Tyre Advice 03 XT600E > Mitas?
 

Seen good things about the Mitas C-02. Obviously a very significant off road bias but sound ok on road (with expected limitations) and durable and road legal.

Not expecting to tour on these more green lane etc through winter season.

Thoughts / experience and trusted / recommended vendors appreciated.

Also I want to fit my own so...tyre levers. Is there a 'must have' set? Again exp. Recommendations welcomed!

All the best, B.

For me its ony two choices TKC 80 and Michelin T63, i wouldnt thrust any other tire on the road.

I've used a lot of Mitas on my enduro-bike and I'm very pleased. So far I have not tested Mitas on a bigger bike.

If you by "winter season" means temperatures lower then 0°c I would recommend Mitas with white markings. As far as I know C-02 don't have this.

For changing tire i only use 3 ordinary levers and rim protection, no problems. If you search forum i know there is a hand machine for fitting tires, but its expensive.

I use the Mitas E-07 front and back and find them a good compromise, I live in a forest but most of my riding is on rough country roads (in Portugal). The C-02 obviously has more of an off-road bias at the sacrifice of road performance, but I guess you know that! Here in Portugal I use these people, their service is excellent, Pneus Líder: pneus baratos, comprar pneus, pneu online they have a UK operation Tyre Leader : cheap tyre online, buy car tyres, discount tyres current price is £44.89 'all in' but they only seem to make one for the rear. I recently ordered two E-07, one came from Germany, the other from France, both arrived within 4 days.

My advice on tyre levers is to make sure they're not 'oversized' free of burrs and to use some rim protection (I use a short piece of plastic water pipe slit lengthways. Getting the tyre into the 'well' is the key to easy fitting (& removal), if it is tricky I use a clamp to hold it in place while I work the levers, a large bench vice can also be used. As with most jobs, a little lubrication (soapy water) also helps with fitting and removal, I hope this helps a little.

I would not trust the TKC as it melts down on the road like butter. Sometimes even whole nobs break off specially with stronk bikes. While my last TKC did not even last me for 5000 km the Mitas E07 brought me all the 25.000 km from Germany to Southafrica. Ok when i arrived you could see the white strings inside allready ;)

http://afrikamotorrad.de/?report=en_transafrika

Well for the last 6 years i have only used TKC and never had problems with nobs falling off, a good tire dont last 25000km! Tires that last long for cars and bikes are really dangerous riding in cold or wet weather, soft rubber stick like glue in corners. You never get a good tire for all uses, for me its importan that tire stick to the road in corners wet or dry. And you cant compare the TKC with E07 riding offroad.

Mitas E09 Dakar are similar to TCK but cheaper and better off road. As good on the Tarmac. Andy

Yes i see they have a copy of Michelin T63, cant find any test of these tires so i dont know how they will handle. One thing i have learned about tires, you get way you pay for. Maybe iam wrong and these Mitas are as good as any of the expensive ones. Still if they last 25000km i would say that they must be dangerous riding in rainy days and cornering, used cheap tires on a car and it went sideways all the time in rainy days.

I have no personal experience with C-02, but guys who ride in muck on XT660Z's in the UK rate them on the rear for this purpose. Not sure what they run on the front. But that is a bigger and heavier bike than the XT600 - so possibly worth a try as the price is definitely competitive?

As for where to order them from.

I have ordered twice from Oponeo (once Mitas and once Michelin) and have found their service to be exceptional :thumbup1: Oponeo will have a country specific website for your service.

I have also ordered from Trellesport UK after contacting them for advice on Mitas E-09 Dakar's. The Guys were very helpful and while the price was a couple of £ more expensive than Oponeo, the service was equally brilliant. :thumbup1:

As for levers, caveat, I suck at changing tyres.... doh front is OK but rear is a disaster. I have 2 Motion Pro combination tools which are excellent for the front tyre and the spanner at the opposite end with socket insert is brilliant. However, I also have one Buzzetti lever on recommendation from this website and always wish that I had two for the rear!!

As always great feedback. sorry for slow response have been offline for a while! Much appreciate the insights. Beers all round :D

HUMMM ya know what... now that I'm about to buy I cant find a 120/90 17 rear for love nor money! Is this an unspoken problem for XT owners? What are the solutions? Advice appreciated!

Moped look with 120, buy 130/80

I can see them on the Trellesport site in the link in my message above. £49 plus delivery.

They are listed under motocross tyres.

Agreed, 130 works and fits just fine.
Anyone using a dunlop d606 rear?