If your motorcycle has a 21″ front wheel then the chances are it’s an Adventure bike. However some cruisers, like Harley-Davidsons also have 21″ fronts.
The most common size 21″ front on an adventure bike is 90/90-21. You can also get tyres with a 80/100-21 profile a 80/90-21 and a 90/100-21 but these are Enduro or MX sizes, unlikely to be for an Adventure bike.
Some cruisers run an MH90-21 and that’s an equivalent of an 80/90-21. Avon also make a 130/60-21 for cruisers but that’s not a common size. There’s also a 120/70-21 cruiser size.
This guide is split into two sections, Adventure and Cruiser. Our main focus on this guide is for ADV or Dual Sport bikes but there’s a section at the end with some Cruiser options and options for other bikes that run a 21-incher.
Our Categories
There are no set categories for motorcycle tyres but you can broadly put Adventure tyres into three categories. We have defined these are Adventure Road, Adventure Trail and Adventure Extreme.
From left to right are two Adventure Road tyres: Continental Trail Attack 3 and Bridgestone A41. In the centre are two Adventure Trail tyres: Metzeler Karoo Street, Avon Trailrider and on the right are two Adventure Extreme tyres: Dunlop Trailmax Mission and Michelin Anakee Wild.
Adventure Road tyres are for riders who do 95% of their miles on the road. Adventure Road tyres, like pretty much any road tyres, can be ridden on light dry trails without much fuss but if you’re actively going to be trail riding, you’ll want to go for an Adventure Trail tyre. Think 95% road, 5% trail.
Adventure Trail tyres have a chunkier tread block but still have good road manners, are comfortable on the road (minimal vibration) and handle well. Some riders opt for these because they want a tyre that’s more capable when they do go off-road, other riders choose these for road-going bikes purely because they prefer the aesthetic. Think 70% road, 30% trail.
The Adventure Extreme category is for riders of Adventure bikes who actively seek to take their bike off-road. These are tyres that are the most capable off-road and are arguably better on the trail than they are on the road. They’ll make the bike’s handling feel sluggish on the road and they won’t offer the comfort, longevity or performance of a road-focused tyre. Think 30% road, 70% trail.
Our Key
The tyres in this guide are all available in 21″ fronts. However some of them will have a limited range of rear sizes. To make it simpler for you, all the tyres here will fit the common bigger adventure bikes, i.e. there’s also a matching 150/70-17 or 150/70-18.
Smaller adventure bikes, things like a Yamaha XT660R, Honda CRF250L or a Royal Enfield Himalayan run smaller-sized rear tyres with profiles such as a 120/90-17, 120/80-18 or a 130/80-17 and everything in between.
Therefore we have made this guide easier to use by adding a key.
Where there is a (L) in brackets after the tyre, it means it’s also available in sizes for lightweight bikes.
Where there is an (OL) in brackets after the tyre, it means it’s only available in sizes for lightweight bikes.
Adventure Road
If you’re purely riding on the road, these are the tyres for you. However it’s worth mentioning that if you have a 90/90-21 on the front and you’re not going to go off-road, you could argue you’re not on the right bike.
Most manufacturers of off-road bikes or Adventure bikes with a 21-inch front also produce a less off-road version with a 19″ front. If you run the 19, you’ll open up a far wider range of tyres suited to pure road riding. That said, there are a handful of decent road-focused options for you 21-inchers.
Anlas Capra R (L)
Avon Trailrider (L)
Bridgestone A41 (L)
Continental Trail Attack 3 (L)
Adventure Trail
If you ride an Adventure bike on the road but part of the appeal is the rugged-look, then check out these Adventure options. These are tyres that are perfectly suited to road riding but won’t give up the ghost when you head off on a light trail.
Adventure tyres come in different grades, from ‘almost a road tyre’ to ‘almost a proper knobbly’ and everything in between. As a simple rule of thumb, the deeper the tread block, the less well behaved it’ll be on the road.
Expert riders will be able to take these tyres to far-off lands but you can’t beat physics and even a great rider won’t be able to keep up with a bike that’s on Enduro tyres when the going gets tough. Light trails, a bit of loose gravel, no problems. Two hours on the motorway? No problem. However, if you’re heading off-piste or riding across Africa, you might want a tyre with a little more bite.
Avon Trekrider (L)
Bridgestone AX41 (L)
Dunlop Trailmax (OL)
Kenda K761 (OL)
Michelin Sirac (OL)
Pirelli MT60 (OL)
Pirelli Scorpion MT90 A/T (OL)
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR (L)
Adventure Extreme
If your road riding is strictly as a way of getting to the trails, then putting Enduro tyres on your Adventure bike is a sensible option. These tyres are designed for more extreme conditions and will help you get up 45-degree slopes, ride through thick bogs, find grip on tree roots and help you across streams and fords.
If you ride a big adventure bike and you’re tackling the rough stuff, you will benefit from a decent set of knobblies, to keep the front wheel finding grip and stop the rear wheel from spinning up every time you tap the throttle.
But be warned; an Enduro tyre is not an enjoyable tyre on the road, especially at higher speeds. They might look all ‘Grrrr’ but if you back to back an Enduro tyre with a road tyre, you’ll realise how limited they are on the road. And noisy. Heck even pushing a big Adventure bike around the workshop with knobblies on is a workout.
Anlas Capra Extreme (OL)
Anlas Capra X (L)
Anlas Capra X Rally (OL)
Bridgestone E50 (OL)
Dunlop D803GP (OL)
Dunlop D908RR (OL)
Dunlop D952 (OL)
Dunlop Geomax AT81 (OL)
Dunlop Geomax EN91 Enduro (OL)
Dunlop Geomax Enduro Soft (OL)
Kenda K776F (OL)
Kenda K777F (OL)
Metzeler Karoo 3 (L)
Metzeler MCE 6Days Extreme (OL)
Michelin Enduro (OL)
Michelin Desert Race (OL)
Michelin Tracker (OL)
Michelin Trail Light (OL)
Pirelli Scorpion Pro F.I.M (OL)
Motocross
These tyres below are for motocross bikes. A handful of them are road legal but the majority of them aren’t – and even if they were, they’d be horrendous to ride on, on tarmac. They’re all only available in ‘small bike’ sizes, so nothing for you GS riders in here I’m afraid.
Cruiser
Avon Cobra Chrome
Avon Cobra Chrome Whitewall
Avon Roadrider Mk2
Avon Roadrunner AM20
Bridgestone Exedra Max EM1
Bridgestone H50
Continental Contigo
Continental Contitour
Dunlop American Elite
Dunlop D402
Dunlop D404
Dunlop D408
Dunlop Elite 3
Dunlop GT502
Kenda K6702 Cataclysm
Kenda K673 Kruz
Michelin Commander 2
Michelin Commander 3 Cruiser
Michelin Commander 3 Touring
Michelin Scorcher 31
Metzeler Cruisetec
Metzeler Lasertec
Metzeler ME888
Metzeler ME888 White Wall
Pirelli Night Dragon
