Goldentyre GT216AA 100/90 "fatty" front tyre review

[betajuice]

Goldentyre GT216AA 100/90 "fatty" video review: https://youtu.be/fIxfprRkNWM

A year ago I'd used the standard GT216AA front on the old KTM 250EXC with great results, and once the stock front tyre on the Beta RR300 got a bit tired I took a punt on trying the Goldentyre "fatty".

It's higher and wider, something that apparently is working well on the KTMs with their twitchy front ends, but of course the RR300 is fine at the front end already so wasn't sure if this wider tyre would slow down the steering too much.

First impressions? It didn't affect the steering adversely at all. If anything the Beta simply felt more planted and even more stable in a straight line at speed. At low speed, it was the same. It doesn't seem to need any extra effort to steer, but that big footprint makes for great stability and the Beta is even easier to balance at a stand still if needed.

The traction is brilliant... the stock Goldentyre front on the old Kato stuck like velcro, and this is just more of the same. The fat tyre has a good stiff
sidewall so this tyre can be easily run at zero PSI with the TUlbiss system, or up to 4psi for hitting hard edges at speed if needed.

While the high profile of the fatty looks a bit weird on the bike, it's great for soaking up those hard hits too - it does feel as though you've got an extra inch of front fork travel and a bit of extra plushness over rocky terrain or landing from jumps.

Traction was great in all terrains... mud, dirt, wet rocks, off camber, loose rocks, downhills, grass. It opens up new possibilities for diving into corners under brakes, the front tyre flattens out and grips like mad and haven't really found the new braking limit as yet. Riding in soft sand was brilliant - it just stays on top of the sand at ridiculously slow speeds. A big thumbs up in all respects.

The down side? If you are obsessed about weight, it is a tad heavier than a standard tyre, although if you have a twitchy front end that extra rolling mass will be a plus.

I suspect on any bikes where the steering is already close to being a bit slow, this tyre could make the bike less inclined to drop into corners. I can't find any reports on this, but logic would suggest this may be the case for some heavier four stroke dirt bikes. I don't know how it would work on the Beta four strokes, for example.

If you do a lot of sand riding, as mentioned it's brilliant at riding over the top instead of digging in. However, this may mean it's less likely to carve in if you do a lot of aggressive cornering in soft sand. Again I can't confirm this as I don't ride like that, but it could be an issue.

The extra grip is great, and it takes a fair bit of testing to find the new boundaries of how far you can push cornering and braking - a possible downside of the extra traction is the tyre seems to let go faster when it does... not in an arse puckering way but a bit less warning than the average tyre.

Finally the cost - the Goldentyre costs more than some of the very common brands so the budget conscious will want to weigh that up. But if this has the same wear characteristics of my original GT216AA, I figure this tyre lasts so long then it probably won't be more expensive in the long run.

[GMP]

My biggest issue with fronts is eventually cracking side knobs off in the rocks. Most of my replacements are due to this and the center knobs are fine. When you run Tubliss, this can be a problem depending on how they break, if its at the carcas or not. M59s eventually loose knobs but don't leak and work decent everywhere. My fav non-rock tire is the Pirelli XCMS(old MT44), aggressive side knobs, really sticks well. Keep us posted on the durability of the front Golden. You really ran it at that low a pressure? I would think the fat profile and low pressure would make it feel very inaccurate in steering.

[betajuice]

...Keep us posted on the durability of the front Golden. You really ran it at that low a pressure? I would think the fat profile and low pressure would make it feel very inaccurate in steering.

i'll post more comments as it gets closer to replacement time. certainly had no issues with side knobs peeling off on my last goldentyre front... very durable tyres in that respect. i rarely ride fast so might be the best to ask about steering but it's felt fine in all conditions at zero psi except when really leaning the bike over in a corner (which i rarely do). it' gets quite vague and sloppy then but if i just put 2 to 4psi in then it's all good again.

[typeone]

thanks for the review, this will be my next front to try out. all reviews seem very positive.

[Leon_RR250]

I used the fatty Goldentyre several times this spring and summer. Durability is excellent and no cracking of the side knobs in very rocky places and for me it worked best with 0.86-0.87 bar pressure. I agree with all the positive comments in the first post. I will try the corresponding mousse by Goldentyre (the other big mousses are too small for this tyre) and if the feel will remain good then this will be my do it all front tyre. Another soft ground front tire that impressed me lately without cracking any side knob in very rocky/hard pack ground (providing also excellent grip in this conditions...) is the updated Metzeler fim 90/90-21 M+S (not the Hard version). It has new bigger side knobs similar to the ones on the Goldentyre. It lasted great the day 3, day 4, day 5 and the day 6 with the final cross test of the Slovakian ISDE.

[Hammer]

I love the fatty but remember to slide your forks up or run the tallest rear you can find.

[Balkan boy]

Is there any truth to the rumors that GoldenTyre factory is winding down and closing?

I just looked at their 2015. catalog, and they have removed almost 10 enduro tires offered in 2013-14.
I'm particularly sorry to see the 213 and 214 missing. Front 213 is the best front tire I had.
My GT connection dried out about 6 months ago, and it was hard to get them before that.
I can see on the Internet that they are more present in the US and AUS. People around here are switching to Mitas due to price and availability.

2015. Catalog:
http://i.imgur.com/yTuIg1f.jpg
2013-14. Catalog:
http://i.imgur.com/TjqR1uk.jpg

[betajuice]

haven't heard any rumours as yet, it would be surprising as it seems they are in a similar situation to beta themselves, just can't make enough to meet the demand.

supply in australia is now a lot better, there's a new national distributor who managed to beg borrow and steal a very large shipment but apparently couldn't get certain models of tyres in simply because of the demand. i think it's getting complicated by the USA starting to get into these tyres and being such a large market that will probably cause scarcity in various places?

[Hubert Carpet]

We are getting the same story in the UK. It's the main Dirt Bike show in the UK at the end of the month and I shall be trying to find out more about what's happening.