[dre@ms]

My feet are sprayed/soaked with slush whenever i ride my Unicorn during/after rain. Front tyres are Michelin Sirac Street, maintained the stock size. Tyre pressure is maintained at 25psi.

What could be done to stop this?

[Urban_Nomad]

Tyre review for Vee Rubber VRM 193:

Cost : Rs 2800

Size and Speed rating : 130/80/17 H (210 KPH)

Kms covered : 3000

After my previous tyre - Vee rubber VRM 163 was demolished in 5K kms, I wanted to change the tyre for my trip to Spiti (last week of Sep). 163 was not in stock but was recommended the 193. I was a bit skeptical as the 163 was definitely more "knobbier" and did road duties just fine. If not for the life of this tyre, it would have been the perfect go to tyre for me. Soaks bumps, protects the rim, provides very decent cornering grip (commuting environment)

Anyhow, with no other option, went with the 193. Happy to report This tyre thus far has been near flawless. Key points:

- Handled fast twisties just fine (see pic). Very predictable handling, especially for a dual sport tyre. Impressive!
- Warms up in a fair amount of time
- Was BRILLIANT off road! Think typical Spiti terrain. Lots of loose rock, gravel, hard pack dirt. Always slid out predictably (barring one occasion, mentioned below) and how you wanted it to. I had so much fun
- On one occasion, I got a bit cocky and almost binned it. This is post Gramphoo, going towards Rohtang. Surface was badly broken tarmac with a layer of very fine sand covering it. On a corner, leaned the bike way over, second gear and just gassed it. The rear slid out violently and the front was ready to tuck in. I had my leg out and dabbed hard with it. The bike then slid in the other direction and the footpeg hit my ankle HARD. The boots saved me from injury. Cant blame the tyre here. Its not a full on knobby. But ya, I would be careful if venturing onto sandy terrain with this tyre

Looking at the wear, this will again last me around 6 K kms in all. I cant completely blame the tyre as when I installed it, it was rubbing against the swingarm. I had a brand new chainset installed and that probably was the possible culprit as I never had this issue with the previous 163 (same dimensions)

Whole heartedly recommend this tyre

Another quick update - Front tyre : Michelin Sirac:

This tyre has been a bit of a surprise. I was not too sure when I put this tyre on the front (100/90/17) bit as a front dual sport tyre for the Duke, it has been fantastic. There is a bit of loss in braking but nothing alarming. Works beautifully off road and helps improve the ride quality as well; not to mention the rim protection it offers. We encountered some absolutely nasty (SUPERFUN) terrain between Chandrataal and Gramphoo but this tyre never lost composure. Climbing over big boulders, sharp rocks was not an issue. Super tough rubber

On the road performance is not too bad either. You cant lean over as low as you can on proper street tyres but as long as you keep that in mind, much fun on the streets is to be had. And this tyre will probably last forever. Nearing 10K kms and can still pass off as new

[akshayhonda]

Hi guys,

I looking forward to opting a Pirelli Sport Dragon tyre 110/70-17 front for my Duke 390.

Is it worth getting one?

[SunnyBoi]

Originally Posted by SunnyBoi

It's a brand new Michelin M45 3.25x18! Immediately picked it up and I couldn't be happier

Last week I finally got it installed on my bike! Got a new MRF Zapper FY1 90/80-17 tyre meant for a R15 V2 on the front with a new tubeless valve.

I love these new tyres! Front does not lock anymore and the rear gives a lot more confidence to push when leaning!

I can now finally work on upgrading my front brakes without worries

Few pics :

[Sheel]

100/80-17
140//70-17

These come as stock tires on my bike. Are Pirelli SD's available in this size? What should the approx cost be?

[IshaanIan]

Time has come for a new set of tyres for my RC390, does anyone have any experience or can point me out to a detailed comparison between Metzeler Sportec M5 and Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2?

[Red Liner]

+1 haven't been able to glean much on the pirelli diablo rosso 2 myself either online or in person. It comes stock on the mahindra mojo.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Time has come for a new set of tyres for my RC390, does anyone have any experience or can point me out to a detailed comparison between Metzeler Sportec M5 and Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2?

I will also be looking at replacing rear tyre of my Dominar in another 2k+ kms or so. Right now I am leaning towards Michelin Pilot Street Radials. Let's see how it goes.

BTW I had come across this article and sharing with you for whatever it is useful.

http://riderzone.in/best-tire-for-ktm-duke-390/

KK

[Thebat]

Hey everyone,

I own a classic 350 which has run around 50,000 kms now on stock tyres. I am looking to either shift to alloys and tubeless tyres or have the option of retaining stock spoke wheels and get new tubed tires.

What do the experts recommend on this?

Would appreciate any inputs.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Sheel

100/80-17
140//70-17

These come as stock tires on my bike. Are Pirelli SD's available in this size? What should the approx cost be?

Sheel,

I was checking on availability of Pirelli tyres last week and a store in Bangalore told me that the partnership between Ceat and Pirelli has been terminated. Hence it is unlikely that you will get (at least recent) stock of Pirellis.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Sheel,

I was checking on availability of Pirelli tyres last week

Any tire you recommend in that size? I want softer compound on the edges and medium/hard in the center.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Thebat

Hey everyone,

I own a classic 350 which has run around 50,000 kms now on stock tyres. I am looking to either shift to alloys and tubeless tyres or have the option of retaining stock spoke wheels and get new tubed tires.

What do the experts recommend on this?

Would appreciate any inputs.

I am far from being an expert but I would suggest sticking to the regular wheels and avoiding after market alloys which may not be as strong as you would think they are.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Any tire you recommend in that size? I want softer compound on the edges and medium/hard in the center.

Ceat has a new offering, the Zoom Plus in the 100 / 80 - 17 specification, that might be worth looking at. For the rear the MRF Masster should be a good choice. Ceat has a Zoom XL in the same specifications as well.

[IshaanIan]

Okay so I have decided to go for a set of Rosso 2s solely based on the fact that they perform well in good conditions and that itll give me a change from the usual set of Metzeler M5s that I'm always running. Literally just going for the Pirellis to try something different. That said, my dealer is telling me that the Rosso 2 set that he has is 2016 stock. Considering that I will use up the tyres in the span of a year, is that okay? Or should I buy Metzeler M5s that are of newer stock?

[Red Liner]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1leVfe5EGg

Michlelin PR4 comes out on top. I have corroborated it with reviews online. Seem to be the best high mileage tyre for a reasonably spirited rider, come sun or rain.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Michlelin PR4 comes out on top. I have corroborated it with reviews online. Seem to be the best high mileage tyre for a reasonably spirited rider, come sun or rain.

Thanks thing is I'm not really looking for a high mileage tyre or wet weather performance. I am more than happy with 10k kms from the rear that I am currently being able to extract and I just hardly ever ride in the rain because I don't at all want to. I detest riding in wet conditions since my rear pre-load setup is too stiff for normal roads itself and is tuned to work best when the roads are perfect. In the wet my bike is just a bit too edgy and squirmish and unsettled especially at lower speeds for me to enjoy riding it even one bit.