A series of grueling field tests commissioned by CEAT Kelani Holdings for some of its best-selling motorcycle tires concluded that they stand out from those of the two biggest competing brands, one from Sri Lanka and the other from India.
The benchmarking exercise was conducted at India’s state-of-the-art National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) of the National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP) in Indore, and at the facilities of CEAT India’s R&D in Halol, the company said.
Matching tires from a leading Sri Lankan motorcycle tire brand and a leading Indian brand were tested alongside five motorcycle tires manufactured in Sri Lanka by CEAT, on several key value propositions (KVP) – stability handling, ride comfort, straight-line stability, character curves, Limit handling, brake stability, wet and dry braking index and distance.
Final test results indicated that the CEAT 140/70-17 Zoom XL, 90/100-10 Gripp X3 and 100/90-17 Gripp tires were superior in some respects and on par in other characteristics with the products of competing brands, the company revealed. The tires tested are those fitted to Yamaha FZ, Honda Activa, Bajaj Pulsar, Bajaj Platina and Hero HF Deluxe motorcycles.
Commenting on the exercise, CEAT Kelani Managing Director, Ravi Dadlani, said: “Life literally rolls on motorcycle tires, and we periodically invest in rigorous testing of key aspects of our products on specially designed tracks. This is part of CEAT’s ongoing product development strategy which is tightly integrated with consumer insights and research findings. The information suggests that tire pattern characteristics that support ride and handling, traction and grip, and better cornering ability are some of the main requirements of motorcycle tire users. These requirements set the parameters for our latest KVP tests. The test results guide our product development and performance improvement processes and lead to the introduction of new and improved tread.
The latest KVP test report revealed that, overall, CEAT motorcycle tires excel in wet and dry grip compared to leading competitor brands. Specifically, the CEAT Gripp and Gripp X3 models are superior in their wet and dry grip characteristics, ride, handling and braking stability, and display exceptional wheel balance when compared to the two leading brands to which they were compared.
Additionally, the Zoom XL tire model emerged on par with both competitors in ride and handling, braking stability, wet and dry grip, and wheel balance.
Meanwhile, it was observed that the Secura Zoom and Milaze tire patterns could improve in the “ride and handling” parameter, prompting CEAT to develop a new product by adapting superior pattern technology based on the results. Subsequently, the improved Zoom X3 tire model was released, which shows improved performance in terms of “ride and handling”. Additionally, CEAT is also developing another product for this segment with a new compound variant that promises an additional performance boost, Dadlani said.
