Tire Question

[LarryBud]

I just purchased a 2015 FJ 09.

The front needs replacement and rear still looks good for a while.  Question:  I will need to ride gravel on occasion.  It’s 1.5 miles of road to get to my destination and the road will cycle from fresh gravel to old washboard and back as they service the road a few times each year.  I’m not looking to set any speed records but will need to travel this route on a fairly regular basis.

95% + of my miles will be on hard surface.  Thoughts tire selection?  Would you select a tire based on this occasional use?  

[micah2074]

I’d get a regular street tire. I had to ride several miles on Dunlop Roadsmart 3’s. They were fine. 
I have the 4’s now. They are phenomenal by the way. I would ride in the gravel with them if needed. 

[betoney]

I agree with @micah2074 - I wouldn't compromise  a street oriented tire for only 1.5 miles of gravel.  I have ridden many miles of gravel roads on full sport tires.

[knyte]

3rd-ed.  Michelin Road 5; have ridden a bit of gravel and been perfectly fine.

Not much leaning, of course...

[Wintersdark]

4th-ed.  Just a mile and a half of gravel?  Normal street tires.  I never have a problem taking my Road 5's on brief dirt roads.

I'd focus more on sport touring tires, particularly ones designed for wet grip and such, as these tend to feature larger sipes which will help in the off road grip (and, of course, in bad weather etc) while still getting you excellent normal road grip and mileage.

Road 5's, Roadtecs, ContiRoadAttacks, etc.

 

With that said, there are some Adventure Touring tires that will still get good road performance and better offroad performance, such as:

Continental Motorcycle Tires ContiTrailAttack 3

---

The most agile On- / Off Road tire, 100% trust from start for...

but as others have said, I'd argue you're not riding enough offroad to really matter.  

 

[keithu]

5th-ed, and I'm not a super confident gravel rider. I've never owned a dirt bike or dual sport, so gravel always makes me a little nervous. But I sometimes ride ~1.5 miles of gravel to my dad's house and the Michelin PR4s and Road 5s have been fine. No drama. 

 

[Wintersdark]

Put another way, as I've been giving this some thought over the last couple days:

For 90% of riders, you could slap some 50/50 dual sport tires on there like TKC 70's and get equivalent performance in terms of road grip for what they actually use - few riders really push their bikes so hard that it's going to make any noteworthy difference on the road.  

But what will happen as you go more towards offroad tires that you'll notice is while you gain some extra control in dirt and gravel, the tires will get very significantly louder and there'll be much more vibration on road, so that's the real tradeoff your average rider is making. 

I mean, my winters are very street friendly (note the continuous tread surface around the center of the tire to avoid noise) but even these are much louder than my Road 5's and cause a very noticeable amount of vibration.

 

[Manxkiwi]

Dunlops 'Mutant' tyre looks interesting and gets great reviews. Could be something to look at?

Edited April 24, 2021 by Manxkiwi
Brand correction.

[LarryBud]

Thanks for all of the feedback.  I'm thinking I get a good street tire and ease through the gravel when necessary.  

Now, which toad tire?  I'll start reading!

 

[fddriver2]

Very happy with RoadSmarts 3 as I have gone through ~80,000 miles on 2 different bikes. A HD XR1200 and a 2015 FJ-09 A good all around tire/tyre excellent in the rain (I get a lot of that here in South Florida) I just got a RoadSmart 4 on the rear and it seems to continue the good feelings I have had with the 3's.

[CJ3cyl]

I love Road Smarts. They just work for me.

[piotrek]

On 4/22/2021 at 6:39 PM, micah2074 said:

I’d get a regular street tire. I had to ride several miles on Dunlop Roadsmart 3’s. They were fine. 
I have the 4’s now. They are phenomenal by the way. I would ride in the gravel with them if needed. 

Good to know. I see that @fddriver2 is also happy with the new Dunlops. Is there anything in particular that you think RS4 does better than the RS3? I will be looking for a replacement soon. The RS3 was very good value for money.

[micah2074]

16 minutes ago, piotrek said:

Good to know. I see that @fddriver2 is also happy with the new Dunlops. Is there anything in particular that you think RS4 does better than the RS3? I will be looking for a replacement soon. The RS3 was very good value for money.

They seem to me to be rock solid stable. Hold a line a bit better and turn easier. Dunlop’s are the only tires I’ve ever ran on the FJ.  The 2’s and 3’s didn’t seem all that different to me. The 3’s do last longer. The 4’s so far just feel and perform better. We will see about their longevity. 

[piotrek]

On 4/23/2021 at 9:55 PM, Manxkiwi said:

Dunlops 'Mutant' tyre looks interesting and gets great reviews. Could be something to look at?

The Mutant peaked my interest... but the price 😒. I am spending time this season riding northern Ontario, with a pretty varied mix of road surfaces. A do-most tire would be great. Also looking at TKC70 Adventure just for this season.

[daboo]

Dunlop has a rebate going on for the Roadsmart III and IV tires till the end of May.

I have the RS IV tires on now.  They are great.  I'm thinking of going back to the RS III when I change, just to see if I can tell the difference.

...besides in my wallet.

Chris