Introduction
I got the Apollo ActiGrip tyres installed in March and you can read the introduction report here. We were in the midst of another lockdown because of which the riding was limited but off-late I have managed to put around 1000km on the tyres. How good are they? Read on to find out.
How does it deal with the City and the Highways?
No matter what motorcycle, it is a fact that they will deal with city conditions the most. In the city, the roads are a mix of tarmac, concrete, potholes, uneven surfaces and gravel. Now, this is basically the most difficult terrain to deal with, because you never know which of these you might encounter. This is where the ActiGrip’s tyres shine.
Even under varied terrain, there is no dearth of grip thanks to the Smart V pattern. What was also impressive is that steering the bike even at slow speeds remains the same and does not feel heavier even though these are heavy. Even on concrete surfaces in the wet, the tyres make you feel confident which a big deal because these are block pattern tyres.
Out on the highways, again, straight line stability feels great. But what is more apparent than before is the tyre noise. The block pattern does make the tyre a little more audible than road biased tyres but it’s not bad enough to be intrusive. Even braking performance has gone up and the tyres definitely inspire a lot more confidence under hard braking.
Can it tackle the corners well?
Block pattern, dual-purpose tyres aren’t the best kind of rubber to hit the twisties with. But for me, a tyre is no good if I can’t hit the ghats. So when I did hit the corners I wasn’t really sure how the tyres would react. Immediately, there was no dearth of grip. As I went through the corners I realised I could lean further and further and there was no drama at all. What was missing however is the feel. With road tyres, there is more feel coming through the front end, but thanks to the ActiGrip’s dual-purpose nature there was none and I just had to keep my faith in them. But that wasn’t a problem because like I mentioned before there’s plenty of grip and the tyre did ‘out lean my Bullet 500’s cornering clearance. So bottom line, yes these tyres can take on the corners well.
Exiting the beaten path
Now to check if these tyres make the cut when the good roads end. Now the Bullet 500 is no Himalayan. But even then it was always the choice of bike to tackle arduous terrain like in Ladakh. The idea was to give it slightly better off-roading capabilities with the Apollo ActiGrip R6’s. To test them I rode the bike in a mix of gravel, dirt and rocky conditions. That lack of feel which I encountered on the tarmac made itself present in the dirt, where the knobby pattern tyres dug into the dirt offering a way better feel than the road tyres. The deep grooves meant, the ride quality also felt slightly better off the beaten path.
I could carry far higher speeds going through an off-road trail than I could have with the road tyres. In fact, the only limiting factor on the speeds was the limited travel on my Bullet 500’s suspension. These tyres paired with a Himalayan, it will be possible to carry even higher speeds thanks to the grip on offer. What also gives the confidence to carry higher speeds is that the ActiGrip R6 gets an optimised polymer blend and good reinforcement for protection against cuts and better durability.
Verdict
Having a different bike for different needs is ideal, but that’s for the lucky few. For those who have one motorcycle to do it all, a little bit of tinkering is needed so that the bike performs optimally in varied conditions. Tyres are the easiest to play around with and that is exactly what I have tried with my Royal Enfield Bullet 500.
The ActiGrip R6 should be able to help me explore further as compared to my road-based tyres before. Yes there is a slight bit of compromise when it comes to the feel, but then that is a small price to pay considering how much more the tyre offers. If you own a Royal Enfield Himalayan, the ActiGrip R6 is a no-brainer. But if you own a Royal Enfield Classic, Thunderbird or a Standard and do not want to stop where the roads end, the ActiGrip R6 is sure to add another dimension to your riding.
Product Details
Name: Apollo ActiGrip R6
Price: Rs. 2,800 Rear, Rs. 2,200 Front
How to buy: Apollo Tyres website and stores
Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi
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