In this article, we talk about the IRC VE33s Gekkota Gummy tire.
All right, guys, today we’re gonna be talking tires I could ask quite a bit about what are some of the best modifications you can do to your dirtbike in order to increase the performance. The truth is I usually tell people new tires, good tires, and gas are typically the best things you can do to get the best performance out of your dirtbike for the money.
We all know with a dirtbike, you don’t have a super large contact patch to the ground when it comes to dirtbike tires, so your grip is limited. This is why you see tires with such aggressive knobby patterns, as you need to get as much group as possible with that small rubber contact patch.
If you’re like me, where you don’t have a ton of dirt biking talent, you want parts or tires that make you look better and keep you out riding and having more fun.
Table of Contents
What is a dirt bike gummy hybrid tire?
For years the trials bikes had gummy tires, and basically gummy tires are tires that have soft grippy, sticky rubber.
Click here if you want more information on gummy tires. We have an entire article about them.
A lot of the super hard Enduro guys and even some of the dirt bike trail riders would use a trails tire to get the ultimate grip, but the downside with most trials tires is they have not only a soft navy but also have soft sidewalls and while that works for slow speeds and just get a grip on rocks and train that you would ride a trails bike in add a much heavier motocross type hard Enduro full-size dirtbike with lots and lots more power you tend to destroy trials tires.
A few years ago, someone got the brilliant idea of combining a trial tire with a standard Motorcross Knobby-like tire I’m not entirely sure who jumped at this first, but it doesn’t matter.
This gave us a gummy hybrid tire with a stiffer sidewall and a knobby light pattern that you’re used to for your off-road racing bike or motocross bike and a rubber compound that is more sticky and flexible for the Kobbies.
Who are IRC tires?
If you’re like me you probably didn’t know about IRC tires until a few years ago when they kind of merged onto the off-road dirtbike tires.
I see it tire actually has been around since 1926 and that’s when it was founded in the country Japan typically they started out making bicycle tires and then moved to motorcycle tires fast forward today and they have a pretty heavy investment in the off-road dirt biking and in hard Enduro space plus they still are really big and the bicycle and mountain bike area.
Who is the IRC VE 33s Gekkota tire for?
The IRC VE33s is for offroad riding and hard enduro applications.
IRC Tire does not recommend it for motocross. IRC has other motocross tires that you can get instead.
- Offroad Racing
- Trail Riding
- Hard Enduro
- Enduro Cross
- Single Track riders
The IRC VE33s Gekkota in my opinion is one of the most versatile off-road tires I have ridden on.
I probably have over 150 hours of seat time on different bikes that had the IRC VE33s mounted on the rear. The IRC VE33s in my experience perform well just about anywhere with any conditions.
The other thing the IRC VE33s does well is it last longer than other gummy hybrid tires. This is really nice as nobody but Jay Clark likes to change tires every other ride.
Personally, it’s my go-to tire for an all-around tire for all the different soil and terrain we have out here in the west.
The IRC VE33s Gekkota Gummy Tire performs well in these conditions:
- Dirt
- Rocks
- Solid Rock
- Mud
- Sand
- Gravel
- roots
- Deep dirt
- Moon Dust
IRC VE 33S Pros:
I was surprised how well it hooked up, even though it was not as soft as other gummy tires. The deep knobbies really bit into all sorts of terrain, giving you the grip when you need it. It also works well at high speeds.
It did well when riding the sand dunes, desert whoops, and loose rocks.
It’s a do it all good type of tire that has a decent wear life
IRC VE33s Cons:
It’s not as grippy or gummy as, let’s say the Dunlop AT81EX or IRC JX8 tires. I would actually say that it’s on the stiffer side of the gummy tires.
If you are looking for a tire that lasts forever, then gummy tires are not for you. However, I have had friends that have gotten 30 hours out of an IRC VE33s which is crazy good.
Remember if all you care about is how long it lasts you are going to get a tire that sacrifices grip.
Another downside is the VE33s only come in one size – 110/100×18
I will continue to update this article as I learn more about the IRC VE33s and get more seat time!
Below is a video of my on the trail thoughts of the IRC VE33s Gummy Tire!
Conclusion:
If I could only have 1 tire out of all the different tires I have tried thus far it would be the IRC VE33S Gekkota gummy hybrid dirt bike tire. I feel like I can confidently put it on any of our bikes and it will perform well in any conditions. That’s a bold statement I know but it really is a solid tire.
Before you go….comment below what your favorite tire is and why!
See you guys out on the trails!
