I have the Shriko 244 5.10 on both of my Tw's, I love them.

 

"Since this was my first bike (1995 when I got it) I have ridden it mostly on streets. My observation of the stock set up was cool 4 wheel drive sound on pavement. I fell on my butt in the mud and the sand made the front tire wash also. The stockers (tw31 and tw32) wear real quick on pavement. After 2 sets of knobbies I switched to tw203 and tw204 for street riding. They are considered dual sport but I suppose these would slide every where off road. They are great on the street"


I just switched to knobbies from the 203 204s and they are much better off road than you might think.

 

3000 miles on the 5.10 244. Sticks good on all surfaces, run it around 14 psi. Checked it once after a ride that felt a little squishy and it only had 4 psi. I had picked up a russian olive thorn. Carcass of this tire still super tough with essentially no pressure. Pretty sure that I could slow ride a flat back to the house. Also liked the extra weight up front. Tdub is my first motorcycle and I am a newb as far as riding skills. I like it when the nose stays down for me

 

Let 'er rip, tater chip!

 

truth be told... with my powerstroke TW226 a front tire is extraneous... i just wheelie everywhere so a 244 is the same as a241 as a stock deathwing.
YMMV, get what works for you

 

I've got a 203 on the front and stock knobby on back. Love the 203 on the street but it gets a bit dodgy on anything other than non-loose rocks and hard pack off road.

 

Since this was my first bike (1995 when I got it) I have ridden it mostly on streets. My observation of the stock set up was cool 4 wheel drive sound on pavement. I fell on my butt in the mud and the sand made the front tire wash also. The stockers (tw31 and tw32) wear real quick on pavement. After 2 sets of knobbies I switched to tw203 and tw204 for street riding. They are considered dual sport but I suppose these would slide every where off road. They are great on the street.

 

I actually have 244 5.10's on 2 of my current TW's and they are great but if I ever have to remove one for a flat or any other reason a 241 is going back on, not because the 244 is bad because it's not I just prefer the steering with the 241,my 3rd TW is TWilights "old" 2014 with the 241 and it's noticeably easier to steer but maybe Joemamas extended swing arm is part of the equation ???

 

Ok yesterday was leaning toward 241, now 244. LOL Thanks for everyone's input here.

 

That's a pretty sticky front tire.

 

I too have the 244 5.10 and have no issues. Although It dose seem to pickup rocks and some road debris, it seems pretty grippy to me...

 

Road debris, that's pretty funny. I never considered squirrels to be road debris.

My alternate observation was gonna be that you have some weird looking rocks where you ride!

Seems like a good case study to raise the front fender eh?

 

I still have the stock TW 31/34 tires and will change the front to a 241 when the stocker is done.

I my experience, xr650r, the D606 works well on the rear for a DOT tire, on or off road. I used the Pirelli MT21 in the front because I think it works better than the 606, in the front.
I did use the MT43, 4.0x18, on the rear of my XR but I slide the bike way too too much for that tire. But it does have great grip. It's just not that type of tire.

The MT43, in 4.00" x 18" is a lot heavier than the 241, mostly I think because it's really a rear tire, but I also like the way the side lugs are designed on the 241. And that's why I'm going to try it this year.

 

I really which tire is truly a subjective thing and depends on the substrate you ride on. In my opinion the 241 would be a better choice in dry, hard packed and rocky terrain like the desert where the 244 would be better in loose packed moist clay, loam and mud. Sand i would guess would be a tossup.

For me i have the 244 5.10" on the front of both of my bikes and i have zero complaints on road or off. I have ridden a 241 and for where i ride in loose loam and mud its not a good choice, it does not self clean well on the front of a TW and it packs full of mud and becomes a slick. The 244 suffers far less from this issue and i personally have never had a grip issue with it on any surface.

On road i have not personally ridden the 241 enough to know if its any different for better or worse but i have no problem with the 244 and i have logged a fair bit of street miles on mine. It had a good rounded profile and i can and have ridden my TW hard enough around bends to scrape the pegs at speeds that are at the limit of everything the TW can do. I have never once felt there was a grip issue and if there was i could not push it has hard is i sometimes do. The 244 track straight has good grip both dry and wet and for me has been very predictable. For a knobby tire that's pretty impressive and i could not ask for more of anything.

I personally think a lot of the push for the 241 comes from one guy pushing it as the "best" because its what HE used and if you didn't do it his way you were wrong. I don't share that view since one size never fits all but will say the 244 is not a bad choice at all, it has proven itself with a lot of riders here. I myself have worn out a 244 as has my girlfriend and i replaced them with 244's, Rob from Australia and his wife did a cross country tour with 244's on the front of their TW's and the Trips who have ridden their TW's a bazillion miles and to places most of us only dream about have 244's on the front of their bikes too.

 

and the Trips who have ridden their TW's a bazillion miles and to places most of us only dream about have 244's on the front of their bikes too.

Yes, that's true. We have the 4.60 SR244 Golden Boy on our bikes. They wear really well and we like 'em. I don't know much about tires, though, so I would not wade in with a recommendation. I've never tried an SR241.

 

I run a 5.10 244 on my bike. Run about 15 psi in it for street or off road and could not be happier. When it wears out I will get another 244 as I see not need for anything else. This tire setup works and does what I need.

It is a bit heavier on the street than the stocker but really it's a T Dub. It's a light machine and my use for owning the bike is to play on the trails of various surfaces (Sand mud rock dirt you name it). And for that I have Zero complaints with the performance of the 244.

I have not tried a 241 but in honesty the bike performs to my liking now I don't see a need to try something else.

 

After all the input I think I'm leaning heavily to the 241

 

The 241 is a true dot trials tire (IRC trial tire is junk in comparison), the 241 is not as good as a competition trials tire but pretty damn good.
This tire shines when you are doing technical trails where you want the tire to stick to where you point it. I'm talking about 1st and 2nd gear technical riding.
If all you ride are FSRs then the 244 will work, I still prefer the trials tire for that too.

I have ridden with both the golden boy and MT43 (like the 241) and in all the places I have ridden the MT43 wins hands down.

 

The 241 is a true dot trials tire (IRC trial tire is junk in comparison), I'm talking about 1st and 2nd gear technical riding.

Well, see! That's my problem! I don't ride technical! When things get technical I stay in 1st get and put my feet down

 

We need a tire shoot out in Moab. 241 against the 244. People can switch bikes and try both. It's nice to hear reports from people who have riden both now. I went with the 241 it is way better than the stock. I have never tried the 244 so I can't compare. I would love to try one out.

 

I've owned both...241 all the way and as far as I'm concerned the 244 is dangerous and shouldn't be put on the front of a motorcycle. Period

A couple months after I replaced the 244, I was in a local motorcycle shop and a guy needed a front tire for his TW. I sold it for $20 I should have cut it up with the Sawsall.

To bad Borneo's not on the forum anymore. He would tell you how dangerous the 244 is.

 

I've owned both...241 all the way and as far as I'm concerned the 244 is dangerous and shouldn't be put on the front of a motorcycle. Period
A couple months after I replaced the 244, I was in a local motorcycle shop and a guy needed a front tire for his TW. I sold it for $20 I should have cut it up with the Sawsall.
To bad Borneo's not on the forum anymore. He would tell you how dangerous the 244 is.

strange....i
put over 7000 miles on mine and it didn't ever seem to be out for me. maybe i'm the tire whisperer?

 

IRC trials tire.

 

What do I ride on/in? - is the first question I asked myself, and the answer is...
25 miles max on tarmac to dirt/gravel roads/trails for the most part, with the once in a while 100 mile round trip ride to the big city.
Then... Meet ups with boggy/grassy, damp trails that turn to potting soil profiles.
Also, ocean beaches, and the occasional trip to Moab, and the desert.
Oh, and the putt-putt into town on the tarmac and to the PO. 15 miles round trip.

What a damned quandary!

But now that I'm into my 5th TW, I'm still using the old Bridgestone TW31/TW34 Trail Wings.

But that is me, and the above list is my riding.

Your riding may find you in a whole different world of TreadLand

Keep The Rubber Side Down!

 

I use the 244 on both my bikes, used the 4.60 on the front as its lighter then the 5.10. Also used a heavy duty tube to help flats. Tire pressure plays a role with any tire on or off road. Want a better front off road tire, go the D606, want a better road tire then get a true street tire. For me the shinko 244 is perfect in the middle and cheap too

 

No the 241 is a better choice than the 606, haven't tried the 244 myself.

 

I can honestly say I have zero experience of either tire, and I’m grateful for that – the Shinko not being native to the UK, this means the choice(s) are “not my problem”

However, I have had the vicarious pleasure of reading about the variety of rider experiences on here, and can come to some conclusions

The 244 is noticeably heavier than the 241, and this goes a long way to explaining why it often matches well to an ATV rear. Riding style / position may come into play as well, so it depends on how much weight your body puts over the front wheel – we’re all different in that respect – so it also becomes a matter of “balance”

Whether or not the “turn in” is critical is a matter of “getting used to it”, and again, this is also where the matter of weight balance of the rider over the wheels will come into play

It seems to me, that with a bit of adaptation and the use of a ring spanner to adjust the rake on the handlebars, you could go out on a 200 mile ride and come home perfectly happy with either tire

The 244 is only heavy until you get used to it, while the 241 seems a more” familiar” weight, but can also take some getting used to – but in any event, both are far superior to the stock front, and by definition, that also takes some getting used to

Some people view the “Golden boy” (244) as “the homicidal ring of death”, (but judges should be careful of voicing opinions)

Me ? – I’d play it safe and go for the 241 - but until I’m forced to make that choice, the Hiedenau K60 is just fine ……….

 

I'd like to try a 241 but run a 244. I've been happy with it.

My bike has extra gravity that most of yours don't have. Washing out takes effort.

 

Me too. I see the critiques of the 244 and the praise for the 241. But, so far, the 244 is just fine for me. I do find that I need to make sure I sit well centered on the bike. Not too far back. The 244 seems to want more "forward weight" than the stock tire. But, it was 15 years old so who knows? I love the way it grips on a side hill.

18 psi on pavement and 10 to 12 on serious off road. Gravel roads? 12 to 15 psi and it rides like dream.

 

i had the 244 and loved it, switched to the 241, and not totally convinced yet. i rode the 244 at 18 psi on and off road and felt solid. trying the same with the 241 and just feels looser.

 

i had the 244 and loved it, switched to the 241, and not totally convinced yet. i rode the 244 at 18 psi on and off road and felt solid. trying the same with the 241 and just feels looser.

This is my exact answer except off road I lowered the tire pressure to approximately 10-12 psi. I run this tire pressure on every tire I use front and back. For me, and this is subjective per personal feel and experience, 18 psi. for any tire I use is too high off road for my personal taste but I understand we'll all like something a bit different.

This fall I put the 241 and I don't have enough riding time on it yet, but there is something just off with it that I just can't pin point. It washed out on me a couple times where I hadn't had the same problem with the 244. With the 241 I was expecting this "amazing I can't believe it feeling" and to be honest it feels about the same as the 244. I did notice it seems the 241 self-cleans mud and snow better than the 244 but too early to tell.

 

"For a showroom display I like the 244 for actual riding it's the 241 hands down it's not even close"


This summer I went from a 203 to a 244 and I will admit the looks affected my choice over the 241. At first I hated the 244... so heavy and stiff it just bounced off everything then I lowered f & R pressures to 12 or 14 psi and that made my bike the best it has ever been off road. Next I will definitely try the 241 unless I go back to the 203 204s.