tired of tyres, a thailand saga

[jerryz]

need new tyres for my Ducati ,..... super sport type tyres but in thailand that is not easy as USA or europe

dont want pirelli again  they are good but not entirely happy with them , rear slides too much on diablo rosso core 3s and front turn in is poor long life though

dont like bridgestone either or michelin pilot road or pilot sport from bad previous experience

prefer dunlops metzlers and even maxxis or contis from good experience in UK

checking availablity in Thailand

Pirelli, Dunlop, bridgestone, shinko , maxxis and metzlers are theoreticaly available but at present there is very little stock when i phone all the major dealers and wholesalers they either dont have the latest tyres , or correct size???
and a lot of what is available is OEM fitment such as local dunlops which have a different compound to the EU ,USa Roadsmarts and not same quality .

main pirelli dealer/importer  Show Pow is very low on stock of road sport tyres , the wholesale guys around National stadium also seem very low on stock they all say waiting for shipments long time ,

Paddock very low on metzlers ?they are the main distributer
red baron only bridgestone in stock


also a lot of stock has old manufacturing numbers meaning its now 3-4 years old stock ! on examination at 2 dealers in Pattaya the new tyre stocks were showing deteriation due to age ,

why is there such a shortage of tyres for big bikes seems every one is waiting for delivery???

then there is the price . in Uk I can buy the latest Dunlops or Metzlers for under $300 a pair thats 10,000 baht here in thailand I am being quoted average 10,000 for rear tyre alone usually about 18-19k a pair !!!!!!!! thats just under $600 ouch !!


so whats to be done , well i will be in UK soon and measuring up my suitcase can get a pair in it .so have ordered 3 pairs of tyres in UK a set of Maxxis super Sports and a set of Dunlop Road smarts and a set on conti sport attacks . total cost for all 6 tyres was £469 ($ 700 )thats 24,000 baht incl postage to my dads house for 6 tyres all are brand new manufactured in last 6 months , sizes and profile choice is vast . and less than 8,000 baht a pair $280

one pair will go on my Monster in UK the other 2 pairs will come here .

So guys my main advice here is do check the manufacturing dates on locally available tyres you might get a shock, also remember that some locally availble tyres are actually OEM that means for instance that Dunlop or bridgestone supply a tyre for Honda to a specific specification , it may have same name as after market lets say dunlop Sportmax but it is not the same tyre at all, check part number on side wall its a bit of a minefield .

[FrankenDuc]

Excellent checking the born on dates, 3-4yrs is way too old to be running!!!

BTW - read some good things about Shinko's over the last few months, they're selling at fire sale prices here in the US. I guess they're trying to break into the market, as others have done before, and they'll probably ease up to fair market price if successful.  In the meantime, while they're inexpensive, I'd be willing to try a set of their Stealths (and granted, also willing to chuck them quick if they don't handle well enough!).

[memper]

When you go to the UK can you buy them there then mail them to yourself before you head back to Thailand so they arrive a day after you get home? Would shipping $$ be outrageous?