Re: Decent tires in China?
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.
Re: Decent tires in China?
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
Re: Decent tires in China?
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.