Back at the end of 2002 the Bridgestones on my trusty old ZX6R were getting a bit on the thin side and the MoT was looming large on the horizon. Unfortunately my bank balance was no thicker than the remaining tread on the tyres, so it was time for some creative thinking.

Back in the dim and distant recesses of what goes for my memory, I had a vague recollection of once hearing about someone making remould tyres for bikes. I seemed to remember that there was a lot of scepticism about them at the time, but also there were reports that they weren't as bad as the "remould" tag would have many believe. Those of you with really long memories will remember the remould car tyres in the 1960s which used to throw their treads, disintegrate, and generally behave in a thoroughly disreputable manner at speeds greater than a brisk walk. They also had the grip of a wet kipper, but they were cheap. All of this did not sound too good for motorbikes which have very different and more stringent performance requirements for their tyres than cars. But armed with the thought that thirty years of technical development, the litigious nature of modern society, and Health & Safety legislation must have moved things on a lot, I set about finding out more.

It didn't take me long to track down Challenger Tyres who have been making remould, or as they're now called "remanufactured", tyres at their factory in the West Midlands since 1985. They originally produced tyres for four-wheeled vehicles with a range that covered winter use for northern Europe, commercial vehicles, off-road 4x4s and low-profile high-performance tyres, but have recently expanded production to included the Tomahawk range of tyres for motorbikes. It was time to try some out.

Through my local tyre dealer, Ride-In Tyres, I placed an order for a 120/60ZR17 front and a 160/60ZR17 rear. Delivery was delayed a bit as Challenger had just experienced a major factory fire that in turn prompted a relocation to new premises. Then supplies for a new vulcanising process failed to arrive from the States, and if all this wasn't enough, a new piece of equipment failed and had to be rebuilt. By the time all this had been sorted out the MoT was ominously close, but in the second week of December they finally arrived and were fitted.

The first thing I noticed about the tyres was the apparent lack of tread. They looked like hand-cut slicks! The other striking feature was the rounded front profile which could alter the handling and slow down the steering. But they were legal and the bike passed its MoT.

With Christmas and the New Year out of the way it was time to check out my rubbery purchases. Now I'll be the first to admit that January is not the best time of the year to scrub in and test a new set of tyres. Cold tarmac, rain and road salt do not make good riding companions - and then there's the great unknown of the remanufactured tyre itself. I decided to be cautious.

First impressions were good. The tyres gave plenty of feedback, rear grip was good and braking performance was as good as the old BT56s. As expected the steering felt slower and the bike needed more effort to turn it into the corner. This resulted in a few "run-wide" moments until I started to compensate with extra input, but all the time the bike remained stable and held the given line. Wet weather performance was as good as the Bridgestones and surprisingly the somewhat spartan tread pattern seems to clear the water OK.

As the months went by and the roads became warmer and drier, I was able to get some real heat into the tyres and explore the performance a little more enthusiastically. Serious lean angles proved no problem and at no time did I ever get out-of-shape or feel that I was getting too close to the edge of the envelope. Straight line stability was good, even when the surface was quite badly ridged, and the turn-in problem seems to have gone. This might be down to the fact that I've got more used to the way the tyres perform, or it could be due to the fact that I'd worn the old Bridgestones down to a triangular cross-section by my habit of braking hard into the apex of the corner! Now, with just over 2,000 miles of use on A-roads, B-roads and motorways I am a convert to the remanufactured motorcycle tyre.

So how do Challenger remanufacture their tyres? First of all they obtain their used tyres from known and reliable sources and only use those from the major tyre manufacturers. Then, on arrival at the factory the worn carcass is visually inspected for gross defects. For those that pass, the details of the tyre's original manufacturer, type and size is entered on a database and the carcass assigned a unique serial number. Next, all the rubber is buffed off on a purpose-built machine and then inspected microscopically for nail holes. The new tread rubber compound is then built up on the carcass and the tyre balanced before the curing process. After a final inspection, a label is applied to the tyre giving all the original tyre manufacturer's details and the production serial number. If here are any subsequent issues with the tyre during use, then quoting this serial number to Challenger will allow them to track all the steps in the tyre's production and help identify where any problems might have occurred. My front tyre started life as a BT56 and the rear was a BT010.

At the moment Challenger produce tyres in three front sizes:

130/70ZR16

120/70ZR17

120/60ZR17


and four rear sizes:

160/60ZR17

170/60ZR17

180/55ZR17

190/50ZR17

but this range is expected to expand as more used tyres become available.

Their standard tyre uses an in-house developed general purpose road compound and tread design, and should be good for around 4,000 miles. But for track day enthusiasts they also produce a road legal "sticky" tyre which will only last about 600 miles!

OK - so how much do they cost. Well this is the real killer. Two tyres, supplied, fitted and balanced on loose wheels set me back £109.40, and that's got to be the best value in rubber around (certain thinner items excepted)! If you clock up serious road miles each year and/or you're a pauper like me, then a set of Challenger Tomahawk tyres has got to be one of the best ways of saving money without impacting the performance or the safety of your bike. They really are good.

And if that's not enough, Challenger can also produce coloured tyres that are fully road-legal to BS AU144e and ECE REG30 and offer exactly the same levels of grip as the good old black ones. Forget anodised chain sideplates and carbon fibre add-ons. Coloured tyres have got to be the new cool!

You can get more details by calling Challenger on 01902-307767 or from their website at www.challenger-uk.com.