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When we picked that up Ultimate motorcycling<\/em> Yamaha T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 Project Bike<\/a> from Yamaha he already had around 1900 \u201ctester\u201d miles on the production tires. In the beginning I really didn’t have a lot of tread depth under me. I then drove it 1,120 miles on the highways and back roads of California and Oregon to get it to my garage. In the past few weeks I have built another 1200 miles of mixed asphalt and gravel roads. After the 2300 miles I’ve driven, I didn’t feel like I was going to give that up Ultimate motorcycling<\/em> Yamaha T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 Project Bike a fair chance to show me what it can do. It needed new tires.<\/p>\n I had the option to re-shoe with the stock Yamaha Tenere 700<\/a>is street oriented, big block Pirelli<\/a> Scorpion Rally STR tires, or go for Pirelli’s serious off-road, gnarled MT 21 rallycross rubber. Of course I chose the 10\/90 Street \/ Dirt-Bias MT 21 because I drive as much off-road as the weather allows. I’m glad i did.<\/p>\n I brought our Yamaha T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 Project Bike with me Smitty’s Motorsport<\/a> in Portland to swap tires. Jason Smith and Melody Souther are the founders and owners of this well-respected local independent store. Smith, a factory trained technician, and his crew repair, maintain, restore, and build magic on motorcycles, ATVs, automobiles, and trucks of all brands and years. He can restore your basket case, build you a racing engine, or anything in between. However, it is the daily repairs and maintenance that established Smitty’s 5-star reputation. I took my Yamaha Venture to Smitty’s twice in 2007 and both times I felt valued as a customer and appreciated their fair prices. The store is always busy but turnaround is quick and I wanted to have the new Pirellis as soon as possible.<\/p>\n I soon looked at the Yamaha T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 Project Bike, which sported two shiny new Pirelli MT 21 rallycross tires – a 90\/90 x 21 front tire ($ 138 MSRP) and 140\/80 x 18 rear tires (US $ 163) Dollar MSRP).<\/p>\n I drove the T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 out of Smitty’s parking lot and the first thing I noticed was that I could feel the knobbies of the MT 21 up to around 15 km \/ h. Everything was smooth above 15 mph. I purposely weaved at 30 and 65 mph, and it seemed as easy to lean and come back up as the production tires.<\/p>\n On the way to the OHV park, which I had visited the week before, I took the same route with the same asphalt curves. I’m not a professional racing driver with the sensitivity that comes with it, but I felt just as safe to cross the same track at the same pace. There was no invading or not wanting to stand up. The Pirelli MT 21s drove well at highway speeds and corners. When I got to the hard gravel I was instantly a more confident driver.<\/p>\n I wanted to re-ride the semi-technical two lane trails I had ridden the week before but was warned that it was mostly mud due to the recent rains. There was no way to compare the traction and handling that I had experienced on the worn tires, so I didn’t walk in mud. Instead, I drove back about 45 miles of winding gravel roads and felt a lot more in control.<\/p>\n I had heard from many T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 owners that the MT 21 was their front tire choice and it was immediately clear why. It keeps track of where it’s supposed to go. I did not feel any instability of the front tire off-road. It didn’t slide over the gravel in the corners – I drove on it. In fact, I was so comfortable with the front tire that I focused on playing with the rear wheel.<\/p>\n Aggressive acceleration on exits broke the rear end and at the same time gave me more acceleration than the week before. In addition, my riding partner deliberately fell back further when I ran after him from the rooster. He told me that in all the 300+ miles we’d ridden off-road together, he’d never seen stones pelted at my rear tire. The sleek power of the T\u00e9n\u00e9r\u00e9 700 made it just as easy not to break loose the stern. With a sensible right hand, the Pirelli MT 21 rallycross rear tire offers absolutely reliable traction.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n