Tested Dirt Bike Products - Bridgestone M202/M201 Sand/Mud Tires - Experts on Dirtbikes at Dirt Rider Magazine

Bridgestone has been very active in upgrading its tire lineup, and it isn't hesitant to try new designs or kill old ones. The company's soft-terrain/mud combo for motocross had been the M70 rear with the M59 front. For off-road, though, the much-older M40 rear filled the soft-terrain niche for 18-inch rear tires. The M40 was awesome in a straight line but unforgiving on intermediate surfaces and would chunk knobs. The M70 was a much-better all-rounder but wasn't as aggressive as the M40. Now Bridgestone has cooked up a new M202/M201 combo that combines the best traits of both the M40 and the M70, and the company has the confidence to offer the 202 in 18- and 19-inch sizes as well as all minicycle sizes.The tire looks a lot like a mixture of the M40 center tread with more wide-range M70 side tread, and of course, the casing and tread compound is strictly contemporary. The resulting tire is an excellent sand and mud meat that has good crossover to intermediate terrain. Naturally, on harder terrain the tire wears much more quickly. We tested it at the track and were impressed with the fine overall manners. There aren't many true soft-terrain tracks in SoCal, so we tried the intermediate soil at LACR and Glen Helen Raceway. The tire worked so well we started to think of the M202 as more of an aggressive intermediate-terrain skin. Then we headed out to the high desert for soft and sandy trails with some deep sand climbs thrown in. We were shocked at the tire's ability to climb hills. We never expected a tire with intermediate manners like the M202 to really dig down and drive in the sand, but it did. In our opinion the M202 falls neatly between competing Dunlop products. The crossover to intermediate terrain is better than the D773 yet more aggressive than the D756. As a result, we rate this tire highly for its soft-terrain aplomb as well as its lack of discrimination against other surface conditions.Bridgestone's M59 was ready for replacement in our books. It was a good soft-terrain sneaker, but it felt a bit narrow and prone to tucking under in ruts and small berms. The M201 is a good replacement, and a tire we much prefer to the M59. It felt more neutral and better able to cope with firmer dirt. Many tracks and trails that have mud or sand also have harder, more-slippery sections; thus the ability to cope with brief sections of firmer terra firma is a strong point. We see this tire as having a less-distinct personality than the M202 rear, and we would waiver between choosing it or Bridgestone's M401, which is another strong intermediate tire that works well in soft conditions. If we knew there would likely be mostly sand or mud, though, we'd lean toward the M201.These tires mount easily, are fairly light, wear well and don't seem prone to flats. They definitely deserve a hard look for soft-terrain riding. Mini tires run from $31 to $50 depending on the size; big-bike fronts are $86.18, and rears range from $80.80 to $110.63.DR Tested: M202-9.5, M201-8.5Bridgestone: See your local dealer; www.bridgestone-firestone.com