CEAT SPORTRAD
THE BIKE FELT LIGHTER AND DIRECTION CHANGES WERE EASIER THAN BEFORE
Front (110/70R17 54W): `5,999/Rear (150/60R17 66W): `7,500/www.ceat.com
FOR ME, THE FIRST MOD ON YOUR vehicle should always be better tyres. Not more performance, not a louder exhaust, or any electronic trickery. It should always be tyres. And that’s because they unlock hidden performance that a stock tyre can’t tap into. The reason for that is manufacturers choose tyres that would suit the masses – nothing too fancy or pricey, just enough to get the job done. But if you shell out a little more for some grippier rubber, you can accelerate faster, stop sooner and carry more speed around a corner. A good example is the Ceat Sportrad that you see in these photos. This tyre has backed my claim and has me excited even for those boring grocery runs.
For context, I have owned my 250 Duke for five years now and have had the opportunity to test a wide range of tyres. My last set was Apollo Alpha H1 which I ran for seven months before switching over to the new Sportrads.
To give you a brief, this has a steel-belted radial construction and comes with a silica blend that Ceat says makes for a softer compound. As expected, these tyres come with shorter sidewalls. Ceat has also made claims of good wet weather performance, however, this being the beginning of summer, I haven’t really been able to test that claim. Having been launched recently, this unfortunately comes in limited sizes – 110-section for the front, and 150 for the rear. This tyre had me smiling just as I got to the first corner after putting them on. The soft compound makes it grippier, which further helps in increasing confidence. Braking distances have also gone down and I am comfortable pushing my limits given the increased grip. Happy and confident after the first ride, I took it to my favourite mountain road to put them through some serious stress. Spoiler alert! The tyres handled everything with ease. The bike felt lighter and direction changes were easier than before. This meant I could carry more speed while leaning further into corners. Even on a straight highway, doing triple-digit speeds and overtaking felt much more comfortable as the bike felt surefooted at all times.
One thing I’m not sure about though is the tyre life. Since I have only got these recently, it is still hard for me to tell what to expect in terms of life expectancy compared to something with a harder compound. The Sportrad, for sure offers more grip but that might also mean that you are sacrificing how long you can ride on these before needing to change. For now, however, that is not my concern and my focus is on the smile I get after every ride.