MXA TEAM TESTED: PIVOTRAX AP102 REAR TIRE

WHAT IS IT? The Pivotrax soft-to-intermediate AP102 rear tire is a do-it-all tire. It was designed around a flexible and durable tire carcass for terrain adaptation, meaning it was made to go from the track to the trail. If you are a guy who races motocross one weekend and then trail rides with your buddies the next, this tire is right up your alley. 

WHAT’S IT COST? $89.10. 

CONTACT? www.pivotrax.com or [email protected]. 

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the Pivotrax AP102 rear tire. 

(1) Origin. Pivotrax’s parent company is Apexway Products Corp. This company has been working with rubber to produce tires for over 40 years. They wanted to branch out into motocross tires, as they employ passionate people who love the sport. Pivotrax tires were born out of enthusiasm for motocross.
 

(2) Performance. We get nervous when testing a tire from a brand we haven’t heard of before, but we will give any tire company a shot at stardom. Every MXA test rider was shocked by how well the AP102 110/90/19 rear tire performed. The AP102 is a true do-it-all tire. It holds its own at the motocross track by providing a big footprint for premium traction. How good is it? Just as good or better than most tirse on the market. This tire stands out from other tires in the latter part of the day when the track is baked from the sun. The AP102 grips the slick hard-packed dirt like glue. Test riders also felt the lightness of the tire, as it comes in close to a 1/2-pound lighter than the popular Dunlop MX33. It delivered an agile feel, thanks to reduced unsprung weight. A lighter tire also helps if you run heavy mousse inserts for off-road racing. The only terrain that the AP102 wasn’t good on was wet, hard-packed dirt where it would lose its bite and start to pack up mud, making the rear end come around as much as an MX52 would. 

(3) Durability. With the AP102 being such a light tire made from a soft rubber compound, we thought we would go through AP102s like tear-offs after a bad start. We were wrong. The AP102 lasted longer than the most popular competition tires. The wide contact patch is great for traction and durability, but the width did affect lean angle into corners. It is hard to feel, but the higher center knobs of a Dunlop MX33 allow you to get into corners easier. The Dunlop’s pattern is more moto-specific, and the AP102 is more of an all-around tire.

(4) Installation. Each AP102 comes in its own box with bead spacers in the tires to help it keep its shape until you’re ready to mount it. When a tire comes with the bead and carcass opened up, it makes it easy to insert the tube in the tire; however, this made it harder to mount the tire on the wheel, as we needed to use an extra tire iron to get our handy dandy Motion Pro Bead Buddy clipped in.   

(5) Psi. The tire is sensitive to the air you run in it due to the softer carcass. We tested 11 psi to 14.5 psi and ended up between 13 and 14 psi on demanding terrain. In the desert, we were able to run our lowest pressure at 13 psi. When the track started loamy in the morning, 13.5 psi worked the best. Faster test riders who rode tracks with big jumps bumped up the pressure to 14 psi, as the tire would start to flex on abrupt jump faces. 

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? We had two quibbles. (1) Installing the tire was harder than usual. (2) We had to change tire pressure at different tracks due to the soft carcass. 

MXA RATING: The AP102 rear tire is a steal for the price. It is a tire that performs well in just about every condition without sacrificing durability.