5 Types of Bike Tyres – Which Is The Right One For You?

Different bike tyres serve various purposes. The below article reveals the types of tyres and what they are designed for. Pick the right one for your bike.

The automobile market, especially the two-wheeler one, has grown exponentially in the last two decades. Gone are the days of slim Hero, Bajaj and Honda bikes ruling the roost. Now, we have more varieties on our streets in the form of KTM Duke, Yamaha FZ, Suzuki Intruder, Triumph Tiger, Kawasaki KLX, Ducati Panigale V4, Kawasaki Ninja H2, and the list is endless. All these bikes need a unique set of tyres as the purpose is different.

Choosing the right tyre can significantly improve the safety and performance of your bike. Hence, before picking up the ideal tyre, it's crucial to determine the riding style and need. Let’s explore these tyres one by one.

Standard Street-Commuter Bike Tyres

This category of tyres is more prevalent and built to cope with the demands of everyday commuting. The key purpose of standard street bikes is to provide mobility and good mileage. From household to the office or delivering goods, these motorcycles form the majority of the chunk on streets. So the tyres should provide the best of everything i.e. ride quality, durability and mileage.

Regular street or hybrid-commuter bikes use balanced tyres with average toughness and higher sidewalls that give fair results while moving over potholes or unpaved roads. At the same time, they provide durability without raising the maintenance cost.

Tyres Made For Street or Touring Sport

These are costlier than the standard commuters, typically ranging above the INR 1 lakh price. They can also be termed as cruisers as the aim is touring on longer routes. The tyres of these bikes are made of soft rubber and come with lower sidewalls to deliver enhanced cornering performance.

Also, as these bikes are often driven at high speeds, the tyres should be superior in grip on both wet and damp surfaces. The tread quality should suffice long enough, as far as you do not treat your bike like a MotoGP racer.

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Performance Sports Bike Tyres

As the name denotes, the tyres made for these bikes demand maximum performance. These pure sports-oriented bike tyres are build from very soft rubber compounds that give quick acceleration, endure high speeds and help in fast turning. These tyres absorb enormous heat and offer excellent grip at all times.

Moreover, these bikes require superior braking efficiency, hence the rubber compound of these sports bike tyres are specially crafted to give increased traction. However, these tyres are vulnerable to slips on dry surfaces owing to high torque and lack of relative tread.

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Off-Roading Bike Tyres

The next category is pure off-roading bike tyres which are made up of the hardest of rubber compounds. Though these tyres can give a reasonable performance on the tarmac, don’t expect much in the grip and comfort zone.

In fact, these tyres will quickly wear out on normal roads if used regularly, even with the hard rubber compound, because they are not optimized for the daily street commute.

All-Terrain Bike Tyres

You can call them a hybrid version of the street and off-roading tyres. These are considerably costlier than the regular tyres and come with reinforced sidewall for increased strength. All-terrain tyres consist of open treads with deeper grooves that help them gain extra grip, especially on dirt roads and gravel trails.

The grip on normal roads is also fair as long as it is not driven on longer routes to avoid riding discomfort.

So, Which Is The Right Tyre For You?

Well, this depends on your use case. If you are a regular day-to-day commuter, standard street tyres would suffice. If you occasionally go off-roading, then an all-terrain tyre would be perfect for your need.

For pure off-roaders who do not expect comfort, off-roading tyres would be the best. Or if you are one of those who love to burn the rubber on the tarmac, then the tyres made for sports racing is the best choice.

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