Best Scooter Tires of 2016
In this video/article :
Michelin Power Pure SC
Let’s start somewhere fun, with the Michelin Power Pure SC .
If I’m ‘gonna try to get my knee down on a scooter, this is the tire to do it with. It’s basically a Pilot Power 3 that someone left in the dryer too long. All the supersport technology … shrunk.
The main thing about this tire is its dual-compound. That’s old hat in the superbike world but for scooter riders, the Power Pure is the first of its kind. The front tire is ultra-soft- soft and the rear is soft-medium.
Meaning that the centre of each tire uses a firmer compound than the edges. So you get maximum straight-line stability and mileage, while still having supple cornering grip.
Up top we have the same tread design as the Pilot Power 3 – a fountain style. 1 And by that I mean the centre tread grabs water, moving it upwards and outwards like a fountain. So this tire sticks to the pavement rather than sliding on the water, which is always good.
The “fountains” are spaced though, leaving a slick centre belt down the middle of the tire. That’s technically good for mileage, not only because it spreads the load across a larger area, but because there aren’t any grooves in the main wear region. 2 So when the cop pulls you over, he’ll have to measure the depth of one of these grooves to the side, and they’ll still be deep enough to be legal.
But who cares about mileage! The Power Pure SC is all about performance and this smooth centre band is like a tiny piece of MotoGP. When you’re coming off the line or braking hard into a corner, you might as well be on racing slicks. Same goes for when you’ve got the scoot leaned all the way over, because
Michelin has faded out the tread at the edges to give us another slick band. 3 That should provide maximum grip and responsiveness to anyone who has the balls to lean the tire that far down.
Speaking of which, the carcass of the Power Pure SC is made from ultra-rigid plies. So if you happen to lean it to the edge, this tire will keep its shape without getting squirrelly.
The Power Pure SC is available in 12-15 inch rim sizes by the way, and most of those will run you around 70 bucks. It’s suitable for scooters anywhere between 50 and 650ccs, which is pretty much all of them.
Those of you on smaller-displacement machines might be tempted by the Michelin Bopper, but don’t be. This one is better.
Now, maybe I don’t ride my scooter like a total hooligan. Maybe I care more about sensible things like longevity and ride comfort and safety.
Michelin City Grip
In that case I’ll take the Michelin City Grip . At this point someone will probably leave a conspiratorial comment down below about Michelin paying me to choose their stuff, so for the record – no. I just happen to like this tire best so there’s two Michelins on my list. Sue me.
If you tour long distances on your scooter or commute every day, this is a good choice because it lasts forever. The centre belt is a slick, so the load is spread very well. Plus the rubber is a hard compound that wears slowly.
If you look at the sidewall, you can see that it’s reasonably high. What you can’t see – and what I can tell you – is that it’s also fairly soft. So this tire soaks up the bumps and results in a butter-smooth ride quality.
And when it comes to wet-weather safety, this tire is worlds ahead of that Power Pure we saw earlier.
See these centre grooves here? They actually evacuate water all the way out the edges, so this is a much better rain tire. Plus we even have tiny sipes to collect water away from the contact patch.
I do wish that these sipes were larger, because as it is they won’t be able to hold much water before filling up. Michelin had the clever idea to dot the sipes with deeper reservoirs on their Pilot Road 4 tire, and for some annoying reason, they didn’t do the same thing here.
Anyway, this is still the best tire for places like Montreal. Our roads are covered in salt, dirt, gasoline, beer, maple syrup, pot holes, sink holes … it’s a ruddy mess and the Michelin City Grip gets across it safely. Sizes run from itty-bitty 10-inchers all the way up to monstrous 16’s like this one. Most of which are priced well-south of 100 dollars.
Maxxis M6024
Now, how cool is this thing? It’s a Maxxis M6024 and I started laughing the minute I took delivery of it.
That’s because mounting a hard-core ADV tire onto a scooter is about the most fun you can have for 60 bucks. And yes – these are that cheap.
It’s a big-block tread pattern, not dissimilar to the iconic Continental TKC80. And just like the Contis, this tire was made with a super soft rubber compound and a fairly angular profile. That means the M6024 –despite it being a totally competent off-road tire – will also carve on the pavement. You can burn up the twisties and tear the trails in one afternoon with this guy!
And yes, I’ve chosen my words carefully there. “Burn” the twisties. “Tear” the trails. Because that’s exactly what is going to happen with this tire. It’s a shredder – built for a good time, not a long time.
You’re supposed to have fun with it, so don’t start crying when it very quickly goes bald.
I really love this tire, but it does piss me off in two areas. One is the speed rating. It’s a J-tire. J for “just 100 km/h or you’ll be picking tread knobs out of your teeth.”
The other issue I have is the sizing. Maxxis released the M6024 in two very specific sizes that just so happen to be the exact front and rear tire specs for the Honda Grom. So that’s great if you’re a Gromster or one of the few scooter riders who happen to run those wheels but for everyone else, it’s a no-go.
Check out the Michelin Reggae or Pirelli SL 60 for decent alternatives.
Now, what if I’m one of those guys who rides a scooter because it’s cheap?
Kenda K329
Well, Kenda offers the K329 for us stingy bastards and oh man is this thing cheap! Smaller sizes start north of twenty bucks and the biggest ones top out around 50.
What else can I say? The performance is straight-up garbage. The K329 comes off the factory line looking flat, and it’s meant to stay that way. If you take even the slightest enjoyment out of hitting a corner, don’t buy this.
But hey, I’m being cheap so I probably care more about mileage. And thanks to the mammoth-wide contact patch, it’s actually pretty good on this tire. Safety is all there too, with a primary tread that runs water from the centre to the very edges, and a bunch of micro sipes to soak up the leftovers. 6 The feedback on this tire is nothing to write home about, but if you don’t really care what happens with your tires as long as they stay under you, the K329 will do the job.
You can get a bunch of 10-inch wheel sizes on this guy – some tube type, some tubeless. The Honda Jazz, the Vespa … most small-displacement scooters will play nice with K329s. And did I mention they’re cheap?
For my final top pick– style points!
Pirelli SL 38
Of course I’m going to run to Italy when it comes to choosing a stylish scooter tire, so this is the Pirelli SL 38 . I wish they named it after something cooler than a calculator, but whatever. At least the SL 38 looks good.
It’s this wild geometric pattern where the inner sipes match the shape of each tread block … totally cool. You’ll find this wheel on a billion Vespas between here and Pontedera and no matter what anyone says, they chose it for the style.
Pirelli does have some half-hearted rationale about this being a sport-touring tire. And yeah, I guess the stiff carcass does provide fairly stable cornering, and the angular profile makes the turn-in quick. But let’s be honest – the tread design wasn’t exactly motivated by performance. The centre belt is a hot mess, the water siping doubles back on itself. I mean, the sidewall says the tire should rotate in this direction, but for the life of me I can’t see why that would make any difference.
Anyway, I shouldn’t be too hard on the little guy, because it actually handles just fine. I’m only trying to make the point that – if you’re going to buy this tire – you should do it for the looks. Especially because, at 90 bucks for 10 and 11 inch sizes, you could get a lot more performance for less money.
So that’s it for my favorite scooter tires! Thank you very much for watching.