Michelin City grips.. first blush

[easyrider]

My original front Dunlop tire was showing some signs of feathering so I decided to go with the City Grip on the front. I tried to get a cycle shop to swap them , but no can do..Too small they say..So, I took my long ass screwdrivers and some tire spoons and decided to do the job myself. The Dunlop was a bear to remove but not impossible.. I noticed that the Dunlop was a lot harder rubber and a stiffer tire all round which made it a little more difficult to remove. My impression is that this stiff hard rubber tire is designed mainly for wear and fuel economy as compared to the Michelin.Something Honda would be proud of . The Michelin went on fairly easy in comparison with a more pliable rubber and a much more pliable feel but not weak by any standard. They were right on the money when they used the term grip. This tire is significantly stickier and all around better on the bumps , ruts, turns, and curves. Don't know about the wet but the groove designs on the tread gives me a bit more confidence than the original stock tire. Time will tell , but if the road heat doesn't stiffen them up (over time) I am in super happy with this tire. I heard good things about this tire and now seeing is believing. May lose some fuel economy and may lose a mile or two off the speedo, but for all intensive purposes this tire is a real performer.

[doletotodole]

Hello, Sir,

What width of tire do you put on? is it wider than the OEM stock?
My OEM tire is the same Dunlop, I got keeled over once when I placed the break even though gentle enough.

[easyrider]

I put the exact same size as what was supplied by Honda.. Also was a Dunlop.. I did not up size or change anything..

[iceman]

I noticed that the Dunlop was a lot harder rubber and a stiffer tire all round which made it a little more difficult to remove. My impression is that this stiff hard rubber tire is designed mainly for wear and fuel economy as compared to the Michelin.Something Honda would be proud of . The Michelin went on fairly easy in comparison with a more pliable rubber and a much more pliable feel but not weak by any standard.

Apparently the MCG is supposed to last much longer than the stock IRC tyres, yet is softer material - which would suggest the MCG should wear faster but doesn't? My IRC rear has done 11k miles now and still has lots of life left by the look of it - unlike most on this forum, I would gladly have them fitted again but not opposed to other makes in future.

[gn2]

I believe the CityGrip tyre starts with deeper tread...
The rear IRC seems a much softer tyre in terms of carcass rigidity than the rear CityGrip.
Also the front IRC tyre lasts significantly longer than the IRC rear.

[Scoot Commute]

Wooow, 11,000 mile out of an IRC, my original IRC is pretty much done at 9,000Km and wont have said I am an overly aggressive rider.

Am certainly looking at City Grip replacement soon

[fish]

Removed nylon Kendas for the Michelins. ('Skates' I think the Kendas were called) 11,000 now on my City Grips. Fronts look nearly new. Bought them for rain commuting. Great tire!
Fish

[kramnala58]

Something we need to keep in mind when considering wear and tear on tires/tyres is the driving conditions, which includes, but is not limited to:
City vs rural riding;
Particular type of road surface material used which can even very from region to region within a country;
Weather (here in Bangkok the typical low temp is in the 24°C (hi 70°'s F) to 27°C (low 80's) range with the high being around 35°C (mid 90's).

All of these things affect the wear on a tyre/tire, thus it can be misleading for me to compare the wear on my tires/tyres with a rider in Europe, North America or Australia, and even other parts of Asia. I think it can also be misleading to compare tyre/tire wear in one part of Europe compared to another part of Europe, or one part of the US compared to another part of the US. Even in a country as geographically as small as Thailand, the road surface and weather can vary quite a bit.

[chicaboo]

If your tyres see the sun all the time, they will likely harden (and crack!) prematurely, too.

[iceman]

I thought I'd passed 11k miles but I'm just about to touch 11,000 UK miles on the odometer. Rear tyre still shows a few mm's above the wear marks and is in great overall shape. As expected being winter, we've had torrential rain, flooded roads, and one really bad day of slush, sleet, snow and awful riding conditions and 2.5 yr's on, they have been great. Never had any issues at all - I don't take off slowly from lights, take a few uphill >90 degree turns on the way home, suffer pot hole hell (must be taking a toll on the front steering bearing that) and ride all year round - fantastic bike, great tyres. I try and use engine breaking when I can and only have had to press hard on the brakes a few times - maybe that also extends the life of them.

All makes of branded scooter tyres have to meet safety standards and are tested to do the job they are designed for. I honestly cannot fault the IRC's that came with my bike. Considering I commute just before midnight or 2-3am even in winter and come home in heavy 'idiot prone' traffic, they sure have had to deal with the worst conditions.

[Rickjds]

Something we need to keep in mind when considering wear and tear on tires/tyres is the driving conditions, which includes, but is not limited to:
City vs rural riding;
Particular type of road surface material used which can even very from region to region within a country;
Weather (here in Bangkok the typical low temp is in the 24°C (hi 70°'s F) to 27°C (low 80's) range with the high being around 35°C (mid 90's).

All of these things affect the wear on a tyre/tire, thus it can be misleading for me to compare the wear on my tires/tyres with a rider in Europe, North America or Australia, and even other parts of Asia. I think it can also be misleading to compare tyre/tire wear in one part of Europe compared to another part of Europe, or one part of the US compared to another part of the US. Even in a country as geographically as small as Thailand, the road surface and weather can vary quite a bit.

Absolutely agree! I live in Hawaii with day temps in the 80's F and nights low 60's F. I'm nowhere near needing tires but it's good to know choices in my climate. Stock tires are IRC and have no problems at all with tires at this point.

[RedBaron]

If your tyres see the sun all the time, they will likely harden (and crack!) prematurely, too.

UK-Sun?

[chicaboo]

If your tyres see the sun all the time, they will likely harden (and crack!) prematurely, too.

UK-Sun?

When I was in the UK all the 1990s Opal Corsa's black plastics turned into chalk along with the K series BMW dashboards, from your UK-sun.
So, maybe?