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Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tires: Traction & Longevity

Mean-Looking, Ground-Shredding, & Long-Lasting

Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tires on a 2019 KTM790 Adventure.
Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tires Review Summary
Review Summary
The Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires are just about perfect. They grip whatever you’re riding on as good or better than any dual purpose/adventure tire I’ve ever experienced and they wear slowly even when abused. They do make noise on the road but surprisingly don’t vibrate. They’re stable even at high speeds while carrying a load of gear on the bike. The front tire steers slightly heavier compared to more street-oriented tires due to its higher profile and super tall lugs on either side. Motoz tires can be difficult to find at times and cost a bit more than some competitor adventure tires but it’s worth it to get the awesome performance in exchange. Retail Pricing: Front 9
Design & Quality
Longevity
Riding On Wet Asphalt
On-Road Riding
Off-Road Riding
Noise and Vibration
Value for $$$
Pros
Excellent traction on just about any surface
Slow wearing, long-lasting tread
Overachieves on asphalt for a 30% on-road rated tire
Self-sharpening knobbies
No vibration
No slippage on asphalt even when brand new
Cons
More expensive compared to some other brands
Front tire steers a little heavier than others
Limited supply in North America
4.6
Excellent!

A 2019 KTM 790 Adventure with Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires on it.

Tires: The Great Debate

If you want to lose friends and start arguments on social media the quickest way to do it is to ask: “What tires should I run on my motorcycle?” A close second would be asking about engine oil.

The verbal bloodbath that inevitably will follow can cause even internet debate champions to recoil in disgust, turn off notifications for the forum in the interest of self-preservation and in some extreme cases lead to a self-imposed vacation from social media. It doesn’t have to be this way.

In reality, the market is loaded with many excellent options and often the “best” choice for tires can hinge on subjective details.

  • Weight of the motorcycle, rider, and luggage
  • Ratio of asphalt to rocky or muddy off-road use
  • Engine horsepower and rider throttle control habits
  • Rider tolerance for “wiggle” or degree of traction

Regardless I’m Wading In

This review is one I really enjoyed doing because I’d heard plenty of good things about the life expectancy and performance of these Australian tires. Whenever I hear too many positive (or negative) reports about any product my curiosity peaks and I yearn to get the real story.

Given the ultra harsh conditions of riding “Down Under” I expected nothing short of perfection running them here in our North American riding conditions.

They really came through and lived up to the hype!

The Name

I like to know how to properly pronounce brand names. Something has been lost in translation with Motoz from what I can tell.

The Motoz brand logo.

Photo from Motoz

I’ve heard many people call them “Moto-Zee” or “Mo-toes”, but I think it’s actually meant to be said “Moe-Taws” or perhaps “Mo-tOz” as in the nickname “Oz” given to AUS-tralia where the brand originates.

Yes, I’m THAT guy I’m afraid. A stickler for details.

Thank You!

Brand new unmounted Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires.

I met Rick Atkinson the Managing Director for Motoz at AimExpo in 2018 and practically begged him to send me some of their tires to test out. With his help, I got in touch with Brian Cornelius from Pacific Powersports (the Motoz distributor in the US) then in turn Sébastien Cyr from Kimpex (the Motoz Canadian distributor) who sent me the tires. It took about a month because the incoming shipment from overseas hadn’t arrived yet.

Thank you all for working together to get them to me at no cost for this review.

Phew!! That was a lot of emails exchanged and effort put out by the Motoz people, but worth it.

Supply vs. Demand Issues

This illustrates the only real problem with these tires: supply. Imagine how this would have gone if I wasn’t getting help from insiders to source this set of rubber?

They’re only manufactured by one factory in Thailand but are shipped out from Australia which is literally on the other side of the world, so at times they’re harder to find here in North America than hen’s teeth.

Suppliers

Another obstacle is the fact companies like RevZilla and 2Wheel don’t seem to carry Motoz tires for reasons I can’t fathom. None of the suppliers partnered with us at wBW do, but you can buy them through other smaller competitors.

Enough about all that. Now I’ll break down how I put these tires through a wBW-level torture chamber of testing.

Testing Conditions

2019 KTM 790 Adventure.

The Motorcycle

I had these tires mounted on my 2019 KTM 790 Adventure. This is the standard model bike but it’s equipped with the Rally mode giving it very aggressive throttle response when activated. I tend to ride the bike in Rally mode even when I’m on asphalt but sometimes switch to Street.

Distance Travelled

The testing period spanned over 3800 kms (2300 miles) comprised of about 70% on-road and 30% off-road riding. I did the majority of these miles while traveling from Alberta, Canada south to Challis, Idaho where I participated in the Klim Cow Tagz Rally 2019.

I also tacked on a 2.5 hr ride to Rigby, Idaho to tour the Klim HQ since I was within striking distance. That’s A LOT of highway riding.

You’re Doing It Wrong, Jim

This is quite humorous because the Tractionator Adventure tires are rated the opposite of that (30% on-road vs. 70% off-road). In effect the testing I did is the equivalent of asking a square peg to fit in a round hole, so bear that in mind as you read and you’ll see why I’m so impressed.

Temperature & Ground Conditions Encountered

Temperatures ranged from a low of 2 degrees Celsius (35F) to a high of 36 Celsius (96F).

I encountered plenty of cold and rainy conditions in the mountains of Montana on the Going To The Sun Road and Highway 93 in Idaho. Highway 93 in particular at the Montana/Idaho border provided excellent opportunities to lean hard into the sharp switchback curves around the Lost Trail Pass.

You can watch video footage of some of the trip down to Challis in the video below.

I tested these off-road through sand, mud, dirt, gravel, and larger rock-strewn trails in addition to plenty of blacktop asphalt at speeds averaging 80 to 100mph for several hours on the I15 Highway in Montana on my way home from Idaho.

Yeah, I admit it… I might have been trying just a little bit to destroy these tires.

Cargo

2019 KTM 790 Adventure in Challis Idaho at the Klim Cow Tagz Rally.

The majority of the testing involved carrying me (180lb rider + full riding gear) and 45lbs of gear on the back divided into two pieces of luggage seen in the photo above. The rear one is an SW Motech tour pack.

Off-road I carried the essential tools and supplies in a Nelson Rigg pack weighing 25lbs.

Tire Air Pressure

At no time during testing did I adjust my tire pressure. I ran at the factory recommended setting for on-road and off-road.

About The Tractionator Adventure

On Motoz’s website, I found great information about the tires as you’ll see in the photo below.

A screenshot showing specs about the Tractionator Adventure tires.

If you look at the top and bottom lines of this list you’ll see a tread depth measurement at center for the 90/90-21 front and 150/70-18 rear tires I was sent. 12mm front and 15mm tall for the rear are HUGE lugs and a bold claim by Motoz.

I measured the tires sent to me and came up about one and a half millimeters short at 10.73 front and 12.53mm rear. It’s possible I was off a little bit with my measurements, but I suspected the truth was the lugs aren’t always uniformly manufactured. Not a big deal really as these are still very large knobbies to work with.

I apologize for the fuzzy before photos below. They’re clear enough to read the measurement but could be better.

**Note: The angle I’m holding the measuring calipers at for the before photos aren’t at 90 degrees to the tire because they’re posed in an attempt to get a clearer image of the display readout. When I was measuring initial tread depth I did it several times to ensure I got it right.

Measurement of tread depth on the rear Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tire.

Measurement of tread depth on the rear tire.

Measurement of the front tread depth for Motoz Tractionator Adventure Tire

Measurement of the front tire tread depth.

How Much Wear?

Motoz Tractionator Adventure rear tire.

After punishing these off road-biased tires with so much on-road riding for almost a week I arrived home and excitedly measured the tread blocks to see how much rubber was left. Here are the results:

  • Rear tire average tread depth measurement when I got home: 9.83mm

Rear tire tread depth measurement on the Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires after 4000 kms.

Rear tire tread depth measurement on the Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires after 3700 kms.

I measured in four different places and then averaged the depth out to find I’d only lost about 2.7mm of tread. Wow! 

Based on that it’s wearing off approximately 0.72 millimeters of tread every 621 miles (1000kms). If that trend continues this rear tire should last until roughly the 10,000 mile mark (16,000kms) if my math is correct.

Side view of the Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires after 2300 miles.

I realize almost no one wears their adventure tire down to 1mm of tread before replacing them. Perhaps a more realistic estimate for longevity would be 7000 or 8000 miles? Either way it’s still as good or better resilience than most competition rubber available.

Motoz tractionator adventure rear tire after 2300 miles.

The Front Tire Results

I measured an average of 10.55mm on the front.

Measuring wear on the Motoz Tractionator Adventure front tire after 2300 miles.

You read that correctly. I only lost 0.18 millimeters off the front tire in 2300 miles. Basically I wore off the rubber hairs and that’s it. That means the front tire is losing 0.047 millimeters every 621 miles and COULD mean this tire could last a mind-blowing 12,000 miles (20,000 kms).

Again, realistically no one runs adventure tires down completely so I would knock a few thousand miles off it at least. I would likely replace front and rear tires together at the 7000 or 8000-mile mark realistically based on what I see here.

What If… I Messed Up?

Due to my obsessive nature and desire to get the straight goods on any review I had to find out whether I made a mistake with my measurements of the tire.

I sent a Facebook message to Motoz Australia asking them to provide me with photos showing measurements of two new Tractionator Adventure tires. Here are the photos they sent clearly showing 12mm and 15mm lugs on new tires.

Photo from Motoz showing tread depth on front Tractionator Adventure tire.

Front tire tread measurement from Motoz.

Photo from Motoz showing tread depth on rear Tractionator Adventure tire.

Rear tire measurement from Motoz

Seeing this made me seriously wonder whether I might have messed up.

Enter The Tread Depth Gauge

I’m a licensed diesel mechanic who moonlights as a motorcycle reviewer. I’ve rebuilt engines and made critical adjustments to many systems with tight tolerances in my career. As such, I’m confident in my ability to measure accurately using the right tool for the job. With this in mind I immediately ran out to get a purpose-built tread depth gauge like the one used by the Motoz rep in the photos.

I can’t go back in time and measure the initial tread depth, but I figured if there was a flaw in my technique using the calipers (or any issue with their accuracy) I would get a different measurement on the bike now.

Tread depth being measured on the front Motoz Tractionator Adventure tire after 3700kms.The front tire showing a measurement of just over 10mm.

Tread depth being measured on the rear Motoz Tractionator Adventure tire after 3700kms

The rear tire showing a measurement between 9 and 10mm.

As you can see this tread depth gauge appears to back up what I found using the calipers. The calipers are more fine in their ability to measure down to hundredths of a millimeter unlike this new depth gauge used. 

It’s registering about halfway past the 9mm mark on the rear tire which jives with my 9.83mm average. 

The new front tire measurement appears to be only slightly above 10mm or perhaps bang on. So I may have been 0.55mm off with my front tire measurement after running the tire, but that won’t change the projected life expectancy very much in reality.

This leads me to believe that my before use measurements were fairly accurate and I didn’t start with 12 and 15mm respectively. Possibly it was 11 and 13mm though because I admit I’m only human.

Worst Case Scenario

Let’s assume for a moment I did measure completely wrong and the rear tire did begin with 15mm of tread depth and now has 9.83mm remaining. That means it wore down 5.17mm in 2300 miles (3700 kms), which is just over double what I calculated starting from 12.53 mm.

In this scenario the rear tire is wearing at a rate of 1.4 mm per 621 miles (1000 kms), meaning I should still get around 5000 to 6000 miles (8000 to 10,000 kms).

That’s still just as good or better longevity than most adventure tires on the market today. More on that later.

Would It Wear Faster Used More Off-Road?

Possibly, but these tires were built specifically for that application, so maybe not. “Off-road riding” is a very broad description and certain types of off-road terrain will kill tires faster than others as everyone knows.

Me on my KTM 790 Adventure near Challis, Idaho.
Photo taken by Ian Clark

Had I spent more time riding in large sharp rocks I believe there would have been more damage to the lugs. I did legitimately log about 690 miles (1110kms) off-asphalt with about 90% of that time spent on gravel and dirt. 10% of that riding went on in sections with larger, tire-shredding sharp rocks.

I enjoy drifting the rear end in the gravel, dirt, and other soft stuff too so don’t think for a minute I took it easy at any point during the off-road testing. Having said that, the 790 adventure standard isn’t the 790 adventure R model which is designed for more extreme off-road riding. I used this bike as KTM intended it to be. According to KTM, this is the most off-road capable, on-road motorcycle. I didn’t log any wild singletrack miles with it.

Conversely, KTM says the 790R model is the most on-road capable, off-road motorcycle.

The Grip

These tires found traction on everything I threw at them with the exception of two specific instances: sand and wet clay.

2019 KTM 790 Adventure with Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires.

I had the front tire slip a couple of inches in a sharp turn on powdery sand in a switchback before it caught traction again. I believe just about any other tire would have left me laid out on the ground in this scenario. This was a thin layer of talcum powder spread out on top of hard-packed sand.

Very slippery indeed. Motoz makes other tires more suited to sandy conditions than this Adventure one. The other slip came in a puddle of clay where no tire could have held true. Not even this beauty did, but I didn’t go down. I just slid a little before regaining traction.

The rest of the time off-road that front tire was glued to the ground and filled me with confidence to ride as aggressively as necessary.

The rear tire never slipped in anything.

On-Road Grip

I was concerned a tire so heavily off-road biased would be snakey on asphalt, especially when wet.

Nope. They were rock solid even right from new. After realizing this I gained enough confidence in them to lean into turns at higher speeds just as hard as I do with any other tire.

The Competition

I have quite a bit of experience riding on two other comparable Adventure tires that are consistently rated very highly by riders the world over.

I rode an Africa Twin outfitted with Mitas E09 and E10 tires from Dawson City, Yukon up the Dempster Highway in June 2018.

Those tires had impressive grip on gravel and dirt, but when they were new they were all over the place on asphalt. Especially scary are these 20% on road 80% off-road tires on wet asphalt. Even DRY asphalt was no better until they had a couple of hundred miles on them.

Me on a 2017 Honda Africa Twin on the Dempster Highway.
Photo taken by Matt DeBourcier

Those Mitas tires lasted close to 5000 miles before needing to be replaced and I would rate them good overall, but they come up short compared to these Motoz ones.

The E09 front in a 90/90-21 size costs about $90 USD. The rear E10 in a 150/70-18 costs $163 USD which is considerably less expensive than the Motoz ones.

Continental TwinDuro TKC80

Me on a 2016 Honda CB500X outfitted with TKC80 tires.

This is the heavyweight champion of Adventure tires. The legendary Continental Twinduro TKC 80 rated 40% on-road 60% off-road and is the most popular choice for serious riders because of the excellent traction and handling.

I can’t disagree with that assessment of the TKC80, it’s a brilliant tire that’s priced lower than these Motoz ones while providing the same degree of traction.

  • Front: $86 for KTM 790 Adventure 90/90-21 tubeless
  • Rear: $178 for KTM 790 Adventure 150/70-18 tubeless

Having said that, TKC80 tires wear out FAST. Many riders only get 3000 miles (4800kms) out of them. The front tires especially are prone to cupping and wearing very unevenly.

The other gripe I have is how noisy they are on asphalt and the vibration caused by the large lugs transmitted to the rider via the handlebars.

After spending just 2300 miles on the Motoz rubber, I’ll take them any day over the TKC80.

Motoz Tire Noise

The Motoz TA tires do make a fair bit of noise too. Not as loud as the TKC80 tires, but there’s a high-pitched whine present on asphalt that reminds me of an old air raid siren call. I wonder if this will get worse as the tires get older.

***Update at 11,000 km: The tires are still making the same amount of noise, but aren’t bumpy at all***

It’s impressive that tires with such aggressive treads like these don’t cause any vibration in the bike. Even after about 2300 miles (3700 kms) the lugs on the tires are still as flexible as they were when new.

Heavier Steering

2019 KTM 790 Adventure with Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires on it.

The front Motoz Tractionator Adventure isn’t popular with some people because of the effect it has on steering.

The higher profile combined with large lugs on the sides of the tire seems to grab asphalt in such a way as to make the steering feel heavier than most other tires I’ve ridden. I did notice this when taking turns in the beginning and wondered if I would be able to get used to it.

After a while, it didn’t bother me at all to my relief, but it’s something to prepare yourself for before taking off on your bike after getting these tires installed.

Final Thoughts

Me with my 2019 KTM 790 Adventure in Idaho.

Motoz has created a fantastic product for adventure bikes in these tires. I’m pleased to find the rumors weren’t untrue or overblown. One of the three 1200GS riders I met in Idaho at the Klim Cow Tagz Rally bought a set after watching me running around on them for two days.

I can’t recommend them enough at this point in time. I’m tempted to give them a 5/5 score, but would rather wait and see how much they change as they near the end of their serviceable life first.

It blows my mind how good they are on the road, re: traction and longevity. I honestly would have thought they’d be more like the Mitas tires I experienced before, but they’re not.

Good job Motoz! I’ll keep running these tires a good while longer and update this review with any new findings.

8000 km (~5000 miles) Update!

I’m still running these tires and have just reached an important milestone with them so it’s time for an update.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure after 5000 miles.

I’m still treating them badly with about 80% or more being on-road use, but I do get in gravel and dirt pretty regularly too. The performance is still outstanding and I truly love the grip and traction on every surface encountered.

It appears that the rate of wear is increasing on the front tire radically due to some cupping appearing in the center lugs as you can see in the photos above and below.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure front tire after 5000 miles.

This cupping started about 500 miles ago and it’s making taking measurements very difficult now, but you can sort of see the highest point has about 9mm remaining. It depends whether I measure down to the wear bar or to the base of the tire.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure front tire after 5000 miles.Motoz Tractionator Adventure front tire after 5000 miles.

Naturally, I’ll replace the tire before it gets right down to racing slicks. There’s about a 1 mm difference.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure rear tire after 5000 miles.

The rear tire is still wearing very evenly and well, although I’ve noticed if I really goose the throttle on pavement that I get spin now instead of a solid grip as I used to. Motoz claims that the lugs self sharpen appear to be true as you can see in the photo above.

Still, there’s more than 5mm remaining before the wear bars and I’m confident I’ll get 10,000kms (6000 miles) minimum out of the rear tire. That is what I described as the worst-case scenario above, but in reality, means getting my money’s worth out of them in my opinion.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires after 5000 milesMotoz Tractionator Adventure rear tire after 5000 miles.

I’ll continue to update this review when I truly get to the end of the road with these Motoz beauties. 

The next question is which tires should I review next?

The Final, FINAL, Word At Long Last

After 14,700 km or 9100 miles, I decided to call it a wrap on this awesome tire review! The rear tire when measured in several spots has on average about 3mm remaining on the lugs when measured to the wear bar strips and 3.5mm going down to the base.

Motoz Tractionator Adventure rear tire after 9000 miles.

It still finds traction without any issues at this advanced stage in life to my astonishment, and realistically I should just keep running them for another thousand miles before changing it out. My original guesstimate of 10,000 miles or 16,000 kilometers was about right. I’m completely satisfied with the performance and life of the rear tire and strongly recommend it.

The front tire hasn’t fared nearly as well as the rear but still finds traction as well. The cupping and scalloping have become so pronounced that there’s no way I’ll come close to the original guesstimate of 20,000 km I hoped for. Despite that, I was able to measure roughly 1.5mm of tread remaining even at the lowest point before the wear bars, although I admit it’s very difficult to measure accurately at this point.
Motoz Tractionator Adventure front tire after 9000 miles.

I won’t as readily recommend the Tractionator Adventure front tire now in hindsight because of this exaggerated wear and how heavy it steers when brand new. I’m told the Tractionator RallZ front tire is a better performing option although it doesn’t last quite as long comparatively speaking. I’ve reached out to Motoz to ask about getting a set of RallZ, but should they oblige my request I’ll likely mount them on a different motorcycle than this 790 adventure for that review.

I’ve already mounted some Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 tires on the 790 and testing is already nearing the 600 miles mark. So far, the AX41s are more nimble in the corners on the asphalt where they can reach much higher speeds without inducing any wobbles, but they don’t grip nearly as well as these Motoz tires do.

The jury is still out on them, but at this early stage, I find myself longing for the Tractionator Adventure tires whenever I venture into the slippery world of off-road adventure riding.

Pros

  • Excellent traction on just about any surface
  • Slow wearing, long-lasting tread
  • Overachieves on asphalt for a 30% on-road rated tire
  • Self-sharpening knobbies
  • No vibration
  • No slippage on asphalt even when brand new

Cons

  • More expensive compared to many other brands
  • Front tire steers a little heavier than others
  • Limited supply in North America

Specs

  • Manufacturer: Motoz Tires
  • Find a Dealer: USA
  • Buy: Kimpex (Canada)
  • Price when tested: $107 and $202
  • Made in: Thailand
  • Sizes: Multiple sizes in Tube (TB) or Tubeless (TL)
  • Safety Designations: DOT
  • Review Date: October 11, 2019

  1. Awesome, always enjoy thorough reviews of Adv tires. I killed a set of TKC80 on my Elefant, and am now running the Shinko 804/805.

    I personally like the 804/805 better because they feel like they have more grip on road, and to me give better feedback. They wear not quite as fast as the TKC did.

    I’ll add the Tractionators to the want to try list in the future, if I can source them. If not the 804/805 are easy to get and my top preference right now.

    1. I’ve heard good things about the Shinko tires in general and want to review them at some point to see for myself.

      It’s always curious to me how one minute you read about someone raving about a tire and how there couldn’t be a better one anywhere, then two comments down someone else will absolutely despise the exact same tire. How can people have polar opposite experiences with the same product? Well, I know everyone is different and to me that’s usually the answer.
      I have a friend who is the most brutal unofficial product tester I’ve ever seen. Anything he buys that lasts more than a month I immediately put on my must own list. If it lasts 6 months for him it will last years in my hands.

      Thanks for the feedback!

    2. I fitted the Motoz Tractionator GPS tyre to my Super Tenere.

      I have just replaced the front tyre at 12,000klm’s and the back still have a few K’s remaining.

      Overall I am happy with them except they are deadly in the wet. I have spun them up in 6th gear coming round a gentle bend in the wet on a few occasions. When riding more aggressively I find they feel like they are about to slip out on 3/4 lean so I have lost confidence in them in hard cornering.

      I will admit that I am only an average rider so someone with more ability may feel different in the handling in the wet.

      1. Hi Andrew!

        I’m at roughly the same mileage on my Tractionator Adventures on my 790 and the rear is about 1mm remaining with not much more in the front left. I haven’t tried the GPS but am surprised to hear they’re slippery on wet pavement. The Super Ten is a different bike than my 790 to be sure, but I haven’t experienced any slip on wet or dry tarmac with the Tractionator Adventures. Perhaps this is a traction control setting difference? I tend to leave mine set about about mid level interference. Have you got yours switched off, perhaps?
        Thanks for the comment. For your next tires I would recommend the Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires which I hear are outstanding both on and off road. A true 50/50. I’m keen to test some myself, in fact.

  2. I had two fronts and my buddy had one. Both cupped dangerously in less than 1000 miles.

  3. I’m the buddy mentioned above. The rear was pretty good and long lasting but the front was destroyed in less then 1000 mi. Mine was the “new” version that was supposed to have fixed the reported cupping problems.

    1. Ben and Brian I’ve now got the cupping beginning as you can see in the newly added photos above at the end of the review.
      The difference is that it didn’t begin until close to 5000 miles. I’m curious now to see how long they’ll last from here before becoming unusable.

  4. Hi Ben and Brian!

    Thanks for the input. I’ve heard tales of the front tire woes you describe from others as well (unless it’s yours I heard). I don’t doubt it’s true, but I just can’t echo the experience. My front tire hardly seems touched and I don’t loft the front end on my 790 at all in my riding.
    There definitely could be some issues with consistency from the Motoz tire factory. I still can’t be certain my tires started with the full 12mm and 15mm high knobs on them at this point much to my shame. If my measurements were true then it would support the idea that there are some issues.
    I believe my front tire is the old style based on the pattern. Does that jive with your observation or have I got the new ones? It should be new because I had to wait for them to arrive from overseas. They weren’t stored in a warehouse somewhere to my knowledge.
    Motoz Aus hasn’t responded to my question about the tread depth sadly. Rick must be busy or dodging me, eh?

  5. Hi Jim,

    Have been waiting to read your review of the Motoz tires but your on-bike video ride review is redacted!!! The audio keeps cutting out. Most important right in the middle 6:15 to 8:55, when your audio cuts back in as you are talking about the tire whine… missed it all!

    Hope you can fix the audio issues and re-upload it.

    1. Hi Marko!

      I’m sorry about that audio gap, it’s not what I wanted it to be. Unfortunately after I uploaded the video to YouTube they informed me that I was in copyright violation of a song playing in the background (on my Sena 10C Pro) and as such the video wouldn’t be available in 247 countries as a result! The only option was to mute the audio in that section or be censored.
      Luckily, the commentary about the tires was mainly still intact in the rest of the video. There’s a second video towards the end of the review where I successfully recorded the whine off the tires you can refer to.

  6. Running a GPS on the back of my DR650. Best 50/50 tire yet out of a Karoo 3, IRC GP – 1 and OEM B’Stones. Should get 12,000 miles out of it, excellent on and off road traction. Motoz fan now.

    1. DRRider I’ve heard many people praise the GPS like you. There are plenty of options out there to choose from and all seem pretty good, but I think there are a few standouts and Motoz seems one of them. I can’t wait to put more off road miles on mine. If only winter would go away…

  7. Great review. I’ve started doing a little off road training on my GS and I’m very interested in these tires.

    I really don’t have the off-road riding / off-road tire experience to comment meaningfully, but I did a little running review of the somewhat hard-to-find Anlas Capra-X tires over on the R1200GS forums, also linked from my infrequent bloggo-thing, for those who might be interested. They are in the same “aggressive blocks” category as the Tractionator Adventure.

    Not sure if linking is allowed here?

    https://markdrummond.ca/capra-x.html

  8. Hi Mark!

    That’s actually the next tire I’d like to review (Anlas Capra X) as I ran into the reps at EICMA back in November. They make some impressive claims about their tires when it comes to grip and longevity. They sound like great competition for the Motoz Tractionator series.
    I don’t mind linking to your work here as long as it doesn’t turn into spam or something like that.

  9. Jim,
    Great review. You were up in my neck of the woods(Kalispell, MT) so gives me an apples to apples comparison on roads. What ‘s your thoughts on how they would hold up on a larger bike. Say my 2013 Triumph 1200 Explorer for example? Thanks!

    1. Hi Garth! Man, I love Kalispell, especially the pizza at Moose’s Saloon! I’ve stayed there more than once after riding the Going To The Sun Road. Beautiful riding country.

      Are you off roading that big Tiger?! I haven’t heard of many people doing that so if you are that’s awesome! I don’t think they would last quite as long on bigger bikes, but should be respectable. I’ve heard from riders of 1200GS and 1190 KTMs using Motoz tires though usually they run the Motoz Tractionator GPS instead of the Adventures because they tend to spend more time on asphalt than in the dirt and the GPS last longer. I suppose it depends just how off road you want to go with such a heavy bike. In my mind if the TKC80 does well on the bigger bikes (and they do) then these Motoz ones should too.

      I always stop short of completely endorsing a tire I’ve tested on a different bike than the one being asked about. The power and weight of your Tiger is significantly higher than on my 790 after all. If you’re willing to roll the dice on it I’d love to hear back from you in these comments about how they perform on the Tiger.

    1. Hi Adrian!

      These tires are directional with arrows stamped in the sidewalls, so it should be on correctly as they were installed by my KTM dealer. I’ll double check in a minute and get back to you.
      I know the Motoz GPS can be flipped around and used either way, but I don’t think that’s the case with the Adventure. Good question though.

      1. Adrian I went and had a look. There’s an arrow on the front and rear tire indicating they’re installed correctly. I see what you mean though with the way the pointy center treads seem to appear backwards from direction of travel.

      2. Important:
        The rotation of the Motoz tractionator adventure tire now seems to have changed rotation direction. I compared the mounting of this tire in this article to the arrow direction on the tire I bought from chaparral Moto. Is exactly opposite to the rotation of my tire…my front tire started cupping to a great amount of depth… I can’t believe it. It’s the same tire everyone has had trouble cupping and now shows up with opposing rotation. Could this be the headache everybody is having with this tire. Incidentally I just stumbled across this.
        Mike A

        1. Hi Mike!

          Actually my front tire is just barely beginning to show signs of slight cupping now too and I’m at 5600kms now.
          I haven’t posted an update yet as I want to get some more miles on first to see what happens.
          The reversed tread may or may not be the answer.
          The tires are still running great for traction! Loving them.

  10. Had a look at other riders pics of same tyre and yours is the only one i can find with it fitted that way round. I was aware the rear was reversible 50/50 one way or mainly for off road on reversed but not the front.

    1. Interesting! I’ve heard that the front adventure tires were changed by Motoz from the original design. I wonder if I have a new one or an older one? Perhaps that’s the difference?
      It’s working very well for me even still. Barely any wear on it and excellent traction as mentioned in the review.

  11. FYI……New tread depth is normally given by most tire manufactures in a deflated uninstalled condition. An installed tire that is inflated will have less tread depth by a couple mm’s than uninstalled. Your tire looked to be installed and inflated in pictures, but I may be mistaken. Great review. Now if we can only find a set!

    1. Hi Shane!

      Ahh I didn’t realize that and you’re correct. The photos of the tires from Motoz are uninflated while mine are inflated and installed on the bike. That could be the difference.

      Btw, I’m over 7000 km now on my tires and the rear is starting to get down there thanks to some spirited riding in the mountains of British Columbia recently. They still grip really well, but when I goose the throttle on pavement I do get a little slip happening now when I didn’t before. I’ll do another update soon.

      Absolutely brilliant tires, but yes difficult to find sometimes.

      Thanks for the input!

  12. I just got a set of Anake Wild for my 2020 790R. My stock Karoo 3s have over 6000 km on them and the Anake Wilds will be going on very soon. Why don’t you do a review on them ?

    1. Hi Paul!

      I’ve heard mixed reviews on the Anakee Wild adventure tires. I’m a fan of Michelin tires though so I like your suggestion and will consider it.

      I’m actually pretty serious about putting on the Anlas Capra X tires next as I think they’d be a good comparison for the Motoz TAVs I’m running now. With how slowly the front is wearing I might actually install a Bridgestone AX41 rear and see if the front Motoz tire and the AX41 wear out the same time.

      Thanks for the suggestion!

  13. Hi Jim,
    Thanks for the effort you’ve gone to for this review. I have a couple of questions;
    1. The Motoz Adventure is mean’t to be more off-road biased than the GPS yet I hear of people complaining about the GPS grip in the wet but no complaints for the Adventure. Why do you think this is?
    2. You mentioned they are good in the wet. Comparatively how good to other brands you’ve used? One of my greatest concerns in a tyre is that it holds the roads well in the wet. I’m on an Africa Twin and am looking for new boots, was almost ready to buy the TKC80/TKC70 Rocks combo when I read this review!
    Greetings from “Oz”!

    On another note, the tyres are pronounced “Moe – toz” as you suggested. It’s a nod to tires for Australian (Oz) conditions.

    1. Hi Simon!

      I haven’t personally run the GPS tires but have heard mainly positive comments about them. Here’s what I know for certain: the same tire performs differently on different motorcycles and as such YMMV on the Africa Twin compared to my 790 Adventure. Your machine is a bit heavier than mine with a slightly higher center of gravity though power levels are about the same.

      I’ve never had the Tractionator Adventure tires slip on wet asphalt… at all. Even when they were nearing the end of service, they stuck like glue and I cornered as aggressively as I would on any tire with them. I’ve heard other people say they did get slippage with them on wet pavement… again I chalk this up to different bikes behaving differently due to weight, suspension settings, and traction control settings. There are so many variables involved. I daresay that I’ve never used a better rear tire in all conditions than the rear TA.

      Having said that I’ve just gotten my hands on a set of RallZ that I’m keen to install on my new Norden 901! But, I’ve also got a Tractionator Dual Venture front in my possession. How can I choose which rubber to run next?

      Instead of the TKC80/70 combo I would suggest trying the Dual Venture front and Adventure rear. I suspect you’ll be very pleased, but if not please let me know as I want to pass on the knowledge of others on this site and our social media.

      Thank you for confirming the pronunciation. Motoz is a real feather in the cap of Australia.

  14. Hi Jim,
    What a great review, thank you.
    I was about to buy the Motoz Adventure front and back. Then I read some reviews about the front being “woobly, shaky” somehow on pavement, especially at about 70 or 80 miles per hour.
    Then I’m also reading here that you would have put the Motorz RallyZ on the front instead. You also wrote that you have a new set of RallyZ that you have installed.
    So what is your opinion? Should I get the Adventure in the back and RallyZ in the front?
    Planning on going down Baja, will do a mix of road and off-road.

    Thank you
    Roberto

  15. Do you think the higher price could have anything to do with them shipping from Thailand to Australia and then again from Australia to you? Would Motoz benefit from setting up a distribution center directly from Thailand? Great review. Just bought a set and looking forward to testing after the tkc80s wear out.

    1. Hi David!

      I wouldn’t rule that out as a factor in the higher price. I just looked at the current prices and see it’s up yet again from before. The unquestionable constants in life?

      – Death
      – Taxes
      – Prices increasing?

      Thanks for the comment and enjoy those tires! I’m just finishing up the RallZ review now and can confirm the Adventures are the better choice for most riders.

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