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XT660Z Tyres What tyres do you have and which are you going to try next - Road / Off-Road |
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Mitas E07 850mile review
I think that 850 miles is a reasonable time to get to know a pair of tyres. So these are my thoughts on the Mitas E07s.
First impressions; easy to fit by hand, and a more flexible feel to the sidewall than the TKC80s they replaced. With a more rounded profile than the TKCs, but not as round at the Bridgestone Battlewings, they promise a fair improvement in cornering speed. The chunky tread pattern suggests they'll be reasonable off road/on the dirty tracks I frequent. On the road then. First off, a very noisy tyre. There's a constant whine from the front, so much so I stopped and checked everything was ok. The bike feels smoother than when on the TKCs, as is to be expected given the softer tread design. Corners and roundabouts were dealt with gingerly for the first few miles, but with more ferocity as the miles progressed. They don't offer the same roadholding as the Battlewings, and there is very little feel from the tyre, which surprised me given the softish sidewalls. I'd go so far as to say that the TKCs offer more feel, though not more grip, in the dry. On sharper bends, where you are in 2nd gear, you can easily prompt the rear to spin and slide, if you want. This is in the dry. It's quite fun. They really struggle to get to any temperature though, and this is probably the reason for the lack of feel. In the wet the lack of feel really counts against the tyre. Whilst the TKCs have less grip in the wet, you can feel they have less grip. The E07s have grip, but there have been a few brown moments in the wet exiting roundabouts, especially when two up. The front also feels like it wants to push out through the bends in the wet, removing any confidence for hustling along. Off road; I've only done muddy gravel trails/roads and the tyres seemed to deal fine with the surface, shedding any clumps pretty quickly. I'm happy with them for this. Not quite as fierce as the TKCs, but still good. Quick summary then; I guess I'm expecting a little much of a cheap pair of tyres. In the dry you can take liberties and really get a pace on, but you have to trust to the tyres to grip, rather than feel the grip there. In the wet, I guess it's a case of expecting them to slide and moderating your riding to suit. For the gentle trails I do, I think they are fine, and if you are a steadier rider then they will probably be the only tyre you will ever need. |
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