Pirelli MT21 on the pavement

[solarae]

Every once in a while I run my XTs down the road just to keep their juices flowing but I'm never very confident on asphalt with those tires. Can anyone describe what they consider the limits of grip on the street with those things? Especially cold damp streets.

 

[mototireguy]

DOT 50/50 dirt/street knobbies like the Pirelli MT21's on the street offer decent grip in the dry but expect sketchy traction in the wet.

Maybe consider some 80/20 dual-sport tires for slightly better wet street performance.

 

[solarae]

Have'm. Just need a spare set of rims. These bikes are primarily for getting together with some eastern Oregonian friends on a semi annual basis.

 

[Lunch Box]

I love my MT-21s on dry pavement. On wet, they are a bit frisky.

 

[ScottRNelson]

My only experience with MT-21's was on an XR650L that I only owned for about two months before selling it to OaklandF4i for his Baja trip. The tires were "a bit worn", so that might affect traction, but I didn't trust them much in tight turns on warm dry pavement. For example, trying to get through a yellow light while making a left turn felt a bit sketchy.

I've been through several sets of IRC GP-110 dual sport tires and they offer great grip on dry pavement. I really don't ride enough on wet roads to be able to tell you how well any tire works in the wet, though.

 

[solarae]

Thanks everyone. This just confirms my suspicions. We don't take these bikes on the pavement much, just to get from dirt road to dirt road. Just don't have a good place near my house to get them good and warmed up except on asphalt. All the logging roads are well gated near here.
As an aside, I think those tires are more like 20/80 dirt/street, not 50/50. They are pretty much the knobbiest DOTs I could find. Besides having a lack of grip on the street, they chunk out easily but work great in the soft stuff.
But what do I know.

 

[anytwowilldo]

Thanks everyone. This just confirms my suspicions. We don't take these bikes on the pavement much, just to get from dirt road to dirt road. Just don't have a good place near my house to get them good and warmed up except on asphalt. All the logging roads are well gated near here.
As an aside, I think those tires are more like 20/80 dirt/street, not 50/50. They are pretty much the knobbiest DOTs I could find. Besides having a lack of grip on the street, they chunk out easily but work great in the soft stuff.
But what do I know.

I have a plated XR400 and have never had a DOT approved tire on it, even when I took it to DMV for an inspection and to get the plate in 2003 -they never looked.
I've always fit it with the best knobbies for the (dirt) task at hand.

I would rather deal with a fix it ticket that fall down in the dirt because I was running a tire more suited for the street.