A long-lasting aggressive knobby that’s surprisingly quiet and stable on the road.

The Triumph Tiger is notorious for having a steep rake and an unstable front end in the dirt. Ask me how I know.

All these tucks happened with the 50/50 Michelin Anakee Wild on the front. It’s a good tire, but not aggressive enough for the Tiger when it ventures into sand or mud. Before heading out on the TQT this past summer, I decided that, enough was enough, I’d put the most aggressive tire I could find on the front. That ended up being the Mitas Enduro Trail-XT+, a 20/80 tire that replaces the discontinued the E-09 Enduro. Because I’m cheap, I paired the Enduro Trail-XT+ on the front with a Shinko 804 on the rear and it was a good combination.

Street Performance

I’ve never had such an aggressive tire on either the Tiger or my old 650GS so it was a new experience for me. As soon as I headed out, I noticed the infamous headshake in the rain grooves on the highway, but I loosened my grip on the bars and said a Hail Mary in my helmet and all was well. I got used to this unnerving feeling and before long was happily blasting at 130+ km/hr without requiring a diaper, er, “incontinence brief.” Maybe the edges of the knobs rounded off a bit, or maybe I just got used to it, but this tire is fine at highway speed. It’s also surprisingly quiet too, with no high-speed whine.

The Trail-XT+ was also reliable in hard cornering on the street. I had it on when I did some “spirited” riding with the boys during a pavement ride at Rally Connex’s Fall Colour Ride. It’s not easy keeping up with KTM Fred and VRRA-man Marc, but I managed, and that was after the tire already had maybe 10,000K on it. Unlike the Scorpion Rally that stepped out on Kyle Bradshaw on his twisties challenge, the Trail-XT+ held without a twitch or slip.

Off-Road Performance

At a 20/80 rating, obviously this tire shines in the dirt. It took me a while to gain confidence in the front again but I can confidently say that the Enduro Trail-XT+ finally stabilized the front end of the Tiger. I can’t speak to how consistently the rear slides out because I wasn’t running it on the rear, but the Trail-XT+ kept the front planted. The TQT doesn’t have deep sand, but I rode through a variety of loose gravel, dirt, wet dirt, mud—even some shallow sand—and the front end never once twitched. I felt I could finally enjoy this bike off road without being nervous about the front end.

Okay, this is not gnarly terrain. The TQT is big-bike friendly so there isn’t any of that. But you can tell by the speed I’m carrying into these corners and especially in the wet dirt (not quite mud, but slippery nonetheless) that I’m confident in the front end now.

What’s the difference? Comparing the Wild and the XT+, it’s clear that the Mitas has smaller lugs that bite into the dirt. More significantly, its sidewall lugs protrude more and hold the front in place when the bike is leaned over.

I know how to weight the outside peg when cornering off road, and I know to keep my weight over the contact patch, so I don’t think those tucks are simply a result of improper body positioning. Most of those them were a result of hitting a slight rut when riding straight; the Anakee Wilds just cannot climb out of even a sandy rut and start to plough sideways and away we go! I think the side-lugs of the Trail-XT+ make all the difference.

Longevity

In terms of compound, I’d say the Anakee is actually softer. This gives the Mitas its longevity. I got a full season out of one, about 14,000K (8,700 miles), which is pretty damn good for a knobby, especially when about half of that was on asphalt. This is what it looked like toward the end of season with approximately 12,000K (7,500 miles) on it. Obviously, you can’t expect this kind of longevity on a rear.

Despite the longevity, the tire is not vibey on asphalt. In fact, I’ve found some street tires with a hard centre compound to be more vibey than the Trail-XT+. I really don’t know how Mitas managed to pull that off.

Conclusion

If it’s not already evident, I’m really impressed with this tire, and if I were not planning to sell the Tiger, another would definitely be going on the front next season. In fact, I’ll probably put the same on whatever bike I end up getting. Excellent grip off road, good road performance, quiet, not vibey, and long-lasting—what more are you looking for in an ADV tire? This is going to be my go-to tire for everything other than street touring, it’s that good.

Direct competitors for the Trail-XT+ are probably the Dunlop 606 and the Pirelli Scorpion Rally Racing (Racing, not STR).

The Enduro Trail-XT+ is available TT/TL in a full range of sizes and a Dakar stiffer carcass as well. For more information, technical specs, and a complete sizing chart, visit the Mitas page.

Pros:

• Not vibey or noisy on road.
• Good, reliable grip on road in twisties.
• Headshake in rain grooves and cheese-grater bridges bearable.
• Excellent off road. Planted front end.
• Upwards of 12,000 – 14,000K (7,500 – 8,700 miles) longevity expected on front.
• Tube type and tubeless for all sizes.
• Good range of sizes available.
• Dakar (yellow stripe) version available.

Cons

• More expensive than a budget tire.

Have you tried this tire? Was your experience as positive as mine? What do you agree with in my review? What do you disagree with? Any other tire suggestions for off road riding? Drop a comment below. I promise, I’m not a bot seeking your personal info. I always like to hear from readers.