Tyre Review
Apollo motorcycle tyres tested
Apollo has been an established player in the passenger car tyre segment. Their years of experience has resulted in manufacturing top-class tyres and supplying them to car manufacturers as an OEM. Although, absent from the two-wheeler industry, Apollo seized the right opportunity to fill in a void in the sub-500cc category currently dominated by MRF, Michelin and Metzeler. For motorcycles like the KTM Duke, RC range and the newer TVS Apache RR 310, tyre options are only limited to these brands while their performances vary as do their prices.
Our long term RR 310 came shod with Michelin Pilot Street tyres that are hard compound and seemed skittish with the recommended tyre pressure of 32psi. They were also H-rated which means that they’re capable of speeds up to 210kmph. Not that the RR310 can achieve those speeds but what it translates to is the level of grip afforded by the softer tyre compound. The Apollo Alpha H1 tyres are W-rated (270kmph) and their superior grip is evident especially while taking corners. The H1s are rounded on the sides compared to the Pilot Street tyres which are more squarish. This results in the motorcycle being eager to turn in to corner while the softer compound also helps with better grip under heavy braking loads. Braking also brings stresses to the side walls and we didn’t notice much flex under ABS-assisted ham-fisted braking tests. The Alpha H1s also get up to temperature quickly enough to not lose traction in the initial first five kilometres of running them when they’re cold. The construction of the steel wire cords making up the carcass inside the tyre are designed to prevent expansion due to high centrifugal forces and high temperatures. The result is a more stable structure capable of retaining its qualities irrespective of the demands from the tyre. The groove patterns are aggressive, helping in better water dissipation and t hey look good too.
We’ve managed t o test the tyres mostly in the dry and on public roads, given an opportunity we’d like to test them on a racetrack.