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Pirelli MT75 Tyre Review

Review date 08/12/14

By Sharon Parker

Choosing a new tyre is not always as easy as one would first think. It came as a shock to me to find that your choice can be somewhat limited. Yes there are hundreds of tyres out there but not all of them come in the size you may require. Throw into that mix a Chinese bike with non typical tyre sizes then you can really find yourself with a very limited choice indeed. 

So with a limited choice for my bike and after some research I opted for the Pirelli MT75 for the new rear tyre for my Keeway RKS 125cc. Pirelli is a well known brand and the MT75 itself had pretty good reviews, especially in the wet. As a all the year round rider I wanted a tyre I could rely  on in the rain. The Keeways original Cordial tyres were excellent in the wet and therefore I did not want to be caught out by a lesser sticky tyre. I did not want a nice stable bike being reduced to one that slips and slides all over the place in the wet. 

However the MT75 was tubeless and  my old tyre was tubed. A quick call to Pirelli confirmed that a tube could be used in the tyre. 

At £67 the Pirelli MT75 was one of the most expensive on my list but due to its good wet weather reviews I decided I would go for that. Its side to side tread channels is reported to give excellent drainage resulting in good grip on wet or slippery roads.  
The MT75 is also specifically designed for lightweight motorcycles, to give it claims a highly stable ride. It also claims that it is a good high mileage tyre which again is a plus for me seeing I had covered over 9000 miles in my first year of riding. 

pirelli mt75 tread that's a bit dirty
Pirelli MT75 tread channels that give you grip in the wet. (Salt and leaves attached after a tough test ride) 

Since fitting the tyre is has now got around 1500 miles on it so what is my opinion so far of its performance?

I scrubbed the tyre in with no problems at all during a 400 mile weekend trip away. I took it gently at first and was rewarded with no slips or slides.
The tyre was stable through the dry and handled its first downpour by being rock solid on the road and proved to be every bit as stable in the wet as my original Cordial tyres.
 
This weekend the tyre was really put to the test by being put through the first snow of the winter. The roads were covered in slippery slush but the bike did not twitch once. In fact it was gripping so well on the road I was taken by surprise when I put my foot down at a junction and suddenly realised how slippery the roads actually were. My boots slipped all the over place and therefore I became somewhat nervous of then pulling out of the junction into a rather tight left bend which was coated in slush. 
However the tyres were once again rock solid and found grip through the corner and the slush.

Now I have been told I am a good wet weather rider. That I even ride better in the wet than the dry. This may be two fold. |t may be that most of my early riding days were through the wet and cold of winter so I have naturally built up a lot of confidence in the wet. But I would not have had that confidence without the grip and stability of good wet weather tyres. It was sheer luck that my original Cordial tyres proved to be excellent in the wet. It was through careful research that I had replaced the rear with the MT75. For confident wet weather riding you need tyres that with give you great grip. 

I am very happy to report that Pirellis claims for the MT75 have so far proved to be correct. It gives great stability to the bike and its wet weather performance has been excellent, maintaining grip through heavy rain and even on slippery slush. How it performs mileage wise only time will tell but so far so very impressed.
I would have no hesitation in recommending the Pierelli MT75 as a excellent tyre for lightweight bikes that will give you great performance on both dry but especially wet roads.

I just really, really wish that I could also get a MT75 for my front tyre when then needs replacing but unfortunately it does not come in the size I require for my bike, boo hooo.

So as of 1500 miles and some serious wet weather testing I give the Pirelli MT75 rear tyre 10/10

Reader's Comments

Borsuk said :-
How did you get on with the MT 75's Sharon. Were they good in winter and what was the mileage you got out of them?
13/03/2018 01:43:57 UTC

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