Introduction
Vredestein’s announcement in India to make premium motorcycle tyres was a huge ray of sunshine for us motorcycle enthusiasts. Almost all big motorcycle owners, basically 600cc and above were struggling to get premium tyres thanks to the Indian government imposing a restriction on the import of tyres in the country. Now this was done in a bid to stop the influx of cheap Chinese tyres which was hurting the Indian tyre brands. But collateral damage ensued as the ban affected the expensive premium tyre brands as well which meant plenty of high-performance motorcycles being sold in India but replacement tyres for them was a big question mark. With Vredestein deciding to take the best of European technology, adapting it for Indian conditions and making it in India meant it was going to be a win-win situation for the big bike owners in India and Vredestein.
Now let’s get to the tyres. So Vredestein has got its Centauro range of tyres and it comes in two guises, ST and NS. Like with the cars, the tyres were shod in a range of motorcycles right from 650cc to 1000cc. We also had almost all genres of motorcycles which included, tourers, sport tourers and supersports. However, we were allocated specific bikes so my opinion will be based on how the tyre performed on those particular motorcycles.
Also according to Apollo, since these are street tyres, we weren’t given a free reign on the track and were bound to follow the lead motorcycle in a convoy. Another thing to note is that the best environment to test street-based tyres are the streets themselves which means this is going to be just a first impression.
Vredestein Centauro ST
The ST are Vredestein’s street touring tyres. Now, these can be shod on touring bikes like the Versys 650/1000 and also on street nakeds like the Street Triple and the KTM 790 Duke. My set of wheels was the Kawasaki Versys 650. Now, this is a proper touring bike and the Centauro ST were in the stock size.
The Centauro ST comes with a zero degree steel belt which according to Vredestein optimises the contact patch at any lean angle aiding confidence while cornering. The tyre is also made from a compound that is dedicated to sport touring which needs optimal traction on wet and low friction surfaces. For those who own the really big fat tourers or travel extensively with luggage, there is also an option of a two-ply version for more load-bearing capacity.
So how did the tyre perform on a tourer on a race track? Frankly, our session was just too slow to fathom anything. From how much we could ride in the slow, short session, the Versys responded extremely well under hard braking with the tyres providing plenty of confidence. Since we couldn’t push the limits of tyre at all, I cannot comment on its cornering performance and since we were on the race track with ideal surface conditions how these tyres will behave on the streets is something that remains to be seen. The Centauro ST comes in 17-inch only with sizes ranging from 120 to 190.
Vredestein Centauro NS
The NS is Vredestein’s high-performance supersport radial. Again like the ST, one can install it in a variety of motorcycles. Of course these wouldn’t make sense on a hardcore tourer, but for the rest like the supersports, sport tourers and naked sports, these fit the bill nicely. In fact, we got to test the tyre on a Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX which is not a supersports but a sport tourer.
Let’s get one thing out of the way first. The NS isn’t an out and out tyre for racing purposes. It is basically an aggressive high-performance tyre for the street, which as we found out was excellent on the track as well.
Giving it the edge in performance, it gets a dual compound technology which basically means softer sections on the side for better cornering performance and harder section in the middle for better longevity. This along with new silica-based compounds, zero degree steel belt and a multi radii profile all come together aiming to provide an engaging riding experience.
Now getting to the riding experience, thankfully, this session was comparatively a lot faster. Now the Ninja 1000 is a big heavy motorcycle meant to cross continents and not scorch a racetrack. But nevertheless, it would be interesting to see how a sport tourer performs on super sport radials at the BIC.
A warm up later we upped the pace and it was immediately apparent that the NS tyres felt right at home on the track. Chasing the lead bike, corner speeds were high enough to gauge the high amounts of grip on offer. The Ninja in its sportiest setting was kept on the least traction control setting and even then there was zero drama as I wound up the throttle on corner exits. Even under hard braking, the tyres showed zero signs of stress and the motorcycle managed to shed speeds quickly and confidently. I’m pretty sure these tyres on a supersports or a naked sports would be insane amounts of fun.
Like I mentioned for the ST, the racetrack only tells us one part of the story, for the other part, we will have to see how the NS tyres perform in normal road conditions, but I guess that’s a story for another day.
Overall, the first impressions of the Vredestein Centauro’s are pretty good. They will be available for a wide range of motorcycles and it’s brilliant that these made in India tyres perform the way they do and most importantly you won’t have lose and arm or a leg to buy one. Prices for the Centauro ST will range between Rs. 25,000 to 30,000, while the sportier NS will retail for under Rs. 30,000. Now let’s just hope we get to try them in real world conditions and hope they impress us further.
