Forever in search of the perfect combination of longevity, off-road grip and confident on-road cornering, I was pleased to see Mitas tires finally hit the shores of North America. Mitas tires was established in 1933 in the Czech Republic, and the E-07 tires are made with the same “function-first” approach as tires from other former eastern bloc countries, such as the popular Heidenau K60s and the Mefo tires.

No single tire is perfect for every situation. There are too many factors to consider, including off-road grip and on-road longevity. However, the E-07 is the closest thing I’ve found to a true 50/50 tire for adventure riders.

The appearance of the Mitas E-07 is decidedly narrow and aggressive, something to consider if you’re into the aesthetics of a fat tire—but don’t be fooled, these tires are real performers. On-road handling is noticeably lighter and more responsive than the stock Pirelli Scorpions that came on my Triumph Tiger 800XC test mule. In the dirt, the narrow tires cut through soft surfaces to grab hold, and give an excellent overall grip. This narrow-tire approach rules in most situations off road and is consistent with the advantages sought in dedicated dirt bike tires—a solid win in both traction and maneuverability. Stiff side walls also offer significant protection to the rim and help prevent pinch flats in the case of a hard edge impact.

For the off-road endurance testing I headed to the high ridges and trails of the Cascade mountain range. With approximately 1,500 dirt miles of trails and gravel roads I never wanted for a different tire. These tires far outperform more street-oriented adventure tires but fall behind the big bike knobby tires only by the tiniest margin, if at all. It’s worth noting that I encountered only minor mud during my testing, but in gravel and rocky conditions the Mitas is one of the best tires I’ve used. As the weather has moved to the wet season the limitation of the close block tread pattern is more noticeable, but performance is still good overall with only full-knobby tires moving ahead.

To find the traction limits on the pavement, I took the E-07s onto the racetrack. Although this may not be where you plan on taking your ADV bike you certainly can’t fault me for seizing the opportunity to push the limits. In short, I had no trouble putting a knee down while chasing down unassuming sport bikes. Certainly there are better choices for pure pavement performance, but the E-07s never let me down and gave plenty of warning when they started to squirm and scratch for grip as the pace heated up. In the wet, performance is on par with the competition, which is perfectly acceptable for me since I don’t get crazy in the rain anyway.

As for longevity and mileage, these tires match the street-focused competition such as the Metzeler Tourance and Kenda 761s, and double the mileage of the typical big bike knobby. With the price landing on the economy side of the curve these tires are a huge win, two thumbs up, and they may have just become my default tire of choice. MSRP: $77.95—$193.95 TwistedThrottle.com

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