Wide tyres and insurance

[djcat]

Good evening,

In my quest to make the PCX my winter commuter, I wanted to combine a swap of tyres with the next regular service. In line with some forum posts on here and in other languages, I wanted to swap them for some winter tyres sized 120/80 - 14 (rear) and 100/80 - 14 (front).

The dealer replied:

"We could do this for you we would not recommend it though.

If we were to fit them you would have to sign a disclaimer acknowledging that we fitted them at your request.

You would also need to notify your insurance company as this could constitute a modification and therefore invalidate your cover."

Did anybody UK based have non standard sized tyres fitted? If so, did you have to notify your insurance? Every time I ask mine for anything, they are fine with it as long as I don't increase the power or paint it in a Police bikes colour scheme.

To anybody (UK based or not) who put on wider tyres: Did you have any issues with handling or scraping any suspension or body parts? What size did you fit?

About winter tyres: I made my decision, I am happy to explain why I want to swap from the original IRCs to them but I would ideally prefer this thread to be about the sizes than about the type.

Thanks,

DJ

[Alibally]

http://www.tyres-pneus-online.co.uk/mot ... %7CRF.html

There are the correct sized winter tyres here.

Put the size in the bottom of the page. 100/90 14 for the rear and 90/90 14 for the front.
You would be better to leave them the stock size as winter/snow tyres should be narrower anyway.

[maddiedog]

Insurance is madness in the UK. We don't have to deal with any of that silliness in the USA. :/

[DAB]

I have a WR250X and even this is not good in snow. I don't think I would change the tyres and expect too much difference. Cars yes, bikes no

[ewing65]

Any modification even a simple one, changes it from a standard model to a custom model and if you have not notified your UK insurance company you well may not be insured in the event of a claim.

[gn2]

It's actually worse than that, using the wrong tyres could constitute an offence punishable by fine and/or points.
There's no need for winter tyres on a PCX, on the few days you might need winter tyres it would be best to leave the scooter at home.

[Alibally]

Winter tyres are not just for snow. The clue is in the title. There're for the winter months.
The rubber compound of a winter tyre is very different to a summer tyre. It is designed specifically to work in temperatures under +7 degrees centigrade.
What happens to a summer tyre when the temperature drops is that the tyre compound loses its flexibility, making it less grippy in low temperatures.
Winter tyres are made from specially developed compound with more natural rubber so they don’t harden when it’s cold, which means increased grip on the road and greater safety.

[gn2]

Yep I know all that.
Normal tyres work ok on a PCX, there's no need for winter tyres.
For winter tyres to be worth fitting the weather has to be consistently cold.
One thing the weather isn't is consistent.
To use winter tyres you need two sets of wheels.
Changing them is a major p.i.t.a. and that's on a car, its a whole lot worse on a PCX.
As we do not have laws requiring winter tyres (yet?), there's no point fannying around with them.

[djcat]

It's actually worse than that, using the wrong tyres could constitute an offence punishable by fine and/or points.
There's no need for winter tyres on a PCX, on the few days you might need winter tyres it would be best to leave the scooter at home.

Is it an offence? Oh dear...can I not even have them looked at at an MOT station and have them ok'ed? At least in other countries on the old continent such thing is possible.

About winter tyres: I will not swap them every change of season, I will use them all year round. I don't like the IRCs in the first place and it is safe to use winter tyres throughout summer, whilst the other way around is not. The difference in braking distance on a cold, dry and completely free of snow surface between summer and winter tyres is grotesque!

[khaosaming]

I don't like the IRCs in the first place and it is safe to use winter tyres throughout summer, whilst the other way around is not.

------------------
IRC makes winter tyres as well. They are safe to use all year round as a replacement for the stock tyres.



http://www.sip-scootershop.com/en/produ ... now+_iro32

It's all in the tread. A tyre like this (Michelin S83 on a Vespa PX 200) is good for the winter months too.

[you you]

It's actually worse than that, using the wrong tyres could constitute an offence punishable by fine and/or points.
There's no need for winter tyres on a PCX, on the few days you might need winter tyres it would be best to leave the scooter at home.

What offence would that be?

[gn2]

Michelin City Grip.
Work perfectly in all weathers.
Good mileage.
Cheap.
Readily available.

[gn2]

What offence would that be?

Regulation 27 Construction and Use Regs 1986

[khaosaming]

In my opinion, Michelin City Grip is not particularly well suited for winter riding. The tread is too smooth. A proper winter tyre looks like an off-road tyre.

Michelin City Grip:

[Alibally]

What to get is an all season tyre if it going on all year. Winters will be too soft for summer use and wear out very quickly.

[gn2]

In my opinion, Michelin City Grip is not particularly well suited for winter riding.

How many miles of winter riding on City Grip tyres is this opinion based on?

[djcat]

Interesting legal info, especially when reading through the text of the law (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986 ... on/27/made)

Thanks for that!

About IRC winter tyres: Maybe they do them, but if I didn't like the original summer ones, I am not very inclined to try their other products. Given the legal width restrictions, I may go for the Heidenau option, well renown manufacturer of winter tyres for bikes and scooters with plenty of reviews, including on the ADVriders forum.


Just for curiosity, to anybody who actually has fitted wider tyres: How is the handling with them?

Thanks for all the feedback so far.

[khaosaming]

@ GN2

It's possible we are talking or thinking about different things here. What you may call winter in the British isles, is probably more like late spring or early autumn in Finland. I commuted to work on a Honda Zoomer through two winters with temperatures falling as low as minus 25. The Zoomer has Kenda tyres, so a proper comparison is not possible. Yet I prefer a good deep tread and separated blocks like in an off-road tyre.

City Grip is a good tyre, and I installed them on my Vespa LX 150. I wouldn't use them on snow, though. City Grip is a wet road tyre with a good grip when it's only slightly slippery.

[khaosaming]

Just one more thing...

Strictly speaking the City Grip would be illegal to use in Finland from December to February when winter tyres are mandatory. The law in Finland requires that a motorcycle has rugged tyres for winter use (what ever that is). I reckon it means a blocky texture with big grooves, like an off-road tyre.

I know that basically the thread is about riding in the UK. We are an international community of scooterists, so a slight deviation to add some (ir?)relevant information in other countries should be ok.

[gn2]

Yep, the op was specifically looking for information about riding in the UK.
Winter road conditions here are very different to Scandinavia.