Good/best tire for fire roads?
- Thread starter bobski
- Start date
Chevyfazer
New Member
Shinko 705 if they offer them in the right size
vkamnev
New Member
nope. no such sizing
Chevyfazer
New Member
Full bore offers a tire identical to the 705 do they have yalls size?
vkamnev
New Member
nothing or anything....
FZ6R is not horrid on dirt roads with any sport touring tire.. but it is top heavy and will be a workout if you are near half the time on dirt roads... at any reasonable speeds... I live on a gravel road, but only a couple hundred feet (if that). I've ridden on miles of gravel roads... but if the dirt has any amount of water and get's all muddy, ain't no tire gonna help, we just aren't set up for it. Maybe 90/10 or even 85/15... but 60/40 is going to get old fast.
FZ6R is not horrid on dirt roads with any sport touring tire.. but it is top heavy and will be a workout if you are near half the time on dirt roads... at any reasonable speeds... I live on a gravel road, but only a couple hundred feet (if that). I've ridden on miles of gravel roads... but if the dirt has any amount of water and get's all muddy, ain't no tire gonna help, we just aren't set up for it. Maybe 90/10 or even 85/15... but 60/40 is going to get old fast.
Generally agree with Dart, as regards the FZ6R or any similar bike. It's just not set up for it.
If you must, the ones I've seen recommended for that much time in dirt are the Pirelli MT60s: Pirelli MT 60-R Dual Sport Front Tire - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore
Alternately, the Avon Distanzia that is standard on the Tiger 1050: Pirelli MT 60-R Dual Sport Front Tire - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore
MCUSA used the Pirellis as their choice when they "upgraded" a Versys for more off-pavement capability and had good things to say but I'd say the limitations of the 17" rim will be as true on the FZ6R and are compounded by an even more street-oriented suspension: 2011 Kawasaki Versys Project Part 2 - Motorcycle USA
But in the end, the bike is set up wrong for that kind of riding and any tire is only going to get you so far.
I mean, I know a guy who feels he HAS to drive his Porsche when he goes skiing and has put the best available snow tires on it, but in the end I do better in a 4WD Honda, because in the end his car is just not well suited to that kind of driving. Same thing here.
If you must, the ones I've seen recommended for that much time in dirt are the Pirelli MT60s: Pirelli MT 60-R Dual Sport Front Tire - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore
Alternately, the Avon Distanzia that is standard on the Tiger 1050: Pirelli MT 60-R Dual Sport Front Tire - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore
MCUSA used the Pirellis as their choice when they "upgraded" a Versys for more off-pavement capability and had good things to say but I'd say the limitations of the 17" rim will be as true on the FZ6R and are compounded by an even more street-oriented suspension: 2011 Kawasaki Versys Project Part 2 - Motorcycle USA
But in the end, the bike is set up wrong for that kind of riding and any tire is only going to get you so far.
I mean, I know a guy who feels he HAS to drive his Porsche when he goes skiing and has put the best available snow tires on it, but in the end I do better in a 4WD Honda, because in the end his car is just not well suited to that kind of driving. Same thing here.
Chevyfazer
New Member
Avon offers some supermoto tires in the right sizes, that might be something to consider
He's in BC, you're in Chicago. Here the fire roads are often rutted, oddly sloped and have lots of loose gravel on them. Even the "good" ones can get pretty technical in places.
Wondering if we could get some clarification about what the specific roads are like from the original poster? The "fire roads" where I lived in Connecticut are nothing like the ones here and we shouldn't be giving much advice without more details.
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Great input guys. I know our bike isn't set up, intended, or the best tool for the 40% job, and actually it would be nowhere near that, probably more like 15-20% . . I just wanted to get your input and recommendations for some tires a little more offroad oriented than a Tourance for example. i'm not sure the 15-20% warrants a change to a Vstrom type bike because that still means 80-85% street/hwy riding and I think the FZ is great for that application. However, in the mountains around here we have lots of ride routes that can be extended if you have the capability to reasonably handle gravel roads. I've done it several times on my street tires but it's a bit like walking on glass. I'm not an aggressive rider on pavement and so something with a little less bite on the pavement and a little more bite on gravel is what I'd like to do when my current set is shot at the end of this season (maybe sooner).
Same as logging road. Gravel road through back country.