Anlas Capra RD review; impressions over 6,500 miles

Anlas is a tyre brand new to the UK, and given the explosion of interest in adventure travel it’s not surprising that they already have a tyre to fit the bigger adventure bikes. We’ve chosen to fit a pair of the Capra RD to the ‘Overland’ Honda 1200 Crosstourer and after an initial 500 miles, this is what we think…

Luckily I was heading down to Devon in unbroken sunshine so after fitment at Furlong Tyres in Yeovil, the tentative early miles on any new tyre passed quickly and without incident, but soon the corners came.

What struck me was the way that the tyres made the big Honda lead from the front. I can’t recall any pair of tyres that so markedly make me feel as though lean angle and turn in is dictated solely by the front end.

It’s difficult to explain but the feelings initially generated are of the bike tipping in earlier than I expect while simultaneously feeling as though it’s running wide. Although a little disconcerting at first, like many slightly unsettling, exciting experiences, it soon becomes addictive. In reality the bike doesn’t run wide at all and even after upping the pace and trying to upset things (on a private road your honour) the nose remains firmly planted and predictable. It’s almost as though the front tyre demands that you chuck it about. The profile seems very steep, with the treaded section wrapping a long way around to the lowish sidewalls on the 110/80 x 19, so this may be one of the reasons.

The rear end, by comparison, leaves me nothing to say. The 150/70 x 17 is so benign that as I piled on a few miles I realised I’d barely noticed it was there. It follows on behind, steady as a rock and provides no upset at all even when provoked out of corners.

The soft-to-the-touch compound and the tread pattern on both is very definitely road-biased, with just a nod to gravel pretensions. As a pair they don’t deflect on white lines and overbanding which is great, but at German autobahn speeds there does develop a slight sense of dislocation, a certain nervousness. Every mile so far has been with luggage, it must be said, so I may experiment later without any.

I don’t believe Anlas are experimenting though, as they have been making tyres in Turkey since the 1960s, it’s just that they haven’t been selling them in the UK.

Because the brand is relatively unknown I asked Graham Matcham from the importer Cambrian Tyres what the back story is:

“Our relationship with this Turkish manufacturer started in early 2017. Although an unknown ‘brand’, Anlas as manufacturers were no strangers to us, having been an outsource partner for Continental Tyres in the past. With confidence in the quality of product coming from this Istanbul based company, we were happy to engage and take responsibility for Anlas brand sales in the UK and Ireland. Our activities form part of a European strategy which is targeting the replacement market for scooter, urban and big bike adventure.”

So it seems that from a new manufacturing plant in Istanbul, and with a strong background of technical knowledge and experience Anlas are delivering tyres to compete with the leading manufacturers.

I’m yet to use these tyres in the wet, or off road, but will report when I do, and just as importantly for long-distance travel, I’ll report on how well they last. We’ve a two-up trip to Scotland shortly which may test that rear Capra RD a little more.

*UPDATE*

Having now run these Turkish tyres for 6,500 miles I’m in a stronger position to report on their all-round performance. In the wet these Anlas Capra RD tyres offer plenty of reassuring grip, and as I slowly pushed them and myself to explore levels of traction, I realised I could relax and just tip in smoothly and securely. They offer plenty of feedback and haven’t given me a single butt-clenching surprise so far.

Whether wet or dry they are rock-steady over white lines and the only sense of instability occurs when riding at consistent autobahn speeds. Now this is on a Honda 1200 CrossTourer with full complement of hard luggage, so perhaps that’s what causes the gentle weaving, but if you do have the need to cross Germany in a single dash, it may be something to consider…

As you can see from the image, the tread pattern has been blessed with just a hint of adventure. It looks good, but please don’t think this tyre will handle anything more than a gravel track unless your riding skill is exceptional. I’ve now tried a few muddy farm tracks and was frankly delighted to get back on the tarmac given the size and weight of the Honda. Anlas have been making tyres for over 40 years and have much more aggressive off-road tyres in their catalogue if your touring really will include ‘proper’ dirt. If however, you like the look but will be staying on the black stuff or just riding on hard dirt or gravel, I can assure you that the profile of these tyres enables peg scraping without running off the edge of the tread. If anything their grip and stability has continued to increase with use and that stability is maintained when two-up.

We have infact done quite a lot of two-up riding on these Anlas Capra RD tyres which is why the rear has now reached the end of its natural life although you’d only know by looking, not riding. Long fast journeys fully loaded to France, Scotland, Wales and Ireland mean that it has been punished so the wear rate isn’t that bad at more than 6,000 miles. You could undoubedtly extend that riding solo and staying off motorways.

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