The best motocross tyre is a slightly subjective topic. What do you define as best? Is it the best for grip or best for value? Is it the best for sandy terrain, a boggy trail or a hard-packed international-grade track.
In this guide we’re going to walk you through all the areas you need to consider, so that you can pick the best MX tyres for your needs.
We’re not all racers
The first – and most important – thing to say is that we’re not all racers. Most of us dirt bike riders like to hit the trails and the occasional MX track. If you’re a top level racer, you’re going to either A) be sponsored and told what tyres to run or B) be limited to a specific tyre you can run or C) be ridiculously fast on any tyre.
So this guide is for us Normal Normans who aren’t going to be setting lap records and don’t want to be changing tyres at every venue they go to. This guide is for riders who want a tyre that offers decent grip and allows us to get on with the riding.
Road Legal versus NHS
Keep in mind that if you’re fitting MX tyres to an MX bike, the chances are they’re not road legal. They will have NHS stamped on the side, which means ‘not for highway services’. There are road-legal motocross tyres but if you want a knobbly road-legal tyre for your dirt bike, you’ll need to look at Enduro tyres as these are road legal.
Obviously if you were pulled over on your road-legal dirt bike and you have NHS tyres on, you’re unlikely to get the book thrown at you as most police wouldn’t know what to look for but it’s worth being aware of the differences.
A quick word about sizes
Tyre sizes can be a bit confusing and in the MX and Enduro world you’ll see a few different sizes on tyres.
There are Metric, Alpha and Inch (Imperial) sizes on your tyres. They all convert from one to the other, so if you have a retro MX bike it’ll probably mention Inch sizes in the manual but this converts easily. For example a 90/90 front is an MJ90 in Alpha sizes and 2.75/3.00 in Inches.
So if you’re looking for a 90/90-21 front tyre, this is 90mm wide. The second number is a percentage of the width, which is 90% of 90mm which equates to 81mm high. Finally the 21 denotes the inch-size of the wheel’s diameter, which is 21-inches. Simple, really.
Compounds – and where people go wrong
The common mistake people make is when it comes to compounds. Motocross tyres are generally classified as Hard, Medium or Soft. This refers to the terrain, which is ultimately the conditions on the ground, not the compound of the tyre. So a Soft Terrain tyre is a tyre for soft surfaces. The compound is actually at the hard end of the scale.
Likewise if you’re riding on rocky terrain, you’ll want a Hard Terrain tyre as this will have the softest compound and will see you climbing up rocks like a mountain goat.
We see it time and time again; customers call us saying they want a soft tyre for maximum grip but then you find out they’re riding in a beach race and a soft compound tyre is the last thing they’ll want to have under them.
How long should your MX tyres last?
Obviously this is a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question. If you want the best possible grip – and you can afford it – then change your front when you change the rear. However a lot of riders will get through two rears for every front. In terms of hours – and this is a rough guide – you’re looking at around 20 hours use on the front and 10 hours on the rear.
Types of dirt bike tyre
Hard Terrain
Rocky tracks and climbs. The super-soft and flexible compound is designed to give maximum bump absorbtion and traction on wet rocks.
Medium Terrain (Also known as Intermediate Terrain)
These tyres combine the best of both worlds. Although they are a ‘compromise’ they are usually the best choice for UK riders who are riding off-road or on various tracks. The tyre itself will be stiffer than the softest compound but it’ll last well and produce good grip in almost all conditions.
Soft Terrain
Surfaces that include loam, loose gravel and sand. Terrain that doesn’t have a heavy structure. These dirt bike tyres have tall lugs and widely spaced tread patterns. The rubber used in these tyres is hard so that the lugs can maintain their shape in the soft terrain.
The Best Dirt Bike Tyres
If you’re riding on typical UK trails or having a bit of a blast at your local MX track, you’re best off on an Intermediate Terrain (Medium) compound tyre. Here are some great options for you, for whatever terrain you’re riding on.
Sand / Beach Races
Our pick: Kenda K782 Sand Mad
An incredibly popular tyre for deep mud, beach races and sandy MX tracks. As used by Ashley Greedy to win the 2019 Weston Beach Race. The paddle-shaped tread block helps dig into the sand for impressive grip and acceleration.
Other good sand tyres to consider: Michelin Starcross 5 Sand and the Bridgestone X10 Sand.
Soft Terrain
Our pick: Pirelli MX32 Mid-Soft
Bridging the gap between a Soft Terrain and an Intermediate tyre, the MX32 Mid-Soft from Pirelli works superbly in soft and sticky conditions. Good precision in the corners thanks for the stiffer front carcass which also helps it feel super-stable under braking. It’s the tyre that won the MXGP championship – need we say any more?
Other good options: Dunlop MX33 Soft Terrain and the Kenda K780 Southwick II.
Intermediate Terrain
Our pick: Bridgestone X30 Intermediate
If we had to pick one dirt bike tyre for any conditions, we’d go for the Bridgestone X30. It’s one of the best motocross tyres on the market and has such a wide operating spectrum that the right rider could win club races on it and it’ll flatter regular riders too. Although it’s an Intermediate terrain tyre, it offers similar traction to the softest compound tyres and all while returning good wear rates. A proper bit of kit.
Other good Intermediate tyres to consider: Kenda K778 and the Dunlop MX53
Hard Terrain
Our pick: Kenda K774 Ibex
More of an extreme Endurocross tyre than an outright motocross tyre but for UK riders on dirt bikes this is a great option. Yes the wear rate is quite high but the levels of grip will make you feel like you are cheating. Developed by the top professional riders in the UK, the Ibex delivers incredible traction, especially on hard ground, wet terrain and rocks. Dirt Bike magazine even said: “It offers five-star traction in tight, ugly conditions”. If you want the best motocross tyre for grip, this is the one.
Other good Hard terrain tyres to consider: Bridgestone X40 and the Michelin Starcross 5 Hard
Road Legal Motocross Tyres
Road legal motocross tyre options: Michelin Tracker and Kenda Trakmaster.
Popular Motocross Bikes
These are some of the best-selling motocross, enduro and off-road bikes in the UK.
- Kawasaki KX450
- KTM Freeride E-XC
- Beta Alp
- Oset 12.5 Racing
- Yamaha PW50
- Montesa 4Ride
- KTM 690 Enduro R
- Honda CRF450L
- Suzuki DRZ400
- Honda CRF250L Rallye
The tyres in this guide are a great fit for the majority of the bikes in this list.
