TVS Eurogrip Tread Talks - Terrabite DB+
Yes, TVS Eurogrip has been producing some great sets of road tyres of late, and we've mostly had a chance to test them out on track. This time around, things are different, for the better because we're out testing new range of adventure touring tyres: Beamer HS+, Duratrail EB+ and Terrabite DB+. The Beamer HS+ are strictly road-going tyres while the latter two are more in tune with on- and off-road usage.
On this outing, TVS Eurogrip had organized a ride from the factory in Madurai to Thekkady and back, while testing the three different tyres en route. The range of motorcycles equipped with the tyres were the TVS Apache RTR 160 4V along with a few Suzuki Gixxers, Yamaha FZs which had the Beamer HS+; Royal Enfield Classic 350s with the Terrabite DB+ treads on and a couple of Royal Enfield Himalayan 411s with Duratrail EB+ all-terrain running shoes on. So, after a rather elaborate factory tour, we were all suited up and ready to ride out. Sadly, as soon as we started, much to our dismay, a majority of the bikes were not in the best of testing conditions. So I instead chose to focus on the Terrabite DB+ since the Classic 350s appeared to be in the best running order.
The Terrabite DB+ button pattern tyres that felt good out on the road and gave the Royal Enfield Classic 350s a commendable amount of stability over gravel and loose road surfaces. In a straight line, they felt composed and managed the shifting weight of the RE while braking hard, very well. The rear didn't squirm out in a disorderly fashion when I dropped the rear anchor hard while testing how it fares during a locked wheel situation. What impressed me the most about this particular set of tyres was the reassuring levels of grip they provided while riding up and down the winding ghat sections of Thekkady at a decent clip. However, a slight detour off-road onto a light sandy stretch left more to be desired from the set of Duratrails. The company tell us that the Terrabite DB+ is designed to be best suited to tackle this, and although I did get a good feel of that while on a quick run through some patchy sections off on a village road, those particular tyres are meant to take on terrain that's meant to be even more torturous, like paths plastered with medium-sized rocks, slippery stones, sand ruts and the like.. the kind of stuff which we wouldn't experience on the ride out this time around.
Now the prices range from Rs 1,600 - Rs 2,000 for the Beamers; Rs 2,125 - Rs 3,675 for the Duratrails and Rs 2,100 - Rs 2,500 for the Terrabites, and although I'll reserve judgement on the other two, the price for the Duratrail treads seems quite appropriate given the tyre's mostly on- and light-off-road capabilities. As it stands, we know that TVS Eurogrip offers Protorq Extremes and the Roadhound sport touring tyres and this time we got a small sample of what they're like when the going gets rough. We'll have to spend some more time with Beamer HS+ and the Terrabite DB+ on healthier motorcycles in the terrain they're best meant for a better understanding and evaluation.