Mitas E-10 Tyre Test
I was kindly given a Mitas E-10 Enduro tyre to test by the friendly people at CABC. Fitted the tyre with 69292km on the odometer, 1.7bar pressure and started riding it in the mud, sand and on gravel.
First impressions of the tyre:
It looks good, very similar to the TKC 80(my favourite tyre) the knobbly feels very soft compared to the TKC 80 I had on. The old tyre had a chance to vulcanise with riding and I'm confident the Mitas will as well. I have heard that these tyres will give up to 10 000km, I'll believe it when I see it.
Mitas E-10 & Well worn TKC 80
Mitas on the left and TKC 80 on right.
So far the grip off-road has been comparable to the TKC 80 and Karoo2. Gave it a good thrashing in sand and mud this Sunday and I must say that I'm impressed with the level of grip.
Unfortunately I did not do any tar to speak of, this I'm sure will follow later.
Mitas E-10: The initial look after 60km of dirt
Yes, I know... I should wash my bike for photo's, but it looks way better dirty.
I'll carry on updating this as the mileage piles on. Just wish I had enough time to ride.
We did wash the bike a few times yesterday! Did we not?
We did, I just directly proceeded to un-wash it after every river crossing. What fun, when we going to play again? Think its time we take the bikes to the dunes again!!
Sunday the 19th sounds like an option to me, sure a few others will join us!
I am keen - also need to, sometime, organize a club outing to the dunes with the requisite chaperoning.
Look, if somebody gives me an E-10 I promise I will put it through its paces - both on tar and dirt. Daniel is a poor tester because he does not commute... 
I'll commute every day to work and back on my bike to give it a fair test Charles, all 50m of gravel.
I had a set of Mitas E-10s fitted for the Wild Coast tour last month.
The photos below are after about 3,550km - 2,700km on tar and 850km off-road.
The tar riding was mostly at 120-130km/h with the odd short burst at 140-160km/h. The offroad conditions in the Transkei varied from not too bad to absolutely atrocious – potholes, sharp rocky surfaces, loose stone and rock and also a little sand and mud.
Tyre pressures were 2.5/2.9 for the tar sections and initially 1.4/1.5 offroad. Offroad pressures were increased slightly after two days to 1.7/1.7 after the group had 3 front tyre sidewall cuts.
Pic 1: E-10
Pic 2: E-10
The Mitas tyres showed similar wear to TKC tyres that were on the same trip. The "excessive" wear on the rear is probably due to the high pressures (2.9) used on tar. According to Darren at WFO Bikes the Mitas tyres should be run at 2.3 max on tar due to the cross-belt construction.
These were my first set of knobblies so I have no frame of reference to make any comparisons. The front type initially felt a little unstable at the higher pressure used on tar. This could be because they were new and still needed to “bed down”. I did not notice any increase in road noise (I normally ride with Metzler Tourance). On the ride back from Port St John’s the tyres were very stable on tar.
I'll be putting the Mitas E-10s back on for CABC.
I certainly don't like the Mitas E10's... I can't wait to replace them.... expensive if you take into account how quickly they wear down.
They also feel terrible on tar with wear on them!
OK, I believe the Mitas E-10 tyre test has been completed. Bikes ODO is at 70376km, that gives a total distance of 1084km for the rear. Max cruising speed on tar 130km/h, with short (overtaking) bursts. I did the red route scouting for CABC on it and it damn near killed the tyre. I think a TKC 80 would have done better, but there is only one way to find out... will be taking a TKC 80 there soon.
Personal opinion and rating:
TAR DRY- Good, but not as good as a TKC 80
TAR WET - Not impressed at all, terrible grip and damn right dangerous.
GRAVEL NORMAL ROADS - Nice, comparable to the TKC 80
GRAVEL RED ROUTES - The tyre is to soft for extreme riding. Did not loose any knobblies, but had severe degradation on the leading and trailing edges of the knobbly.
MUD - Better than a heidi and comparable to a TKC 80
SAND - Again its like riding a TKC 80
LIFE - Very disappoint in the 1000 odd kilometres I got
CONS - The tyre is too soft, it never seemed to vulcanise like the TKC 80 does. Wet road holding is shocking. Rand per KM is far too high
POSITIVES - Can't think of anything its better at.
For the money(rand per KM).... go buy a TKC 80 it works out cheaper. If you don't agree with me, just be very careful in the wet!!!
My bike is at Hamman motorrad at the moment therefore I cannot take pictures of the tyre.
OK, I believe the Mitas E-10 tyre test has been completed. Bikes ODO is at 70376km, that gives a total distance of 1084km for the rear. Max cruising speed on tar 130km/h, with short (overtaking) bursts. I did the red route scouting for CABC on it and it damn near killed the tyre. I think a TKC 80 would have done better, but there is only one way to find out... will be taking a TKC 80 there soon.
Personal opinion and rating:
TAR DRY- Good, but not as good as a TKC 80
TAR WET - Not impressed at all, terrible grip and damn right dangerous.
GRAVEL NORMAL ROADS - Nice, comparable to the TKC 80
GRAVEL RED ROUTES - The tyre is to soft for extreme riding. Did not loose any knobblies, but had severe degradation on the leading and trailing edges of the knobbly.
MUD - Better than a heidi and comparable to a TKC 80
SAND - Again its like riding a TKC 80
LIFE - Very disappoint in the 1000 odd kilometres I got
CONS - The tyre is too soft, it never seemed to vulcanise like the TKC 80 does. Wet road holding is shocking. Rand per KM is far too high
POSITIVES - Can't think of anything its better at.
For the money(rand per KM).... go buy a TKC 80 it works out cheaper. If you don't agree with me, just be very careful in the wet!!!
My bike is at Hamman motorrad at the moment therefore I cannot take pictures of the tyre.
nice review Daniel :)
I certainly feel the same about the E10's... will never buy them again!
Hi Guys...Darren here from WFO bikes (mitas) I hope this is ok to make a comment on the above test? I am sorry that your experiances where no positive however I can tell you that there have been improvements made to the compound. Essentially we also found the first "batch" to be a bit soft and Mitas have upped the compound density which i believe will go a long way in resolving the down falls you experianced.
Thanks Darren, I'm looking forward to testing the new compound.
Liability
Motorsport is inherently dangerous. As per paragraph 9 of the club constitution, the club shall not be held liable for any loss, injury or death of any member or guest, howsoever arising.
The BMW Motorcycle Club Cape cannot be held responsible or liable in any way for any actions or decisions you make as a result of the information posted on this site. Although this site is enabled and used by the BMW Motorcycle Club Cape, posts are made by members, non-members, advertisers and guests and none of it is vetted by the club before posting. This is the internet and Africa - you are responsible for yourself.
