with a tire gauge (low tire pressure gauges such as this,
Accu-Gage Low-Pressure SX Series Gauge, often work better
because they'll give you a more accurate reading at lower levels) to make sure that
they're at the right levels. If you notice that your tires are losing a lot more air than they
should be or that one tire is losing air faster than the other, check your sidewall, tread and
valves for cracks or leaks. If you find any abnormalities, make sure to have your tires
repaired or replaced before riding on them.
One thing to remember when checking your tire's air pressure is that the PSI will
increase as the air inside the tire heats up. If you just measure your tire's air pressure after
it has been sitting in the garage, your tires will read out at a lower PSI. However, as you
ride them and the air heats up in the tire it will expand at a rate of 1 PSI per 10 degrees.
This can make a bit of a difference when off-road riding. Say you measure the PSI in
your garage when it's at 60 degrees before heading out to ride. As you're trekking along,
your tires heat up to around 100 degrees. This means that your PSI has managed to hike
its way up 4 PSI. And since 4 PSI can be the difference between a good inflation for
street riding and a bad inflation for off-road riding, it's important to measure the PSI in
your tires often and while they're hot. And if you seem to think that's too much work,
look into filling your tires with nitrogen, which is an inert gas that won't expand as it
heats up.
The Sidewall
If you just read the phrase "check the sidewall of your tire" and groaned, fear not for your
days of sidewall confusion are over. Take a look at this chart to interpret the gibberish
that is stamped on the side of your tire in order to know what width it is, what its speed
rating is, the diameter or the rim, the load rating and more.
Tires are a huge part of your motorcycle. They're the main thing between you and
whatever terrain you'll be riding on so you'll want to know that you can trust them to
keep you upright. And even though tires may look like just some round pieces of rubber,
they need a lot of care to maintain their composure. If you're lucky, neglecting your tires
will only mean having to replace them more often. But often enough, not taking care of
your tires properly will end in a crash or accident. With proper care your tires will both
give you a better ride and a safer ride both off and on the road. For more information on
tire care such as how to properly clean and store your tires, check out this
Guide for
Inspecting and Maintaining your Street Motorcycle Tires.
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