Eurogrip Tread Talks: Getting a Better Grip of Things
Eurogrip tyres decided to do something different this time around. Unlike the usual track or road riding experiences the India-based tyre maker is known to host twice every year, on their second event in 2024 Eurogrip opted to conduct a Master Class exercise. This would include theory and practical sessions where we would explore, in fine detail, the understanding of evaluating tyres from some experienced professionals in this unique field.
It was basically to help us journos get, quite literally, a better grip on all things tyre-related which would go further than just explaining how Eurogrip tyres are produced, the thought and efforts behind all the testing, and the actual execution and final product that's ready to be purchased and hit the streets. This time we'd be shown how the ropes of tyre testing by some seasoned professionals at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. So it was quite the exciting proposition indeed!
Before we got down to the fun part out on track, the theory class was led by four tyre experts lined-up by Eurogrip. The first two are international veteran riders with multiple accolades in various competitive races across the world under their respective belts. The first rider (top left in the riding suit- Pic above) is Toshihiro Wakayama, from Japan, and the second is Vittorio Iannuzzo (next to him in the riding suit), an Expert Rider from Italy. It was great to have Renato Zilli, Eurogrip Milan and the ever cheerful V Sivaramakrishnan, CTO, Eurogrio tyres on hand to explained to us the nuances of manufacturing various kinds of tyres rubber compounds they use, what tread patterns, steel or nylon belted, and so on and what goes on behind the making of the tyres, while the two riders later went on to explain to us how they evaluate and test tyres before they are launched to the public. Sadly communication was a bit of an issue as they weren't very fluent in English or the other languages we're usually accustomed to out here. so getting messages across was difficult at times.
The interesting thing that I learned about the tyre testing protocol that Eurogrip follows, from these two riders, is that the tyres are put through closely monitored, standardised tests in different countries, under varying conditions, with different combinations of other manufacturer's tyres till the expert rider can provide consistent and positive/ improved feedback from the Eurogrip tread evaluations. However, in this process the test riders do not know which tyres they are testing so as to minus any pre-conceived notions or expectations from the equation. In these tests, the tyres are evaluated for their rate of grip across various sections and lean angles of the tread, overall lightness, ease of directional alteration, response to under hard braking, and a lot more depending on the nature and usage of the tyre.
Anyway, it was now time to move on to the fun part of the day, which was riding and trying out the exercises we were briefed about earlier. As always, Eurogrip had arranged for a range of motorcycles ready set with Protorq Extreme, Roadhound, and Beamer+ treads. For those who don't know, the Protorqs tyres are basically zero degree steel radial performance tyres meant for motorcycles (mostly) under 600cc which have been tested up to 270kmph, the Roadhounds are zero steel degree radial sport-touring tyres meant for 600cc and above class of bikes that comprise what the manufacturer calls 'Quadrazone compound' or four different compounds â€" base, wings, shoulder and center - to keep optimal heat in the tyres and provide high performance as well. They have been tested for speeds in excess of 270kmph. The Beamer HS + which is a tyre that's balanced for grip, mileage and durability. Tyres capable of managing fast speeds, but as you can expect, it's a mixture of sorts, so it's not the best choice if you want to be downright fast.
The strange thing out here today was that Eurogrip had a Yamaha MT-15 clad with a nice chunky 140/70-17 Protorq Extreme tread at the rear but a rather spindly looking 100/80-17 Beamer HS + tread on the front. The Protorq Extreme tyres are an absolute delight and they're meant for bikes ranging from the likes of the 150cc Yamaha has and Hondas through to the 400cc KTM range and up to some bikes like the Ducati Monster and BMW K 1600 GTL. I think they legitimately have a tendency to up the game of any quick machine around a circuit. Now a pair of these will give some sub-500cc bikes clad with Ceat Sportrad full steel radial tyres a proper run for their money.
But on this occasion, with this Extreme and Beamer combo out on track, things felt a bit awry, because the Protorq, allowed you to lean in to the corners as you liked, but there were always times that you thought that you were going to wash out with the smaller wing on the Beamer up front. I later learned that Eurogrip doesn't make 100 section Protorq Extreme tyres, and suggested that they look into it. Bikes like the Yamaha R-15 and MT-15 are bound to be ridden fast by riders at some point and may be even taken out on a couple of track days. Now sure, for the street this combo it might be alright, but it definitely diesn't make a lot of sense to run this combo out on track.
The Roadhounds, feel brilliant as always. I'm a big fan of these tyres. They're a perfect match for bikes like the CBR 650F, ZX-6R,TNT 6001, Monster 821, Brutale 800 and the like.  It really should be the pride and joy of the company if it isn't already, because they really are great tyres. Once again I ran some drills around the circuit, in an effort to try and find kinks in its armour, but really there are practically none to write home about. Brake late, hard under acceleration, mid corner corrections, late entries and early exits… all very much under control. Even on bikes that are essentially not built for trackdays â€" like the Harley-Davidson Street Rod 750.
The masterclass session was a great Idea, as it opened our minds to some different processes in the tyre making and testing processes, but in terms of actually helping us execute and get a better feeling of what we were doing out on track, well, it wasn't as eye opening as I thought it'd be. Mainly on account of the amount of personal time we had to spend with either of two the test riders out on track. That would have made things more engaging in my opinion. Still, great who in their right mind would decline an offer to spend some quality time on track with some outstanding performance tyres? Not me!