I’m looking to purchase new rubbers for my trusty scooty, which wears 3.50-10, or 100/90-10 size tires. I’ve been doing some research, and would like your opinions and experiences!
What do you think about Taiwanese-brand tires; such as Duro, Cheng Shin, Maxxis, SYM, Kenda, etc.? How do they fare against imports, especially considering the price difference?
I’m looking for good-looking tread style and rain-riding safety.
Specifically, I’ve noticed that Duro has some really stylish tires out there, but I haven’t really heard many people talking about them. And, I always see Duro tires on really cheap 50cc scooters…
I’m looking to purchase new rubbers for my trusty scooty, which wears 3.50-10, or 100/90-10 size tires. I’ve been doing some research, and would like your opinions and experiences!
What do you think about Taiwanese-brand tires; such as Duro, Cheng Shin, Maxxis, SYM, Kenda, etc.? How do they fare against imports, especially considering the price difference?
I’m looking for good-looking tread style and rain-riding safety.
Specifically, I’ve noticed that Duro has some really stylish tires out there, but I haven’t really heard many people talking about them. And, I always see Duro tires on really cheap 50cc scooters…
Thanks in advance,
Shawn[/quote]I always use Maxxis. I think they come in different grades. Anyway I get the best quality. They’re good. Cheaper than Dunlops or Michelins, but nearly as good I think. Do a search. Mordeth posted something a while back about a bad review of Maxxis in a foreign motorbike magazine. But there are other much more positive reviews, as well as recommendations from some other Forumosans.
In fact Maxxis are made by the Cheng Shin company. But I wouldn’t bother getting tyres with just the Cheng Shin brand on. Cheaper but not so good. As for the others, I’m not sure.
For scooters, they’re the best value you can get in Taiwan. I ran them for about 2 years before I got a sportish bike and let the scooter gather dust. The first set I got for the scoot were Cheng Shins, and they were not all that great. They cupped in the front really badly. I then ran Metzelers (ME1?), and they gripped great, but the rear only lasted 2000 km. I switched to Maxxis M6029, and those handled just as well as the Metzelers, and lasted a couple thousand more.
The M6029s are Maxxis’s scooter ‘sport’ tires, so you may want to try something with a little better life, at the sacrifice of a little sportiness. Sounds like you’re more of a commuter than I am. Talk to your local dealer about your options. My Yamaha guy could get any Maxxis tire I wanted in about a day.
I would like nice looking tires, though… but of course safety is first, and I know that one can get at least decent looks with A+ safety.
I’m mostly wondering about Duro tires, actually, because they have some very nice looking ones at good price points (I don’t mean cheapo prices, but reasonable ~$900 each).
My scooter guy told me that Maxxis was actually worse than Cheng Shin, even though it’s technically the same company! He said Maxxis tires easily change shape so that in time, it’d be like riding on tank tracks. Haha… well, he decided to close his shop after nine years in business to see if he could pursue more profitable pursuits. So… can’t buy stuff from him anymore.
I went to this other shop, and the guy seemed to know what he was talking about. This guy said that for example, the Bridgestone Battlax 39ss were popular with young folks, but that in wet weather one could die. I believe that.
So basically… wet weather is a big concern. Of course, I don’t go nuts in the rain. But on dry days, I like to add a little zip to my commutes (in the clear straightaways with no intersections only, of course).
[quote=“shawn_c”]My scooter guy told me that Maxxis was actually worse than Cheng Shin, even though it’s technically the same company! He said Maxxis tires easily change shape so that in time, it’d be like riding on tank tracks. Haha… well, he decided to close his shop after nine years in business to see if he could pursue more profitable pursuits. So… can’t buy stuff from him anymore.
I went to this other shop, and the guy seemed to know what he was talking about. This guy said that for example, the Bridgestone Battlax 39ss were popular with young folks, but that in wet weather one could die. I believe that.
So basically… wet weather is a big concern. Of course, I don’t go nuts in the rain. But on dry days, I like to add a little zip to my commutes (in the clear straightaways with no intersections only, of course).[/quote]I wouldn’t bother listening to those guys. As I said, Maxxis are made by Cheng Shin – they’re the Cheng Shin premium brand. All tyres “change shape as you ride them” – that is, get squared off. The sportier and stickier the tyre, the quicker that will happen. If you choose a rock hard commuter tyre with little grip, it will take a long long time to square off. Just don’t get too worried about the squaring off. You’ll get at least a year’s good use out of a pair of Maxxis.
If you can afford Bridgestone Battlax, then go for it. How much are they? But it’s not as if a scooter is going to perform like a sport bike anyway. It’s certainly worth getting decent tyres, but I don’t think you should need to pay more than a couple of thousand NT per tyre.
As for the rain thing, same deal really. As long as you’ve got a tyre with a few decent grooves in, you’ll be fine. I don’t think scooters are known for aquaplaning!
Oh, what he meant was not the squaring off… but bumpiness (ao ao tu tu) of the tire. Y’know like… if you’re looking at the side view of a tire, instead of being a complete circle, it’s like a wavy circle. I’ve actually seen a lot of scooter tires like this! I didn’t check whether they were Maxxis, though, haha.
But yeah, I was thinking that Cheng Shin and Maxxis MUST have the same sort of quality control, eh!
The Battlax from Bridgestone is only about $1200 per tire installed. That’s quite a reasonable price. Sure, you could get OEM tires for half that price… but y’know, as an English teacher, that’s only two hours of work (and in some cases, less). And safety first! But, I do see that the Battlax has very little in the way of grooves… and then again, I see guys with those tires riding like maniacs through the rain.
I call it hydroplaning, too, but I’ve heard the term aquaplaning. I don’t think it’d be fun in a scooter! One little change in balance and ka-boom!
[quote=“shawn_c”]Oh, what he meant was not the squaring off… but bumpiness (ao ao tu tu) of the tire. Y’know like… if you’re looking at the side view of a tire, instead of being a complete circle, it’s like a wavy circle. I’ve actually seen a lot of scooter tires like this! I didn’t check whether they were Maxxis, though, haha.
But yeah, I was thinking that Cheng Shin and Maxxis MUST have the same sort of quality control, eh!
The Battlax from Bridgestone is only about $1200 per tire installed. That’s quite a reasonable price. Sure, you could get OEM tires for half that price… but y’know, as an English teacher, that’s only two hours of work (and in some cases, less). And safety first! But, I do see that the Battlax has very little in the way of grooves… and then again, I see guys with those tires riding like maniacs through the rain.
I call it hydroplaning, too, but I’ve heard the term aquaplaning. I don’t think it’d be fun in a scooter! One little change in balance and ka-boom![/quote]So the Battlax isn’t as expensive as I thought. Maxxis are actually a bit more than that.
I don’t think that anyone should pay less than about 1000NT per tyre. The quality wouldn’t be very good.
I’ve had Maxxis on my bikes for the last five years with no problems in the wet or dry, and certainly no “waviness”! If you’re still in doubt that they’re an international quality tyre brand, read some reviews in the foreign press.
When I bought my Majesty 250, it came with crap tires - not sticky at all, and they quickly deformed. Pissed me off, because the showroom model had some really nice Michelins. You can see the problems I had with the front tire in the pic below.
That is called ‘cupping’. Tires with diagonal tread lines are more prone to this. The more lines there are the closer they are together. That reduces the effect somewhat. Ribbed tires, ones with tread lines that go around the tire rather than across the profile, are less prone to this. Underinflating the tires also causes this problem.
Duro, Cheng Shin and Kenda tires are entry-level commuter tires with compounds mixed for extended life. I have had bikes with Kenda tires on them had them delaminate, or grow bubbles like goiters on the side walls. No warranty replacement from them, so thumbs-down.
The other downside with cheap tires is that they are not usually very sticky. Good traction, long life, low price. Pick any two.
I’d say go with the Maxxis as they are very good for the money, or buy an import. Scooters have such a tiny contact patch and have such awful weight distribution that they really need a good tire.
The brand of my tire is “Barracuda-V”. I have never heard of that brand before. Does anyone know if they are any good? I do love the width of the tire though.
I haven’t seen a Barracuda V before, just the original model. They were okay in their time, not the best but not terrible. They were quite popular in the day because the tread design was considered attractive. No idea about the new ones though.
Makes sense. 2nd tier brand for them, sounds a bit sexier than ‘Cheng Shin’ but doesn’t make the cut for the Maxxis brand. Actually, I don’t think they had Maxxis when the original Barracuda was on the market. That was probably late '80s or early '90s. I remember now the old 'cuda used to cup quite badly. No idea what the new one is like. Insufficient data.
[quote=“Maoman”]When I bought my Majesty 250, it came with crap tires - not sticky at all, and they quickly deformed. Pissed me off, because the showroom model had some really nice Michelins. You can see the problems I had with the front tire in the pic below.
[/quote]
Dude! Like, put a bit of sky in your rounds. That’ll do the trick.
Kind of off-topic because we’re talking about scooters, but I recently had to replace the rear tyre on my Ninja and opted for a very sticky Bridgestone. What a waste of money… the stock Ninja Bridgestone tyres are cheaper and harder and I cannot feel any difference whatsoever, even in the wet. After one weekend with 1,500km of hard riding the new tyre is already half worn through - the old tyre managed a good 7,500km(!) before replacement. And even then I had plenty of margin left. Not a knock on Bridgestone but goes to show that going too soft off the track your money will just end up stuck to the road.
Pirelli make really oustanding scooter tyres and they’re not THAT expensive. Agreed that Maxxis are really good value too.
Well, I’m talking about wussy scooters… hahaha… I don’t make enough to afford anything non-wussy.
Maoman, that’s exactly what I was talking about, cupping. I’ve seen that on many a Maxxis tire before.
If anyone cares, I ended up purchasing a set of Duro’s for $800 each, installed. I read in an ATV magazine that said Duro tires are excellent and that they offer a much larger selection (and they have many unique features) than any other brand of ATV tire maker. I did the nail test - where you stab your fingernail into the rubber and see if you can leave a mark - and they seemed a bit stickier than normal commuter tires, but not as sticky as the Battlax. The tread pattern looks awesome, too. Here’s a link to a picture: duro.com.tw/motor-tire%20pic … 1069_1.jpg
I do agree that Duro, Kenda and Cheng Shin are all entry-level tires, though.
Anyway, I’ll report back on their use after a while.
Oh… and by the way, the guy I bought the tires from also fixed my throttle. And then broke the gas-meter and denied doing anything. It was working fine before he touched my scooter… and then tells me that my three-month-new gas-tank sensor thingy all-of-a-sudden broke. He also didn’t replace the valves on the rims - is that normal practice here?
Anyway, don’t go to some short and obese dude on Yongyuan Rd. & Dehe Rd. in Yungho (near Hess) in whose shop also contains some big bikes.
