To verify if the Apollo Alpha H1 tyres are as good as they’re cracked up to be, we put a pair to the test.
More often than not, we treat tyres as these round, black, irrelevant things on an automobile. Truth be told, tyres are easily the most important component of a vehicle. Why, you ask? Well, they’re the only part of a vehicle that has contact with the road, which truly makes them a matter of life and death.
And, so, it becomes very important to choose the right tyres for your vehicle. In fact, it becomes even more critical if you ride a performance motorcycle, for the ‘right’ set of tyres can help you extract the maximum performance from your machine.
Enter the Apollo Alpha H1 tyres. These have been around for a while now – they’re the company’s first radial tyres for performance motorcycles, such as the KTM 390s and TVS Apache RR 310.
Ever since the Alpha series’ market launch, I’ve only been hearing good things about these tyres. However, I wasn’t quite convinced of the fact that Apollo’s first crack at performance tyres could be as good as products from Pirelli, Michelin, or Metzeler. So, to clear things up, I decided to test a pair of new Alphas from Apollo myself. So, are they really that good?
For this test, we used a TVS Apache RR 310, because the H1s are a direct fit for this bike – 110/70 ZR17 (front) and 150/60 ZR17 (rear). Interestingly, as compared to the bike’s stock ‘H’ rated Michelins, the Apollos are ‘W’ rated tyres, which means that they have a speed rating of 270km/h!
Apollo says that the H1 has three primary goals – better high-speed grip and stability, increased tyre life, and good wet grip. So, how true is this claim? Well, thus far, I’ve only done 1,100 kilometres with these tyres, and I must say that the Alpha H1s easily overshadow the stock Michelin Pilot Streets of the RR 310.
The H1 tyres give the bike a new level of grip and make it feel more planted. And because of more grip, there’s even more feedback from the front brake lever – something that was lacking in the case of the stock rubber. Of course, the RR’s overzealous ABS still kicks in hurriedly, but with the H1s on-board, the braking performance has definitely improved.
Under really hard braking, the front tyre does tend to squirm though. And there is a slight drop in fuel economy – around 2km/l – given the fact that the bike now has better traction than before.
I also had the opportunity to take the bike on a short road-trip to the hills, where these tyres really impressed! Around corners, the edge grip is far superior to that of the Michelin tyres, and they are very communicative when the bike is leaned.
Quick directional changes, however, feel a bit more lethargic than before, as the tyres have slowed down the steering a bit. Overall, though, I’m very happy with the way the Apollo tyres perform – I’m always happy to trade fuel economy for better traction, which inspires more confidence, allowing you to extract more from the bike.
Moreover, the Alpha H1s are priced quite aggressively and offer great value.
Also read,
Write your Comment