I put this MotOz gummy on my CR 500 before we drag racing it against the Stark Varg a dozen times and then I have trail ridden that bike for over 10 hours since. The tire still looks in excellent condition and I am loving the traction.
Always great to hear what you have to say because you shoot it strait! I've had great luck with the Shinko 525 Cheater and it last a full season for me. Whatever tire you choose, I feel its one of the most important upgrades you can make on your bike! That and dialing in your tire pressures! If your not getting grip, you can't ride to your full potential.
Not disagreeing but I've seen some riders with absolutely chunked out and balding tires climb hills that nobody else could climb (with pretty new bikes and tires). Me thinks the most important upgrade is to the nut on the seat. 😁
The only really soft tires I've used are the Shinko 505, and I really like them. Probably not nearly as soft as the Motoz, but they are surprisingly durable, good teaction, and fairly cheap. I'm sure they wont last long if you like to throw a roost at every chance, but there's enough traction they don't spin and wear as much as I expected. I don't ride nearly as much as I'd like to, but the first one i out on my YZ250 lasted 4 or 5 seasons. I turned it around a couple times to the sharper side though.
Had a ArenaCross on my 300 xcw for 4 years , excellent wear ,decent traction . On my second Ibex (from Langs) the first lasted 3 years ,no chunking but started to crack around the knob base. Not a moto tire but great on slick tree roots and like velcro on the rocks. Tubliss at 8-10 psi.
As a lover of the Kenda Ibex. You can make the Ibex last you just cant wheel spin. I can get 50 plus hrs out of the Ibex. You said it all you can not wheel spin. Coming from trials and know how to clutch a motorcycle it makes a big difference. 225 for a gummy tire here in Canada is really pricey the ibex is 155
Performance or longevity, pick one as you can't really get both. I run a semi-gummy on my 4T and get around 35 hours, on my 2T a full gummy gets about 25 hours. The difference in traction is quite noticeable but the with the terrain I ride on the 4T the semi-gummy is good enough, on the 2T I want maximum traction.
Shinko 525 and/or Shinko 505...super heavy duty tube/slime...rim locks...6 to 10psi...on a Honda XR400 (rear) for central Idaho single track. they definitely give me confidence to try lines that I would have avoided in the past.
In my experience what kills tires (and that's applying even more so the softer the tire is) is speed and wheelspin. I've recently had a week of (recreational semi-) hard enduro riding with a friend in Spain. Very rocky terrain. He had a pretty worn (lets call it 25-35%) XGrip Jack The Gripper rear tire on his x-trainer (I even brought a spare tire since we both figured it would not make the week, but it did) and I was on a, in comparison rock hard and still in pretty good shape (let's call it 50-60%), MC360 mid-hard in my wr250r. The additional weight of the wr250r might contribute but I was still impressed how well his tire wore during the week compared to mine, especially considering how well it still gripped even with 20-30% of original knob height. We did the same trails and my initially "in better condition", but hard compound tire, quickly got shredded trying to find grip on the loose rocky ground while my buddy could just "roll up" the hills with all the gummy grip, even though his knobbies were pretty worn. While I was loosing chunks or even full knobs my friends tire would just look like someone pretty toothless was gnawing at his knobbies. What I am trying to say: If you are just going on an recreational pace, not roosting all over the place for fun and not going over 60-70km/h on roads for a long stretches a gummy tire will hold up pretty well. Or maybe I'm just saying the MC360 sucks (I know it does, it's pretty much a motocross tire). Going gummy allows you to smooth out your riding due to all the grip available (at least on rocky stuff) and that in turn will also improve the longevity of your tire.
Been running the Arena Hybrid on my Sherco 300 SE for about two years. Wear is excellent, traction is very good. I've had better traction with more wear (but not horrible) using the Kenda Gauntlet. Likely going back to the Kenda next time I need a rear tire.
I've been running the IRC Vulcanduro here in the Sierra Nevadas rocks. A good bargain price, not gummy but soft, long wear, but best is weight. I loved the Moto z traction and wear, but the weight was too high for me at the time of use. That was years ago and I must inspect the Arena Hybred. I may return pending weight.
I can't speak on gummy tires. But I do really like motoz tires on my dual sports. I have Motoz Rallz on my 701 currently and I'm a big fan. I'm by no means rich, I get it when people say these tires are expensive. But you can have all the power in the world on your bike, and all the best suspension upgrades, and all your ideal mods, none of it matters without traction. The tire is the thing between your bike and the ground, if there's one thing you shouldn't cheap out on, it's that.
Just put a 110/100-18 Arena Hybrid Gummy and 80/100-21 Mountain Hybrid on my 150 and did a Hard Enduro this weekend. Only rounded the edge a little, I think it's going to last a long time. Was using a Shinko 110/100-18 505 Cheater and 80/100-21 546, can't remember how old they are maybe 9 months. Changed for the weight saving and to try something different, been on 505's since June 2017.
I'm in the PNW, so a lot of rock as well. Very rarely do I get a ride that isn't filled with rock gardens. I have run just about every hybrid that's been produced dating back to the early days of the MotoZ mountain hybrid (which was a pretty horrible tire) I ran the Arena hybrid gummy and it's a good all around tire, but lacks a lot of the true benefits of other hybrids. It lacks the drive off rocks that the others give. It doesn't get the same bite on the rocks and feels far more like a traditional knobby than a gummy. I ran several IBEX for about 3 years and if you're not a tire spinner, that tire will last 40+ hrs. I've settled on the IRC V33S as it offers a lot of versatility and is a good compromise for performance vs durability. All said, tires are one of the most subjective topics in all of dirt biking and I will never ever understand someone trying to save a few dollars on the one thing on your bike that's making contact with the ground.
" I will never ever understand someone trying to save a few dollars on the one thing on your bike that's making contact with the ground." Great comment!
Were not deprived of good tires to choose from these days that's for sure. I run Motoz on my 890 as they do wear long and give good traction. Haven't tried these thought. How are they in soft, muddy sections? They look like they still push the bike through with the knob height.
I'm two rides in on my, same stupid rock terrain. Not as confident I'll see out a seaon on it, but it's ability in the area I ride might help me see past the wear rate. Matched with Tubliss, not much it won't climb up. The latest video on my channel is a good indication of what it's suffering.
It's been pretty darn good. I have not run it on pavement so I can comment with any certainty. What I can say is that I'm still running the same tire and we were out for the first ride of the season yesterday.
The arena hybrid is not near as soft or grippy as other gummy tires but their regular motoz knobbies are way too hard so it's the best rear tire motoz makes for a dirt bike. It's a stupid name for a tire really, no one runs it for arena cross as it's not sticky enough for that but it's a good trail riding tire. What are you running on the front? Motoz struggles making a decent front tire, non of the fronts are well liked.
I've had great luck with the Shinko Mx216 on the front. For me I run it around 7.5 psi or a hair lower if I'm doing lots of hard diving corners. Took me from washing out all the time to keeping traction in the front. Edit: I should ad this is run on high mountain single track. I did try a Motoz on my dual sport that had a similar tread design. I ran it 15 miles, came home, took it of and traded it in. The motoz was super sketchy on and off road.
I run the Motoz Terrapactors (MX tires) off road and find them the best for me. I ride technical gnar in the PNW coast range and cascade range mountains. Like you I find the Enduro tires from Motoz to stiff, but the MX tires are excellent IMHO. I'm running the new MXI (Intermediate) right now and really liking them.
What terrain type? I agree with some of what your saying. I'm a tire snob. Trying the new Motoz MXI (MX tire) off road and really liking it. In NorCal right now heading north to the PNW. I have always liked their MX tires for off road.
They are worth the money if it makes time on the bike more enjoyable and prevents crashes/injuries. Is $50-$100 really that much money in the grand scheme of this hobby? Biggest upgrade to any bike if you ride the type of terrain that needs it.
Motoz Arena Hybrid are garbage at 7psi. You spend half your time chasing the back of the bike, refuses to go straight ahead on any hard pack . Going back to traditional 140/80x18 gummy.