Beta Riders Club Discussion Forum

I replaced the stock Michelin’s with an SX 216 140/80-18 on the rear and a MX 216 80/100-21 on the front.

Yesterday’s ride consisted of rocky technical terrain with a few higher speed hard packed sections along with some sand. The front was very stable and the rear was planted in all conditions. The ride was much smoother as well. Grabbing a handful of throttle and running through the gears surprised me due to the significant improvement in grip resulting in awesome acceleration.

The carcass flexes much more than stock and this was perfect for the rocky sections.

I’ll be lucky to get another 6-7 rides out of the rear but only expected 6-10 when I made the decision to try the SX.

I’m very happy with my decision to try this combo. There is no comparison to the stock Michelin’s that came with the bike.

Just to confirm, you got the 80/100-21 up front, not the 90/100-21 fatty, right? If so, why not run the stock tire size of 90/90-21 for a little more volume?

I was looking at the SX216 140/80-18 myself, but ended up with the Shinko R505 cheater in 110/100 because it is a tire that has worked well for me in the past. But based on your report, I think I'll try the SX next.

Worstell, my bad. Just double checked and have the 90 / 90 - 21 up front. I haven’t tried it on the granite yet but the set up works well for the other conditions that I described. I’ll head up to Rampart range in a few weeks and will test it there.

I've always heard the difference between a 90/90 and an 80/100 was negligible but The Shinko 216MX 80/100-21 actually says "90/90-21" on the sidewall.

I tried the 90/100 Shinko 216 front last weekend, and it's my favourite to date so far.

Goatse wrote:I tried the 90/100 Shinko 216 front last weekend, and it's my favourite to date so far.

Same here, I thought I would try it after having great results with the Goldentyre GT216. I think it's going to be hard to beat the price on it also at nearly half the cost of a Golden Tyre.

Update, these tires are amazing in all conditions for me. This past weekend was a mixture of decomposed granite on hills with significant erosion. They were great in water, mud, sand and wet tree roots. Looks like I’ll get about 6-7 total rides out of the rear. The front is wearing nicely. For those familiar with The front range in Colorado, I was riding the Divide trail system.

Had been told, that the Tusk was good and the best front (for my area) was a Bridgestone M*59. After my SX216's (stock) wore out, I replaced them with the said pair. The handling of my Xtriner were destroyed. I took them off and put a new pair of SX216's back on. These are really great tires!

Have had 3 pairs now on a XT300 using TUbliss.

The rear does mold/flex nicely at low PSI and provides a lot of grip on the rear, especially on TUbliss. It doesn't last long but I expect this out of the compound and take that. The issue I have with them on TUbliss is they are very thin walled. Puncture easily and in the UK, Welsh trails have a lot of slate. The rear gets cut up a fair bit. I would recommend them on a soft/used mousse though, so much grip.

The front 216MX (non fatty) has become my go to front tyre. I first ran the Goldentyre version about 4 years ago on a 350 KTM.
The Shinko lasts well on the front of my XT and in all honesty, when the Michelins on my new 200RR are done, there is a good chance I will put a 216 on the front. Rear tyre wise I will look for something that lasts a little better, probably a maxxis maxcross en again.

I manage to get them fairly cheap from my local dealer as people buying Xtrainers seem to ask him to remove the 216 and install pirelli's or Michelins