[theexperthand]

I have lost the count of punctures I have on my rear tyre - blame it on the type of roads I ride. I have been plagued by punctures so much that I now carry a puncture repair kit and a ResQtec air pump in my office laptop bag, during my every day commute.

I had it in my mind to change the tyres mainly due to the multiple punctures and for the want of better off road grip, but I was keeping the decision away as it requires a healthy financial commitment from my side. By chance, I came across a good deal (thanks to my rider friends who tipped off about the deal in FlipKart) during the FlipKart big billion sale - the front and back Michelin Pilot Street radial for about 6800.00 INR. Grabbed the deal and Flipkart delivered the tyres before promised delivery date.

I was hoping that the tyre change will be a quick affair, but boy - was I mistaken? Took the tyres for fitting yesterday - the first stop was Tyre Empire, HSR Layout. They flatly refused to change the tyre saying it is their policy that they do not change tyres if it is not brought from them. They were not even ready to help me out to find a place which can help me. Next stop was the Bajaj showroom and they directed me to a guy next to HSR masjid who they said can change the tyres. I was not happy with the looks of the shop (he was just another roadside puncture guy). Called up Neil and he gave me coordinates to two shops - called up one and they said they don't change the tyres, but can remove the tyre and can take it to a tyre shop to get it changed. I thought I will go there if nothing worked out. While going towards silkboard, I saw a Bridgestone Select tyre shop on the bylane after the Agara flyover - they also gave me the standard reply - wont change it unless I buy the tyres from them. But they pointed me towards another shop who will do it for me. This is a new age puncture repair shop next to the Petrol Pump on the left side, after Agara flyover. The guy there was skeptical and after pondering about 5 minutes looking at both the wheels, told me that he is not confident that he can do it.

By this time, I was fed up looking for shops (and carrying the tyres around on my shoulders) and decided to chuck the shortcuts and go to the experts - directly went to Madhus. Met up Nikhil there and they were most helpful as usual. Got both the tyres changed without any hiccup. Met Nikhil there and saw the new tyre changing machine from Hunter in operation. Boy - that machine is a revelation as to borrow Nikhil's words - This new machine to the tyre changing industry is like driver-less cars to today's automotive industry. The operation is fully automatic and the machine can un-mount any tyre from its rim in 2 minutes flat, without any human intervention. All the parts which touch the tyre and rim are made of plastics, so no fear of harming the tyre or rim. Saw the tyres of an E class being changed.

Initial Impressions: The new tyres have made the handling a lot better - the wet grip and wet breaking are multiple levels better compared to stock ( Tested both thanks to the heavy rains yesterday evening and waterlogged roads today morning ) The front feels more heavy and have a more traceable feel. I will give another review once I complete 1K with the new tyres.

--Anoop

[black12rr]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

The front feels more heavy and have a more traceable feel. I will give another review once I complete 1K with the new tyres.

--Anoop

It is expected. The pathetic MRFs are like skate boards. The tires contact patch and the compound holding the tarmac is making you the feel like that .
The rear is 150, so its more planted and that's what makes it heavy. You will get used to it .

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by black12rr

It is expected. The pathetic MRFs are like skate boards. The tires contact patch and the compound holding the tarmac is making you the feel like that .
The rear is 150, so its more planted and that's what makes it heavy. You will get used to it .

True. After couple of 100 kms, everything feels normal now.

Pilot Street - the almost 1K review:

A little background: When i brought my Unicorn, he came shod from factory with MRF Zappers. Though they were supposedly one among the then available better tyres, I was not satisfied and I changed both my tyres to Michelin M45 within first few months. Till date, I am using Michelins (M45 being the most preferred one) and have been a very happy customer.

Fast forward to the Duke: Lisbeth also came from factory shod with MRFs and I was looking to change her shoes at the first given chance. I wanted something akin to M45, and there was nothing in the market which could tempt me to put down the dough to buy them. Sure, there were Ralcos and few other similar tyres, but the guys who put them on Duke 390 reported that the tyres are heavy and they did rob the bikes top end by couple of tens of kmph, which unfortunately, was not affordable on a Duke 200. Also, there was this trade off of not being able to be a corner carver. The ideal tyre in my mind was Pirelli Scorpion Trail, but it was not easy to come by. I even briefly thought about getting them to India (was closely following this - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...k-com-usa.html), but realized it will not be as easy as I thought.
I have seen Michelin Pilot Radial and have read good words about it from the guys who have changed to it, but the grip pattern was not aggressive enough for me, and I dismissed it thinking that it won’t offer enough grip for me. As time went by, I got more comfortable with MRF on road and on trails, and this coupled with some other financial commitments, made me conveniently forget the tyre upgrade itch - till I started getting punctures and the last nail in the coffin was a 1 inch cut, which took two plugs to stop the air leak.

This is the time I got wind of an amazing deal for Pilot Street and since I didn't had any other choice; I bit the bullet and ordered them. I finally got them changed on Nov 3rd, at Madhu's and as if to welcome the new shoes, the sky opened up as I finished fitting them. The very first ride on them was a wet ride and man, the tyres were a revelation. I felt the handle to be heavier but the grip was amazing. As I put down few hundreds of kilometers, the heaviness has been vanished and the tyres have proven their worth in a verity of circumstances.

The dry grip is amazing, but what really set these tyres apart are the wet grip and the grip in slush. There is this particular slushy stretch which i used to avoid at the first hint of rains since my bike used to slide and dance all over the place but with the current set off tyres, I fly over that patch. I can now change directions in slush without losing grip, and can do much better speeds off the road. In rains and in wet roads, I can break hard with much more confidence and can accelerate well without having the fear of losing the grip.

I did even try panic breaking from triple digit speeds (under controlled environment, not on a public road with traffic) and it did fare much better than MRFs.

Last week, I took her to first ghat ride after change of shoes and the change in riding characteristics were well pronounced. By the time we finished the Anchetty loop, there was no chicken stripe to speak off. The tyres sure did put a HUGE grin on my face.

The only downside is they cost almost twice the price compared to MRFs, but that is a well worth trade off in my opinion.


A very happy Lisbeth after a mud facial. I could NEVER get the bike this dirty when I was on MRFs. So Happy to see her in her true elements.

--Anoop

[Mafioso]

That is a great news to hear. I'm also planning to change the tyres but was never able to pin down on one brand based on the biased reviews all over the net. But your review has set the confidence to go in for Michellin - planning to do a Leh trip next year. What would be your recommendation , can it be done with the Michellin set?

Off the topic, I see that the LED's you had fit on the bike seems to be missing in this pic! Any problems with it?

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by Mafioso

That is a great news to hear. I'm also planning to change the tyres but was never able to pin down on one brand based on the biased reviews all over the net. But your review has set the confidence to go in for Michellin - planning to do a Leh trip next year. What would be your recommendation , can it be done with the Michellin set?

Off the topic, I see that the LED's you had fit on the bike seems to be missing in this pic! Any problems with it?

I think Michelins are upto the task, though if you are freighting your bike till Delhi and riding, I will invest in a pair of Ralcos since they are cheap and will give more grip in extreme conditions. But if you are riding down to Delhi, I will place my money on Michelins.

The mount for one of the LEDs broke off one day before the ride, so I temporarily removed them. I got the mount fixed back on Saturday after the ride and now they are back on the bike

--Anoop

[Mafioso]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

I think Michelins are upto the task, though if you are freighting your bike till Delhi and riding, I will invest in a pair of Ralcos since they are cheap and will give more grip in extreme conditions. But if you are riding down to Delhi, I will place my money on Michelins.
--Anoop

Thanks Anoop. Plan is to ship the bike till Delhi and ride from there and back to Delhi, so riding is limited only to the Leh region and surroundings of Delhi.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by Mafioso

Thanks Anoop. Plan is to ship the bike till Delhi and ride from there and back to Delhi, so riding is limited only to the Leh region and surroundings of Delhi.

Then I would say, change to Michelins for your daily use, and invest in a pair of ralcos only for the LEH ride.

--Anoop

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by Mafioso

Thanks Anoop. Plan is to ship the bike till Delhi and ride from there and back to Delhi, so riding is limited only to the Leh region and surroundings of Delhi.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Then I would say, change to Michelins for your daily use, and invest in a pair of ralcos only for the LEH ride.

--Anoop

I second Anoop. Either go with the Ralcos or the Ceat Vertigo for dearie Leh.

And do ping me when you're in Delhi.

[theexperthand]

At last, made a video of my Aux lights - it is one of the cheapest and best mods I have done on my Duke. Though technically these are 18W X2, in reality, this is 18W on one side and 9W on one side since a row of 3 LEDs are not working in one of them
I was initially thinking of buying another one to replace this, but the output is satisfactory with the current setup, so not changing it.

https://youtu.be/_iwVqjDm2yw

--Anoop

[Mafioso]

Originally Posted by barcalad

I second Anoop. Either go with the Ralcos or the Ceat Vertigo for dearie Leh.

And do ping me when you're in Delhi.

Thanks Barcalad. Will PM you even before , would need more details on the routes and other information.

[barcalad]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

At last, made a video of my Aux lights

Anoop, price and make please? Did you order it online?

Meaning to get a pair of AUX lamps on mine as well after my recent escapade with gravel in pitch darkness.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by barcalad

Anoop, price and make please? Did you order it online?

Meaning to get a pair of AUX lamps on mine as well after my recent escapade with gravel in pitch darkness.

Link - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o03_s00

Cost - 18$ when I procured it - I had my friend carry this from USA.

Bro - On a lighter note, these lights won't prevent act of GOD

--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Stopped over at marathalli ktm to pick up two very essential parts - fender extender from D390 and rear shock absorber protector - total damage is just 100 INR.

Need to fix them over the weekend - my radiator is getting mud bath everyday.





--Anoop

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Stopped over at marathalli ktm to pick up two very essential parts - fender extender from D390 and rear shock absorber protector - total damage is just 100 INR.

Need to fix them over the weekend - my radiator is getting mud bath everyday.

Attachment 1441649

Attachment 1441650

--Anoop

LOL Anoop I thought lil' happy Lisbeth was enjoying the mud facials?

Waise the all black sticker-less look is killer. Maybe the hand guards in black too? Or are you going for a contrast?

On a serious note, just re-read your post about the coil.

Was it before or after you fitted the LEDs? Any ideas on a contributory etiology?

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by ebonho

LOL Anoop I thought lil' happy Lisbeth was enjoying the mud facials?

Waise the all black sticker-less look is killer. Maybe the hand guards in black too? Or are you going for a contrast?

On a serious note, just re-read your post about the coil.

Was it before or after you fitted the LEDs? Any ideas on a contributory etiology?

Doc - Lisbeth sure enjoys the mud facial, but I don't really enjoy cleaning the radiator every other day

Thank you for the kind words - keeping the had guards white for that contrast effect.

The error message was after I put LEDs, but it was not the first ride after putting the LEDs. I was having the LEDs for almost 2 months and would have used them for at least 15 - 20 hours. Also, on that day, I never switched on them, though my headlight was on always. So, I don't think the LEDs would have contributed to that message flashing on my console.

--Anoop