In a search for a more aggressive tire that fit the Buell for this trip I found Pirelli Mt-60 rs corsa's. 120 /70 front 160/60 rear. The 160mm rear mounted on the 180mm rim with no issues. I replaced the stock Sync's with these just before the trip.
On the road the tire was noticibly "heavier". It required more input to do corners. This actually made the bike feel more stable, as if it were wider.
Off road the tires proved to provide plenty of traction on a variety of surfaces. Pics below show some of the terrain we encountered. I had plenty of traction on uphills with loose gravel and dirt. The tires even kept traction on steeper uphills with larger rocks and boulders. The only thing that felt real scary was deep gravel. The loose feeling on deep new gravel is unnerving and takes getting used to. The same feeling was encountered by my fellow riders as well even though they ran completely different bikes and tires. In MUD, the tires provided very little in the way of traction. Two feet down and very slow was the only way to go.
MT-60's and Wear: Pics again tell the story. Notice How damaged and ragged the tires looked after 4-500 miles. Gravel gives the tires a real beating and made them look a year old in just a few days. The front tires still have 1/2 the tread left after 2500 miles.
Gravel and torque obviously killed the rear.
Verdict: Since I was left with almost no tread at one of the most difficult parts of the trail, I would not recommend this tire for TAT use on the ULY unless you are willing to replace the rear after only 1600 off road miles.
CLick on pics to see detail MT-60 Rear
After 2500 mi, 30% On and 70% Off-road
NO tread is left in the middle area.
MT 60 Rear
In Colorado, 1600 mi, Just before I had to
do Cinnamon Pass....In the rain.
Cut, rounded, thin.
Front after 4-5 days
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