Beta X-Trainer preparation project

[Snaf MKII]

I'll be interested to see how you get on with that, I'm doing a 3 stage trial in April and think a softer than MT43 tyre will be best without going for the expensive Michelin.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

I'll keep you posted...it's sitting in the garage waiting to be fitted.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Simms, X-Trainer, not me.

[Snaf MKII]

The Torbay Trial uses Simms if you fancy it. 24/04/2022
https://www.torbaymotorclub.co.uk/events/torbay-trials/

[phil_h]

I've just entered the Brechfa Rally on mine

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Good man!

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Well, I finally summoned the courage to change the tyres in preparation for the Launceston Trial.

Here's what I found.

The Tubliss system actually made changing the rear tyre easier than a conventional tube, but the front was a different story.

There just wasn't room to get the original equipment and therefore four-year-old and quite stiff tyre down into the well of the wheelrim. I tried compressing it with clamps and even a Workmate, but no luck. So I reverted to brute force, and put in a conventional security bolt, rim tape, and HD Michelin from Feked Bike Parts.

The Mitas 4.00 - 18 Trials tyre is notably different to the Pirelli MT43 equivalent. To start off with, the profile is much more rounded, with the central row of tread blocks very prominent. It is also softer and more compressible at any given pressure.

I'm wary of comparing the two back-to-back because the X-Trainer (Mitas) is slightly heavier and more powerful than the Gas Gas Pampera, but the Mitas is already showing more wear than the Pirelli. The Mitas has done about 40 miles of road, and a trial on mostly soft ground. The Pirelli has done that, plus an additional 40 miles of road, plus a 75-mile road trial including some rocky sections (with perhaps 80 per cent of those miles being on-tarmac). The central tread blocks of the Mitas take a lot of punishment because of the tyre profile, plus the flex of the tyre will mean that it runs hotter and therefore wears faster.

In terms of tyre performance, I didn't notice a huge difference. I placed better in the trial than I did the previous year, but I doubt if that was down to the tyre, or even the bike...more down to a wider range of motorcycle entries this time around.

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

This is the Pirelli

Beta 15.JPG (54.69 KiB) Viewed 1451 times

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

And this is the Mitas

Beta 16.JPG (60.16 KiB) Viewed 1451 times

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

In conclusion, I'd say the Pirelli is a better tyre for this application (road-type trials with a mix of terrain). I think on hard rocky sections the Mitas might grip better but at the expense of tyre life.