IRC tyres

[A1John]

Does anyone know who stocks IRC tyres in the UK? http://www.irc-tire.com/en/mc/products/commuter/gs-11/

[malmojoe]

I looked for a long time for those Graham, but no luck. I was looking for my H1, but perhaps they aren't rated for EU use like the dunlops.
In the end I went for these which I think look pretty good, haven't fitted them yet.

front Continental RB2
http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/motorbike-tyres/continental/rb2/3.25--19-54h-7515?utm_source=compare%26utm_medium=google-shopping%26utm_campaign=tyre&gclid=COOY3LnC0bwCFYMfwwodY3YAnA
rear Heidenau K36
http://www.tyreleader.co.uk/motorbike-tyres/heidenau/k36/

[njwmct]

Does anyone know who stocks IRC tyres in the UK? http://www.irc-tire.com/en/mc/products/commuter/gs-11/

Don't waste your money - with tyres you get what you pay for.
My advice is stick with the quality brands:
Avon, Bridgestone, Continental etc.

[Charlie]

Does anyone know who stocks IRC tyres in the UK? http://www.irc-tire.com/en/mc/products/commuter/gs-11/

Don't waste your money - with tyres you get what you pay for.
My advice is stick with the quality brands:
Avon, Bridgestone, Continental etc.

Yeah right, cos most of those don't make tyres in the middle east either .....

The UK importer for IRC tyres is Staniforth Wholesale in Sheffield. Telephone is 01142-462027.

They will tell you if those tyres are available in the UK and where you can buy them close to home if so. They may not bring in that model, but at least you get it from the horses mouth

Do not assume that just because it may say Michelin or Dunlop or whatever on the side wall - it has not been made in China or a less vogue country. Many motorcycle tyres are made out there, or in Taiwan or in Indonesia, or Poland or in similar far flung places. Very few "brand name" tyre companies do not have plants there

Just look a little closer at this Dunlop article for instance.

Dunlop still occupies a compact part of the site with their British main office. In the UK, the company operates as a sales organisation, importing tyres from manufacturing plants around the world, including China, Slovenia and Poland.

The company is in an extremely competitive sales environment and has had to continually readjust. Apart from the main Goodyear and Dunlop brands, tyres are also sold under the Fulda, Sava and Arrowspeed brand names.

I can dig out similar info on all the other "quality" brands too. I suspect many of you would be surprised just where they are made.

Do not just assume that it is a European made tyre just cos it's got a European name.

[njwmct]

It's not where a product is made that matters.
What's important are the materials used the production process & the technical know-how behind the design.
Pick the wrong tyres & you might as well be riding a shopping trolley - it really makes that much of a difference!

[Charlie]

Quality control IS key, but you should not dismiss any tyre manufacturer just out of hand as being poor and plump for a name brand believing you will automatically be making a better choice, you may not be.

I have known of IRC personally for over 30 years. They are a very professional outfit.

I work within the motorcycle tyre industry (not for IRC) for a top ten world tyre producer so I tend to know the history of and good/bad points about most motorcycle tyre manufacturers. They all have their problems. They all have their good points. All have R&D usually based within Europe and/or the USA. The best R&D guys "float" between the smaller and the larger company's much as the best bankers float between different banks. The Dunlop top dog development guy one year could be the Maxxis top dog the next and vice-versa.

IRC are a very reputable Japanese based company that have manufactured and still manufacture hundreds of thousands of tyres for OE fitment on many Japanese motorcycles.

Some of the "lesser" names actually have higher quality control standards and work with premium materials because they have to. People will dismiss a faulty Michelin (for example) as a one off problem and not shun the brand - like when one of their premium motorcycle radials de laminated and warranted a huge recall a few years back.

A faulty batch like that for a smaller motorcycle tyre company could put them out of business, so pretty much to a man they make sure it does not happen.

The car side is different, but the motorcycle side has very tight manufacturing regimes and very high standards. The truly wise man will judge the tyre itself, not just the manufacturer

[Pigford]

Interesting & useful advice Charlie - thanx