CEAT Tyres has launched the SportRad and CrossRad series of steel radial tyres for motorcycles in the replacement market. The SportRad is designed for sporty road use, while the multi-terrain CrossRad caters to daily commuters as well as a bit of off-roading. Both have a steel-belted radial construction.
- Future CrossRad tyres will cater to larger capacity ADVs
- More variants of SportRad catering to big bikes to follow
The SportRad is available in the following sizes as of now – 110/70 R17 and 150/60 R17. Additional variants of SportRad (SS and ST) will be launched after July catering to premium, multi-cylinder bikes with sizes ranging from 160-section, all the way up to 240-section. The SportRad is priced at Rs 12,500 for a set.
The CrossRad is available only in the following size for now – 140/60 R17. The CrossRad AT will be available in sizes ranging from 130-section, up to 180-section with a slightly different tread pattern and will be launched at a later date. The CrossRad has an asking price of Rs 4,300 for a set.
CEAT isn't the only Indian tyre OEM in this segment. MRF launched the Steel Brace tyres last year, which now come factory-fitted to bikes like the KTM 250 Duke, Triumph Speed 400 and the Ultraviolette F77. Apollo Tyres has its Alpha H1, which is also found on the Speed 400, while TVS Eurogrip’s Protorq Extreme’s have recently made their debut on the Aprilia RS 457.
CEAT's launch should be seen in context of a booming replacement market, which accounts for a whopping 60 percent of the company's sales. With OEMs contributing only 27 percent and exports bringing in the remaining 13 percent, the tyre major is betting big on catering to the needs of individual riders.
Lakshmi Narayanan B, chief marketing officer at CEAT, stated that the performance segment in the motorcycle market was previously very niche at around 1.2 percent of the market, but has grown significantly in the last 5-6 years to around 2.5-3 percent of the overall motorcycle tyre market. "It is growing at an extremely fast rate," Narayanan said.