Michelin Bib Mousse FAQs

A: The mousse has grown in circumference by approximately 30mm. This is due to the internal carcass of the new Michelin medium 140 /80/18 FIM Enduro tyre being much larger than its’ predecessors Comp 3 and Comp 6 (now discontinued). They have also made some changes to the ingredients used to create the Bib Mousse which give longer life and reduce the break in time considerably. The same applies to the M18 Mousse, and the ingredients change will eventually benefit the rest of the range too.

A: Yes, we have carried out extensive winter testing with several top BEC riders on a mixture of 125/150/ 250f/350f/3002t machines at South Wales at a Forest location with streams, rocks, and a grass type test all the riders remarked on how well it performed from new and would be confident to go straight into a special test on a new Mousse & tyre combo.

A: Dealers still had stock of the old comp 3/comp 6 tyres and the new M14 Mousse is too large for these, the new Enduro medium 140/80/18 tyre launched at ISDE in France, late 2017 and was an instant winner and now a firm favourite with both leisure and pro racers, due to its revolutionary added Silica technology (see info here) so now is the time to make the switch to larger size.

A: You can take any car / truck / bike tyre of the same size from any manufacturer and they will all vary in size dramatically, dirt bike tyres especially. Michelin have SPECIFICALLY designed this mousse to give a perfect fit in a Michelin Medium 140/80/18 and refuse to effect its performance by compromising its design to fit other brands of tyre; the sticker on the box reminds the user of this.

A: Yes! The Michelin Bib Mousse products have been designed to fit perfectly with Michelin tyres. We would not recommend using Michelin Bib Mousse with any other tyre brands.

A: It then becomes very confusing effectively making a Michelin product for use in non Michelin 140 tyres; also the risk of a customer having a mousse failure in a non Michelin tyre due to sizing issues is a very real problem and could cast a degree of negativity over the product with only half a story being reported on social media for example that it was incompatible. This new tyre and Mousse combination is that good that we feel customers will choose this pairing for the gains in performance.The fact that many riders have found that the M14 Bib Mousse works extremely well in other brands of tyre is a happy coincidence, as Michelin have never recommended fitting them to anything other than what they were designed for – Michelin tyres. Michelin are very proud of their quality and reputation and they don’t want to taint that by a having a customer experience a mousse failure in a non Michelin tyre due the ‘wrong’ M14 being fitted, and blamed, for example.

A: As we say on our website; as long as it’s not too old and hasn’t shrunk, you should be fine. Obviously, the new tyre is larger internally so will have a very soft feel with the older type mousse.

A: Simple answer is NO. Michelin designed the product over 30 years ago for factory team riders only, over the years it’s been available to the general public, across the world riders are competing in Enduro events and trail riding on the public highway with mousse, to the best of our knowledge we have never known of an issue or prosecution. If your dirt bike is 100% road legal with indicators/mirrors/reflector’s and you intend on doing lots of road work then Mousse is probably not for you!

A: The M18 Bib Mousse to suit the 120 section rear Enduro Medium has also changed and is again slightly larger, as is the M199 19” Bib Mousse, you will notice improved packaging for all.

A: Normally a 140 Mousse wont fit a 120 tyre , but the internal size of the Star cross 120/90/18 is larger so yes we have tried it it’s a tight fit but works well, We don’t recommend the M18 for the 120/90-18 – it’s very soft. We do for the 110/100-18 though.

A: Yes! Their tyres and mousse comes straight from our daily stock, same as yours. Feel free to closely examine any tyre or Bib Mousse they use at events and don’t be afraid to ask them for tyre advice.

A: Yes of course! We stock genuine Michelin heavy duty inner tubes, or ultra heavy duty (UHD) 4mm thick tubes as an alternative to Bib Mousse.

A: Good question. The Michelin Starcross 5 MX tyre, available in 18″ rear, is a great Cross Country Hare and Hounds tyre. The soft option is fantastic on rocks and extreme type. For traditional Forestry type going, ie roots, rocks, grass or mud, we always suggest Enduro Medium; with it’s lower tread blocks you can’t go wrong. The Starcross 5 Medium is better suited to enduro and H&H conditions, the Soft when run at low pressures and with mixed conditions can wear fast and lose knobbles – it does have to be really sloppy going to beat the Enduro Medium.

A: 20 years ago when Bib Mousse was first introduced, rim locks were sharp cast metal with bonded on rubber and these cut the Mousse and caused problems , so long as you use modern Solid Plastic KTM / Husky OE type rim lock here, or the superior lighter nylon Motion Pro type here, you will be fine, in fact when using Rabaconda we find using a Rim lock makes fitting a Bib Mousse easier on the initial hook over on first Bead, see video here at 2.40.

A: Over the years we have heard stories of customers using virtually every substance as mousse lube. The genuine lube gel is to prevent friction build up which greatly reduces the life of your mousse. Regular re-lubing will extend the life of your Bib Mousse for ease of application, one 50 gram tube of genuine gel is required per Bib Mousse and they come in a box of 12 that will easily last a racing season.

A: That’s a very difficult question to answer and is dependant on so many factors. Friction is the worst enemy along with sustained high-speed road use, obviously, a big Rally bike fully laden with fuel/Nav Tower in a hot country is going to be more demanding on a Bib Mousse than a green laner on a small 250f in a cold British winter. Surprisingly a Expert level Enduro racer who wears a rear tyre out at every event, and then removes the Bib Mousse out to re-lube and re fit into new tyre can actually get more life from the Mousse as its always in a lubed state and doesn’t dry out. Once a rider uses a Mousse and the guarantee of NEVER getting a puncture they NEVER go back to air! With a Rabaconda tyre changer (purchase here) Bib Mousse fitment takes minutes and forms part of your usual mid-week bike prep.