Eurogrip’s Roadhound is a sport-touring radial aimed at middleweights and big bikes, with sizes ranging up to a 190/50 ZR17 rear. On paper, it has all the right buzzwords – steel belt, dual compounds, silica-rich tread – but the bigger question is how it feels once fitted and ridden in the real world? Well, I’ve spent the past 2,000km with these tyres on my Triumph Street Triple RS, and here’s what I’ve discovered.
This is my third set of tyres – I’ve used a pair of Metzeler Roadtec 01 and Michelin Road 5s before this. In terms of construction, the Roadhounds use a zero-degree steel belt that runs around the carcass to keep the profile stable at speed. It also incorporates a dual-compound build at the rear, which offers a harder centre for better longevity and softer shoulders for cornering grip. There’s also plenty of silica and a tread pattern designed for better water management.
Out on mixed surfaces, the Roadhound tyres prove fairly competent once they’re warmed up. In the dry, grip levels are strong enough to push hard without feeling too vague at lean, and stability at highway speeds is reassuring. That said, on cold starts, the tyres do feel a little wooden, and under very hard braking, it lacks the ultimate bite you’d get from a top-shelf import like the Road 5. The wet performance is good with the grooves clearing water well, but there were occasions I saw my traction control light flash on cement roads.
This has got more to do with our poor roads than the outright grip levels of the tyres themselves. Nevertheless, I can confidently say the Roadhounds outperform the Roadtec 01 on a rainy day. Its longevity is something I am yet to discover, and Eurogrip claims these tyres should last you well over 10,000km. At around Rs 13,800 for the 180/55-ZR17 rear and Rs 10,600 for the 120/70-ZR17 front, it’s the most affordable set I’ve ever had on my motorcycle by a long shot. It may not dethrone the established names yet, but it doesn’t feel out of its depth either. It offers great value, respectable performance, and should be a great alternative for road use to most stock tyres in the middle-weight space.
Where: eurogriptyres.com
Price: Rs 24,400
