Decent tires in China?

When I've been riding in western countries I never cheap out on tires, as they are obviously very important and more so if the bikes power is greater and the road temperature is colder or it's wet, and usually I get a top brand such as Bridgestone, Michelin etc. However in China I've had real trouble finding very good tires. Acceptable tires such as Duro or Sakura can be ordered fairly easily in my area, but aren't stocked. Questionable tires such as low-end Kenda's or Chengshin's or worse unknown or random tires are stocked, I know this is because Chinese riders think that tire longevity and price are more important than handling or wet road safety, so availability is just reflecting market demand.

So if you know of any western quality tires stocked/sold/manufactured in China, please supply some contact information and what brands sizes you have found.

You won't find western quality motorcycle tires for street bikes being manufactured in China. There are a few companies making some decent dirt tires for motorcycles and ATV's, but not much else.

You can get bridgestone, michellin, metzler, etc. from a couple shops in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The price is very high. I just paid 1700 RMB for metzeler tourances for my BMW and 2200 RMB for bridgestone battlewings on my V-strom.

Like everything in China, available for a price and a small hassle.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Thanks China V

Was even thinking of begging the owner of the biggest car bridgestone outlet I could find if it wasn't possible to import some motorcycle tires from Japan for a price, unlikely but maybe worth asking.

Have any idea where to look in Beijing?

In fact my tires are OK, as long as the road temp is high enough, the bike doesn't produce too much power and isn't that heavy. But I have friends with Honda CMX250 (rebel) clones and other such bikes, they complain of the tires squealing during cornering (because they are super hard compound designed for 150cc cruisers). For them the expense might be really worth the safety on a heavier more powerful bike.

Allow me to bump this very old thread.

As maybe some of you know, I'm in the process of getting my licence and buying a Yamaha YBR 125 in Shanghai. As far as I learned on several forums around the world, the stock tires (Chengxin) are quite bad especially on wet roads, but then again, I don't know yet.
If I were to look for Pirelli, Michelin or Metzeler tires in Shanghai for this kind of bike, would you know where to look ?
Thanks in advance.

Hi Fred,

It's going to be tough finding the sizes you want from the few shops that do import brand name stuff. Right now, the Shanghai World Expo and the Guangzhou Asian games have made it difficult for businesses to get stuff through customs. None of my usual sources in Guangzhou have much of anything in stock.

When the supply chain is flowing normally here, there are quite a few people carrying Bridgestone. Ask one of the "importers" in Shanghai, maybe they can special order the sizes you need. When all else fails, I usually stick with Kenda, as they have fairly decent tires that are produced locally.

Cheers!
ChinaV

Fred if your Chinese is good enough, and you can find a local Jianshe Yamaha manager who knows his bikes, there is a good chance of being able to get some Sakura tires or better pattern/compound Cheng Shin Tire (CST) tires for your YBR125. Sakura are a medium level quality brand owned by Chengshin rubber of Taiwan http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...24%26bih%3D337, fear not, as Maxxis are another one of their name brands, but Maxxis tires are only available for cars or mountain bikes inside China. The tires that come stock on the YBR125 are cheap and long life durable, because this is what the Chinese commuter market wants. Many Chengshin (CST) branded tires can be pretty good, http://www.csttires.com/Motorcycle/Moto-Street.aspx although I'd always prefer Bridgestone, Pirelli or Michelin if I had a choice, I choice I haven't had yet in China.