Fact Checking: Bridgestone Battlax AX41 Tire Review with Frank

[@bacbladerunner]

I had the AX41's on my 390Adv and rode both the NMBDR and lots of freeway and canyon carving, and I rate their performance a 10 out of 10 in both. However, I switched to Motoz Adventure's to get more life.

[@manybikes]

Nice!

[@doc650adventures]

Way cool to see you and Frank in this video!

[@manybikes]

Good Times! I hope to do more with @oneoldmanriding here in the near future...

[@spaztech]

Those were kilometers per hour of course. Wink wink nudge nudge say no more. 😂 Awesome response video Kyle. (Frank is a good sport) I may have to try some after the Mitas E07+ wear out on my 800gs. (Which is very slowly right now due to a broken foot) 👊🏽🍺

[@manybikes]

Totally km's ... NOT ;)

[@Mightycaptain]

I'm loving the TrailMax raid at the moment. Best tire I've ever ridden. But I've not ran the ax 41.

[@manybikes]

Yes, I am loving the Raid too!

[@georgemorissette8856]

Better than the AX 41s ?

[@friesenwayne5320]

6800 miles on my last set Rally Raid CB 500X. Took off with miles to spare. Works on all surfaces! I don’t see how you don’t buy these with Bridgestone rebate.

[@manybikes]

Dude... that mileage! Yes, the rebate is nice.

[@OneOldManRiding]

Awesome review Kyle! - Frank

[@manybikes]

Thanks for letting me poke fun ;)

[@MyADV360]

I love how our community can be okay with agreeing to disagree and have different perspectives 👏 Kudos to both of you 👍

[@manybikes]

@@MyADV360 good times!

[@ChooseBrian]

Ax-41 only front tire I’ll use. So good in all conditions. You changed my riding forever suggesting it 2 years ago

[@manybikes]

It is a fantastic tire. I wish the rear lasted longer... it'd be the GoTo "SET of tire if it did! So many run the AX41 up front and a Motoz in the rear...

[@infinityphotorob]

Man this is why looking at so many different reviews are important. Also different skill level and expectation is a HUGE factor. If all you have ever ridden is smooth street tires any knobby will feel entirely different and sketchy AF. Any wobble or drift might make someone poop their pants. If you mostly ride knobbies and you get one that performs well on pavement it is shocking. To me the Motoz rear tires are shocking. They just stick so well for what they are. I personally think knobbies are predictably sketchy on pavement. Meaning I think there is a certain drift and wobble you become used to. You do not just instantly wash out and die. But more street oriented tires offroad are unpredictably unpredictable. Meaning everything is cool until it is not and you suddenly crash.

[@gnarlydog]

Motoz grip and last great. Downside: a bit slippery on wet pavement (and the Adventure one howls like a pack of wolfs)

[@manybikes]

You think the ADV sings... the Desert HT is like an airplane is flying next to your helmet!!!

[@markcollins5026]

Man. nice I had a AX-41 on the front of my KLR scared the crap out of me took it off !

[@manybikes]

That's crazy!

[@centralcoastcruiser2084]

On the KLR you can run pressures at 19-22 front and 30-32 rear. I've never experienced wobble.

[@awp1958]

Ive got AX41s on a BMW F650GS (800 twin). Not concerned about mileage that much as this bike doesnt get as much use as it should, I just wanted a bike with reasonable dirt capability(we have 5 other bikes for road/touring work). I live near lots of twisty roads and the Mt Panorama racetrack. I ride the bike at any speed with absolute confidence, you'd hardly know it had knobs on it other than some noise at lower speeds.

[@manybikes]

Great feedback! Thanks for watching.

[@adrianm.1910]

I'm with Kyle. I have two sets of AX41s on two bikes, a G 310 GS and an F 850 GSA. I replaced the TKC 70s and Karoo 4s, which I also liked, and they're great. I'm surprised how smooth they ride for their grip on gravel and dirt.

[@manybikes]

Super smooth for sure, for a knobby. The new Dunlop TrailMax Raid will give the AX41 a run for their money though. I am really liking them...

[@adrianm.1910]

@@manybikes Good to know; I'm looking forward to giving them a try for sure. Thanks, and ride safe!

[@swegotech8466]

That's what I still have on my Africa Twin right now. Don't know why the guy said they are not good on pavement. The AX41 is the best knobby tire I ever rode on pavement. So I 100% agree with Kyle on that. However, I would sacrifice a bit road performance to get more grip in deep sand. Offroad the AX41 isn't bad, but it is not the best of the adventure bike tires for this task. But for what most people use an adventure bike for, I think Bridgestone produced a winner here.

[@manybikes]

100% I feel the same way! Thanks for watching.

[@areess6209]

I'm shopping for tires for my AT now. Been looking hard at the tusk 2 track tires.

[@centralcoastcruiser2084]

I am on my 2nd rear and 1st front AX41's on my 2022KLR. My 1st set or rears lasted really 2,500 mi but I put 3,000 on them. I figure the fronts will go over 5,000 but will replace them both at the same time so you can really figure on cutting cost by not having to replace that front but every other time. They work really good off road and on road in twisties and on freeways. Very solid no weirdness. Highly recommend the AX41.

[@manybikes]

Thanks for your feedback!

[@Pebbzor]

Wow, that poor mileage?

[@savagex367]

I agree best 50/50 tyre out there . My bike BMW 1250 GS adventure rallye

[@manybikes]

It is fantastic... on All of the Bikes I have run it on ... the R1200GS was the first bike, when the tire was "announced" and released 4 years ago... Check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH6kkGt4i5yebK8

[@laurieberg2880]

I’m running Ax-41’s on my Tiger 800 XCa & my mighty XT 2 fitty. Haven’t checked for sizes for my R1200RT 😁

[@manybikes]

Great tires for sure!

[@TheBeardedGrump]

Good video Kyle. It's still Motoz or Nothing!! 😁

[@manybikes]

Probably because you have not run the AX41... But you'd tear through them in 2500 to 3k miles...

[@TheBeardedGrump]

@@manybikes yeah I couldn't afford to run them. My bike and my riding style would absolutely shred them quick.

[@spaztech]

Still misspelling “Mitas” I see Greg. 😂

[@TheBeardedGrump]

@@spaztech 🤣😂

[@deacon51]

KTM 1290 SAR and I love this tire. Like all good off-road ADV tires, they just wear out too quickly.

[@manybikes]

Yeah right?!

[@brucegerken1063]

Well Kyle AX41 is the best tires I have had on my klr650 will buy again.

[@manybikes]

Great feedback!

[@alperenalparslan4445]

Hi mate, Great Review as always. What about a Rallz rear paired with an AX41 front? I want the best on gravel roads without compromising highway speeds, as distances are long in down under. I’m on an AT and just started to take my bike to off tarmac, I want the best traction possible as it is a heavy bike for my skill level at the moment, but I’ll be working on it 👍

[@manybikes]

That's a super popular combo! AX41 and RallZ

[@mosa4688]

I don't know what some of you guys do with your mileage - but I got about 4000 KILOMETERS on my wife CB500X on mix of tar, rock, sand and hard pack outback roads and the rear were toast, front is still ok with 7000. Great great great tyre but my 790 would eat them alive, so I haven't even considered them. I call BS on a claim in the comments here of "6800 miles on my last set Rally Raid CB 500X. Took off with miles to spare." I am not sure if you guys are riding these bikes or pushing them.

[@gnarlydog]

same here: the AX41 wore real fast 😮Maybe there are different places of manufacture/compound?

[@manybikes]

Thanks for sharing! Yeah... on the 390 Adv the 5K mark on the rear was surprising after having toasted it on my 390 Duke in less than 3k miles... and my 1190 Adv R eats them in closer to1500 miles. Not a good choice on that bike...

[@gnarlydog]

and yet, my experience with the AX41 (front) was not great: wore too fast and unevenly so at half-life it developed a vertical wobble. Did not replace with the same 😕

[@manybikes]

I have run 11 sets on 9 different bikes and have never experienced what you have. The 1190 “ate them” in 1800 miles and I had a 17” front west really quickly. The rest had average wear about 3k miles. The 390 Adv is the only one with extended font tire life.

[@rl_31123]

Can I put the AX41's on my Triumph Speed twin 1200 that I use for 100% road only? I love the looks and only reason I want Knobbys lol, I don't go over 100mph much and kind of lean here and there, average cruise speeds 50-75mph on road here in Vegas canyons

[@manybikes]

Do it!!!

[@AaronShifflettDesign]

I think the truth is between these two people. I've been using it on my F750GS for the past year. I've seen people say they'd take this tire to a race track. I doubt anyone who wasn't trying to prove a point would do that. It feels like a knobby but it has a surprising amount of grip. Others have said it's so bad that you can't go faster than 65mph. Not true. Some say it's terrible offroad. I think the average ADV rider's skill will be a problem sooner than this tire.

[@manybikes]

Totally agree with you.

[@brunRoyal]

Hey Kyle, on a scale of 1 to melted butter, how do the AX41's compare to Anakee Wilds, on a CRF1100 with a rather heavy wrist?

[@manybikes]

The AX41 will be a better choice due to tire profile than the Wilds. The AX41 is the best all around tire. The Wilds are more aggressive but they dont last as long.

[@johnnyreyes470]

Hi, What do you recommend for a 1250 GSA. AX 41 ,Anakee wild or Dunlop Trailmax. Want the best offroad tire.

[@manybikes]

AX41 All Day Long.

[@OneOldManRiding]

AX-41 or nothing! - Frank

[@manybikes]

Ha! Ha! The bearded grump will disagree…

[@OneOldManRiding]

​@@manybikesHe can be converted! Get Greg an AX41! - Frank

[@manybikes]

@@OneOldManRiding Ha! Ha! Ha!

[@ParallelCamper]

Lots of subjective information available on motorcycle tires.

[@manybikes]

@@ParallelCamper yes, that is correct. Even on the exact same trails on the same tires the “way they handle” varies bike to bike. The “control” is tough.

[@john0270]

my new 2024 800de, ax41 front with a raid rear, or just a set of raids? review from england said the ax41 were trash on cold pavement(5c) compared to others.

[@manybikes]

Thanks for your inquiry. I'd recommend giving the Raid's a shot. As for the AX41 in cold weather, I've ridden them in wet snowy conditions with zero issues.

[@fish0n2]

Nice video, what exhaust do you have on that bike

[@manybikes]

Aero... Thanks for watching!

[@crazycooter1510]

Can cruise on k60 Rangers at 110 all day, but they are shot at 2k miles.

[@manybikes]

100%!!!

[@steveh545]

I guess any tire that’s round will go 95mph. Bike didn’t look that stable in the straight. Is that the tire? The bike? Wind?

[@tahoehiker]

Knobbies on rain grooves

[@OneOldManRiding]

So someone else noticed the shake. 🤔 😁 - Frank

[@dbmiller5881]

that high speed head shake was scary shtt

[@ParallelCamper]

@@OneOldManRiding You do need to consider that Kyle was running on groovy California freeway.

[@machupikachu1085]

@@ParallelCamper ...but... it said 'Mexico' LOL

[@ParallelCamper]

Great! Now who do I believe? Can you both be right?

[@gnarlydog]

correct: who is right? I am the one that wore them fast, while others claim great mileage

[@ParallelCamper]

@@gnarlydog I guess I'll just take the average of the many opinions and base my decision on that.

[@manybikes]

11 sets on 9 different bikes and they all wore quickly except for the 390 Adv.

[@maxhenshaw658]

🤷‍♂️ had 125 out of mine

[@manybikes]

125 mph out of a 390?!