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CBF 125 OE TVS Tyres...Yikes!
Blog Date - 02 September 2012
When I first saw these tyres on my shiny new (to me) CBF 125 I thought some numpty's managed to wear out the original tyres in under 5,000 miles and put some cheap rubbish on, presumably to sell it. Nope. Having read a number of forums it seems Honda were actually foolish enough to fit these tyres as original equipment. What the hell they were thinking I do not know.
The CBF 125 is made in India. It states on the frame plate that it's from India. The TVS tyres are Indian too. OK fair enough, just because a tyre is made in India does not make it bad, I'm sure some of the quality brands are made in India. But TVS do not make a quality tyre, well, not one that is fitted to the CBF at least. These tyres are in a wibbly wobbly world of their own, especially when it's wet...which it often is around here.
...I mean the look fine and there's plenty of tread...but...
When I first collected the bike over a week ago it was dry. I'd noticed the unbranded tyres beforehand and I'd made a mental note to go easy on them, a wise choice. Of course the first time you ride a bike it's all a bit odd, different and takes a bit of getting used to. So when I navigated a corner and thought I'd got a puncture I stopped and took a look. Nope, it all looked as it should. Things did improve a little on the ride home, but not much.
The next time I rode the bike it was wet. What a hair raising experience! I know the tyres are skinny but riding over any ridges, overbanding or lines on the road made the bike feel squirrely at best. Corners, well, unless the road surface was perfect the sensation of movement from the rubber was terrifying. If the road was in good order then it was merely scary.
I now have 400 miles under my belt on the CBF and I'm liking the machine so far. I am actually adjusting my riding style and my speed to compensate for the tyres and it's a little better. It's currently the end of summer and although the weather has been inclement it's not yet getting cold. My fear is the cold and perpetually damp weather of winter will make the bike almost unbearable if not plain dangerous. Regular readers will know that I'm tighter than a lorry wheel nut and I hate to part with my cash, but I fear I may have to invest in a set of "proper" tyres.
That is another issue! There is, as far as I can find out, only one company that make a set of tyres for this bike in these sizes, Continental's ContiGo. Again in their infinite wisdom Honda saw fit to fit unusual sizes, 80/100 - 17 front and 100/90 - 17 rear. Fortunately a set costs £107, fitted to loose wheels, so it's not an insurmountable expense. I just wish there was more choices! Still, most readers report a considerable improvement in the quality of ride and handling.
There is of course the option to fit non-standard tyre sizes. I've seen people report a 110/80 or 110/90 for the rear and there's more options in these sizes. My problem is if there's ever an accident or some other event, would this have any bearing on the insurance and the road worthyness of the bike? I always err on the side of caution when it comes to legal matters and I do not wish to fall foul of some regulation. So far, the ContiGo's are looking like the best option.
Reader's Comments
John Almond said :-
Not sure if its a Honda problem with shite tyres but when I got the DV it had macadam's tyres on it and I found out that they were the stock tyres that was put on it when new. They really were shite, probably would have got 50,000 miles out of them but the compound was like plastic, I put a pair of Avon storm 2s on the DV and it became a totally different bike.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Badger said :-
The TVS tyres are horrific. They last forever, I had a nail in mine today, and I thought, thanks for that, it's tipped me over the edge now, to finally get a pair of Continental Conti- Go!'s.
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
Jordan said :-
To anyone that comes here wondering what a good pair of tyres to get is, I went with the Pirelli angel city and they are very very good!
23/03/2017 01:05:41 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
OH my lord! Jordan I DID NOT know Pirelli made these tyres in the correct size for the CBF 125 but it seems they do. I might just give them a shot...thanks :-)
24/03/2017 18:16:15 UTC
Kev said :-
Conti go tyres are terrible in wet like really bad serious stability issues. Dry use they are fine.
Close calls on 2 occasions in wet
I have used Pirelli city demon on my all my Honda cg's 125 for going on 10 years until I thought I'll get a cbf to replace the cg injection tubeless tyres new bike all for the better lol time will tell.
Main use is cheap transport for work all year round in snow too so has to be safe in all bad weather conditions.
Conti go tyres are dangerous in rain.
My metzler racetec slick tyres on my bmw rr are better in rain than conti.
I gonna change mine ASAP for the Pirelli city angel.
Would strongly advise you guys to do the same.
31/07/2019 09:37:06 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Hi Kev. I ran the Conti-Go-s for a couple of years and found them "acceptable" in the wet. I've recently moved over to Michelin City-Pro-s and I find these "slightly better than acceptable" in the wet. I can't imagine any tyre that will return reasonable mileage will also provide knee-down grip in the wet. It's all a compromise unfortunately.
31/07/2019 12:37:02 UTC
Marv said :-
I too switched over the Michelin City Pro tyres for my CBF125, a few thousand miles ago. I can confirm that they're much, much better than the original Conti-Go tyres across a wide range of British weather/road conditions. I did find the Conti's pretty poor. Almost shameful that Honda would fit such woeful tyres to a motorcycle of all things - even if it is a budget bike!
01/08/2019 21:04:57 UTC
Borsuk said :-
I don`t have a CBF 125 but I do run City Pro`s on my 125. I found them to be vastly superior to the original tyres and that the tyres have more grip than the rider has skill, which is fortunate. On the fortunately few occasions where I have had to do some extreme maneuvering the tyres have stuck like glue. Very similar to my underwear a few seconds later.
01/08/2019 23:15:49 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
While I would agree the City Pro is a better tyre than the Conti Go I personally didn't find there was a huge difference as you report Merv. I figure it's all a matter or riding style and personal opinion that's all. It does rather seem the City Pros are popular though. Borsuk - just a leeeeetle bit too much information there. Ewwwww!
02/08/2019 08:10:32 UTC
Marv said :-
True enough Ren, perhaps I am being a little harsh on the Contis, in retrospect. I bought my 125 with 11,000 miles on the clock, both front and rear Contis were pretty old and by the time I replaced both of them at 17,000 miles, battered and worn down.
Comparing old worn tyres to new tyres (once scrubbed in) is always unfair.
I'm still impressed by the city pros though!
02/08/2019 18:56:39 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Unless you're lucky enough to work for a magazine and get sponsored to do back to back tests then we humble mortals will struggle to scientifically compare tyres.
Are you still running the CBF125 Merv?
04/08/2019 08:26:46 UTC
Marv said :-
Yeah, still run the CBF125. It does fewer miles now, since I got a full license and bought a CB500X and CRF250 Rally. I still enjoy riding it though (and enjoy how cheap it is to run!)
Not sure I'll ever get it up to the miles you've taken your CBF125 upto now, Ren!
05/08/2019 11:15:55 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
CB500X and CRF250 Rally? Marv, I think you're my hero! How's the CRF doing for you?
06/08/2019 09:31:41 UTC
Marv said :-
Hi Ren, only owned the CRF for coming up to three weeks. Running it in at the moment, so having to ride it nice and steady. The CB500X is more fun on the road, but the CRF is (of course) way better off road, which is the main why I bought it. It may be a little tall for me, so may end up fitting a lowering link, but I'll wait until I've put a few thousand miles on it and the suspension has settled (and throw on some luggage for good measure!)
I've got the silly problem that because it's new, I've got a compulsion to keep it clean - which is stupid as it's a trail bike, so should be caked in mud!
I did want a bit more brand diversity in my garage than three Hondas, but every time I've looked for my next bike, Honda seem offer the right bike that fits my requirements almost exactly :o)
06/08/2019 23:06:37 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Nope, sod brand diversity, I'm Honda through and through. Let's face it, you have the best super economical 125 available, the best and most versatile road with a hint of off road 500 and a sexy, reliable and fun 250. Why would you want anything else?
Sharon on the other hand seems to lean the Kawasaki way. She's not blind to their issues but she tends not to notice motorcycles unless they're green. She's hankering for the Z400, regrettably her boyfriend is a mean miser and she's poor.
07/08/2019 08:58:27 UTC
Marv said :-
Well, it looks like Michelin have stopped making the City Pro in the rear wheel size for the CBF125 (100/90/17)
Was looking at tyres online before Christmas and there was numerous alternative tyres available... Is looks like because of Brexit, the choice has gone down dramatically!
Down to just the Conti Go! Tyres, or Pirelli city angel tyres. Neither do I like the look of.
There is some Pirelli MT60's in 110/90/17 for just over £65. Is getting slightly wider (and presumably slightly taller) tyres a bad idea, or realistically will it not make much difference??
I could just wait it out and see if I can get decent tyres in the correct size by the middle of the year...the current tyres still have about 2mm on them. Just got the wheel off right now to change the chain and sprockets, so might as well get the tyre done at the same time.
28/01/2021 22:21:01 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
Street Runner (see link)? No idea about them myself.....
https://www.wheelhousetyres.co.uk/tyres/road.html?LIGHTSPEED_PRODUCT_SIZE=440...
29/01/2021 14:31:48 UTC
Bogger said :-
I've had Avon Road Runner tyres on a couple of recent bikes. A set on my VT500 and I currently have a set on the R80RT. I'm quite impressed with them. I don't know how different the compounds/treads are between the Street Runner and Road Runners are though?
Bogger
29/01/2021 19:55:56 UTC
Snod said :-
I had a Street Runner on the back of my Z250SL, it was truly awful in the wet once it was a bit worn and didn't last for very long. I test these things so you don't have to!
https://justbikethings.blogspot.com/2019/02/avon-av83-streetrunner-review.html...
30/01/2021 13:54:26 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
Dagnammit Marv. I've just been on the Michelin site to check, looking for 100/90 17 and yes, there's nothing listed at all there. That's annoying because I've been very happy with my City Pros. Oponeo list the ContiGo and Pirelli City Angel. The ContiGos I've had in the past are OK, fine, acceptable but not as good as the City Pros in the wet and/or cold. I think this week is something of a bad news week for me. Grrrr.
30/01/2021 14:00:16 UTC
nab301 said :-
I fitted City angels on my CBF250 when I had it and was very happy to the point of having almost too much grip in the wet! I had problems sourcing tyres for my CB125F (18") . Not sure if it's brexit or more to do with production runs being disrupted due to covid ? Maybe look for imperial size equivalents? I ended up fitting a 2.75-18 to the front of my 125F. I also had problems locating tubeless as opposed to tube type sizes.
Nigel
https://www.avontyres.com/en-gb/tyre-care/technical/tyre-size-information/...
30/01/2021 16:30:22 UTC
Marv said :-
Thanks for the suggestions everyone!
Managed to lever off the tyre and knock out the bearings from the wheel yesterday, so I ordered a new tyre and bearing set + seals last night.
I like my tyres to have a decent amount of tread, as Suffolk county lanes are often covered in sand and mud. Ordered a Heidenau K66 in 100/80/17 in the end.
Was unsure about the clearance on a 110/90/17 tyre. I'm sure it would have been fine, but 100/80/17 seems like a more sure bet.
Hopefully it is the manufacturers limiting the production on rarer sizes like you say Nigel...so Ren will have more choices when it comes to him needing me tyres
31/01/2021 09:31:51 UTC
Marv said :-
*new tyres, not me tyres!
31/01/2021 09:32:51 UTC
Marv said :-
A Heidenau K66 is now fitted to the rear wheel off my bike! Was a pain getting the new tyre on. Not sure I'd attempt it again. I suspect the slightly narrower sidewall didn't help.
My tyre pump wasn't powerful enough to seat the bead either...garage charged me the princely sum of £0.00 for pumping it up with their air line.
Treated the CBF125 to a new o-ring chain and replaced both sprockets too.
All back together now and ready to cover the 70,000 miles to catch up with Ren's CBF 125! Heidenau's seem good, though I need to cover more miles to bed them in.
26/02/2021 11:51:31 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I'm not seeing the standard 100/90 - 17 listed on Heidenau's website for the K66, so what size have you plumped for? And at what cost? I'd be interested to hear your experiences.
As a side not looking at your super-shiny new front sprocket I can see a dark orange on the frame. Is this some kind of lube or the thin end of some surface rust? They are prone to rusting in that area.
70,000 miles to catch up? So yours has about 20,000 miles on it? It looks very smart.
26/02/2021 13:02:21 UTC
Marv said :-
Before new year, you could get the K66 in the correct 100/90/17 size. Unfortunately since B****t kicked it doesn't seem possible to get them in the UK currently.
So I plumped for 100/80/17 for just over £60. Can be seen on eBay for as low as £47, but only found that afterwards, bah!
The red dust is from the old non o-ring chain, where the pins were rusting in the chains rollers... Which is why I've gone for an o-ring chain this time...
The bike has covered just shy of 23k miles. It's in pretty good condition. Far from like new though, as the original owner kept it outside and also dropped it a few times.
I still enjoy owning it, and have been treating it as a little rolling restoration project and I've been progressively tidying things up as I go. Good practice for when I work on my other bikes too
I would have cleaned up that red dust, but was keen to take it out for a ride in the nice weather we've had this late Feb!
Here's a pic of it from Autumn last year:
26/02/2021 15:03:04 UTC
Ren - The Ed¹ said :-
I purchased my CBF125 with 5,700 miles on the clock - and 5 previous owners. It would have been bought as a learner, learned upon, test passed and sold to the next learner. There is not a single panel that is not scratched or cracked or has breaker's yard marker pen scribblings on it.
That's a great image Marv. Sharon and I delight in riding our 125 on roads like that. We potter along at 15 or 20 mph and soak up the scenery and the fresh air. If any other vehicles catch up we pull in and let them past so we can continue to dawdle. Where's that lane?
01/03/2021 08:05:48 UTC
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