Adventure off-road tyres (50/50)

Big blocks for gravel, mud and sand, and still road legal.

Open, block-pattern tread that digs into loose surfaces and clears mud, with a carcass tough enough for rocks. On the bitumen they hum, move around under hard braking and wear quickly, especially behind a big twin. The right choice when the dirt is the point of the trip.

Suits: Adventure and dual-sport bikes on real dirt
Rear life: 4,000–10,000 km
Speed ratings: Q to V
Road legal: Yes

Good for

Gravel, mud and sand
Outback trips
Dual-sport trail riding

Think twice if

Most of your kilometres are on bitumen
Fast highway touring two-up

Are 50/50 tyres safe on the road?

Yes, they're road legal, but they give up a lot of wet grip and braking stability on bitumen, hum at highway speeds and wear quickly, especially behind a big twin. They make sense when dirt is a real part of every trip. For mostly sealed roads, a 90/10 adventure tyre is safer.

Character

Dry grip: 2 out of 5
Wet grip: 2 out of 5
Cold & warm-up: 3 out of 5
Tread life: 2 out of 5
Gravel & dirt: 5 out of 5
Comfort & stability: 2 out of 5

Leading adventure 50/50 tyres

Michelin Anakee Wild
50/50 block tread with decent road manners.
Mid-rangeTyroola
Continental TKC 80
The classic knobby dual-sport tyre.
Mid-range
Metzeler Karoo 4
Off-road-biased adventure tyre.
Mid-range
Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR
More road-friendly; about 60/40.
Mid-range
Dunlop Trailmax Raid
Built for hard-pack and gravel.
Mid-range
Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41
Knobby adventure tyre for loose surfaces.
Mid-range

Bikes ratio puts on adventure 50/50 tyres

For at least one of each bike’s usual kinds of riding, in a mild climate.