Not all tyres are road legal and it’s almost impossible to ride trails in the UK without venturing onto the road, so how do you know whether your Enduro motorcycle’s tyres are road legal?
This handy guide tells you all you need to know and also lists all of the road legal Enduro tyres you can run on your bike – the majority of which you can buy from our online motorcycle tyre shop or have fitted to your bike in our London motorcycle workshop.
The law & the MOT
The old rule of thumb was that the knobbly tread blocks had to have a greater surface area than the gaps in between. Fairly easy to interpret but at the same time, it’s subject to a tester’s interpretation on the day and grey areas and the law don’t tend to mix.
The new rules are simpler still. In order to be road legal, a tyre has to comply with the ECE regulation 30, which states that a tyre has to have an ‘E’ mark on the sidewall. Just look for an E11 marking and that denotes the tyre is legal for road use.
When off-road is actually on the road
If you want to risk it and nip along your local tarmac road in order to get onto your favourite green lane, tread carefully. A byway or a right of way is a highway as, in law, highways do not need tarmac. So if you happen to get pulled by a dirt-bike riding copper on a green lane – if they are switched on – you might end up in hot water. So it makes sense to fit tyres that are marked for road use.
Can you run a mousse on the road?
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 states in clause R24 that all motorcycle tyres have to be pneumatic, defined as having a chamber of air that has greater than atmospheric pressure. You might be able to argue that a mousse is a closed cell containing millions of chambers of air all at slightly greater than atmospheric pressure but then you’d fall down on the part in the clause that states that it also needs to be capable of inflation and deflation. Bugger!
So technically, no, a mousse is not road legal. However we have not heard of anyone failing an MOT due to them running a mouse, nor have we had any customers mention issues with the law. Mousses are a popular fitment for enduro motorcycle riders and plenty of our customers run them on the road. However you need to be aware that they are not designed for use at speed. If used on the road at road speeds, they will heat up very quickly and likely fail.
Road Legal Enduro Motorcycle Tyres
Below is a guide to all the road legal enduro tyres you can buy. We’ve also listed the mousses you can run. We stock 90% of the products below, so if you have any questions, just give us a shout on 0207 205 2205 and we’ll do our best to guide you.
Anlas
Capra Extreme
The Anlas Capra Extreme or EXT is a superb choice if you and your CRF450 need a road legal enduro tyre. This one is a really good choice for all surfaces. The rear is available in two compounds.
Click here to see the Anlas Capra Extreme and check out sizes and prices.
Bridgestone
Battlecross E50
The Bridgestone Battlecross E50 is a road legal F.I.M homologated enduro tyre perfect for those Welsh rallys where a bit of tarmac is used between stages. The E50 Extreme is only made in a rear fitment and has an extra soft compound to cope with more extreme terrain (it isn’t road legal though).
Click here to see the Bridgestone Battlecross E50 and check out sizes and prices.
Dunlop
Geomax EN91
FIM enduro approved the EN91 from Dunlop ticks all the boxes it off road enduro is your thing. This one is a quality tyre.
Click here to see the Dunlop Geomax EN91 and check out sizes and prices.
Geomax Enduro (just front, very soft compound)
If you need a soft terrain Enduro front tyre, choose the Geomax enduro soft it’s been in prodution for years and has a bit of a cult following.
Click here to see the Dunlop Enduro Soft and check out prices
D908RR Rally Raid
Road legal desert Race tyre, perfect for your Honda Africa Twin or new Yamaha Tenere 700, these will take you across the Atlas mountains without breaking a sweat.
Click here to see the Dunlop D908RR and check out sizes and prices.
Kenda
Enduro K777F (front)
The K777f Knarly is the matching front tyre to the K778 Knarly rear. It’s street legal to get you to the trail and works really well in soft to intermediate conditions.
Enduro K778 + K779 (rear)
K778 Enduro rear tyre has been developed to cover all types of terrain from mud to fire roads with the staggered block design giving excellent drive traction. K778 Knarly features the same tread pattern, but uses a softer compound for extreme enduro.
Gauntlet K776F (front)
Kenda’s K776f Gauntlet is the matching front to the K779 Gauntlet rear. It’s street legal and designed to be used on hard packed and rocky ground.
Gauntlet K779 (rear)
The K779 Gauntlet and Enduro are both rear fitment tyres from Kenda. The Enduro version is more suited to really technical terrain, the Gauntlet is designed to work across a huge range of conditions. Both are street legal and can be mixed with the K776f and the K777f.
Equilibrium K787 (front+rear)
The K787 Equilibrium is a very clever and adaptable tyre.
Trakmaster K760Â
Yep, a motocross tyre that’s street legal! This is a street legal Motocross tyre also made in a useful narrow 19″ rear.
Maxxis
MaxxEnduro M7313 + M7314
When I used these Maxxis M7304 and M7305’s on my Honda CRF250 I rode into a tree and bust my shoulder, I think that was more down to my incompetence than the tyre which performed brilliantly, especially on bark.
Click here to see the Maxxis MaxxEnduro enduro tyres and check out sizes and prices.
Metzeler
MCE 6 Days Extreme
If Enduro is your thing the Metzeler MCE 6 days extreme will float your boat. Road legal to deal with the between stage tarmac and M+S rated. This is a highly regarded tyre by those that know.
Click here to see the Metzeler MCE 6 Days Extreme and check out sizes and prices.
Michelin
Tracker (road legal motocross)
This one is a combination of a enduro, mx and trails tyre. It’s also road legal so if riding like a tit on Clapham High Road on your CRF250 at least you won’t get nicked for your tyres!
Click here to check out the Michelin Tracker enduro tyres and check out sizes and prices.
Desert Race
If playing in the sand (and not with a bucket and spade) is your thing the Desert Race from Michelin will allow you to really enjoy yourself. Michelin have dominated the Dakar since 1983 winning 35 consecutive victories so really know how to build something that works in this environment.
Click here to see the Michelin Desert Race range and check out sizes and prices.
Enduro (available in medium and hard compounds)
Michelin have always made awesome Enduro tyres and this one is no exception to the rule. The Michelin Enduro and new for 2020 Enduro Extreme rear will work in a huge range of conditions and allow even novice riders to get up and over obstacles they thought not possible.
Click here to see the Michelin Enduro motorcycle tyres range and check out sizes and prices.
Mitas
EF07
Pirelli
Scorpion Pro
The Pirelli Scorpion Pro F.I.M would be a one of the top choices if you need a very capable all round enduro tyre. We only keep a few of the most popular sizes in stock, if you need one of the other compounds which are available from Pirelli give us a call.
Click here to see the Pirelli Scorpion Pro tyres and check out sizes and prices.
Mousses
If you hate getting punctures (like we all do), are not very handy at replacing an inner tube, you ride on the mud and not the tarmac a tyre tyre mousse or two will be right up you street (or green lane more appropriately). They replace the inner tube and on average give the equivalent to between 6 to 15 psi dependant on which mousse you choose. Just bear in mind that they can be an absolute pain to fit so unless you know what your doing leave this one to the experts.
Risemousse Extreme Enduro
The most innovative mousse available. With the Risemousse climber you can adjust the equivalent pressures from 6psi to 15psi. It also has an unlimited shelf life unlike a lot of other brands mousses. One of our favorites available.
Michelin Bibmousse
These sell like hotcakes! The go to mousse from Michelin, great quality and easy fitting.
Pirelli Enduro Mousse
Metzeler Enduro Mousse
Nitro
