We’ve ridden 15k-20k on both tyres on a transcontinental trip through Africa in some of the worst road conditions. The questions that we’ll answer are “Are these tyres any good for adventure riding?” and “What is the best duel sport motorcycle tyre?”.
How good are the Mitas E07+? They are great tyres, grippy on both on- and off road and I love them in deep sand. The Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR are surprisingly effective on gravel roads and will give you a great ride on the tarmac too. As soon as things get muddy or sandy they lack in grip. What is the best duel sport motorcycle tyre? I would pick the Mitas E07+ over the Pirellis if you force me to choose.
They are both good tyres and depending on your style of riding and the conditions you will ride in you might pick one over the other. Let me share when I would pick the Pirellis.
Our reasoning to try out the Pirellis
Why we chose to ride with the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR motorcycle tyre on a long road trip When we left the Netherlands for the North cape in Norway, we had to ride at least 4000km / 2500miles to reach our first milestone. We had no idea how much of that was going to be offroad so we chose a tyre that was capable of off roading but also comfortable on tarmac. The highways in Europe are of excellent quality and we wanted to enjoy the ride as much as possible and therefore chose to mount the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR as our first tyre on the trip.
We experienced heavy downpours and had to cope with a lot of rain on the way up north. The road was often wet yet I did not experience any slipping or sliding. The Pirellis have a great grip on wet tarmac and give you the confidence to keep riding.
Wet roads in Norway, the tyres stayed grippy all the way.
Off road the Pirellis did great too. Riding through Finland was fun.
Slippery mud section and Jojo soon ended up in the ditch.
The noise they produce on the road is minimal, keeping the vibrations down as well especially if you compare it to a knobby tires such as the Mitas E07+. This will enable you to ride longer and further as it is less tiring to hold the handlebars. Another great plus for the Pirellis.
Now if you do happen to hit a gravel road there is no need to worry, the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR has your back. At first glance the profile might not look like it, but on the average gravel section they are quite grippy. Pirelli managed to create a compound that works well on both surfaces. We happily rode 110km/h (60m/h) on the Finnish Trans European Trail as we made our way back south.
The adventure took us from Europe to Africa and that is where the road conditions deteriorated and the temperatures increased. Riding over hot tarmac in Egypt was not great on the milage of the tyres. We took them to the desert in Jordan and Sudan where we learnt to ride through deep sand for the first time. The tyre was working but it’s not the best in such conditions. When we hit slippery mud on the trails it was even worse and we both lost the bike multiple times crashing in the ditch.
For a detailed review of the Pirellis check out this blog post.
We switched tyres after riding 20.262 kilometers or 12.590 miles for the Mitas E07+ due to the fact that we were heading for the Turkana Trail, which is the toughest offroad section in East Africa. The hot weather had worn the tires down but I am nonetheless impressed with the life we got out of them. Also, the Mitas were available in Africa and we were looking for something new to try out.
Why you should choose the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR motorcycle tyre
- It’s a great tyre for touring on tarmac and behave well in wet conditions
- The compound is surprisingly sticky on gravel roads
- You’ll get great milage out of them ( we did 20k kilometers / 12,5k miles on them) Minimal noise and vibration for a smooth ride on the road
Are the Mitas E07+ any good?
They are great! After changing the tyres on the beach we immediately headed to the longest offroad section on our trip, over 900km of trails, no tarmac in sight with the remotest border crossing I have ever done. I was able to rely on the tyre in extreme conditions and it helped me navigate deep dry river beds and rocky roads. It was the biggest challenge when it comes to riding skills and with the help of the Mitas I quickly learned how to ride in these circumstances. They grip very well in sand which is exactly what we needed on this section.
Sometimes you get stuck no matter how good your tyres are.
Next up were the muddy tracks of Tanzania, the rainy season was slowly rolling in and the backroads in the west of Tanzania are under construction. The red dirt quickly turns into a slippery slide when it rains resulting in a thick layer of mud. The tyres were not bad, but did not provide maximum grip in this situation. The mud easily slips off the tyre which ended up clogging the front fender of the VStrom. I guess that’s a big flaw of these bikes or any bike with a front fender that is tightly mounted on the front wheel. Something to consider when thinking about these tyres.
After the mud came the straight, boring, highways of South Africa where we rode about 120km/h or 75m/h for days on end. On the highway it performed reasonably well for a 50/50 tyre although they quickly wore due to the high temperatures. These tyres should be considered as a knobbly tire and will therefor be quite loud and vibrating on tarmac especially compared to the Pirellis.
The Mitas E07+ ready for retirement, a great milage achieved!
After completing our trip and reaching the most southern point of the African continent we headed home and looked at the state of our tires. Completely worn after 14.246 kilometers (8.852 miles) through every kind of road condition they were retired soon after arriving in the Netherlands.
Why you should choose the Mitas E07+ motorcycle tyre
- A great tyre to ride offroad; gravel, rocks, sand. It’s grips very well on all
- Decent milage for a 50/50 tyre. (we got 14.246 kilometers / 8.852 miles out of them)
Riding the dusty roads of Ethiopia.
Why I would choose the Mitas over the Pirellis.
Which tyre to choose depends on many things including what you want it to do and the conditions you are going to ride in. Be honest with yourself here and don’t overestimate the amount of offroad you are going to ride.
The other important factor to consider is your own style of riding. How aggressive do you twist the throttle and how sharp are you taking corners? This influences which tyre will have your preference. I’m a reasonably mellow rider, especially on a long overland adventure where arriving safely is more important than riding a personal record.
Lastly your own skill level is another important factor to consider when choosing a tyre because as beginners we tend to blame our inability to ride on the gear we have. Good tyres will definitely help you along the way but it won’t compensate your lacking motorcycle control. I’m not the best rider and I’m very aware of that when I try to advice people on what to do.
The reason why I would pick the Mitas over the Pirellis is because my riding style has changed over the 35.000km African adventure. I’m no longer interested in riding long distance and prefer to hit the more technical trails in the mountains. Therefor the Mitas E07+ will fit better with the riding I’m looking forward to do here in Europe.
Videos that might interest you
Our experience with the Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR
Our experiences with the Mitas E07+ on the road