I hear that the next Dirtwheels is having a shootout between the 28" Vamps and Outlaws and the 27" Tri/Bi Claws. I'm interested to see how the smaller Claws stand up to the favorites. I see the Outlaws coming out on top here, but I'd like to see how close the Claws are in comparison to these big suckers. It should be a good shootout, and we will probably see a few posts and arguements here after it is over.

 

The problem is that Highlifter basicaly runs the shootout. In the past, this was no problem, they sold all the tires that were tested and gave fairly accurate comparisons that were very similar to what we all saw in the real world. Now with Highlifter having their own tire in there, it will be tough to believe 100% if they say the new Outlaw is the baddest in the mud.

It also depends what mud you are in. I ride the same stuff Highlifter does when I go mudding, and they are usually there, so I am sure the Outlaw would work great. However, what about the guy up north "different" mud?

Food for thought.

 

HOLD ON THERE.

High Lifter actually did do the testing them selfs this time. They had owners of Honda 450's with lift kits and power kits test them. They were present for the test of course, but they didn't tell the editor of Dirt wheels(Dennis) anything about what they thought.

Here's what I heard. After almost everyone had left and it was only a few people at the camp site(Scott and Dennis included). Dennis and Scott where talking and Dennis thought that High Lifter had paid off all the riders cause EVERY rider had put the Outlaws in first. So Dennis decided to take an Outlawed 450 in the back for a test OF HIS OWN, with noone else around. He came back about 45 minites lata and said the tires were awsome but still wanted to test the others him self also. He suposiblely took another 450 out that had 27x12x12 claws all around and came back with in 15 min cause the claws had trouble passing where the Outlaws walked threw.

Now this is something That I heard from a 3rd party who is gonna be biased(Dan From High LIfter). But I know someone who went to the Mud tire shoot out that is just and everyday rider like the rest of us(Txdoc). Txdoc is VERY trust worthy and I believe what he says. He said he found that the Outlaws came in first, with the Tri_claws a distant 2nd and the Vamps VERY close behind the Claws.

I told High Lifter and they said the Vamps were( in almost everyone's oppinion but doc's) better than the Tri_Claws.

 

Dan told me about the same thing. He said the Outlaws did the best, but he also admitted over the phone that the guy riding the 450 with the outlaws was the best mud rider they had. Granted that, the Outlaws still did better than anything else. In my mind, I'm seeing Outlaws 1st, Vamps 2nd, and Claws 3rd, but I'd still like to see what Dirtwheels think. The 28" will also give the ground clearance advantage which is key in mud, but you never know. This will be a neat shootout.

 

I'm glad you posted this topic. Could you please keep us (me) informed. I don't have access, or can't get the magazines out here for some reason, nobody has them.

Also, obviously the Outlaws are going to be awesome in the mud, but how do you think they would do in normal trail conditions, compared to the Mud Buggs? They're made out of the same type of rubber, and very light. Only a couple pounds difference between the 27x10x12 Bugg vs. 28x10x12 Outlaw. I don't need a specific mud tire, but if it did OK in the trails and hills compared to the mud bugg, I could get the 28" instead of the 27" for a few bucks more.

Man, Boner you're lucky to be able to be there for stuff like that. Wouldn't that be an awesome job to do the testing and research (riding) for things like this! Sounds like it was pretty cool to watch too.

 

Actually I was invited but I didn't get a chance to make it. It was alittle to far of a trip for me.

The Outlaws are probaly the worst riding tires on the market, worst than the vamps for sure. So for you, I think you better stick with Mud Bugs.

 

Just two add two things. 1. All three tires passed thru the same mud. What I mean is they all accomplished the goal-getting thru the mud. It just appeared to me that the Outlawed bike did not have to work as hard to do it. 2. When I said the Claws seemed to do better than the Vamps, you have to understand that was my subjective impression. That was not decided by taking a stopwatch and seeing how long each tire took to go a certain distance.
They did switch riders, so the same rider did not have the same tire/bike for the whole test. You cannot say one tire cannot do what the others did. If I had a Vamp or TriClaw, I would not rush out and sell my tires and take a loss just buy the Outlaw. But, if I was in the market for new set of tires, I would definitely take a look at the Outlaw. The weight issue is enough of a factor to consider it. I cannot remember the exact number, but by wrapping the tread around the sidewall of the tire they claim it is giving you either 30 or 40% more tread surface area. That might be a consideration also.