Mitas, part of the Swedish Trelleborg Group (annual sales of $ 4 billion), is trying to penetrate the US motorcycle tire market. Experienced off-roaders know the name Trelleborg because the company supplied Husqvarna Motorcycles with OEM tires. In 1999, the Czech Mitas bought Trelleborg’s nearly centenary motorcycle tire business to buy Mitas from the Trelleborg Group in 2016. Mitas has a rich history of manufacturing motorcycle tires for road and dirt use. That brings us to the two dual sport tires that we tested on one Honda CRF450RL– the Mitas Terra Force-EF front tires and EF-07 Majestic Enduro rear tires.
Both tires are part of the Mitas Enduro Competition range. Since Mitas is based in the Czech Republic, Enduro competition means the FIM Enduro World Championship series. As a result, the DOT-legal Mitas Terra Force-EF and EF-07 Majestic Enduro tires also meet the FIM environmental standards for EnduroGP tires. The most notable requirement is that the buttons can only be 13 mm high – just over half an inch. Fortunately, the shorter studs work better for enduro and dual-sport rides than the motocross tires with high studs that we prefer on groomed tracks.
The FIM tire line from Mitas consists of three types of rubber – the “yellow stripe” super all-round tire; the “green stripe” Super Light with soft rubber for hard terrain; and “double green stripe” Super Soft, with the softest carcass and tread for rocky terrain and tough enduro conditions. Both test tires came in the middle class version with a green stripe – Enduro Soft Compound with Superlight Carcass. Both are serious off-road tires.
The Mitas-shod Honda CRF450RL has been tested on graded roads, the most demanding single trails in the Sequoia National Forest, and winding paved roads – dual sport driving defined. It was driven through Yosemite National Park – all on asphalt.
We just couldn’t get enough of the single trails we wanted on trails that we knew would be difficult to navigate in the late summer forest conditions. The Manzanita Tunnel on the Just Outstanding Trail (see photo with the Honda and KTM-mounted Son behind) has since burned down. It’s a trail that I introduced to hundreds of Dual Sport contestants in my 1992 Sequoia Scenic Challenge – part of the AMA National Dual Sport Series.
As expected, the combination of Mitas Terra Force and Majestic Enduro shone on the Sequoia trails. These are single-track lines that are very little maintained and have fallen victim to fires and droughts for years. Fallen logs force drivers to either jump over them or bypass them.
These are the type of trails that require the highest levels of performance and the Mitas tires that come with it. The width of the 140/18 rear tire and front tire profile, as well as the carcass and compound formulas, give the road legal CRF450RL the feeling of being a dedicated off-road enduro racing bike – a huge step forward over the stock IRC GP -21F / GP-22R- Combination.
On those tight, technical trails – the kind of driving I prefer – the Mitas tires were dead. Whether the terrain was loose dirt, jumping from a fallen log on a mountain top, or slalom between the trees, that was Mitas couple delivered absolute confidence and performance. The compound and carcass design was all at home.
These are the type of trails that require the highest levels of performance and the Mitas tires that come with it. The width of the 140/18 rear tire and front tire profile, as well as the carcass and compound formulas, give the road legal CRF450RL the feeling of being a dedicated off-road enduro racing bike – a huge step forward over the stock IRC GP -21F / GP-22R- Combination.
Purely performance-oriented tires will suffer in dual sport driving with a broader range of requirements. The soft knobs and the carcass, for example, do not inspire confidence when drifting at high speed on fire routes.
The situation gets worse when the Mitas EF-07 Majestic Enduro hits the sidewalk. Even if we don’t reach their limits on the demanding back roads that we often use to connect different trail systems, the soft Majestic Enduro compound wears out extremely quickly. In comparison, the Terra Force front carried much better on the sidewalk with the same mix. When the Majestic Enduro was bare, as the “after” photos show, the Terra Force still had some life in it. We didn’t expect that, but the photos show the results.
Compromises are the order of the day when it comes to dual sport tires – if you want them to. Some dual sport riders put many miles of road on their mounts and will buy the Majestic Enduro tires in packs of 12. However, let’s say your version of dual sport driving means practically everything filth, with driving on the road being the last resort. In that case, you’ll be pleased to receive DOT legality and competitive Hard Enduro performance from the Mitas Terra Force-EF front and EF-07 Majestic Enduro rear wheel pairing.
Mitas EF-07 Majestic Enduro sizes
- 110/80 x 18
- 120/90 x 18
- 130/90 x 18
- 140/80 x 18 (tested)
Mitas Terra Force EF sizes
- 120/90 x 18 (rear)
- 140/80 x 18 (rear)
- 90/90 x 21 (front, tested)
- 90/100 x 21 (front)
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