The Suzuki DR650SE (2024) is a dual-sport bike with 31 kW and a wet weight of 166 kg. That’s 187 kW per tonne, in the light tier. LAMS twins, dual-sports and maxi-scooters. Enough go that tyre quality shows in the wet.
187kW/t
LAMS approved. This variant is on the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme list, so learners and provisional riders can ride it. Check your exact model year on the list before you buy. LAMS rules
For a mild, wet climate, ridden solo.
Commuting
Adventure bikes need tyres in 19- and 21-inch sizes. A road-biased adventure tyre is the closest thing to a sport-touring tyre in those sizes.
Gravel roads
For real dirt, a block tread's grip on loose surfaces matters more than anything a road-biased tyre can offer.
Also consider: if most kilometres are sealed, adventure road.
Serious dirt
For real dirt, a block tread's grip on loose surfaces matters more than anything a road-biased tyre can offer.
Also consider: if most kilometres are sealed, adventure road.
Your owner’s manual, or the tyre sticker on the swingarm or chain guard, is the authority on sizes, load index and speed rating.
Adventure road (90/10): character
Fit a matched pair
Run the same make and model front and rear. Tyres are designed as a pair, and mixing them changes how the bike steers and where it lets go. Rears usually wear out first; if you replace only the rear, match the front's model.
Scrub new tyres in
New tyres are slippery until the release agent wears off. Take the first 100–150 km gently, building lean angle gradually, and be extra careful in the wet and on painted lines.
Check pressures weekly, cold
Bike tyres lose air faster than car tyres and pressure changes the handling more. Check them cold, before you ride, against your owner's manual or the swingarm sticker, and add the pillion figure when two-up.
Replace by age as well as tread
Rubber hardens with age even when there's tread left. Check the DOT date code and replace tyres older than about five years, sooner if they're cracked.
187 kW per tonne (250 hp per tonne), from 31 kW and a 166 kg wet weight. With a 75 kg rider aboard it's 129 kW/t. That puts it in ratio's Light tier for motorbikes.
90/90-21 front and 120/90-17 rear as standard. Check your owner's manual or the tyre sticker on the swingarm for your exact bike, including the load index and speed rating, and never fit lower.
For commuting, adventure road (90/10) tyres. Good options include the Pirelli Scorpion Trail III, Continental ContiTrailAttack 3, Michelin Anakee Road. Fit the same model front and rear.
Yes, this variant is on the Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme list. Check the exact model year on the official list before you buy.