Some dunlop D606 tires on that bad boy will make a world of difference in the loose/soft stuff compared to the stockers.

http://i55.tinypic.com/bfkp2.jpg

I've heard good things about the D606s. I don't think they come in my size, though. I've been using Pirelli MT21s with good success.

What size are you running?

606's come in 17 and 18.

90/90x21
140/80x18

the 140 may be the problem... cause my DRZ has 90/90x21 and 120/80x18 on it right now

also try the TKC's.... they're what the bigger bikes use for knobbies(KLR,GS1200's ect) they'll probably last forever on a bike as light as yours... I'd throw a D606 on the front


also there were a set of mich's that a buddy used at the last rally I went to, worked awesome, I'll find out exactly what they were and let ya know. course he had them on a DRZ too

Those TKCs cost a fortune! More than double the cost of the MT21s.

The biggest size I see for the D606 is 130/90x18 for the rear.

I have a stack of MT21s in the garage that should get me through most of the season. I'll look into the mileage on the TKCs and see if the longevity makes up for the price.

At my skill/experience level, the stockers feel fine. I'm not having any traction issues off-road and they grip good enough on the pavement. I've put about 1,000 miles on them and they don't show any noticeable signs of wear. I don't know what kind of longevity to expect from dual-sport tires.

I'll burn these up before I try something new.

to be honest it's just the opposite.

the bike handles much better off road with knobbies... it's a lot harder to maneuver on stockers... you may not think you're having any issues, but throw a set of knobbies on and you'll see how the bike is SUPPOSED to handle off road. I guarantee you, do that and switch back to stockers... and you'll see the difference we're talking about.

Depends on what he is doing. You don't really need knobbies unless you are playing in some hardcore stuff. Hell there is people that play on the forest service roads on pilot powers around here that will beat the shit out of most people on knobbies.

There's nothing wrong with wearing out the stockers first. I did, but only because I put lots of miles on my bikes and go through a lot of tires. I figured there was no sense throwing out new tires when they'd be worn out soon enough anyway.

The stock rear wore out on me really quick. Like bald at 2,600 miles kind of quick. The front still looked darn near new, but since I was changing tires I changed them both. I still have my *almost new* stock front tire hanging in my garage as a matter of fact.

The reason I didn't wait for the front to wear completely down is because in the loose stuff, the stock front tire is you enemy. You can trudge through a lot of nasty stuff with the stock rear, but the front will want to slip out from under you every chance it gets. That doesn't happen with a knobbie on the front.