Rear tire

[eff]

I can't even find the MT-16 on the Pirelli site. ??? Is it being discontinued?

 

[gasser]

Our local KTM dealer sells the Pirelli MT-16 for 50 bucks. I put one on and it worked OK at first but as soon as the knobs lost their sharp front edge it turned to useless on even a moderate climb. I was getting stuck on roots that didn't even stick up one inch above ground - in fact the root wasn't as tall as the knobs on my tire. This was on a 15-20 degree climb, damp but hardly slippery, and nothing blocking front tire. Once it breaks traction on something it can't "dig" into it won't get the traction back. After only 4 or 5 rides I took the MT-16 off.

I know this sounds at odds with what others have said about this tire but it really isn't - tires perform differently under different conditions. My riding is on intermediate to hard terrain with a lot of tough hill climbs. On hills with intermediate to hard terrain a trials tire works way better than a knobby- on a hill that a motocross rider would call good terrain (soft and sticky) a trials tire works almost as good as a knobby - on a hill that has deep sand,shell,dust, or leaves a trials tire is much worse.

The Cheng Shin C755 seems softer than the other intermediate to hard terrain tires so it may wear a little faster than the others but it hooks up better on the hills than the other do after a little wear so you'll probably keep this tire on longer than the others if you ride big hills. This tire is only $40 (4.60x18) at Rocky Mtn. If you don't ride hills other tires mentioned would be a better choice.

 

[skid jackson]

funny ... new england is full of roots and rocks, mostly of the large round granite and sharper busted up ledge field stone. Both firmly anchored to the ground and not going anywhere. real bike and body breakers. add some rain and it all becomes greasy. Mt 16 seems to be the prefered tire especially amongst harescramblers. Lots of guys swear by them. Pirellie kept making them cause guys were still looking for'em. Not sure if they are still available tho. I tried a 756 on the rear last fall and thought it was crap in the rocks and the 16 was tons better. Different riders, different terrain, different opinions. thats why I like to try different stuff out!! btw the mich m 12's that came stock on my gasser in 06 were the worst tires I ever ran in my area!! Down right scary on the rocks!! or as someone else noted ... whoever made the m 12 should be arrested for attempted homocide!!

 

[Cruiser]

i do agree completely on the m-12.. and have a set in the shed with little use,, couldnt wait to get them off my 03.. The 16 I thought was great new and on the smaller rocks good(untill worn) but the area I was riding at the time had some large rock faces that we had to ride up and the 16(like the 756) would break traction and deposit you at the bottom.. this would be a perfect place to run a trials tire,, but at the time I didnt know anybody running them.
I thought the NE guys used trellaborgs?

 

[Skidad]

I bought one of these to try. Should extend the life of a knobby.

http://www.knobbyknife.com/index.html

 

[einsteingarage]

I have been wondering about that tool. Please let us know if it works good. Thanks
Justin

 

[flybars]

I'll second that! Does it do a fast and efficient job? Worth the time and effort? Thanks.

 

[flybars]

I have the Pirelli MT43 and the Scorpian Pro combo wrapped in plastic and stored in a dry cool place! Can't wait to try 'em. I get sale updates on Motorcycle Superstore dot com. I got a great buy on these thru them. And they don't charge tax or shipping if U buy $75.00 or more.
I got my Gaerne SG10's for next to nothing on a price match too. I get my cruiser tire's there, as well as helmets and other gear.

 

[GasGasDreamer]

I ran an irc trials tire and a dunlop trials tire on the back of my 300 last summer. I'm back to running an mt 16. I found the trials tire to be a 50/50 kind of deal. Fantastic hook up in some situations and then riding on grease in others. When looking at what each tire took out of you when in the bad conditions the trials tire was worse. i.e. What the trials tire gave in traction it took away in physical wearing down of the rider when in greasy mud. The mt 16 may not have had quite the traction of the trials tire but in greasy mud it smoked the trials tire. therefore over the course of an event with any appreciable mud if you were running a trials tire you would be more wore out then running if running hte mt 16. I also think the trials tire can effect handleing to the point that over the course of an event you would have to put a bit effort into getting the bike turned. Another source of wearing down the rider. Keep in mind I ride alot of very tight stuff. in more open terrain with less back and forth probably not an issue. all that said ..... for normal trail riding if you don't regularly hit lots of greasy mud a trials tire will last all season and work great. I plan to try some maxxis si and it's and maybe a kenda over the summer. So far though I've been pretty happy with pirelli's

Here in Las Vegas, Nevada we don't get much mud. The trials hooks up well and consistent in sand. I can understand that in some super sloppy stuff that a knobby would be better because it digs a trench and gets to the better ground plus it gains traction through the trenching. That is exactly why it doesn't work well alot of the time though. A trial tire can ride 'over' the ground where the knobby always digs into the ground.
The stiffest sidewall I have found is the Dunlop 739 Desert. It's the same as a regular 739 but the sidewall is beefed up.

GasGasDreamer