Thanks for the feedback, Dodraugen and Princey. Very limited options available for the 3.50 / 2.50 18” Interceptor rims (not surprising, with it being a road bike). Perhaps I just stick with the stock Pirelli Phantom Sportscomp’s, which are at the other (correct) end of the spectrum.
Tyres - what where to get them.
- Thread starter DavidFL
- Start date
Heidenau K76 are quite ok though imo - if you want a 80/20 on/off road. I had one rear of those. Didnt last very long but thats not the most important feature of a tyre after all...
Avon Trailrider are made in the sizes you want. But I know nothing about availability in Thailand/Malaysia.
Avon Trailrider - Avon Tyres
Avon Trailrider - Avon Tyres
Indeed, Dodraugen, thanks. There are a few options if I use a rear on the front. There are very few 18” front tyres.
So I finally found my preferred tyre for my Crf, Dunlop 605 at the Kawasaki dealer in CM. But to my dismay they said a big and loud NO to take off the old tyre and put on the new tyre that I had bought there since I have a Honda.
So now I am wondering if there is a place in CM that can change my tyre?
So now I am wondering if there is a place in CM that can change my tyre?
Dodraugen,
Let me see if I got this right..... You bought fresh Dunlop Tires at a Kawi Dealer in Chiiang Mai, and because its going on a Honda, They will not mount. balance or reinstall on the bike because its not a Kawasaki.....????? What???
I say we all boycott Kawasaki in Chiiang Mai! Who owns the dealership? Motoholic, Enterprise or Real? maybe none of the above?
Anywho, Return the Tire to them and get it from BKK and have it shipped! Thats ridiculous. Sorry to hear that news.
Honda Bigwing in Chiang Mai won't hook you up, because you bought the tire somewhere else I presume?
Good Luck.
Cheers
Let me see if I got this right..... You bought fresh Dunlop Tires at a Kawi Dealer in Chiiang Mai, and because its going on a Honda, They will not mount. balance or reinstall on the bike because its not a Kawasaki.....????? What???
I say we all boycott Kawasaki in Chiiang Mai! Who owns the dealership? Motoholic, Enterprise or Real? maybe none of the above?
Anywho, Return the Tire to them and get it from BKK and have it shipped! Thats ridiculous. Sorry to hear that news.
Honda Bigwing in Chiang Mai won't hook you up, because you bought the tire somewhere else I presume?
Good Luck.
Cheers
Yes sir - you got it all correct.
Bought new tires for my Honda Crf at the main Kawasaki dealership in CM but they wouldnt mount them on my Honda since they only deal with Kawasakis.
To be precise - I asked first, before I bought the tires if they could mount the new tires, got yes for an answer, asked again and mentioned I had a Honda to be sure and then the woman at the parts dept went over and asked the guys at the service dept and came back and said no, cannot - only do Kawasakis here.
I asked first since I have certain
experiences from back home in Norway about the same. I ride a Yamaha back home, went to the biggest bike dealership nearby where I live which sells Hondas, Suzukis and BMWs - found a good tyre for an ok price. Can you mount it for me, on my Yamaha? NO - no work on Yamahas here!
Same in Alaska last summer, bought tyres at a Honda dealership but they wouldnt mount the new tyres and me and my buddies and we werent even allowed to work on our bikes on their premises to change tires...sic!
Anyhow - since Im a bit in a hurry as my visa expires soon and Im heading off to Laos on my bike and I needed new tires for this upcoming trip - I still choosed to buy them tires.
I have now found a shop who supposedly can change them for me here in Lampang where Im based. So Im off to that shop later today.
But certainly not a very pleasant experience with the Kawa dealer in CM. The girls at the parts dept were helpful though.
I think I might head towards a set of Dunlop K180’s for my Interceptor. There are very few 18” options out there that are usable, particularly when road is 90+% of the riding, but it would be nice to have something with a little more bite for wet clay an sand.
The K180’s look to be OK on the road, and I’m not doing any fast riding, although I doubt if they will wear well.
Next problem is to find a set. Google’s offerings so far have been less than stellar. Those who do stock, appear not to ship internationally.
Anyone know a Dunlop retailer who I could contact?
The K180’s look to be OK on the road, and I’m not doing any fast riding, although I doubt if they will wear well.
Next problem is to find a set. Google’s offerings so far have been less than stellar. Those who do stock, appear not to ship internationally.
Anyone know a Dunlop retailer who I could contact?
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Cant help you with a dealer but Dunlop motorbike tires Thailand has a Facebooksite where you can contact them.
Here is a posting from them a couple of days ago...
The front tire of my bike (RE himalayan) is showing a progressive cut/ crack(s) I'm not sure how deep it is but it's getting a bit bigger the longer I ride. I noticed it during a trip and rode home for another 90 kms and saw the crack getting worse. I think I caught a piece of metal while driving on Mitraphap road on the way back.
Turns out the MT60 90/90 -21 and 120/90 - 17 that come with the bike are not sold in Thailand after talking to the RE dealers in BKK (two of them). I just don't get it that the original tires that come with the bike are not serviced by the dealer. I called 29tire in BKK and they confirmed they don't have them either and they have a lot.
My first question is if the crack is really that bad ( figured it is) or if it can be glued (probably not a good idea), and if I need to change them what would be good tires for 40/60 or 50/50 off road.
I was advised Mitas E07 tires and I've read elsewhere that Metzeler Tourance might be good but they're not sold here.
Thanks!
Turns out the MT60 90/90 -21 and 120/90 - 17 that come with the bike are not sold in Thailand after talking to the RE dealers in BKK (two of them). I just don't get it that the original tires that come with the bike are not serviced by the dealer. I called 29tire in BKK and they confirmed they don't have them either and they have a lot.
My first question is if the crack is really that bad ( figured it is) or if it can be glued (probably not a good idea), and if I need to change them what would be good tires for 40/60 or 50/50 off road.
I was advised Mitas E07 tires and I've read elsewhere that Metzeler Tourance might be good but they're not sold here.
Thanks!
To our Himalayan rider, not unless the manufacturer ( in this case Royal Enfield) calls out for multiple tire sizes....you are stuck with the OEM size.
You will have to import. I know, it sucks. I cannot buy a tire in Thailand for my rear tire..... 180/50/17. Metzeler says next summer.... Michelin laughed....don't trust Perellis but for a RE.... on off road might be ok.
If I buy the 190/55/17 I will throw the bikes geometry off by raising the rear axle 9mm. ERGO. WEIGHT TRANSFERRED TO THE FRONT AND SHITTY HANDLEING AND HIGH SPEED CHATTERING.
Good luck. Keep us informed.
You will have to import. I know, it sucks. I cannot buy a tire in Thailand for my rear tire..... 180/50/17. Metzeler says next summer.... Michelin laughed....don't trust Perellis but for a RE.... on off road might be ok.
If I buy the 190/55/17 I will throw the bikes geometry off by raising the rear axle 9mm. ERGO. WEIGHT TRANSFERRED TO THE FRONT AND SHITTY HANDLEING AND HIGH SPEED CHATTERING.
Good luck. Keep us informed.
Those cracks are nothing to worry about. I have had tyres with far bigger cracks. Of course - keep an eye on them in case they get a whole lot bigger.
Tyres and what different riders prefers are very very subjective. What one rider loves another rider hates. So to say anything onjective about tyres are difficult.
Metzeler Tourances - I had a couple of sets of them on a Triumph Tiger 955i. I was reasonably happy with them but they are more road oriented than the MT60s. So if you plan to ride much on gravel roads I wouldnt have gone for those.
Mitas 07 - had a couple of sets of them on a Tenere 660 - very good 50/50 tyres - imo that is. They will be a bit rougher on smooth pavement than the MT60s, but better of gravel and rough surface.
What about the Dunlops, 604, 605, 606? The 604s are 80/20 on/off, the 605s are 50/50, and the 606s are for really offroading. I have a set of 605s on my Crf and I love those tyres. But that doesnt mean you will. Dont know if theyre in Himalayam sizes though...
Tyres and what different riders prefers are very very subjective. What one rider loves another rider hates. So to say anything onjective about tyres are difficult.
Metzeler Tourances - I had a couple of sets of them on a Triumph Tiger 955i. I was reasonably happy with them but they are more road oriented than the MT60s. So if you plan to ride much on gravel roads I wouldnt have gone for those.
Mitas 07 - had a couple of sets of them on a Tenere 660 - very good 50/50 tyres - imo that is. They will be a bit rougher on smooth pavement than the MT60s, but better of gravel and rough surface.
What about the Dunlops, 604, 605, 606? The 604s are 80/20 on/off, the 605s are 50/50, and the 606s are for really offroading. I have a set of 605s on my Crf and I love those tyres. But that doesnt mean you will. Dont know if theyre in Himalayam sizes though...
Hi,
From what I gather there are two alternatives available in the same size, I'm not really looking into changing the size though. VeeRubber and Matis E07 are the available options. I'm not sure about the VeeRubber tires, never used them for a bike but I once bought a set for my bicycle here and they were.. not too good.
The issue is that the stock tires, Pirelli MT60s are not sold here nor can they be ordered by RE. I find it odd that RE sells a bike but then doesn't have the stock tires that they ship with internationally not in stock. I asked RE and basically they gave me an address in BKK to source it myself and said they refer people for tires to other places. Huh? OK.
Anyhow, I read the comment below by Dodraugen as well so I'll perhaps wait it out a bit to see what happens with short trips and if the crack gets worse. From what I have observed so far it does and I have tubed tires. There are also all sorts of dry cracks on the sidewall of the rear tire. I'm really surprised that these tires are worn out so quickly with only 6,500km and two years.
The Vee Rubber MT60 copys are terrible on Highway at Speed. I had them on my CB500X for a while and had a rear on my Versys when I bought it. Very cheap yes. Pirelli's are a bit over priced here but the Technology that goes into the tire might just save your life and the ride comfort is far superior
I've been riding motorcycles for 20 years but for some reason never long enough on the same bike to really have had the affordance of trying out different tires on the same bike. So this is a bit new territory for me.
For now, I'll just see if the cracks keep getting bigger. seems like they did over 80 kms hence my caution.
Ideally the tires would be a 40-60 or 50-50 since I do often go on gravel, sand, rocky roads so it would come in handy. I'll have a look at the Dunlops as well to see if they're available.
29tire on Ekkamai in Bangkok seems to have a lot of tires in stock in various sizes. I called them and although they only speak Thai they were very friendly and patient to look up various tires and prices. I had a pleasant interaction with them.
Thanks for sharing. That's what I thought and I wasn't too interested in them when the sales person from 29tire mentioned them. They were really cheap though front and rear for around 4,500 thb.
Here is a video from FortNine.
.
I think Ryan is explaining this very good.
.
I think Ryan is explaining this very good.
I saw this one but forgot all about it. I remember saying to myself, nah this doesn't happen to my bike. I got genuine Pirelli MT60s on mine....
Fortnine is good... "it cost me my left nut" hahaha. I'm going to check first thing in the morning where this tire is made.
Buy gear from them when I in Canada
Good company - great prices - Xcellent videos
Good company - great prices - Xcellent videos
So I checked my tires this morning and indeed, both come from the factory in Brazil, with the DOT code being XE: GRAVATAI, RIO GRANDE DU SU, BRAZIL
Now the interesting question is, was Ryan F9 right with his claim or not? I have only done 6700 kms on this set of tires. The tires are produced in week 53 of 2017 so they are three years old. There are dry cracks all over the rear tire and part of the front tire. The front tire has two deep cracks. The bike has alwasy been stored properly inside whenever I'm not here, not on the side of the road or in direct sunlight. Compared to a set of other aftermarket pirellis 1,5 yrs, with 15K of wear, the tires on my bike feel rock hard. To compare, I was able to squeeze the aftermarket tires' thread a bit and it had flexible edges. My tires are almost rock solid.
So to be honest, based on these subjective observations I can claim very little. Consumerreports.com published an article in Sept 2020 and claims that there are no differences in the tires produced from different pirelli plants. They do not talk about the difference in OEM pirelli tires and aftermarket tires so the question is what they have looked at. What I do know is that these tires are perhaps better up for replacement than keeping them. However, since I have to leave in a few weeks for work and I won't be back until June if the situation permits, I might just wait until then and order some tires later.
A bit off topic but...
I am a bit disappointed if it is really true that RE screws over customers with OEM Pirelli tires but then again, hearing the stories from people in India about RE, even today, it can be a lot worse than getting a set of B-grade quality tires on a new bike. It seems that RE Thailand is much more about creating a cool, retro, hipsterish image than really caring about costumer service (praram 5 is much better than Thonglor though). Sales reps know little beyond the brochure info but they seem to have some decent mechanics at work. Aftersale service... I wasn't able to make a claim on my tank because ordering a new tank would take 6 months and I gave up in the end. Then ordering spare parts, I lost a plastic dust cap and time after time I'm told it's arriving within weeks. That's been over a year now. I wasn't able to get stock tires through RE and was told to source them elsewhere. Getting an insurance is a pain and expensive since most companies know spare parts are hard to get and have issues with damage repair and difficult collaboration with Motogroup that owns RE in TH according to an insurance sales agent. There are currently only two companies that do first class insurance for RE. So a first class insurance, which RE made compulsory upon purchase (even when buying it cash like I did), costs around 16K thb for a bike that is only 167K thb. Even normal insurance (3rd class) is around 6-8K thb. I was pissed off then and perhaps should have walked away from it. My full option Honda Civic first class insurance is only a tad bit more and 3rd class insurance even less. I know difference in big bikes in Thailand vs cars is a thing but still.
Will I buy a RE again? Probably not. I like the bikes, they're fun to ride and what you see / pay for is what you get. I have had a lot of fun with this bike so I can't complain about value for money. I have a 25 year old Yamaha Diversion 900 in Europe and it beats any royal enfield hands down in any department but again, different bike /segment so that's comparing rambutans to rose apples.
Now the interesting question is, was Ryan F9 right with his claim or not? I have only done 6700 kms on this set of tires. The tires are produced in week 53 of 2017 so they are three years old. There are dry cracks all over the rear tire and part of the front tire. The front tire has two deep cracks. The bike has alwasy been stored properly inside whenever I'm not here, not on the side of the road or in direct sunlight. Compared to a set of other aftermarket pirellis 1,5 yrs, with 15K of wear, the tires on my bike feel rock hard. To compare, I was able to squeeze the aftermarket tires' thread a bit and it had flexible edges. My tires are almost rock solid.
So to be honest, based on these subjective observations I can claim very little. Consumerreports.com published an article in Sept 2020 and claims that there are no differences in the tires produced from different pirelli plants. They do not talk about the difference in OEM pirelli tires and aftermarket tires so the question is what they have looked at. What I do know is that these tires are perhaps better up for replacement than keeping them. However, since I have to leave in a few weeks for work and I won't be back until June if the situation permits, I might just wait until then and order some tires later.
A bit off topic but...
I am a bit disappointed if it is really true that RE screws over customers with OEM Pirelli tires but then again, hearing the stories from people in India about RE, even today, it can be a lot worse than getting a set of B-grade quality tires on a new bike. It seems that RE Thailand is much more about creating a cool, retro, hipsterish image than really caring about costumer service (praram 5 is much better than Thonglor though). Sales reps know little beyond the brochure info but they seem to have some decent mechanics at work. Aftersale service... I wasn't able to make a claim on my tank because ordering a new tank would take 6 months and I gave up in the end. Then ordering spare parts, I lost a plastic dust cap and time after time I'm told it's arriving within weeks. That's been over a year now. I wasn't able to get stock tires through RE and was told to source them elsewhere. Getting an insurance is a pain and expensive since most companies know spare parts are hard to get and have issues with damage repair and difficult collaboration with Motogroup that owns RE in TH according to an insurance sales agent. There are currently only two companies that do first class insurance for RE. So a first class insurance, which RE made compulsory upon purchase (even when buying it cash like I did), costs around 16K thb for a bike that is only 167K thb. Even normal insurance (3rd class) is around 6-8K thb. I was pissed off then and perhaps should have walked away from it. My full option Honda Civic first class insurance is only a tad bit more and 3rd class insurance even less. I know difference in big bikes in Thailand vs cars is a thing but still.
Will I buy a RE again? Probably not. I like the bikes, they're fun to ride and what you see / pay for is what you get. I have had a lot of fun with this bike so I can't complain about value for money. I have a 25 year old Yamaha Diversion 900 in Europe and it beats any royal enfield hands down in any department but again, different bike /segment so that's comparing rambutans to rose apples.