[unk9ja]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Please help me understand your comment: "plain dangerous".

That kind of behavior sounds perfectly fine. I have never pushed my CBR beyond 110 kph so a 120 top speed is more than I'd want! I cannot ride my bike confidently on any tour, at the moment knowing how bad it would perform in just 100m of wet mud.

The Ceats are heavy tires compared to the Metz that come up on the Dukes. This tyre is a VFM at 4.5k per set compared to the Metz but the weight distribution on this tyre is not uniform on the rims. And in India, we rarely find a balancing equipment for a 2 wheeler. So when a wheel starts to spin at a high speed, this imbalance gets magnified and results in vibes and changes in handling. Also the contact patch and the compound of the tyre is way below the Metz. This is the situation which is quoted as "Plain dangerous".
I am still running a Vertigo Sport on my Duke for more than 18k kms till date and I am blown by the off roading and wet capabilities, but on a drag, it limits me to around 120kmph. That is my comfort zone. The rear with around 15% groove seems to last around a couple of thousand more but has started to slide on hard braking and on curves when pushed hard these days. The front however is at 50% and continues to inspire confidence. Hope that clarifies your point.

[man_of_steel]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Please help me understand your comment: "plain dangerous".

Simple explanation: the dual purpose/offroad tyre like the Vertigo sport has less tread (rubber in contact with the tarmac) than street tyres like Michelin Pilot Street or Metzeler Sportec M5-s or even the Contigo. This is because it has wide and deep patterns designed to dig into dirt/slush and grip. The road tyre's main aim is to keep the pattern bare minimum and increase the rubber footprint (exact same reason why race tyres are slicks). Also, the likes of Vertigo Sports are hard compound compared to the softer and multiple compounds of new age street tyres. All this factors combined will compromise the high-speed grip and stability of these tyres. Also, I believe the speed rating of Vertigo Sport is way too less compared to the other tyres mentioned here.

[Shanenanigans]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Interesting. Why do you say that? Tell me more.

I had the most scary fishtails of my life in a 10km downhill on muddy under-construction NH22 30km from Bilaspur on the OEM Contis. Even at 15 kph the CBR was all over the place.

While on the pulsar with the vertigo sport, I would just fly through the same with confidence at the usual 60-80 kph!

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Please help me understand your comment: "plain dangerous".

That kind of behavior sounds perfectly fine. I have never pushed my CBR beyond 110 kph so a 120 top speed is more than I'd want! I cannot ride my bike confidently on any tour, at the moment knowing how bad it would perform in just 100m of wet mud.

That's pretty much how the ContiGos are. The road leading to my house here in BLR is a dirt road and in the rains last year, it was just a handful to control while coming back from the office. One thing I learned is that you just have to get used to it. I keep my eyes peeled on the road for gravel and mud since this is where the tyre performs poorly.

In the dry, with no sand (about 85% of my daily riding route), it's excellent and since it has a decent contact patch, panic braking is super effective. I'd suggest stick with the tyres to learn how the bike reacts to various surfaces, or if you haven't run them in too much, just switch to Michelin Pilot Streets. I believe that's what @Added_flavor has on his CBR and he says they're FAR better than the ContiGos.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Please help me understand your comment: "plain dangerous

Having used, Conti, Dunlop, MRF Tubless Radial, MRF tubed non radial, Michelin non radial (Pilot Sporty), I will rate in the order of worst to good in terms of following...

Conti < MRF Radial < MRF Tubed non radial < Dunlop < Michelin Pilot Sporty

I'm yet to test Michelin Street Radial & Pirelli Sports Demon & I hope they are as good or better than Michelin Pilot Sporty

[Sheel]

If your running would have been less, I would have suggested you to get the Metzlers. They are really sticky.

The Michelins on the bike make it behave like a normal bike now, earlier there was unevenness and sort of uncertainty while riding. I had a couple of front losing moment.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Sheel

The Michelins on the bike make it behave like a normal bike now, earlier there was unevenness and sort of uncertainty while riding. I had a couple of front losing moment.

Which one? Michelin Radial or non radial in the front?

I've fitted Michelin radial in the front & about 1300+ Km back & I'm loving it. Let me see how long does this last, if it lasts anything around 18K, that's it, Michelin Radial will always be in the front

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by aargee

Which one? Michelin Radial or non radial in the front?

I've fitted Michelin radial in the front & about 1300+ Km back & I'm loving it. Let me see how long does this last, if it lasts anything around 18K, that's it, Michelin Radial will always be in the front

I have fitted radials as well & I am 200% sure, you will log in more kilometers than me

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Sheel

I have fitted radials as well & I am 200% sure, you will log in more kilometers than me

Sheel bhai, I would've done about 3000 Km by this weekend with Michelin radials in the front & also had to some hard braking, but not the real foot in mouth situations though, and the front braking was far superior compared to MRF radials

Anyway, I'm again reserving the comment for now because, the caliper, rotors & alloy wheels are new for now, so, obviously everything should be good for now. The rear Michelin non radial has started showing some aging, but I'm positive that its good for next 8000+ Km for sure.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by aargee

Anyway, I'm again reserving the comment for now because, the caliper, rotors & alloy wheels are new for now

Age/kilometers attributed to this or something else?

[aargee]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Age/kilometers attributed to this or something else?

Rotor started showing some aging though the braking was still good. Thought I'll change it rather than having struggle on the day of emergency.

Caliper kit, needless to say, I'm dead against that stupid Bybre from day 1, so thought I'll change the caliper kit assuming the newer Bybre might be better (I think this was done somewhere in 82K) & yes there was evidently improvement in braking, still inferior to Nissin.

Alloy wheel got bent as I hit a pothole at unmentionable speed, it was primarily due to my over overconfident on the alloy wheels. Still I've to admit that it was only a minor bend (for the impact) due to which the tire gets deflated in about 4-5 hours. I didn't want to fix the alloy wheel as reliability is more important, so went ahead to replace.

Once again, all the above were changed only on account of having a reliable bike, sort of preventive measures & not like necessary change. For me, the bike (and car) has to be more reliable because on any day when situation demands, the bike/car has to do what its supposed to do & that point it shouldn't be a question of doubt.

PS - For that matter, the tires are all changed at 18K (35K for car) irrespective of the condition

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by Sheel

If your running would have been less, I would have suggested you to get the Metzlers. They are really sticky.

The Michelins on the bike make it behave like a normal bike now, earlier there was unevenness and sort of uncertainty while riding. I had a couple of front losing moment.

Originally Posted by aargee

Having used, Conti, Dunlop, MRF Tubless Radial, MRF tubed non radial, Michelin non radial (Pilot Sporty), I will rate in the order of worst to good in terms of following...

Conti < MRF Radial < MRF Tubed non radial < Dunlop < Michelin Pilot Sporty

I'm yet to test Michelin Street Radial & Pirelli Sports Demon & I hope they are as good or better than Michelin Pilot Sporty

Originally Posted by man_of_steel

Mostly Ceat Vertigo Sport. Usual opinion I have heard is that they hold good on the tarmac till about 120kph. Beyond which it is just plain dangerous.

So now its between PSD, Michelin PS and Ceat Vertigo Sport. I'm changing the tyres in advance of my ride to Spiti (if work doesn't intervene) over the Holi / Good Friday weekend.

Telephone enquiries have only helped me locate PSD / Mchelin PS - they seem almost equally priced. Which of them would be more puncture proof and more appropriate for such tough himalayan journeys? Thanks in advance.

[dreamseller]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Telephone enquiries have only helped me locate PSD / Mchelin PS - they seem almost equally priced. Which of them would be more puncture proof and more appropriate for such tough himalayan journeys? Thanks in advance.

If I were you, I'd pick the Michelins. In fact, I did pick Pilot Streets when I had changed the tyres.

Reason being, the Pirelli website says that the PSD is a nylon cross ply tyre, whereas the Michelin Pilot Street is a radial. Relatively speaking, between the two, the latter should be able to hold up better.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Which of them would be more puncture proof and more appropriate for such tough himalayan journeys? Thanks in advance.

From my experience, MRF, Dunlop & Michelin have never caused any puncture issues despite rough riding; even my first set of Conti which I rode through Pali - Sanderao - Jodhpur over "stoned" roads wasn't of any issues. Just ensure the right tire pressure of about 34-36 PSI in rear, regardless of pillion & 31-32 in front. I know the manual says otherwise, but this is what I'm following for over 65000+ Km now

Originally Posted by dreamseller

Reason being, the Pirelli website says that the PSD is a nylon cross ply tyre, whereas the Michelin Pilot Street is a radial.

I'll go with the above suggestion; I would've preferred MRF radial, but having used Michelin radial, I'm damn sure Michelin is miles ahead of MRF in terms of road grip, but then I'm only comparing MRF & Michelin RADIAL tires only. The non radial from Michelin (using in rear) is pure crap & the non radial MRF seems slightly superior to Michelin non RADIAL.

So if you're not in budget constraint

Front - Michelin RADIAL, Rear - Michelin RADIAL

If you're within budget & want best

Front - Michelin RADIAL, Rear - MRF RADIAL

If you want to stay safe & cannot afford Michelins

Front - MRF RADIAL, Rear - Dunlop

If you're confident of RIDING within your limit & take extra precaution & hence don't want to spend too much on tires

Front - MRF Radial, Rear - Dunlop

Conti's are no longer my cup of tea!!

[Sheel]

With my kind of running, I would go for Metzlers

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

So now its between PSD, Michelin PS and Ceat Vertigo Sport. I'm changing the tyres in advance of my ride to Spiti (if work doesn't intervene) over the Holi / Good Friday weekend.

Telephone enquiries have only helped me locate PSD / Mchelin PS - they seem almost equally priced. Which of them would be more puncture proof and more appropriate for such tough himalayan journeys? Thanks in advance.

My suggestion is to go for the Michelin Pilot Street radial. I am running on these and can vouch that the character and handling of the bike have significantly changed from the days of ContiGo!

Coming to the puncture proof bit, out of the two options listed, PSD is softer, hence relatively more susceptible to punctures and has a lesser life too.

IMO the Michelin is a fine balance between confidence inspiring grip and durability. I have also come across a lot of people on the Bangalore CBR group who have done rough terrains on these without any issues.