Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

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Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Thanks for the update Monk.

The only short review that I could so far find on these tyres was from a forum. I have attached the reviews from the forum as a screenshot. Seems the person is using it for his D390. I have requested for more info. Fingers crossed.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Not tried these tires, but the mrf is a very good tire.. i'd say stick to the stock mrf (fc or fc1). mrf is a softer compound and provides good feedback and grip under various conditions. even the michelin's i felt were not as soft compound as the mrf's. So i have my apprehensions on the metro tires (though it is unfair for me to judge them without even trying them out!)
I know a few folks who moved to the mrf's on the front on other bikes (cbr ninja's) and are very happy with it. I myself changed to the michelin on the rear on my d200, but will stick to the mrf on the front. these mrf revz are some of the best tires (grip wise) you get for the money you pay, albeit more puncture prone(Especially rear tire).
If you want to experiment, it's your call.. I doubt you will get many reviews considering its a recently launched tire from metro. And tire reviews vary person to person..some blame the tire instead of their riding style/technique. and tire grip will vary on different road surfaces.. not all roads are laid equally! I have seen my tires behave differently on different roads (that appear like the same tar road to the naked eye).. some roads are like ice when it rains while some provide more grip.
And forget folks who give you a review from the track perspective.. the material/technique used to lay the track road will be different from your average everyday road.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Hi,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Yes I will go with MRF revz for the front. However this is the first time I will trying with revz-C1 as my stocks were revz-C.
But the puncture prone rear wheels are the ones that bothers me. I am really not comfortable taking MRF rear for Leh. However the guys at SVC suggested to go with MRF at the front and Michelin at the rear. Need to decide on that.
But I don't know if it is just me but I feel Dukes have a very less options of "affordable" tyres to choose from. :-)

Cheers.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

I run the combo of revz at front and michelin at rear. perfect all round setup (though the rear costs a little more) with the main advantage being less puncture prone.
the affordable options are the mrf (best performance but more puncture prone), or other brands like conti go, ceat (that come in 140 size) which are not as grippy but last longer and less puncture prone and cost slightly lesser than the revz c/c1.
If you plan to do leh, then switch to the michelin so that you can also continue to use it after leh.. good all round performer. Otherwise, use the cheaper ceat at the rear for leh, and change it to mrf after you return (if required). You will anyway not be doing high speeds or corner carving at leh.. so the ceats should suffice for the rough terrain.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Finally after a lot of speculation I have decided to take the risky plunge. More over the Conti Bazooka costed my Rs.2850. So there is always an option of swapping out.
However I do not wish to take some costly pair of rubbers over the harsh Himalayan terrain next month.

But however the initial impressions of the tyre is good. Its sturdy and boasts of the same factory spec of that of Duke. But its a mystery why Conti hasn't been pushing these rubbers to the market.

@Admin : Kindly close this thread. After my inital usage, I will be posting my experience of the tyre in a seperate thread. Thank you.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

My personal experience a few years ago with Continental tyres was very bad. Ditched the pair after 500 km of use and swore, never again

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Was it contiGO tyres that you were using. Because contiGO do have their reputation of bad grip on wet roads. But the conti Bazooka has been released last year.
So these tyres have been rarely used and no reviews are available so far.

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

so what's your update? the tyres any good?

Re: Any info on Continental-Metro Bazooka tyres for Duke 200

Hi All,

Just an update on Continental Bazooka tyres.

Its been 20,000 Kms on this rubber and its been a great ride so far. The grip was so much similar to the MRF RevZ's till around 15000 Kms after which the grip started to deteriorate. The tyres started to lose its wet grip sooner than the dry grip. For the past 1000 odd Kms, the tyre gave me heart attacks on tight corners and even for a decent leaning it failed miserable to inspire confidence in me.
And now recently the tyre got bulged at various locations around its surface a so its high time to settle scores with Continental Bazooka at last.

Verdict :

The tyre is good and cheaper than MRFs. The grip is almost comparable with MRF RevZ but it lasts only till 15000 Kms. So if you are looking for a low-cost alternative at stock size I would suggest these tyres. Else look for MRFs or the Michellins.

Next Tyre :

The next tyre that I have chosen for my D200 is the "Ralco Speed Blaster 140/70". Yes I am downsizing on the rubber and I am going for SpeedBlaster because of my upcoming Leh venture in another 4 months. Also I thought 150 is an overkill for the Duke's 4 inch rims. So 140 is more like homecoming for the Duke and I'll update the experience ASAP.

Cheers.