Bike Tyres

Choosing the right set of tyres is important for a safer ride. There are several tyre brands to choose from depending upon your budget and requirements. Michelin, MRF, TVS Eurogrip and Pirelli are some of the popular Bike tyre brands for Indian roads.

PILOT SPORTY, Zapper FS, Zapper Q, Zapper C and Nylogrip Plus are some of the popular tyres that can be fitted on various Bike. These tyres are available in different sizes and specifications. Choose the one that fits your requirement.

Choosing the right set of tyres can increase the entire performance of your vehicle, including fuel consumption and safety. To get the best from your vehicle, it is important that you have the right tyre size. To know the right size, it is, firstly, necessary to understand the abbreviation printed on the tyre sidewall, eg. 80/100 R18, where 80 (mm) is the width of the tread on the tyre, 100 is the height of the sidewall represented as a percentage of the tread width, R is Radial construction and 18 inches is the rim diameter of the wheel on which this tyre is designed to fit.

There are various tyre brands that offer tubeless tyres for different Bike. PILOT SPORTY, Zapper FS, Zapper Q, Zapper C and Nylogrip Plus are some of the popular tubeless tyres available in the market.

Average life of a tyre depends on how well the Bike has been maintained, driving style, road conditions etc. Well, almost every Bike manufacturer recommends their customers to replace the tyres after every 5 years, regardless of tread depth available on them. This is because Bike tyres usually have a shelf-life of 5 years.

Nitrogen-filled tyres tend to lose pressure much slowly than oxygen, which means that your tyre pressures will remain more stable over the long term. However, nitrogen is still not widely available in India, so you will find trouble locating the spots where you can find it. In case of normal air, you can top-off your Bike’s tyres at any fuel station across the country. Topping up nitrogen also means an expense of Rs 10-20, depending on whether you are getting your vehicle’s tyres emptied and then filled with nitrogen or just topping them up.

Ideally for most 2 wheelers you can adapt to the following policy. For a normal single person slow commute you can use 22 psi (front tyre) and 32 psi (rear tyre). For front tyre pressure (Rider & Pillion) 25 psi and rear tyre pressure (Rider & Pillion) 35 psi.

It is advisable that you change the tyres of your Bike after 40,000 km regardless of the amount of tread life left.

For example the code on a common fitment for Indian bike is - 80/100 R18 47P.

• 80 indicates the nominal section width of the tyre in millimeter
• 100 indicates its aspect ratio, a comparison of the tyre's section height with its section width
• R indicates radial ply construction.
• 18 indicates the nominal diameter of the wheel rim (15 inches).
• 47 represents a maximum load of 180 kg per tyre
• P represents a maximum speed of 150km/h

Tyres have rim diameter expressed in inches. Most popular bike tyre sizes available in India are 16, 17, 18, and 19 inches.

Bergmann Typhoon, TUSA Digital, iBELL IBL CA12-95, and Michelin 12266, are some of the best portable Bike tyre inflator available in the Indian market.

The size of a tyre is printed onto the side of the tyre – on the area known as the sidewall. For example the code on a common fitment for Indian bike is - 80/100 R18 47P

• 80 indicates the nominal section width of the tyre in millimeter
• 100 indicates its aspect ratio, a comparison of the tyre's section height with its section width
• R indicates radial ply construction.
• 18 indicates the nominal diameter of the wheel rim (15 inches).
• 47 represents a maximum load of 180 kg per tyre
• P represents a maximum speed of 150km/h

A tube-type tyre comes with a an inflatable tube placed on the inside. The air in this tube doubles up as a cushion and makes for a smooth and comfortable riding experience even on an undulated tarmac.
A tubeless tyre, on the other hand, does not require a separate air tube inside it. The rim of the wheel and the tire form an airtight seal. The rate of deflation of these tyres is less as compared to the ones with tube.