Jimmy - thanks again for the info.

:WellDone_OROQR1:

Through procrastination, I ended up with E-09's front and rear but will definitely look into the Unicross next time round.

Big thumbs up to Trellesport Tyres ( http://www.trelleborgtyres.co.uk), ordered on lunch time and they were waiting for me at home the next day. Sensational service!

:icon_thumright:

What is the difference between Mitas E09 and Mitas E09 Dakar ???

the Dakar is stiffer and wears less fast. But will be a bit more slippy in the wet as a consequence.

Ok, do you know if dakar version are more or less slippery on wet asphalt than Mitas C02?

I don't have any personal experience with the Dakar, but I can't imagine them being any worse than the CO2 ;)

Me neither... :P Well I guess I have to try, I was satisfied with the C02 and C21 combo, but Im curious about the E09. Just dont know if I should go with the Dakar ones or not.

DaleC....

I went to Maroc last October on those same tyres....I still have them on my moto and they work great in the wet and dry alike. They grip really,really well on the fast twisties here.

I have about 7,000kms odd on them at present with some more still left on them.

They work great on the hard pack Maroc trails but not so well in the soft sandy stuff....they work average in the mud...a bit like all terrain tyres on a 4x4...good for a small bit of everything.....all in all a good compromise considering how great they work on tarmac.

I might,read,might even get them again when I head back there at the end of October.

Enjoy your trip....if I can be of any assistance by all means ask.








.

Reporting Back
 

OK Guys - reporting back on the life of the Mitas E-09 Dakars:

I ended up running them for 12,500klm before swapping them out on the XTR. I was well pleased with their performance in all conditions that I rode them in and would highly recommend. I was also pleasantly surprised that they were nowhere near as loud as expected. Certainly not Tourance level of noise, but otherwise perfectly acceptable!

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Further comments: The tyres didn't really see any rain, so I can't comment on their wet weather performance. However, they did see Moroccan pistes both sandy and rocky, off road in the atlas and 1,000klm of South Spanish roads that made me wish that I was running an XTX and not the R. These tight and twisty roads absolutely toasted the tyres and started the "cupping" that is visible on the front tyre. I had awesome fun on these roads exchanging tyre life for grins as I hadn't considered that buying tyres in a country that loves motorcycles (Spain) would pose a problem. Oh, I was so very wrong! :tard:

I ideally would have liked to change them out at 10,500klm, which is when the photos below were taken, however, it was impossible for me to get tyres in Zaragoza that would have gotten me to my destination in time (ie 3 working day lead time with a weekend in the middle). So I ordered replacement tyres over Openeo to my destination 2,000klm away in Austria and prayed for good weather for the remainder of the ride/tyre life!

For consideration: I was riding in hot temperatures (up to 40 degrees in the Sahara) and was always conscious of tyre longevity. I rarely exceeded 70mph/110khr and always maintained road pressures of 29F and 30R as I was loaded. That is not to say that I didn't ride "swiftly" or not have fun :smilielol:

Rear Tyre at 10,500klm - barely legal?:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--..._XT660R-29.jpg

Close up of rear tyre at 10,500klm:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Y..._XT660R-30.jpg

Front tyre at 10,500klm - still legal:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-C..._XT660R-31.jpg

Apologies that I didn't take photos at 12,500klm. I can state that the rear was all but smooth around the main contact patch and that the cuppng on the front increased. I was relieved to change them out. :incon_aargh[1]: