When you can't get the tire that you want...

[ScottRNelson]

I've mentioned in this sub-forum before how much I like the AX41 on my KTM 790R. It's just a better tire for the type of riding that I do.

So... both front and rear tires were nearly down to the wear bars and not enough tread left to work well off road. I probably could have gotten another 1000 miles out of the rear if I stayed on dry pavement, which ain't gonna happen.

So I ordered a new set of AX41's from Cycle Gear and they got them in, but the rear was a 140 instead of a 150. The rear rim is wide enough that a 140 would not be a good fit. Okay, can you order me a 150? Nope! They're out of stock.

So rather than wait until who knows how long, I ordered a Shinko 805 instead. I have the mounted tires back and still need to put them on the bike. Plus it's raining (mixed with snow) here and going to be nice and cold for at least the next ten days - like we won't even get up to 40 degrees. So I'm not likely to take much more than a quick around the block ride when everything is back together, and it could be months before I see any serious dirt again.

But I've use an 805 before on my 1090R, and I couldn't tell the difference in behavior from the previous TKC-80 that that bike came with. It won the "best tire value" award in the adventure tire shootout that I posted about way back when I got my first set of AX41's, so not a bad compromise.

Not quite sure what the point of this minor rant is, other than to share experiences of not being able to get the exact right tire and having to use something else that hopefully isn't terrible. After I get in the dirt a bit more, I'll find this thread and post my impressions.

 

[budman]

Happened on my spr0tbile. Went with an older model Rosso III.
It is what I used before so not a big deal. I have more miles on it than I thought possible and it is is still looking good.

More cruising than straffing really so a factor for sure.

Supply chain shit. Still waiting on the boots I want.. been 6 months.

 

[cheez]

When you can't get the tire that you want...

Love the tire you're with.

 

[budman]

 

[ScottRNelson]

I figured it was worth a follow-up on this, after wearing down the Shinko 805 enough to toss it and get a proper AX41 back on the rear of my bike. The Shinko worked okay in the dirt, but didn't want to hook up under acceleration. It was perfectly fine on the street and I probably could have gotten another 2000 miles out of it instead of the 3200 that I had on it, if I stopped going off road.

But I put an AX41 rear back on the bike and it was instantly way better on dirt and gravel roads. Even the (worn) front tire felt better to me.

I will not get another lesser tire again for one of my bikes. I'm sticking with the ones that I Like from here on: AX41 for the KTM, D606 and MT21 for the Honda.

 

[OaklandF4i]

On my dirt bikes, where I am far more picky about tire selection, I tend to have a set waiting in the garage ready to be mounted. During Covid, not only did tires get stupid expensive, many were in short supply.

I’ve also found looking in places I normally wouldn’t for tires… like eBay from moto shops. Sometimes they had the tire, albeit a year or more old sitting in the shop and not fresh from the distributors.

Probably not a good solution for track folks, but for many of us still within an acceptable date range.