New Tires

[PattayaDavid]

I decided to replace the original IRC tires on my CBR-150R.  The tires have low mileage, but are 5 years old.  The tread is very deep, hardly worn and the sidewalls still look like new, now cracks or any signs of wear, but since they are old and from what I have read on this forum, the IRC's aren't very popular, I figured that I would replace them.  I drove down to the Pirelli tire shop just past the Maxis tire store on Sukumvit to check out what was available.  My CBR has 100/80/17 on the front and 130/70/17 on the back.  The only tire sets he had that would fit my back were the Michelin Pilot Street and the IRC izs Sport S-99.  He had a lot of Pirelli tires, angel GT's, but not in the size needed.  I was all ready to buy the Michelin, but when I asked if they were the Pilot Street radials, he said that they were bias ply tires.  I had been reading reviews of the Pilot Streets and the radials were rated much better.  I asked about them; he looked them up and they were double the price of the bias ply pilot streets.  Actually, he was pushing the IRC izs tires claiming that they were a better tire than the pilot streets.  I mentioned to him that most reviews of IRC tires were not so favorable, but he said that this model was much better, night and day, better than the Road Winners that came originally on my bike.  The IRC izs sport s-99 set costs Baht 3,500 and the pilot streets costs Baht 3,600.  Searching the internet, it appears that Pirelli doesn't offer the Angel GT's in the size I need.  The closest he had was 110/70/17 and 140/70/17.

 

In the US, the pilot street radials are only slightly more expensive than the radial model.  I saw this video comparing sportbike tires using a KTM RC390.  I found it odd that the Michelin pilot street radials finished in last place whereby the IRC Road Winner RX01, my original CBR tires finished just ahead of them.

 

Anyway, I would appreciate your recommendations.  I'm not in a rush as my original IRC tires are still in great shape, but due to their age, I would like to eventually change them out.

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

 

[jackdd]

I would expect that you will not be able to notice a difference between a radial or bias ply tire when riding a 150cc bike on the road. If there should be a bigger difference in these two tires they probably used a different rubber compound as well, and this is where the different performance really comes from, not from how the tire is made.

 

I don't have a specific recommendation for you, but one for buying for tires in Thailand in general. Here in Thailand the choices are generally quite limited compared to western countries. Many manufacturers don't sell here at all and the ones that do often have fewer models in fewer sizes available, combined with usually higher prices.

You should contact one of the bigger tire shops which have many options available, for example http://29tire.com through Line and ask them for a list of possible tire options for your tire sizes. Then do some research to figure out which tire makes sense for you. Like this you don't have to waste time watching Youtube reviews about tires which you can't even buy in Thailand.

[Kwasaki]

11 hours ago, PattayaDavid said:

I mentioned to him that most reviews of IRC tires were not so favorable,

They have improved except to inexperience tyre snobs. ????

[spidermike007]

Any Michelin tire is going to be an improvement over the tires that came on your bike, from the factory. I love Michelin tires. Typically, that is all I buy for my cars. Have had Michelin tires on my bikes, and they handle well, and they last for a long time. Now, I use Pirelli Diablos. Great tires. But very soft, so they do not last long. 

[papa al]

The guy that runs that shop knows what he is talking about.

[CGW]

13 hours ago, jackdd said:

I would expect that you will not be able to notice a difference between a radial or bias ply tire when riding a 150cc bike on the road.

Exactly! OP bike makes about 18 BHP, if it was making another 100 BHP I could understand his concern, for the most part most any decent tyre is going to work well in Thailand as the roads and tires get so hot, most of the time slicks would work better than any treaded tyre - when its damp and rainy the story changes! 

[PattayaDavid]

54 minutes ago, papa al said:

The guy that runs that shop knows what he is talking about.

Yeah, I didn't catch his name, but he did seem very knowledgeable about the products that he sold from what I could understand; we did have a slight communication problem when discussing the performance factors of the tire models.  He seemed to express that the IRC iz's were the best tire for the money.  They are a softer compound than the Pilot Streets.  He rated the Pilot Streets as a medium compound and the IRC's as a soft to medium compound.  It would be great if they were a dual compound like the Pirelli Angel GT's which I think are the best bang for the buck, but unfortunately not available in the size I need for my CBR; they would be a great choice for a CBR 300 or larger.

Searching on the internet, I couldn't find much information either on the IRC iz's and all of the YouTube videos were in Thai so not much help there either.  I did check out 29tire.com, but still, there aren't many tires, especially the front tire, that are available for the CBR unless I go up a size which I don't really want to do.  

 

I think that the iz's might be a good tire, but being an IRC tire, I just want to make sure that they would be a significant improvement over my original IRC road winners RX-01 tires especially in the rain or rain slicked roads.  I'm also curious, being that these have a softer compound as to how long will they last.  For Baht 3,500 plus mounting, it's not all that much out of pocket to give them a try, but I'm going to search a little more before committing, maybe take a look at Bridgestone.

 

What are you running on your CBR?

[eisfeld]

Do you plan a drastic change in your riding? Because you have 5 year old tires with little milage and thinking about milage you will get out of these choices you presented is a non-factor unless you ride way way more from now on. I'd bet both the Michelin as well as those IRCs that the guy recommended will work just fine for you. At these prices you wont get a high-tech tire. They will all be "good enough" for a 150cc. In any case I'd bet they are way better than the OEM tires you got before even if both are from IRC.

[papa al]

2 hours ago, PattayaDavid said:

For Baht 3,500 plus mounting, it's not all that much out of pocket to give them a try, but I'm going to search a little more before committing, maybe take a look at Bridgestone.

 

What are you running on your CBR?

... guessing the 3500/3600 includes mounting & balancing.

Top quality work, which they stand behind.

papa has bought many tires (15-20) there.

Don't forget to tip.

 

[PattayaDavid]

1 hour ago, eisfeld said:

Do you plan a drastic change in your riding? Because you have 5 year old tires with little milage and thinking about milage you will get out of these choices you presented is a non-factor unless you ride way way more from now on. I'd bet both the Michelin as well as those IRCs that the guy recommended will work just fine for you. At these prices you wont get a high-tech tire. They will all be "good enough" for a 150cc. In any case I'd bet they are way better than the OEM tires you got before even if both are from IRC.

I bought the bike in October 2017 from my neighbor's wife after her husband's passing.  The bike was bought brand new in 2013 and only had 4 kilometers, yes 4 kilometers on the odometer when I purchased it hence the low mileage.  The tires were 4 years old at the time I purchased it, but they still had the new tire paint and rubber tits on them.  They have less than 2000 kilometers on them now, but my reason for replacing them was due to their age, now 5 1/2 years old, although they still look to be in perfect condition as the bike has always been parked in an enclosed garage, first his and then my garage.  I could probably still use them, but I think I would prefer to replace them as a safety measure.  Plus, I have heard nothing, but negative comments about the original equipment IRC Road Winner tires.

 

The IRC iz-s Super Sport 99 tires he is selling were manufactured in 2018, but the Michelin Pilot Streets were manufactured in 2017.  I'm kind of leaning towards the IRC's, but haven't ruled out an alternative; still searching and looking for recommendations.

 

Thanks,

[PattayaDavid]

2 minutes ago, papa al said:

... guessing the 3500/3600 includes mounting & balancing.

Top quality work, which they stand behind.

papa has bought many tires (15-20) there.

Don't forget to tip.

 

Can you tell me the name of the seller; he told me, but i didn't quite catch it.  The prices he initially gave me 3500/3600 was for the tires only.  We didn't discuss total price because I wasn't ready to purchase.  By the way, do you know what he charges for balancing and mounting a new set of tires?

I always tip for good service.

[eisfeld]

38 minutes ago, PattayaDavid said:

The IRC iz-s Super Sport 99 tires he is selling were manufactured in 2018, but the Michelin Pilot Streets were manufactured in 2017.  I'm kind of leaning towards the IRC's, but haven't ruled out an alternative; still searching and looking for recommendations.

I wouldn't buy anything manufactured in 2017. Even 2018 would make me look for alternatives depending on the month. Just a personal choice for me not to buy anything over 12 months old. Maybe I was lucky so far but I was always able to source tires that were quite recently manufactured.

 

I good sign that the seller is not trying to push those Michelin on you even though they are sitting in the inventory already a longer time.

[papa al]

1 hour ago, PattayaDavid said:

Can you tell me the name of the seller; he told me, but i didn't quite catch it.  The prices he initially gave me 3500/3600 was for the tires only.  We didn't discuss total price because I wasn't ready to purchase.  By the way, do you know what he charges for balancing and mounting a new set of tires?

I always tip for good service.

 

... guessing the 3500/3600 includes mounting & balancing.

[Randell]

23 hours ago, PattayaDavid said:

I bought the bike in October 2017 from my neighbor's wife after her husband's passing.  The bike was bought brand new in 2013 and only had 4 kilometers, yes 4 kilometers on the odometer when I purchased it hence the low mileage.  The tires were 4 years old at the time I purchased it, but they still had the new tire paint and rubber tits on them.  They have less than 2000 kilometers on them now, but my reason for replacing them was due to their age, now 5 1/2 years old, although they still look to be in perfect condition as the bike has always been parked in an enclosed garage, first his and then my garage.  I could probably still use them, but I think I would prefer to replace them as a safety measure.  Plus, I have heard nothing, but negative comments about the original equipment IRC Road Winner tires.

 

The IRC iz-s Super Sport 99 tires he is selling were manufactured in 2018, but the Michelin Pilot Streets were manufactured in 2017.  I'm kind of leaning towards the IRC's, but haven't ruled out an alternative; still searching and looking for recommendations.

 

Thanks,

Please lets us know which way you went on the tires as I am getting ready to swap out mine on the 150 cbr as well and following this thread with interest.

[PattayaDavid]

5 hours ago, Randell said:

Please lets us know which way you went on the tires as I am getting ready to swap out mine on the 150 cbr as well and following this thread with interest.

I haven't decided yet, still researching, but I'll post once I've replaced my old tires.  I went out riding this afternoon and actually the OEM IRC Road Winners worked fine; I'm mostly concerned due to their age and of course, it nevers hurts to upgrade.  Tire availability is kind of limited on the CBR 150's due to the odd sizes especially the front tire.  I think that the new 2019 CBR 150 that it due out soon comes standard with either 140 or 150 rear tire which would allow for better quality replacements.

[Golfhack]

Does anyone know where i get tires for my Honda ST1100 European? Bridgestone BT023 120/70/ZR18 & 160/70/ZR17 have been recommend but i doubt i will get those. There are an odd size so not very common.

[papa al]

iMoto,

the above referenced shop

should be able to help.

 

[Golfhack]

Thanks squire...you need to read your emails!????

[watcharacters]

On 5/22/2019 at 10:18 AM, spidermike007 said:

Any Michelin tire is going to be an improvement over the tires that came on your bike, from the factory. I love Michelin tires. Typically, that is all I buy for my cars. Have had Michelin tires on my bikes, and they handle well, and they last for a long time. Now, I use Pirelli Diablos. Great tires. But very soft, so they do not last long. 

 

I'm a Michelin tire fan (car) as well as they've never  fallen below my expectations.

 

I only wonder why you decided to use Pirelli Diablos when you were happy with Michelins?

 

[PattayaDavid]

I'm beginning to have second thoughts about replacing my tires.  Looking at them, they look almost new; the main reason I'm considering replacing them is due to their age, manufactured 2113, May 2013, six years ago.  Take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think:

 

 

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, PattayaDavid said:

I'm beginning to have second thoughts about replacing my tires.  Looking at them, they look almost new; the main reason I'm considering replacing them is due to their age, manufactured 2113, May 2013, six years ago.  Take a look at the pictures and tell me what you think:

 

 

Those tires are in great condition. Use them, and enjoy them.

[thaiguzzi]

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Those tires are in great condition. Use them, and enjoy them.

+1.

Wot he said.

Nowt wrong with them, EXCEPT.... jeez geez, has this bike been even remotely leant over, or only ever gone in a dead straight line?

Or virtually zero mileage?

[PattayaDavid]

Yeah, I've got a little over 1,700 km on these tires so far, mostly just driving around Pattaya and an occasional run in the countryside usually no longer than 45 minutes to an hour at a time, no long distance runs and fairly straight roads for the most part.

 

The only reason that I was considering replacing them was due to their age, 6 years.  I assumed that the minimal wear may have been due to the tire rubber hardening with age.  I had read that over time, the oxygenation of the rubber causes the tires to dry out or harden and become brittle over time and wear less than a newer tire, but they will also lose grip.  Oxygenation can also eventually result in cracks in the tires particularly on the sidewalls, none of which are present in my set of tires since my bike has always been store in a fully enclosed garage and only seeing the sunlight when I go for a ride.

 

I drove down to the tire shop yesterday afternoon and showed him my tires and of course, he recommended that I replace them due to age, not surprised since he is in the tire selling business.  I considered it, but when he unwrapped the new tires, the back tire was manufactured 1718, 17th week of 2018 and the front tire was from 2017 stock so I passed on these.  He offered to order new ones for me, but I was undecided and having second thoughts as to whether I needed to change them or not.

[eisfeld]

A picture can't tell us how hard the rubber got and if it will explode, deflate etc at any point in time. The good thing that I can see is that there are no cracks yet.

 

The best way to see if they are still useably is first to touch and see how the rubber feels, then go for a slow and easy ride and after warming them up a bit, see how they handle. Since your bike probably doesn't have ABS (or does it?), lock up the rear and check two things: 1. How easy is it to make the rear lock up? The easier, the less grip the thing has. 2. Does it produce a lot of strong smell when skidding on the asphalt? In my experience an old brittle rubber will produce a lot more nasty "burn" smell than a fresher rubber.

[Rhys]

As they say, go with your gut instinct... If you feel the need, then you need to do it...  You're the one riding the bike.

 

[papa al]

Get some rough sandpaper and sand the road contact areas.

Be ready to race then.

 

 

[PattayaDavid]

5 hours ago, eisfeld said:

A picture can't tell us how hard the rubber got and if it will explode, deflate etc at any point in time. The good thing that I can see is that there are no cracks yet.

 

The best way to see if they are still useably is first to touch and see how the rubber feels, then go for a slow and easy ride and after warming them up a bit, see how they handle. Since your bike probably doesn't have ABS (or does it?), lock up the rear and check two things: 1. How easy is it to make the rear lock up? The easier, the less grip the thing has. 2. Does it produce a lot of strong smell when skidding on the asphalt? In my experience an old brittle rubber will produce a lot more nasty "burn" smell than a fresher rubber.

When I bought my CBR back in 2017 from my neighbor's wife, I actually bought two of them, same year 2013, a white CBR-150R an a red one.  I kept the white one with 4 kilometers on the odometer and gave the red one with 8 kilometers on it to my wife's son.  He and his wife rode down from Chonburi for visit arriving last night.  I went out to compare his tires, same model, to those on mine since he has already racked up over 16,000 km on his bike.  His tires are pretty worn as you would expect, but the tread still hasn't worn down to the wear indicators although it appears that his bike's tires have lost a little of their roundness.  Rubbing the tires with my fingers, his tires feel fairly smooth as compared to mine which feel more textured.  Even those his bike has been parked outside for the most part, I still didn't see any cracks along the tread or the sidewalls and near the rim.  The OEM IRC Road Winner RX-01 tires may not be the best tires for grip, but they sure are durable.  It's my understanding that they are manufactured with a fairly hard compound for long life and after 6 years, the rubber is probably even harder, maybe bulletproof (lol).  

 

A couple of days ago I was out riding and I was following a pickup truck pulling an empty trailer driving slowly up a hill.  Right when I pulled out to pass, he began a right turn, no signal (TIT).  I immediately hit the brakes and the wheels locked up, mostly the back brake.  Luckily, the truck driver saw me in his mirror and stopped at the halfway point in the turn before the trailer began it's turn and I stopped about a meter and a half from the side of his pickup.  I looked back and saw a broken black mark on the pavement as if the tire/tires had skipped along the road; the road was kind of rough and bumpy.  This is the second time I've had to lock up the brakes on my bike, both times it appeared that it was the back brake that mostly locked up; my CBR doesn't have ABS.  In both events, the tires didn't produce any type of smell at all that I could tell and after inspection, there was also no wear spots.  Of course, in both incidents, I was not travelling at high speed, but fast enough I guess.

 

I guess, at this point, it all boils down to whether I have confidence in these tires or not.  I guess that a certain lack of confidence in these tires due to their age and due to the many reviews I've read about these OEM tires not being very grippy has made me very reluctant to lean the bike at higher speeds in turns.  Maybe this alone may be reason enough to replace the tires.  If I can get new tires for Baht 3500 that would instill more confidence in my tackling curves and such, it might just be worth it even if my old tires still have a lot of tread left on them, just saying.  This is what I will have to decide for myself.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions; I'll post again if I change out my tires and let you know what I think of the new ones.

[Damrongsak]

Do I see cracking in the central groove in the second picture?

[papa al]

Buy new tires for both bikes.

IRC for you;

Mich for junior.

That would be best.

/////////

Nice work on the e-stop.

[PattayaDavid]

46 minutes ago, papa al said:

Buy new tires for both bikes.

IRC for you;

Mich for junior.

That would be best.

/////////

Nice work on the e-stop.

Thanks!  Yeah, I'm thinking about going for the IRC iz's; they are constructed with a soft to medium compound and are being advertised as a sport touring tire.  They won't have the long life of the OEM IRC's, but then again, I don't plan to put more than 2 or 3 thousand kilometers per year on them anyway so I don't need the harder compound.  My wife's son wants my old tires.  Since he's put over 16,000 kilometers on his bike in approximately 20 months and being that my tires are still in great shape for their age, maybe he could run them for another year putting another 10 thousand kilometers or so on them before replacing them with new tires.  If I kept them on my bike, I would probably not put more than 2 or 3 thousand on them.  At least the tires would get some use out of them then replace them at 7 years of age.  Anyway, that's what I'm thinking.  Who knows, we might both decide to replace our CBR's in another year.  The CBR is ok running around Pattaya, but I would like to have something a little more powerful, especially something that produces a little more low end torque and power from a low to mid range rpm.  As you know, the CBR doesn't produce max torque until 8,500 and max horsepower at 10,500.  I seldom get above 9,000 and mostly run between 5,000 and 7,500 range.  My bike turns right at 7,000 at 100 KPH.

 

I talked with the guy at the moto shop and told him that since I don't ride all that much, the date of manufacturer is important since I'll probably reach an age milestone before the wear milestone so I asked him if he could specify the year of manufacturer when he place an order.  I told him that I would like 2019 manufactured tires or worse case late 2018 tires and he said that he thought he could so I may go down early this coming week and place an order.  Also, you were right, Baht 3,500 mounted and balanced.