Motorbike Tyres
On 10 November, Cheng Shin Rubber Ind., Co., Ltd. announced that it is preparing to increase the capital of PT. Maxxis International Indonesia by US$30 million (about £25.53 million pounds; 29.01 million euros). Cheng Shin Rubber said that the capital increase meets the operation’s needs.
After entering India’s motorcycle tyre business a good two years earlier, at the end of 2018 Apollo Tyres announced plans to introduce motorcycle tyres in European markets. It even presented the first local products – Centauro ST, Centauro Road and (for Scooters) Staccata early in 2020, along with the promise of a two-wheel TPMS system. But after that, everything went quiet until Apollo Tyres confirmed suspending its European rollout due to “high demand for motorcycle tyres in the Indian market” and “limited production capacities.” Yves Pouliquen, head of sales and marketing at Apollo Tyres Europe, recently provided an update on the company’s two-wheeler plans.
Following the news that Goodyear is investing in converting its Montluçon into a two-wheel tyre production centre of excellence, company officials have confirmed that, subject to consultation with the relevant employee bodies, Goodyear expects the plans to be “substantially complete by the beginning of 2024”.
Following the news that it is consulting on the closure of the Cooper Melksham tyre factory, Goodyear has announced that it is set to invest 16.5 million euros into the “modernisation” of its Montluçon, France tyre production plant over the next 18 months. The news also marks the end of light truck tyre production at Montluçon. Prior to the announcement, the production of two-wheel tyres accounted for 50 per cent of the site’s activity and the site has also made motorsport tyres during its recent history.
Michelin has produced a new version of its motorcycle racing tyre with an even higher share of environmentally sustainable material ahead of the MotoE World Cup motorcycle racing series. This is the fourth season of the MotoE World Cup electric motorcycles racing series.
Mitas has extended its mousse range with the inclusion a new rally version. The new Mitas Rally Mousse features a durable compound that is suitable to high speeds and resistant to heat and sharp objects. It is designed for use in combination with a range of Mitas Rally tyres including E-12 Rally Star, E-13 Rally Star, C-21 Stoneking and C-17 Stoneater Dakar, and available in the 140/80-18 rear and 90/90-21 front sizes.
During January 2021, Jiangsu Seyoun Tire Co. Ltd.’s phase 2 Suqian City, China factory construction project got underway. According to industry association CRIA, the new tyre production base is expected to manufacture 3.2 million sets of “high-performance all-steel radial tyres” and become an “all-steel radial tyre production base for heavy trucks”.
Michelin and Dorna Sports have confirmed a new three-year contract extension with Michelin. The extended tyre supply deal will see the French firm continue as the sole official tyre supplier to MotoGP until at least 2026 and therefore means the partners will reach the milestone of a decade racing together.
Mitas has extended the Terra Force-MX motocross competition tyre range, introduced at the beginning of 2019, to include junior sizes designed for motorcycles from 50cc to 85cc engine displacement. These additional sizes will be available from October.
Pirelli has rolled out a range of larger Diablo Superbike Slick tyres for the Bennetts British Superbike (BSB) Championship. The series will run over six rounds starting at Donington Park on 7-9 August. Each round features three Superbike races. Pirelli has continuously acted as sole tyre supplier to the series since 2008. It supplies approximately 4,000 tyres to each event, as well as offering service and support. The new tyres were developed during the 2019 World Superbike Championship. They now comprise part of Pirelli’s production tyre range, available to racers of all levels.
The new Kenda Knarly extreme enduro tyre is now available in the UK via well-known two-wheel tyre specialist wholesaler Cambrian Tyres.
Developed in conjunction with top US pro riders, the road legal Knarly features a soft compound front and supersoft compound rear designed to tackle the very toughest of obstacles.
Pyramids Tires, a new tyre manufacturer based in Port Said, northeast Egypt, saw its first tyres roll off the production line on 9 May 2020. The factory currently manufactures motorcycle, forklift and agricultural tyres as part of the first phase of the plant’s development. The second phase, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022, will see the company add passenger car, truck and OTR tyres to its portfolio.
Kenda Rubber Industrial has been producing bicycle and motorcycle tyres at its Indonesia plant since 2015. According to local media reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer now wants to move production capacity from China to Indonesia.
“The motorcycle market continued its upward trend in April, with sales up 7.3 per cent ahead of the same period last year and up 9.4 per cent year-to-date”, said Stephen Latham, Head of the National Motorcycle Dealers Association (NMDA) which represents motorcycle retailers across the UK. The figures were released by the Motor Cycle Industry Association
Cheng Shin
Christian Marx/Profil-Verlag
Christian Marx/Profil Verlag
Christian Marx/Profil Verlag
Michelin
Mitas
Seyoun Tire
Michelin
Mitas
Pirelli
Kenda
Pyramid Tires