Maxxis Maxxcross Desert-IT M7304D Front Tire

Excellent

I tried a lot of different tire combos while setting up my rally bike for Sonora 2020. These maxxis desert were excellent but I can't say they were my favorite. I ended up racing with a different tire which was DOT approved and more durable. However, I have to admit, these were more grippy. The downside is you compromise durability. These handle our Arizona desert, washes, rocks, and sand very well. I felt very confident with these driving through turns or braking hard and loading the front tire. Only downside is that I was chunking off knobs with about 200 hundred miles at rally race pace. I wanted a front tire that lasted 4 or 5 hundred miles. If I had the means to do tire changes more frequently, I'd have definitely raced with these maxxis desert tires because they were unbeatable when they were fresh. A lot of desert race competitors ran these and were successful.

I bought this tire for Southern California Mountain Terrain which has hardpack and rocky trails mixed with wet sandy and loamy sections as well. What I like best is that it does well in all of the conditions mentioned. I'm riding a Husqvarna TE310 with Excell Rims and run low tire pressure via the TU Bliss system at 6 psi. The strong sidewall of the Maxis combined with the TU Bliss makes an incredible combo in traction and rim protection. Not only will your bike corner better but it also soaks up square edge bumps and rocks so well you'd think a factory technician just dialed in your suspension. Wear is good so far with 80 miles on it. It was a little harder to mount than the GEOMAX M-51 and I rate it 2 stars better than the the M-51 and from that I can tell from the limited time in sand it should do very well in desert sand and hardpack conditions so I don't plan on changing tires for desert rides. Minus 1 star for it's price but it does perform as well or better than more expensive competitors tires.

I've run the Maxxis IS or IT for roughly 20 years now . I usually flip the back tire after a number of rides because I like sharp rubber...they are not directional . The only thing I change is tubes . If I'm in the desert I run Ultra heavy Duty tubes , for Motocross and GPs ...standard tubes . I lose a little sensitivity with the UHD ...but the tire is still predictable . Also , they've changed very little in 20 years ...so I'm familiar with how they respond . Others swear by this or that ..I'll stay with Maxxis . I feel like , while not cheap , I'm getting my moneys worth out of them .