Apollo ActiGrip R6 Tyre review: Introduction

Gallery Introduction The ActiGrip Range ActiGrip R6 What’s next?

Introduction

My Royal Enfield Bullet 500 is now exactly seven years old and would you believe it, it’s still running on the stock OEM supplied MRF tyres. The bike has close to 25,000km on the odometer and while the tyre still has life, seven years means it’s become hard and lost most of its important properties.

Switching to a new tyre, I wanted something that could handle both road and no road, because that way I don’t have to think about road conditions when I do head out on a road trip. But dual purpose tyres are a little compromised when it comes to outright cornering grip on good tarmac and that is something that I didn't want to compromise on. Well, according to Apollo I don’t really have to with their all-new ActiGrip R6 range.

The ActiGrip Range

The ActiGrip range from Apollo Tyres is part of the Apollo custom touring series made especially for Royal Enfield motorcycles so you can buy them in a range of sizes and for specific kind of riding as well. So the ActiGrip range consists of the ActiGrip R4, the ActiZip R5 and what we are reviewing here, the ActiGrip R6. Now, these are available in both tube type and tubeless versions and will fit the entire Royal Enfield range.

ActiGrip R6

Now let’s talk about the tyre we’re going to review. I chose the ActiGrip R6 because like I mentioned I wanted a dual purpose tyre as I did not want to worry about punctures and grip when the tarmac ended and at the same time not compromise on cornering grip. Also since the bike runs spoked wheels, I will be running a tube type set-up. I haven’t upsized and have gone for the recommended size for my bike which is a 90/90-19 upfront and a 120/80-18 at the rear. However the tyre is also available in 90/90-21 front and 120/90-17 rear.

With the ActiGrip R6, Apollo claims superior braking stability, enhanced traction and enhanced tyre life as well. That apart, the tread pattern is what Apollo calls the Smart V pattern designed with wider center block and more working edges to provide maximum grip and excellent off-road traction. The longitudinal groove at the centre and shoulder also helps self-cleaning from mud and dirt so that it always has optimal traction. Also, for the really wet rides, the channelised independent centre helps with quick dispersion of water. The ActiGrip R6 also gets an optimised polymer blend and good reinforcement for protection against cuts and better durability.

Now we measured the groove and with a depth of 5.28mm in the front and 6.76mm at the rear, it really does indicate that the tyre will last long and also help against some long nails when it comes to punctures and cuts.

The extra rubber and block pattern means it is on the heavier side with the front weighing in at 3.7 kg and the rear weighing a portly 4.9kg.

What’s next?

The tyres will be mounted on the Bullet 500 and we will test it for a lot of things. For starters, we will do a mix of city and highway and check how it performs. And then we will hit the twisties and follow it up with some dirt surfaces to see how much confidence it inspires.

Photography by Kaustubh Gandhi