The Tusk Waypoint Adventure tires are close to unicorn in execution. On the 360-pound Ultimate Motorcycling Honda CRF300L Rally, they ride like street tires on asphalt and grippy knobbies off-road. From wet twisties to long freeway stretches to rocky trails with mud patches to 50 miles of gravel, the Waypoint Adventures instill confidence by gripping what they roll over. Also, tubeless design means they can be fixed on the trail, which matters when you’re a long way from your garage.
I have 1,000 miles of mixed-surface riding on the Waypoint Adventure tires, and they still look almost new. You have to get close to see that the knobs are slightly tighter together than the more aggressive 80/20 knobbies. I rode through mud and didn’t feel the knobs loading up, though this wasn’t sticky northern Idaho mud either. After 1000 miles, I have gone from 0.475-inch tread depth to 0.375-inch in the rear, and from 0.395-inch tread depth to 0.336-inch in the front.
Those measurements extrapolate to about 2500 miles for the $82 rear tire and roughly 5000 miles for the $70 front tire. Tusk is an in-house brand of big-box online retailer Rocky Mountain ATV/MC, so these are real-world prices, as they are not discounted.
On asphalt at 70 mph, the Waypoint tires are simply quiet. There is no annoying tread whine at high speeds, or lumpiness when slowing to a stop.
I tested the Waypoints on plenty of gravel uphills and steep downhills, and the tires always felt planted. I am a heavy front brake user in the dirt and, even on downhills, I never felt like the front tire was going to slip out.
Riding at a spirited pace in twisties, the three nylon tread plies and two nylon sidewall plies never felt uncomfortably soft or pliable. There was never a moment when I felt the tires would lose grip or flex unexpectedly.
Mounting the Tusk Waypoint tires was a challenge. They have narrow openings, and I am not yet a pro on the Rabaconda Street Bike Tire Changer. I eventually resorted to spooning on both the front and back tires, which proved to me that I could change a tube on the trail.
Most of the tires I had on the Ultimate Motorcycling Yamaha Ténéré 700 Project Bike had sidewalls so stiff that I couldn’t mount them with tire irons. The Adventure Waypoints are designed for light to middleweight adventure bikes, so the sidewalls do not need to be impossibly stiff. The front is directional, but the rear is not. So, as the rear wears down, it can be flipped by the most budget-minded users.
I always balance my tires, as I run at speeds up to 75 mph to reach destinations near or far. The 90/90-21 front tire weighs 9.5 pounds, and the 120/90-18 rear tips the scales at 13.75 pounds. Both wheels took two ounces of balance weight and rolled smoothly at all speeds that the Rally’s 289cc motor will take me.
The circumference of these tires does not change the 2 mph speedo error I have had with the original IRCs and the Heidenau K60 Ranger tires I ran just before the Adventure Waypoints.
The Tusk Waypoint Adventure 70/30 tires deliver consistent, confidence-inspiring grip across every surface I pointed them at. There are no surprises or unwanted tradeoffs in feel. The tires are predictable on pavement, planted in the dirt, and stable at speed, all while wearing in a way that aligns with my expectations and exceeds anticipated performance.
Tusk Waypoint Adventure Tires Sizes and Prices
Front: 90/90-21; $70 MSRP
Rear
- 130/90-17; $82
- 120/90-18; $82
- 130/90-18; $72
- 140/80-18; $88
Tusk Waypoint Adventure Tires Review Photo Gallery
