[tdubwilly]

Hey ya'll, new to the tw forums but not new to dirt bikes/dual sports by any means. Just picked up an incredibly clean 200 mile 2012 tdub last weekend and have already gone down the rabbit hole doing some modifications to the bike.

A little background, I'm based out of the SF bay area and my company is the main west coast distributor for Mitas tires (we also sell directly to the public). After reading up about the questionable stock front TW tire, I figured I would try out one of our many 18" options on the new bike.

I had it narrowed down between the E-09 (20on/80off) in 4.10-18, MC23 (40on/60off) in 120/90-18 and ET-01 4.00-18 (super soft compound). We also have the super popular E-07 and E-07+ in factory tw size (130/80-18) but they are heavily reinforced rear tires weighing in at a whopping 17lbs which was a no go for me. Here are some pics of the three.

Here are some weight comparisons off the top of my head for those who may be interested:

stock TW203 = 8ish lbs
E-09 4.10-18 = 10.5lbs
MC23 120/90-18 = 11.2lbs
ET-01 4.00-18 = 14.2lbs

I ended up settling on the MC23 rock rider in 120/90-18 after comparing tread patterns and weights for various Mitas models. The E-09 is a bit too dirt oriented for my riding and the ET-01 apparently wears out pretty quickly because it is a TRUE trials tire and is NHS. Both the MC23 and E-09 are DOT approved btw.

Here's the MC23 after install. Went on easily and looks to be a great fit for my riding style and is a touch more off road oriented than a true 50/50.

I've put about 20 miles on it so far ripping around town with little to no dirt available in my area and it tracks great, corners well. I'm heading down to Alabama hills next week where I can really put it to the test out in the desert. I will report back with my findings. Hope ya'll enjoy!

 

[SEADUB200]

Nice clean example ya got there. Looks like you’re off to a good start.

Can’t have too many tire options - thanks for adding.

Congrats on the new ride!

 

[Motor7]

Keep us posted on the off pavement performance. I only run E07's on my DL650's rear......love that tire(I think I am on #5). I wish Mitas had never dropped the MC60...it was a great front tire to run with the E07.

 

[tdubwilly]

Awesome, thanks everyone. I believe the MC60 was replaced by the E-09, E-10 and E-12. You should give one of those a try next time .

 

[Dane_The_Meng]

Ran e07 on my 1090 rear and loved it. I look forward to hearing how your front tire handles in the dirt! Love the look

 

[tdubwilly]

Thanks! Well, apparently as of about noon yesterday, a wildfire started and has spread to 3000+ acres just north of alabama hills and it's heading south...might be a while until I get the bike out for some real riding. wildfires in February, man this is depressing.

 

[Dane_The_Meng]

My brother and his wife live in Big Pine, he's Forest Service and is working that fire. They had to evacuate, something our family is quite accustomed to by now. I lost count after the 12th time we evacuated in my lifetime. I think it's at 0% containment right now.

 

[tdubwilly]

That's a bummer. Hope everyone is OK and they get it under control. Sending positive vibes your way!!

 

[tdubwilly]

Couple more little bits installed after work today. Ebay special pegs, 30mm bar risers, Acerbis rally pro handguards, etc.

If anyone wants to try out an E-09 4.10-18 front tire, shoot me a message. We've got 2 in stock and will sell em at cost which will be REALLY cheap.

 

[rtriv]

Nice bike! I’ll be interested to hear how the MC-23’s road manners are. I’ve been looking into replacement front options, the Bridgestone AX41, Anakee Wild and of course the go-to 241. I don’t plan to do a lot of high speed riding but will do the odd 10-15 min run at 90-100k and have read some stories about wobble and tank slapped that don’t really interest me.

 

[Xracer]

My question is if someone throws a soda can into the beer can container do they get in trouble?

 

[tdubwilly]

So far the MC23 handles great on road. My tw has just shy of 300 miles on it, so I don't push it very hard and haven't taken it on the freeway at all. That being said, once it's all warmed up I've done some pulls up to 60mph without any ill effect. No death wobble and is surprisingly smooth. My wife has a 1991 TW with a sr241 front and it feels almost the same.

 

[rtriv]

Great feedback, thanks. I’ll look into the MC23 a little closer.

 

[NorthernSpy]

Cool to see a vendor, or at least, a vendors rep involved here. It will be interesting to see how the tire works. Nice to seek alternatives.

I understand that Mitas are inexpensive in Europe, and therefore very popular. I only wish they were as inexpensive here. Thinking about an E07 for my beemer, but just can't get around the price point.

 

[Dane_The_Meng]

Sent you a message about the E-09. I'll be a guinea pig haha.

Good to hear about the road handling of the mc23

 

[tdubwilly]

Just got back from a pretty epic trip to Alabama Hills. The MC23 was super solid and I did punch out a few miles on various terrain. It ended up being super windy most days so we weren't able to ride as hard as we wanted.

Tire pressure was set at approximately 10psi all around. The sidewall is a bit stiff since it is a rear tire, but that's pretty much the case for ANY tw size front tire except for the OE bridgestone. I had no issues losing the bead and felt 100% confident running that pressure. When installing the MC23, I had to take it up to 70-80 psi to get the bead to seat so that also helped confirm that lower front tire pressures shouldn't be an issue.

The first couple days were mostly just hard pack dirt roads with sand. Obviously it handle the hard pack just fine as pretty much any tire would. Sand performance was ok not amazing...not surprising considering the knob profile and spacing. Compared to a sr241 the shinko was much more solid in the sand. The third riding day we did some semi technical hill climb-y type terrain where the MC23 totally kicked ass. Lots of sharp rocks and off camber 4x4 roads where it stuck to the trail like glue. It's quite literally called the ROCK RIDER for a reason. Day 3 was finished off with about 5 miles of freeway ripping which confirmed the very solid on road handling characteristics I had mentioned before. Bouncing between 5-60mph felt great with absolutely no death wobble or shakes even at low PSI.

Here's the only pic I got before my phone died unfortunately. I suck at taking photos while riding but I will add more photo as I get them from some of my buddies.

 

[Dane_The_Meng]

Nice! A few dubs in the group! Is that one on the left rocking an old rear tire?

 

[tdubwilly]

yes, that's a 1990 MY that my friend picked up for cheap on our way to grab my 2012. One of the first things we noticed was that older rear tire without the center line.

One 4.10-18 e-09 sent out to dane_the_meng this am. anyone else wanna try out the other one? I've got one left.

 

[rtriv]

Well I think I’ve got it down to the MC23 or the AX41. Based on your review and what I want to do I think I’m leaning towards the MC23, but man that’s an expensive tire up here in Canada! $189 vs $145 for the AX41.

 

[tdubwilly]

Well I think I’ve got it down to the MC23 or the AX41. Based on your review and what I want to do I think I’m leaning towards the MC23, but man that’s an expensive tire up here in Canada! $189 vs $145 for the AX41.

if you want to try a 110/80-18 which is a hair smaller than stock, I am happy to make you a deal.