Riding The Pirelli Scorpion MX Soft Tires

January 23, 2009 

Anyone whos been paying attention to the race results of events held in extreme sandy or muddy conditions has probably noted Pirellis success at those events. Things like Jacob Marsacks great finish in the mud and rain at the San Francisco Supercross last year, or Antonio Balbis heat race win in probably the swampiest conditions ever at Daytona last year are just a couple examples.

Their tire of choice? The Pirelli Scorpion MX Soft.

Then theres the line of riders waiting for tire service at Southwick every year, and John Dowd, who has worked with Pirelli on some of their tire design efforts, and always has the tires mounted on his Suzuki for his annual trip to Southwick. Those are all indicators of how well the tires works in extreme conditions.

The Scorpion MX Soft rear tire is very unique, with a bridged paddle style layout, and wings on the back of the ridge of knobs for improved braking stability. Its AMA-legal for racing (full paddles arent), and even on firm terrain it doesnt have the rough ride normally associated with a full paddle. Just dont head for rocky terrain, or youll definitely impact the lifespan of the tire.

Up front, the MX Soft uses a widely spaced pattern with an arrow layout for quick and accurate steering and cornering stability. V-shaped backs on the central knobs also improve braking stability.

Of course, when we got a call asking if wed like to give the MX Soft a try on the spectacular Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (better known as Glamis), we were more than happy to give them a try. We brought along a Yamaha YZ450, and after the Pirelli crew mounted up a set of the tires, and we headed for the dunes.

If youve never spent any time in the dunes, about the easiest way to describe them is like a giant sand skatepark. Theres every contour and shape of dune imaginable, and depending on the part of the dune, it could be hard-packed, or where sand had blown over the tops, the backsides were deep and powdery.

On busy weekends you can find up to 40,000 people there, in buggies, UTVs, quads, and on bikes. But during this mid-week trip, we only saw a handful of other vehicles all day long.

Learning to read the terrain, and figuring out the technique was challenging, but fun. Letting the bike work underneath you, getting a feel for how the front wheel knifed through turns, figuring out how to lay the power down, and how rapidly youd scrub speed when backing off the throttle all got factored in. Its definitely something that just about every two-wheeled fan should experience.

Overall, it was an amazing time. We had one bike equipped with normal knobbies along with us, and it was interesting to watch the difference in roost put out between it and the bikes that were equipped with the sand-specific tires. If we were going back there again, or racing in any kind of deep sand or mud, we wouldnt hesitate to mount up a set of the MX Softs. We wouldnt want to call it an unfair advantage (at least while any competitors were listening), but

The Pirelli Scorpion MX Soft tires are available in a 80/100 x 21, and in the rear, a 100/90 x 19, and a 110/90 x 19. Suggested retails are about $91 for the front, and $104 to $109 for the rear, depending on the size you want. Always wear your helmet!