Product review: Apollo Alpha H1

The Apollo Alpha H1 is designed specifically to withstand deformations due to increasing centrifugal forces at high speeds, thus ensuring optimum contact with the tarmac. The result is increased grip even during aggressive cornering. That is what the company claims that the tyre, developed for the likes of the TVS Apache RR 310, KTM 390 Duke and the RC 390, does. But does it really? Well we can tell you now, having used this on our long term Apache RR 310 these past couple of months.

What was apparent right at the start was that the motorcycle’s ride quality improved thanks to the softer rubber of the Alpha H1 compared to the Apache RR 310’s stock tyres. We could also feel a corresponding increase in grip levels. Over the next few months, riding through the city or on our inevitable weekend rides, we have certainly experienced improved cornering grip. The change of tyres to these new Apollos has resulted in higher levels of confidence to push the bike harder at corners. Given that the tyres arrived after the monsoons had left us to ourselves, we can’t really tell you in detail about the wet weather performance of these tyres but whatever little we have experienced while going over water patches caused by splashes from overfilled tankers, the improved performance should manifest itself in the rains too.

That said, we suspect that the Apollo Alpha H1 tyres would be less hard-wearing than the harder stock tyres of the Apache RR 310. So they are likely to wear out just a little sooner, partly because they are softer and partly because you’ll wear them out sooner since you’ll be able to ride harder. At a decent Rs 6,499 for a front tyre and Rs 8,499 for a rear tyre, we’d say it’s a pretty good bargain, the Apollo Alpha H1.