New Tires for the Royal Enfield Himalayan

Indecision and Extended Searching for Tires

At the last Pennsylvania Safety Inspection for my 2022 Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle the mechanic pointed out cracks in the rubber and let me know that next year they wouldn’t pass. Two trains of thought immediately ignited. The first, driven by a sometimes irrational frugality, urged me to keep riding and wear them out despite already recognizing the rear tire no longer had the bite it once did. Especially on muddy roads.

The second train of thought led immediately to searching for the perfect replacement tires. An exercise that can easily become obsessive as I race from site to site, review to review, in the mistaken belief that there is a perfect tire. The whole time blind to the fact that my barely amateur wanderings on the bike mean that pretty much any tire with suffice. But the belief that there is a singular best choice can really dog my thinking.

Eventually two Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires arrived at my door.

Finding the Tires, Then Getting Them Mounted

It was easy to get lost in the search for the right tire. For half a moment I considered some serious knobby ties. And I look at a wide range of tread patterns trying to find the perfect alignment with my riding needs. Ultimately though I realized whatever choice I made wouldn’t matter that much. I’m not an aggressive rider and I don’t push much. The Dunlops would be fine.

The thought of mounting the tires myself was depressing. I’ve watched Noraly of Itchy Boots fame change enough rear tires to know that I’m not interested in doing it myself. With no Royal Enfield dealer handy I began to call other dealerships to see if they would mount tires on the bike. The place that works on my W650 would handle it if I would provide the torque specs for the job. Easy enough. Finding tires was a bit more difficult.

I asked the dealer if they could get tires and tubes for a variety of tires. This began back in the spring when everyone seems to be getting their bikes ready for the warm weather riding season. The end result — they weren’t able to get a front and rear tire of the same make for any of the tires I wished to buy. And the same was true of the online tire sites including Revzilla. Tires were just not available. So I just quit looking and kept riding on the old ones until mid-July when I started looking again.

The dealer still couldn’t lay their hands on tires but I was able to have a pair of Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires shipped to my house along with two new heavy duty tubes.

Fresh Tires, First Test Ride

The original CEAT tires only had 4500 miles on them. The rear probably had another couple thousand miles of wear but I could tell they wandered more in gravel and were dicey on mud. I’ve struggled to surrender my irrational fears regarding spending money that were ingrained in the 1980s when funds would dry up near payday. There’s no excuse now for any utility to such frugality. And I’m not getting any younger so why wait until next year to replace them when I can have the added bite of security now?

The dealer mounted and balanced the tires and off I went to see if it made a bit of difference. The first ride was a familiar loop through Rothrock State Forest on a variety of dirt and gravel roads. And the new tires were clearly better. Less front wheel wandering on thick gravel. And a more surefooted feeling all around.

Early Impressions

The Dunlop Trailmax Mission tires are great on the well maintain and largely packed gravel roads in Rothrock State Forest. And for stretches with a heavier layer of loose gravel they seem to dig in rather than float over the gravel resulting in the bike feeling more stable. A welcome feeling for me. The jury is still out on mud and wet stuff.

Laid Back Riding

Any misgivings I had about the Himalayan have so far been set aside by adding new, more aggressive tires to the bike. I could tell that the motorcycle felt more connected to the road in places that felt dicey with the old tires. It’s nice to actually relax when taking a leisurely ride in the mountains.

The Trailmax Mission tires are supposedly a 60/40 onroad/off-road tire. On the pavement they seem smooth and without any excess vibration. They are heavier than the stock tires and with the 24 horsepower Himalayan 411 there may be a slight decrease in top speed performance but in actual use so far on the pavement I’ve not noticed any differences.

I’m glad I finally pulled the trigger on new tires. Likely the last I’ll ever buy for the Himalayan. It’s good to be comfortable with both safety and performance. And I look forward to even more adventures on the Royal Enfield in the months to come.