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Tyres make the biggest difference to performance for the least expense.
We hope this information will help you choose the right tyres so you can get the best out of your ride.
Follow these steps (after first consulting the bike manufacturer recommendations)-
-Forecast where you mostly ride or the likely conditions for the event. Soft? Intermediate? Hard? bit of everything? Try and decide is it likely to be what% soft and what% hard (like if maximum soft was 0% and pavement was 100%). The more important long wear is, the closer you need to be to 100%. Then check the rating we make for each of our tyres (on Tyre Range page).
-Then decide is it more important to have Heavy Duty tyres (Tractionator Series) for durability, or lite weight tyre tyres (Terrapactor Series) for better handling and accelleration.
-Then choose the right size for the bike (more important than it sounds).
More Info
Terrain Application - What the Letters at the end of the tyre names mean
H/T = Hard Terrain (gravel roads, rocky fire trails, hard pack desert and sand).
I/T = Intermediate and mixed Terrain
S/T = Soft terrain (loam, sandy loam, pine forest, clay)
I-H/T = Intermediate to Hard Terrain
I-S/T = Intermediate to Soft Terrain.
Tyre Construction - What the Names Mean
Tractionator Series is very Heavy Duty and design for long wear life. Tyres in the Tractionator series have:
-Super Heavy Duty ply construction
-Puncture Resistant casing
-Reinforced sidewalls
-Large Rim Protector
-100% Natural Rubber Anti Chuncking Compounds (Enduro S/T has hybrid compound).
Any tyre with the word Tractionator in its name is suitable for harsh conditions like desert racing, multi day enduro or long distance adventure riding. Tyres in the Tractionator series include Tractionator (H/T), Tractionator Enduro (I/T) and Tractionator X-Circuit (I-H/T). Tractionator Enduro S/T is in development.
Terrapactor Series is lite weight and designed for motocross.
Terrapactor tyres have:
-Light weight carcass.
-Sidewall and footprnit with rigid and flex zones.
-High Quality Hybrid Natural/Synthetic Compound.
-Holeshot Magic.
Sizing
Choosing the right size is super important. The general rule is don't over tyre or under tyre the bike (tyre too big or too small). Unfortunatley choosing the right size can be super confusing thanks to the variations between different standards around the world (we didn't create all the different standards so please don't get angry at us for trying to explain sizing you). Because it's a lot of reading to explain, it's right at the bottom of this page.
CRS and Profile
CRS is the shape/curve (the contour) of the tyre across the tread that comes in contact with the terrain, and several benefits are obtained by applying certain CRS in some applications (including variable CRS).
Is CRS it the same as profile(Aspect Ratio - Google it)? No. For example you can have a flat CRS on a high profile 100 series tyre, and a flat CRS on a low profile 80 series tyre; same CRS, different tyre profile.
CRS can be grouped in three basic catagories, which for simplicity we will label flat, round and pointed (to explain the idea). If you imagine a rugby ball and a soccer ball and how they sit on the ground; a flat CRS might be like a rugby ball on its side, round CRS might be like the soccer ball, and the pointy CRS might be like the rugby ball standing on its end. Whilst inflation pressure will vary behavior, CRS will significantly influence performance and each has distinct characteristics.
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Flat CRS = wide flat tread - big footprint - good for straight line hook up and big horse power applications - long wearing. |
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Round CRS = smoothly curved tread section extending partially up the sidewalls - good for easy progressive cornering. |
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Pointed CRS = tread section with a narrow aggressive bite in the centre and extending up the side walls - good for very fast very tight cornering. |
Why is it important? Because it influences drive traction, cornering traction and wear. A specific CRS matched to a specific application can give additional traction where it is most needed, or increase wear life to avoid tyre changes during an enduro, or for long adventure touring. A poorly designed CRS to an application can result in early wear. If the rider “knows” what CRS their tyres are, the rider will be better able to “predict” the behavior of the bike in various conditions, or make an informed choice to sacrifice wear for performance or visa versa (we make comments about specific CRS in some of the individual tyre descriptions).
The behavior of each will have different performance characteristics when the bike is vertical or at various lean angles. In very basic terms:
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Flat CRS on the rear will have good drive traction because it makes a big foot print when the bike is vertical (it will hook up well), |
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but traction will decrease as the lean angle is increased, and loss of traction at extreme lean angles as the tyre reaches the outer tread. |
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It will also make the bike harder to 'tip' into a corner (the bike will not roll from side to side easily). If the terrain is soft, like desert racing conditions, this CRS can keep traction as lean angle increases because the terrain, the desert sand, moves under the weight of the bike, so the tyre is in effect always flat against the terrain. |
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Round CRS will do everything OK (average). It will hook up OK and tip into corners OK (bike will lean from side to side smoothly), but because the foot print is never that large, loss of traction in corners will increase with weight, speed and lean angle. Wear will be OK, but will wear quicker in long distance straight running. |
A big problem in the past (even now) has been many enduro tyres are just a motorcross tyre with a different compound, but the CRS hasn't been taylored for off road so the tyres wear out too quick and cant handle fast tight cornering in hard terrain or rocky conditions.
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Pointed CRS will wear quickly in hard terrain (because of the sharper foot print in contact with the terrain when the bike is vertical), and hook up less well in harder terrain, but it will “tip in” very quickly when cornering (the bike will change direction quickly and easily in tight corners – will tend to fall into corners), and will have increased traction at more extreme lean angles (especially in hard terrain). This can be a good tool in dry conditions when the track is loaded with 180 degree corners, or for lighter enduro bikes (small bore 2 strokes and modern 250cc 4 strokes) for tight twisting narrow single trails. It also helps (on the rear) to get the bike into a power slide to create more drive around a flat corner. |
Some things to consider when choosing the rear tyre are:
Flat CRS will give longer wear and hook up well on hill climbs (if the bike is kept vertical) and straights, but steer slower which can add to rider fatigue if there are long twisty sections like tight single trails. If there is a lot of long straight high speed sections, it is less of an issue.
A pointed CRS will give quick handling and reduce rider fatigue, but the rear will tend to follow ruts if wheel spinning up a hill (to the point where the rear will follow the rut, which can cause the rider to drop the bike). If you have chosen this CRS, keep away from the ruts.
Choosing tyres for an Enduro or a long trail/adventure ride is more difficult because the terrain is usually more varied and impossible to predict. In this instance tyre selection is focused on what tyre will do everything (not leave you stranded with loss of traction on a steep hill climb or sandy section). Tractionator enduro rears are specifically designed to perform in extreme variations of terrain especially on the east coast of Australia which is hilly and steep and littered with creek crossings, and also provide sure grip under heavy braking or engine braking into tight corners (something critical for larger 4 strokes).
Wear
Our tyres have very deep tread to give good wear/mileage. This means the tread blocks in some tyres may flex around a bit when the tyre is new, then settle down to their best performance after a while (after 200-300kms, depending on application). Tread blocks may increase in size as they wear to self protect. The performance will drop away quicker towards the end of tyre life due to the tread block reinforcing contacting the terrain. This is not a big issue because riders seeking peak performance replace tyres long before the extreme end of tyre life.
Inflation Pressures
All other off road tyres are made using mostly synthetic rubber, reclaimed rubber and chemical fillers. This results in tyres that are very hard and feel lifeless. To get feeling and traction, riders reduce inflation pressures (sometimes down to 8psi, great if you want to repair punctures all day).
Because our rubber is 100% natural, the inherent reflex, deflection and elasticity provides feeling and feedback without the need to reduce inflation pressures too much. This means inflation pressures for off road conditions can be realistic and punctures become infrequent or non-existent. In mixed terrain we suggest starting off with higher pressures (perhaps 14-18 p.s.i range) until you get used to them, or in very slippery terrain slightly less (12-14 p.s.i). Some riders prefer to lower rear pressures to 8-10 p.s.i to gain a wider foot print (contact patch) and rely on the stiffer sidewalls. We don't recommend it, but riders report good results.
Sizing 1.02
Don't assume all tyres marked with the same size are all the same.
There are presently seven different standards that can be applied to off road motorcycle tyres from different countries (USA, EU ETRTO, Scandinavian, Deutsche Ind Germany, Australia, Japan, UK BSI). They all say measurement is taken from the sidewalls (not the outer tread width). They don't all say the same thing about the same size. One major country doesn't even have a standard for a 100 series tyres (yet they have 100 series tyres and they vary from one brand to another) - then mix in tyres from a country with a different measuring system for a 100 series tyre - the result is several tyres with the same size that are all different (like when some people say "is it small sizing like this brand or big sizing like that brand").
How the Confusion Grows.
There is a lot of incorrect information (especially on the internet) which has resulted in some myths being quoted and requoted as fact. Here's an example. Some people say tyre sizing varies because some manufacturers measure from the outside of the tread, and others measure the outside of the sidewalls - this is incorrect. Another one is Old metric and New metric. For off road and MX, overall tread width (measurement from outer tread blocks that contact the ground) should be taken into consideration as well as tyre section width (size marked on the tyre - measurement of the part of the tyre that inflates), If you've read this far, you should now be aware that there is much more to choosing the right size than reading what is written on the sidewall (we didn't create the confusion - just trying to help by explaining it).
Every wondered why a tyre marked NHS (Not for Highway Service) in 110/100-18 measures the same across the side walls and outer tread as an EU street legal 130/90-18? We have made some diagrams to help you see how sizing and how measuring on different rims (as the standards demand) varies and distorts whenfitting to a a different rim (like the most common 2.15 inch rim). Pages (enlargement) and links are still under construction.
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