allanwallace.uk : CG125 : Tips
Recommended Tyres for your CG125-ES4
I live in England, UK, and I use my motorbike to commute in all weathers, well, ok snow can stop play, but apart from that having tried a few different tyres on my 2006 CG125-ES4 the ones I have found work the best for me overall are these:
Michelin Pilot Street:
Front: Michelin Pilot Street 2.75 - 18 42P
Rear: Michelin Pilot Street 90/90 - 18 57P
Others swear by Metzeler ME22:
Front: Metzeler ME22 2.75 - 18 48P
Rear: Metzeler ME22 90/90 - 18 57P
I have read nothing adverse and only good about the Metzelers
I have't tried them, I'm happy with my Michelin Pilot Street tyres.
Either way:
If I had a son or daughter who was getting into biking on a cg125, either set are the tyre brand choices I would want them to have.
If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow on the roads, these tyres may not suit you.
If your roads are not tarmac / asphalt / concrete, these tyres may not suit you.
I haven't tried them off road much, but I have (carefully) ridden through mud, floodwater, hail, slush (melting snow) without issue.
The grip levels with these tyres on good roads in good weather is phenomenal, the level of grip and the benefit of being able to stop in a shorter distance than some other brands of tyre could make all the difference when it matters the most.
The only times I have managed to lose grip with the tyres has been during emergency braking situations when I have locked the front end up, fortunately on 3 occasions grip was regained as soon as I slightly eased off the brake - and braking then continued at an impressive rate, and on the other occasion at around 10mph in sub zero temperatures, the front end locked up and wash out.
I already had my feet dangling above the ground anyway, so I simply stood up and caught the bike before it hit the deck.
Top tips:
Whatever tyres you buy, you will have less grip below zero than on a hot dry day.
You'll have less grip on salted roads too....
As for locking the front end up, the first three occasions involved braking as hard as possible while travelling at an indicated 60 mph on relatively flat roads.
On all three occasions the front wheel simply started skipping and bouncing rather than gripping.
I dare say on a bigger bike it could have been different and potentially painful.
Similarly if riding with a technique different from mine, or riding a heavier bike, or fatter tyres, or perhaps even just having heavier fork oil, may not give the same result...
Top Tip:
I practice emergency stops regularly, when the road home from work is quiet.
You never know when you might need that skill to be well honed.
CAUTION
NEW tyres - and this includes the "unused" part of the tyre commonly known as "Chicken strips" - have less grip than tyres with plenty of miles on them.
If you have "Chicken strips" on your tyres, and in an emergency need to lean onto that part of the tyre you will not have as much grip as you could have.
For this reason I recommend giving this youtube video a watch, and considering his opinion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qPHOQ7elPo
I didn't do this with my last set of tyres, but I'm considering it with my current set
My CG125's old tyres had chicken strips:
Last Updated 2022/04/12 21:50 CET.
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