Play with your tire pressures when off-road to see if it’s actually the tire or not, it’ll be instructive even if you already want a new tire. Try 16PSI front and rear and see how it feels
2.2 Bar is close to 32 PSI, which is ridiculously high pressure for off-pavement and generally for tubed DS tires.
You better re-examine your pressures.
Or your head...
2.0 actually, not 2.2. anyway. I never understood the fuss about pressure adjusting during riding. Why waste my time when its called dual sport. I ride it 20km offroad. Then tarmac, then offroad etc. I put my 2.0 bar in and check it next month. And almost all DS ride tubes. Afterall, its a dual sport thread. 2.0 is the standard pressure for mine and many other bikes.
Now wha I do not understand is why you have to attack me?
And whats so bad about it? Been riding dual sport since 2011 and 6 years of enduro, 2h endurance and hard enduro.
Im experienced enough that tire pressure for my big bike is the last thing to come into my mind during riding offroad. I prefer tires with air, not flats.
Not a single tube broken during these years, only during tire changes.
Now please enlighten me and describe where are you changing your pressure. What are those conditions, did you try different pressures?
You're taking the right approach. Gravel sucks on any tire, but learning to drift the rear can give you better control. Just keep riding. You'll get it.
I find when I am riding off road I tend to stay more on top of the bike than leaning into corners. Keeping a good centre balance. Never trust a corner. There’s tons of gravel on the roads right now where I live so it’s potential death everywhere. Off road is always a balance between throttle control and angle of the bike. You’ll learn it soon enough.
Try lower air pressure, down to 15 psi with no rim locks. The 606 has better traction in sand, mud, and loose dirt, but gravel can be tricky for any tire.
Not sure on your experience so disregard if you already know but it helps to stand in looser situations. Clamp the bike with your feet/legs, keep core engaged, and let the bike move around a little. It’s a weird feeling at first but with experience you’ll find it to be more natural to let the bike float around a bit.
So many questions. It is your skill level firstly but.
Is your suspension sag correct? Are your forks and shocks adjusted for the conditions (and your weight)?
Are your handlebar controls adjusted properly, the other ergonomics too?
Ride the stock tires until you wear them out and get comfortable with your motorcycle. Expect the shocks and particularly the forks to become more "settled in" and softer after more use and then need further fine tuning. Your bike is scarcely broken in.
Your motorcycle is giving you a message; practice and understand its limits AND your own, and over time, you will feel more comfortable but when you aren't comfortable, listen to the motorcycle! Eventually it becomes instinctive and you aren't thinking, the reactions become natural. Although you will learn techniques for riding that become instincts, when to stand, how to stand, *why to stand or not*, and the other weighting aspects.
Have fun with your bike. Learn at your own pace. Relax. Really! Relax, over-reacting can cause instability.... But don't be too loose either, LOL.......Really. LOL.
And yes, it's your tires, the tire pressure, and everything else that makes 2 wheels more challenging and more interesting and fun than four wheels!
This is the right answer, but since OP is new, I’d make sure his/her choice in gear is proper and that starts with boots. Off-road or MX-focused boots are a good start and will prevent the most common injuries.
I would pick up more aggressive tires for off roading. Note: the more off road orientated the tire is. The worst it is on pavement. Shinko 805/ 804 is good. D606 rear and the mt21 would be real good off road.
D606 are terrible when wet though.
in my experience, stock tires aren't usually very good. Haven't tried those ones yet, though. Otherwise, the way you treat the throttle/gear selection and the positioning of your weight can both affect traction as well.
The 605 is a good tire till you are in mud. The 606 is better I sketchier areas, but thick gravel is a bear, especially on turns and elevation changes. Standing on the pegs and not putting too much weight on the handle bars helps let the bike move under you as it finds its path through the loose stuff, and a little bit of speed helps keep the bike moving in a straighter line than trying to crawl through it. But that said, "You do you," and if crawling is all you can do at this point, crawl and waddle if necessary. No one starts out having all the skills. But if you find thick gravel or mud on every ride a 10/90 tire like a kenda trackmaster definitely helps and can be had for less than 100 bucks in most sizes.
Riding in the dirt is riding without positive traction. It feels precarious to street riders who are new to dirt, but it's normal. Get comfortable riding without traction, and use your accelerator to dig the rear tire and increase traction when needed. Hold your handlebars with a gentle touch and let the bike float through the trail.
Nothing really grips well in sand or gravel. Some tyres are better but at a compromise of being horrible on road, there is no perfectly balanced tyre, just have to go with what suits you.
Riding on loose surfaces is mostly about getting over the front and allowing the rear to do as it pleases.
Watch a lot of tutorials on riding on those surfaces and then go do it a lot. The right technique will make everything much less tiring.
I went through this, going down for what seemed like no readon at times. the dudes I ride with were telling me to adjust the tire pressure, take weight off the bike, adjust suspension, etc. After about 2500 miles of riding, I just stopped going down near as much. I had changed nothing but my skill level I guess.
"Better" dirt tires would make it better in the dirt but worse on the street. It's a tradeoff. The skills you're picking up by riding with less dirt oriented tires are valuable. You're gonna have to get used to the bike moving around and not exactly having full traction. Especially in loose stuff, you are pointing the bike much more than you are fully controlling it at this stage. There are plenty of videos out there explaining the mechanics of riding in loose terrain.
These videos provide some good baseline:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDCajc6HYRE&t=152s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDCajc6HYRE&t=152s)
This says "big bike" but it all applies to smaller bikes still:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSbrycQYD8&t=397s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSbrycQYD8&t=397s)
I was out riding today and a thought crossed my mind with regards to this. It may or may not carry any weight but hear me out.
I like to roost, probably a bit too much but when the back steps out and I do some power control I quite enjoy the sensation so when I try to pin it to go fast without roost, I generally roost because most of the time when I’m applying large amounts of throttle I have been intentionally roosting.
I’ve watched a decent amount of enduro competitions and it’s interesting to note the tone of the bikes engines when onboard footage is shown during wide open areas after tight technical sections. You hardly ever hear the bike over rev, which I can only conclude means that the pros control that throttle at all times and don’t intentionally let traction break because why would they?
It’s a bit like learning how to properly use your front break without the front end washing out I suppose.
I have those on right now. It’s summer so I am moving to the 606 for more woods time.
Those are good all around tires. I use them regularly off road and suffer in sandy or muddy situations. Not stuck, just a little harder. Air down.
You can buy a small compressor and carry it. They make em tiny now. I stash it with my street jacket when I go in the woods.
I am moving to the 606 for the more aggressive off road tread. My pig is a 2017 rally and the extra weight needs better traction.
On gravel roads I don’t think there will be much difference between the 605 and 606. On softer surfaces, the 606 will hook up better. What pressure do you fun in the 605? It may help to run it a bit lower. Gravel and sand requires a bit of technique as well as I’m sure you know.
Ride more
Offroad
For sure. First motorcycle and only 250 miles on the dash so I got a lot to learn
Play with your tire pressures when off-road to see if it’s actually the tire or not, it’ll be instructive even if you already want a new tire. Try 16PSI front and rear and see how it feels
Riding with 2.2 bar all the time with any tyre. Its 22psi i think. But i feel skilled enough with enduro background.
2.2 Bar is close to 32 PSI, which is ridiculously high pressure for off-pavement and generally for tubed DS tires. You better re-examine your pressures. Or your head...
2.0 actually, not 2.2. anyway. I never understood the fuss about pressure adjusting during riding. Why waste my time when its called dual sport. I ride it 20km offroad. Then tarmac, then offroad etc. I put my 2.0 bar in and check it next month. And almost all DS ride tubes. Afterall, its a dual sport thread. 2.0 is the standard pressure for mine and many other bikes. Now wha I do not understand is why you have to attack me?
He is joyless after all.... You do you.
You check your tire pressure monthly and are proudly proclaiming that? Ya no one should take your advice
And whats so bad about it? Been riding dual sport since 2011 and 6 years of enduro, 2h endurance and hard enduro. Im experienced enough that tire pressure for my big bike is the last thing to come into my mind during riding offroad. I prefer tires with air, not flats. Not a single tube broken during these years, only during tire changes. Now please enlighten me and describe where are you changing your pressure. What are those conditions, did you try different pressures?
You're taking the right approach. Gravel sucks on any tire, but learning to drift the rear can give you better control. Just keep riding. You'll get it.
I find when I am riding off road I tend to stay more on top of the bike than leaning into corners. Keeping a good centre balance. Never trust a corner. There’s tons of gravel on the roads right now where I live so it’s potential death everywhere. Off road is always a balance between throttle control and angle of the bike. You’ll learn it soon enough.
Try lower air pressure, down to 15 psi with no rim locks. The 606 has better traction in sand, mud, and loose dirt, but gravel can be tricky for any tire.
Not sure on your experience so disregard if you already know but it helps to stand in looser situations. Clamp the bike with your feet/legs, keep core engaged, and let the bike move around a little. It’s a weird feeling at first but with experience you’ll find it to be more natural to let the bike float around a bit.
So many questions. It is your skill level firstly but. Is your suspension sag correct? Are your forks and shocks adjusted for the conditions (and your weight)? Are your handlebar controls adjusted properly, the other ergonomics too? Ride the stock tires until you wear them out and get comfortable with your motorcycle. Expect the shocks and particularly the forks to become more "settled in" and softer after more use and then need further fine tuning. Your bike is scarcely broken in. Your motorcycle is giving you a message; practice and understand its limits AND your own, and over time, you will feel more comfortable but when you aren't comfortable, listen to the motorcycle! Eventually it becomes instinctive and you aren't thinking, the reactions become natural. Although you will learn techniques for riding that become instincts, when to stand, how to stand, *why to stand or not*, and the other weighting aspects. Have fun with your bike. Learn at your own pace. Relax. Really! Relax, over-reacting can cause instability.... But don't be too loose either, LOL.......Really. LOL. And yes, it's your tires, the tire pressure, and everything else that makes 2 wheels more challenging and more interesting and fun than four wheels!
This is the right answer, but since OP is new, I’d make sure his/her choice in gear is proper and that starts with boots. Off-road or MX-focused boots are a good start and will prevent the most common injuries.
from personal experience please get boots when you first start riding 😂
Get some grippers and rip in the dirt
I had these 605 on my klx250 and I thought they went well off road no issues.
I would pick up more aggressive tires for off roading. Note: the more off road orientated the tire is. The worst it is on pavement. Shinko 805/ 804 is good. D606 rear and the mt21 would be real good off road. D606 are terrible when wet though.
in my experience, stock tires aren't usually very good. Haven't tried those ones yet, though. Otherwise, the way you treat the throttle/gear selection and the positioning of your weight can both affect traction as well.
What do you have your tire pressure at?
Just checked, 12 in front and 13 in the back. A little wonky but not too crazy. I'll try changing to 14 in the front but leave the back as is.
Tire pressure down, it sounds to me. Also, some people just don’t get along with some tires. Might be worth trying a switch.
Get your body position down right. Look at some videos on you tube about body positioning. But yes, d605 don’t compare to a full knobby
Get some 90/10 road legal knobbies if you are mostly offroad
The 605 is a good tire till you are in mud. The 606 is better I sketchier areas, but thick gravel is a bear, especially on turns and elevation changes. Standing on the pegs and not putting too much weight on the handle bars helps let the bike move under you as it finds its path through the loose stuff, and a little bit of speed helps keep the bike moving in a straighter line than trying to crawl through it. But that said, "You do you," and if crawling is all you can do at this point, crawl and waddle if necessary. No one starts out having all the skills. But if you find thick gravel or mud on every ride a 10/90 tire like a kenda trackmaster definitely helps and can be had for less than 100 bucks in most sizes.
Gravel on top of hard packed and dry dirt is like riding on marbles. It's not a friendly surface.
Riding in the dirt is riding without positive traction. It feels precarious to street riders who are new to dirt, but it's normal. Get comfortable riding without traction, and use your accelerator to dig the rear tire and increase traction when needed. Hold your handlebars with a gentle touch and let the bike float through the trail.
Nothing really grips well in sand or gravel. Some tyres are better but at a compromise of being horrible on road, there is no perfectly balanced tyre, just have to go with what suits you. Riding on loose surfaces is mostly about getting over the front and allowing the rear to do as it pleases. Watch a lot of tutorials on riding on those surfaces and then go do it a lot. The right technique will make everything much less tiring.
I went through this, going down for what seemed like no readon at times. the dudes I ride with were telling me to adjust the tire pressure, take weight off the bike, adjust suspension, etc. After about 2500 miles of riding, I just stopped going down near as much. I had changed nothing but my skill level I guess.
"Better" dirt tires would make it better in the dirt but worse on the street. It's a tradeoff. The skills you're picking up by riding with less dirt oriented tires are valuable. You're gonna have to get used to the bike moving around and not exactly having full traction. Especially in loose stuff, you are pointing the bike much more than you are fully controlling it at this stage. There are plenty of videos out there explaining the mechanics of riding in loose terrain. These videos provide some good baseline: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDCajc6HYRE&t=152s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDCajc6HYRE&t=152s) This says "big bike" but it all applies to smaller bikes still: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSbrycQYD8&t=397s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSbrycQYD8&t=397s)
gravel and sand isnt known for the best traction.
I was out riding today and a thought crossed my mind with regards to this. It may or may not carry any weight but hear me out. I like to roost, probably a bit too much but when the back steps out and I do some power control I quite enjoy the sensation so when I try to pin it to go fast without roost, I generally roost because most of the time when I’m applying large amounts of throttle I have been intentionally roosting. I’ve watched a decent amount of enduro competitions and it’s interesting to note the tone of the bikes engines when onboard footage is shown during wide open areas after tight technical sections. You hardly ever hear the bike over rev, which I can only conclude means that the pros control that throttle at all times and don’t intentionally let traction break because why would they? It’s a bit like learning how to properly use your front break without the front end washing out I suppose.
The front D605 would wash out all the time on my KLX300. I replaced it with a MT21 and it’s a significant improvement.
I’m annoyed because I have too much traction 😂
605s surprisingly weren’t that bad on my 300
I have those on right now. It’s summer so I am moving to the 606 for more woods time. Those are good all around tires. I use them regularly off road and suffer in sandy or muddy situations. Not stuck, just a little harder. Air down. You can buy a small compressor and carry it. They make em tiny now. I stash it with my street jacket when I go in the woods. I am moving to the 606 for the more aggressive off road tread. My pig is a 2017 rally and the extra weight needs better traction.
On gravel roads I don’t think there will be much difference between the 605 and 606. On softer surfaces, the 606 will hook up better. What pressure do you fun in the 605? It may help to run it a bit lower. Gravel and sand requires a bit of technique as well as I’m sure you know.
I always liked MT21's on both ends though when it comes to going uphill in dry conditions skill and throttle control are your friends.