Tech Torque

Whether covering thousands of miles each year, or pottering to the shops on a Sunday it’s important to choose the right rubber. With safety in the front of our minds, cost should rightly get pushed to the rear, and the only thing which matters is how they

Jordan compares the most popular current scooter tyre choices.

Much in the world of scooters is subjective, with some topics being far more subjective than others. Go to a club meet or a rally and you’ll hardly ever get a definitive answer for any question. Some topics at least, like exhausts or tuning kits, can have some science applied, but this is much more difficult for the likes of oil (don’t get me started) or in this case tyres and how they perform in comparison to each other. It goes without saying that tyres are a critical component, after all they are what provides the grip which keeps our beloved machines upright. Therefore, I have compiled an informative and balanced comparison of some of the newest tyres on the market.

Having a background in science, I understand how critical it is for a standard set of conditions to be created for any test work. While I couldn’t isolate road and weather conditions, I wanted to keep all other variables to an absolute minimum. So it was to be one test rider, on one scooter, with the same mechanical components throughout the test.

Having one rider means that my opinions will be consistent and comparable against each tyre. Similarly, using the same scooter is just as important as there is such a variety of suspension systems out there that all handle so differently, never mind the difference between various makes and models of scooter! With such a variety of tyres out there it’s not practical to test them all, and so I have tried to look at what’s is currently popular and in demand.

A ‘load’ of old… ratings?

Phrases such as load ratings and speed ratings are used in the world of tyres, quite often you’ll find odd letters/numbers stamped on your tyre sidewalls. So let’s start deciphering these to figure out what they mean and why they are important. For scooter tyres there are three main markings of interest:

■ Tyre size ■ Speed rating ■ Load rating

The tyre size is a simple one, for Lambretta and Vespa they are generally 3.50 x 10. The 10 relates to the inside diameter of the tyre (which fits your 10in rims) and the 3.50 relates to the width of the tyre in inches. However, this is somewhat old fashioned, and modern scooters use a slightly different metric system. For example: 100/90-10 which is the closest modern metric equivalent. It is not an exact replacement as it is slightly wider, but has the same ‘height’ and therefore will not affect gearing ratios. The 100 is the width in mm and the 90 relates to the height of the tyre as a percentage of its width. The height of the tyre in this case is 90% of the width (90mm). Finally, the 10 is the same as above… the rim size (in inches) which it fits.

Speed ratings and load ratings go hand in hand; they are a code that specifies the maximum speed the tyre can carry the listed load at. Let’s consider speed ratings independently first of all: Historically, many scooter tyres are J rated and, if you look at the following table, you can see how that equates to a speed rating of only 62mph. However, many scooters are easily exceeding those speeds these days so it may be of some comfort to know that many newer and sportier tyres have much higher speed ratings.

The load rating is important due to the simple fact it is the load (weight) that the tyres has been designed to withstand. You will generally see the load rating next to the speed rating and it is denoted via a numerical code. Example: 59J means a load rating of 243kg (code 59) and a speed rating of 62mph (code J). We have noted the load rating for each tyre in the tests below. Recently, newer scooter tyres have been coming onto the market with ever increasing load ratings. This is great news for us, as many rally going scooterists end up carrying a phenomenal amount of luggage!

Another thing to bear in mind when considering load rating, is that when a vehicle is cornering, centrifugal force means that more of the weight of the vehicle transfers to the side wall on the outside of the tyre. If this weight exceeds the maximum weight loading of the tyre, there is a risk that this will fail, potentially with very serious consequences. It is therefore very important that the weight rating of a tyre is suitable for the scooter and luggage carried. So with the classroom session behind us, let’s have a look at a few of the contenders. Words and photographs: Jordan Thanks to MB Scooter Tyre Store and SIP for help with additional stock images.