I was thinking of using them for 4-5000 miles or until I find a better alternative. But I had no idea I was ready for a pleasant surprise.
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After around 15,000 km with the original Pirelli tyres, the search for a new set of tires began. The tire import ban made it extremely difficult to find quality tires in the 18″ rim size. I had a short 2 day trip to Koyna (160 km one way) planned for the weekend of August 15 and I was looking to install a new pair of tires before the ride.
The Pirellis available on the market were from old stock and at atrocious prices. New Timsuns were available but were 16k Plus and would have taken 2 weeks to reach Pune from Bangalore. Since the rims on my bike are tubeless so Ceats were not an option as they are tube tires.
A lot of people in my 650 group were already using Ralco Speed Blaster. I was trying to avoid them because Ralco as a brand doesn’t really seem to belong on a 650cc/48 Bhp motorcycle. But with no other option, I had to go ahead with Ralcos.
They cost around 5,000 a pair and come in Inty’s stock size. I thought, even though I don’t like them, they are really cheap and I can use them for 4-5000 km or until I find another quality alternative. I had no idea, I was in for a good surprise and expensive = better perception of quality, it was to break.
I found the tires really inspiring, especially on wet and rough roads. I felt more confident on them compared to the stock Pirellis, especially on wet roads. The dual purpose design really helps on bad roads. The same suspension from Inty that felt poor before, felt much better on Ralcos. At 5k a pair, it’s a really good deal.
They are H-rated (150 km/h), compared to the P-rated Pirellis. I almost never go over 120 km/h, so it doesn’t really matter to me. Also, I never do tight turns, so I can’t really comment on how the Ralcos behave in those situations. For everything else, they work great and are cheap too.
The only difference I could feel was that on smooth roads the ride felt more confident on the Pirellis after 110kph compared to Ralcos but the difference is only marginal and I’m ok with living with the trade-off given that Ralcos felt superior on wet, bad roads. Also, the tread pattern doesn’t quite suit the retro look of the Inty, but I’m the type of person who values function over form, so that doesn’t really bother me.
Another pleasant surprise is that the 80 km/h wobble problem I had been dealing with since I bought the bike is completely gone. Many things have been done and many visits to SC, but the problem has persisted. With the new tires the bike is rock solid and there is no wobble at any speed.
PS If you plan to go with Ralcos make sure you install the front tire in the opposite direction of rotation as shown on the tire as it is supposed to be a rear tire according to the manufacturer and we use it on the front .
I am posting some photos of the trip below.
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