Where are your XT250's...let's see them.

I go gently into the use of the rear brake since reading David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling". He points out that stopping the rear tire in a turn will cause a little skid, which is OK, but when you let off the brake, the gyroscopic effect will flip you onto the high side. Now I mostly use the engine to slow the rear, and just a little braking, so the tire will continue to rotate. Of course I WOULD like to know it had good stopping power. Maybe that's where the handle, "deathwings" came from.

I try to use both front and rear brakes. If I have time and space I will just use engine braking until I get to a low speed but that is not always an option. I am aware of the possible high-side from locking up the rear wheel and don't use the rear in a turn but even stopping strait, that tire would go sideways.

There are several different models of trailwings and not all of them are created equal. I think some people get confused buy that.

Fall riding around here has been great so far. Replaced the rear brake pads last weekend after 5,600 miles. Rocky Mountain has a set of pads on closeout for $8.99 if anyone needs a cheap set. https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/parts/neutron-brake-pad-sintered-metal-p?s=203216

Wow, that's a beautiful picture. Perfect curvy road, leaf colors say Fall which suggests great temperature, lovely bike (sure, I'm biased), no other traffic, and so on.... Thanks for sharing.

The Bridgewtone Trailwing 301/302 (OEM) is not a bad tire and is NOT the tire referenced by folks owning the larger Trailwing models who refer to them as 'deathwings' that are put on some VStroms etc.. I've ridden the 301/302s over 40K miles on my 2008 and the ONLY thing they are bad at is mud - they cake up terribly and give you zero traction. For everything else they're great - road, gravel roads, rocks, etc. Actually, they perform much better on tar than my current set-up (Pirelli MT21 F, Dunlop D606 R) which I only put on this year due to the type of terrain I knew I'd be traveling (mud). It irks me when I hear someone calling the entire TW series deathwings as it's simply not the case for all models.

Yep I agree. The 301/302 Trailwings are a good tyre, I've scraped the pegs a couple of times. The only place they don't work well is in the mud, yes they clog up and spin out everywhere. But I find that it doesn't matter as the grin factor just gets better, when mine wear out I'm probably going to go with them again.

I find it fun to lock up the back tire, shift weight and get the bike a bit sideways, then let off.
Tough on tires on the street but great fun.
Locking up the back wheel is very useful in the dirt, and I use both brakes in the dirt.
Front brake takes care in most situations but lowers stopping distance a lot.

The stock tires ARE good, the front is not good in sand, it just needs to be wider and have more tread, but that is true of most tires....

Yes I like the 301/302 Trailwings as well. I went up a size when I replaced them to a 4.60/18 rear and a 3.00/21 up front. I think this is the largest set they make in 301/302 Trailwings. They're longevity is great I got just over 10k kilometers out of them.

Trailwing 301/302 Data:

Bridgestone has quit listing the Trailwing 302s, and calls 'em all 301s now:
https://www.bridgestone.com/product...50&bike_name=SEROW+250+(2005-)&bike_model=3C5

All sizes are listed here:
https://www.bridgestone.com/products/motorcycle_tires/products/detail/pr046/

Designation Rim, in OD Width, mm My comment
2.75-21 45P W 1.60 1.40～1.85 690 83 OEM
3.00-21 51P W 1.60 1.60～2.15 700 86 Wilbad1 w/ largest OD
80/100-21 M/C 51P W 1.60 1.60～2.15 698 83 My latest
90/90-21 M/C 54S W 1.85 1.85～2.50 698 88 Widest

4.60-17 62P W2.15 2.15～2.75 632 120
4.10-18 59P W2.15 1.85～2.50 643 107
4.60-18 63P W2.15 2.15～2.75 658 118 My latest and Wilbad1
120/80-18 M/C 62P W 2.152.15～3.00 654 119
120/80-18 M/C 62P W 2.152.15～3.00 658 120
120/80-18 M/C 62P TL 2.152.15～3.00 658 120 OEM
130/80-18 M/C 66S W 3.002.50～3.50 675 138 Largest OD, widest, and highest load rating

Another item I've never noticed on the Bridgestone site is this icon


Maybe that explains why I got so much better mileage out of the original tires, than those Michelin T63s. Though heavy, I accelerate and brake gently, and actually got 13,000 miles out of the original tires, and about half that out of the Michelins. Also, except when riding on soft stuff, I keep my tires inflated to 28 psi, so might be staying on that hard, center, section more than most. Of course I bought their replacements at about 10,000 miles, but still had the "legal" 1/32 inch tread when they came off.

Just saying. . .

Another nice day for a ride, before all the new leaves make the trails slippery:

Stopped here to check out the way around that log. Bit off a little much for a solo ride, as this was single track, with switchbacks, but the trail I'd ridden earlier was double track. Turned back after a mile or so, but had a nice ride.
.
.

Damn that looks like a nice little trail, David. And yes it was a beautiful Fall day here in northern WV! Unfortunately I ended up riding my stupid mower much of the day , Did have to run an errand so I took the Guzzi out 50 miles into town and back (I'm trying to run the tank down in it to change the fuel filter).
I love seeing all the pictures here of XT's out doing what they do best, keep posting!

My 2006 XT 250 came with knobblies. Bridgestone Gritty Edge.

Apparently the previous owner liked them to play around quarries.
But they were not much fun on tarmac!
I was recommended Mefo Sport Explorers by a round-the-world guy, which I found to be much more stable.
PS Anyone wanting the Bridgestone, please get in touch.
I'm in the mountainous area of Linconlshire, UK

Wow. Those tires sure look like they'd solve the mud loading challenge of the OEM Trailwings.

I didn't find anything about the "Edge" gritty (could those be something like Gritty EDO3?), but did find this description of some Grittys:

The ED78 Bridgestone Gritty. This is a massive, super heavy duty tire that only comes in 120/100 x 18 and is designed for desert racing, It weighs about 14 lbs so it's actually still about a 1/2. lb lighter than than the Dunlop 739, but still super meaty and super heavy duty and it the most heavy duty and durable of the any of the tires offered by any large manufacturers (Michelin, Dunlop, Birdgestone, etc) though the Maxxis Desert IT might give it a run for its money.

I've been through two of these but stopped using them because they are super stiff and when they get below 50%, in my experience they slide all over the place and the traction isn't great. But they sure do last. I expect to get 1000-1500 miles out of these no problem when using them including plenty of slab at all templs. Because they are also big, high volume, they can create some of the handling issues as I discussed above. They were designed about 15 years ago+ so they are a dated design. They also went way up in price maybe 6+ months ago - they used to be about $85 and were a great HD option but now they are closer to $130 or so. Oddly basically Bridgestone is considering them a performance tire now I suppose. Maybe because they last so long. I personally think they'd be a great tire to try on something like a 690e or 950 SE to see how long they last and how well they handle in this app. They are a large 120 but are not a 130 or 140 necessarily.

Quoted from:
https://advrider.com/f/threads/thum...estern-desert-mountain-tires-90-dirt.1017444/

They're similar, so maybe the Gritty Edge tires were designed for desert racing, too. Wish I had those on when trying to ride the sand in Florida, on the SEAT.

Haha, I didn't have my glasses on.
They are Gritty ED663, not EDGE.
The seller told me they were good and would last, but the Mefos feel much more stable and secure.
I have a Serow expert living close to me that does my MOTs.
He's ridden/raced them for many years and he came back from a very short run and urged me to change them asap.
Maybe OK on sand / soft quarry ground, but not general purpose.

Just a few snapshots from a GORGEOUS Sunday autumn ride...






View attachment 1953803

Didn’t want this day to end!!!

Nice pics!

Where is that?

Thanks! This was McCarty Hill State Forest near Ellicottville, NY (south of Buffalo).

Got out for a good all day ride today with my brother on a WR250 & friend on a TW200. Great weather in southern Ohio.

Nice selection of bikes. Somebody must like Yamaha as much as we do.

My other brother has an XT225.