[Red Liner]

I am looking for tyre replacements for the versys 650. Dual purpose tubeless tyres/knobbies. Front is 120/70-R17 and rear is 160/60-R17. What are my options and costs?

[praful]

Has anyone seen the RE Himalayan rear tyre available in stores ?

Its the CEAT Gripp XL 120/90-17. I tried reaching out to the customer care for CEAT and they are quite clueless about this, even the distributors in Bangalore haven't heard of this tyre yet.

I know its a tad too early, but its been a few months now that the Himalayan has been released. The tyre should be available in stores, unless it is going to be exclusively sold as RE spares ?

[VW2010]

120/70-R17 and rear is 160/60-R17

Not sure if you can source but i would give the following a comparison before finalizing

- Battalax BT023
- Pilot Road 2 or 4
- Pirelli Scorpion Trail II. Hearing some good reviews from users in the US
- Metz M5's

A mix match may work as the Pirelli Scorpion front tyres get great reviews while Metz M5's or Battalax do really well on the rear.

I am also taking wet conditions into this comparison. None of them may be great off roading tyres but they usually are good to support mild offroading.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Not sure if you can source but i would give the following a comparison before finalizing

- Battalax BT023
- Pilot Road 2 or 4
- Pirelli Scorpion Trail II. Hearing some good reviews from users in the US
- Metz M5's

A mix match may work as the Pirelli Scorpion front tyres get great reviews while Metz M5's or Battalax do really well on the rear.

I am also taking wet conditions into this comparison. None of them may be great off roading tyres but they usually are good to support mild offroading.

Thanks VW. am also looking at the heidenau K60 scout. Been seeing some superb long touring reviews of these tyres everywhere.

Absolutely almost nothing catering to these sizes available in India. Very terrible of kawasaki to leave customers in the lurch like this.

And though you will never agree, I think you should ditch the plan to get an rc or duke and buy the versys. You will LOVE it. Cost notwithstanding.

[VW2010]

And though you will never agree, I think you should ditch the plan to get an rc or duke and buy the versys. You will LOVE it. Cost notwithstanding.

I have dropped my plans for a bike for a year now . Taking a break from work for a year and i really dont want to spend on a bike with no income for a year. I guess by Aug 2017 i will have more options including the new DUKE . Call me the duke evangelist for I still cant see any bike that provides so much value for what you pay and as i discussed in other thread the used ones are even more light on pocket yet providing you a rocket to ride around.

The one bike i would love to have is the R6 but the cost of landing in my home will make even the Versys 1000 look like a steal. In chennai they dont have a test ride. I will be in bangalore from August so i am going to give the versys a test ride.

[quote]Absolutely almost nothing catering to these sizes available in India. Very terrible of kawasaki to leave customers in the lurch like this.[/QUOTE

Saw a similar feedback for Himalayan. I guess there is a good business opportunity in the tyre segment. I am still surprised that bridgestone has not got their battalax into India yet. Those are stunning performers. In Dry they are as good as any premium sports tyre and they last close to 13-14K kms easilly.

heidenau K60 scout

Interesting suggestion. I have not read about these probably because i never had an offroader . Looks interesting. My worry is if we hardly off road wont this be an overkill for standard touring?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Interesting suggestion. I have not read about these probably because i never had an offroader . Looks interesting. My worry is if we hardly off road wont this be an overkill for standard touring?

Congratulations on your sabbatical! I am sure you will have a good time. Actually this is the best time to get a used duke and go touring since you are without a job anyway. Can get rid of it next year when you go back to work and something better comes along.

The heidenau is a very hard compound dual purpose ride. So it means two things. The knobbies work reasonably well in the slush, but since it's a hard compound it will just not match the gold standard which are the tkc or the MT 60. But it will work well enough to get you out of situations that you normally will encounter (say a leh, or a North East ride, or even coorg) as opposed to going out looking for mud plugging over the weekend which these tyres are not designed for.

That said, the tkc and Mt 60 both last about 6k kms since they are very soft compound knobbies. The heidenau has seen over 30k when used purely as a street tyre, and about 15-20k when used to go to Alaska and back. All real world reviews with pictures to boot.

Even though marketed as a 50/50, in reality it's a 70/30...30% off road and 70% shit roads... Which is most of India anyway

Yes, they make a terrible noise on the freeway, but nothing that ear plugs can't cure.

[anilupadhya]

Originally Posted by praful

Has anyone seen the RE Himalayan rear tyre available in stores ?

I've been hunting for it as well.

Posted a query on their Facebook page sometime mid May. Got a call the next day. They said it's available in the market and provided the distributor's (cherry agencies) number.

Cherry had no clue. Went to their CEAT shoppe outlet at kasturba road. Showed them the picture of the tyre with specs mentioned. They said they will call back.

Still haven't heard back from them.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

The heidenau .........

If you are looking to import, do also look at the Avon Distanzias. The perennial Supermoto fav. You will find more than a few user reviews praising these through the roof & you will struggle to hear a bad word about them

If I understand the kind of use you have in mind, only the Scorpion trail comes close (from the above suggested list). Don't even bother looking at the rest. But you miss out all the fun when you want to ride those twisties fast n hard. These tires will never inspire that level of confidence

However, if hard and long lasting rubber takes top place, then do look at the Kenda big block as well.

And NEVER mix dual sport and street tires please. Your bike and body will thank you

[praful]

Originally Posted by anilupadhya

I've been hunting for it as well.

Been following up with CEAT customer care almost twice a week and checking with the Cherry folks but still no joy.

This is the perfect (at least as close as I can get) replacement for my existing Michelin Sirac 120/90-17 which is close to balding now !!

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

If I understand the kind of use you have in mind, only the Scorpion trail comes close (from the above suggested list). Don't even bother looking at the rest. But you miss out all the fun when you want to ride those twisties fast n hard. These tires will never inspire that level of confidence

However, if hard and long lasting rubber takes top place, then do look at the Kenda big block as well.

Good points Karan.

Ramana : You need to be absolutely sure what you want from the tyres. Do you want to sacrifice street ability for off-road capability?

Are there any tyres that is truly 50:50 that will allow you to take those twisties hard and fast as well as ride in off-road conditions? I doubt it !

Personally, I would take the capability of attacking a corner with confidence than off-roading any day which the stock tyre of Versys can do with aplomb anways

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

And NEVER mix dual sport and street tires please. Your bike and body will thank you

What do you mean by mixing? Front is dual sport and rear is street tyre?

I think only professionals do such mix and match to test the capabilities not folks like us who ride for leisure

[Red Liner]

Avi, I need touring tyres that do reasonably okay off road, and keep the bike planted on road. The heidenau so far seems to do this on all real world reviews. I did have the scorpion trails in mind, but I still have some time to make a decision.

Urban, thanks for the input as always. Helpful to get a different perspective.

[ringoism]

Hey fellow Bhpians,

Anyone over on my Impulse thread would've seen pics of the bad cracks in the sidewalls of both front/rear tyres - CEAT Gripp-XL's.

Needing to replace the rear now (tread getting low after 13,000 hard km's), and not inclined towards the same on account of the cracking (treadlife of less importance). Looking for something good especially in loose/slimy/wet stuff, as I do go to Spiti and/or Ladakh almost yearly, and ride on dirt/gravel at least weekly. Had IRC Trials on another bike earlier, but supplier wasn't getting them last I knew and thinking domestic options will be cheaper / easier.

Ralco Gripper: Wish it came in something taller than the 100/90-17. Original CEAT was a 110/90, which calculating by the numbers - as well as measuring - makes the Ralco about an inch shorter, i.e., a half-inch less ground clearance, so not very desirable (would shorten the overall gearing a bit, too). Only Rs1500 locally, with a 3-year unconditional warranty!

Otherwise options (in 120/80-17, about same height as stock) are:

MRF Meteor: seems very hard compound (for a lighter bike than a RE) and despite dual-purpose intentions, doubting by the tread pattern / smallish void areas that it'd be great in loose/muddy-slushy/snowy stuff. Rs2,800 up here.

CEAT Vertigo Sport: I've heard good reports on this one, for all conditions - but a little pricey (Rs3,000 locally).

Birla Roadmaxx/Firemaxx R45: Their website claims a trail/offroad orientation, and void areas / edges look pretty good for forward-motion & braking; but doubting lateral (side-to-side) grip on mud/slush, as there are less radial cuts/grooves. Cheapest option locally, besides the Ralco's, at Rs2200.


Anyone out there with actual experience / comparisons with any of these under off-road / unpaved conditions?

Thanks,
Eric

[AkashN]

I wish to change the tyres of my Royal Enfield Bullet Electra, have found a suitable 19" tyre. The description reads : MRF - 2 Wheeler Tyres - Nylogrip MET - 110/90 R19 (62P) Tubetype.
I just wanted to know if it is safe and wise enough to change both front and rear tyres with this same tread type.

Additionally, please suggest a rough cost for repainting an Electra in glossy (NOT MATTE). I have shortlisted blue and green as final.

[Roomy]

Originally Posted by Roomy

I had a really bad puncture on the rear Contigo of my CBR250R
(Right along the groove of the tread) which the local guy couldn't fix with the mushroom puncture and the air gradually leaks air with the crack/split widening along the initial puncture. The same local guy suggested a hot patch which I am totally not gonna go for.

I suspect the puncture guy used a extra large plug when it was not required which ended up widening the initial split. I confirmed with a couple of other places(Tyre empire/MRF tyres) that the puncture cannot be repaired now.
I am gonna be replacing the tyre with Michelin Street Pilot over the weekend but still want to know what can be done in such a scenario. Would using the slime or using a tube help offset the leakage from the puncture(Drops 4 psi over two days with no use).

Cross posting from another thread as I believe this is the right place to direct the question

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by praful

Has anyone seen the RE Himalayan rear tyre available in stores ?

Its the CEAT Gripp XL 120/90-17. I tried reaching out to the customer care for CEAT and they are quite clueless about this, even the distributors in Bangalore haven't heard of this tyre yet.

Originally Posted by anilupadhya

I've been hunting for it as well. .

Originally Posted by praful

Been following up with CEAT customer care almost twice a week and checking with the Cherry folks but still no joy.

These are available at the dealership only for now, and a limited ones at those. The cost is also much more than those that should be once they become available in the open market.

Here are the part#s and cost in case anyone is interested to get them from the dealership -



Cheers...