8 Best Tires for Small Motorcycles: Grom, Scooter and Mini Picks I Actually Run

I’ve burned through more small-bike rubber than I’d like to admit. Between a Honda Grom that serves as my daily, a Vespa that does grocery runs, and a Trail 125 that spends half its life on gravel, I’ve replaced tires on 10, 12, 14, and 17-inch rims over the past six years.

Here’s the thing people miss: on a small motorcycle, tire choice matters more, not less. You’ve got 8 to 10 horsepower. You can’t power out of trouble, brake late to make up time, or muscle the bike through a bad line. Grip, warm-up speed, and wet-weather feel are everything.

So this list is personal. Every tire below is something I’ve run myself or watched close friends run on minis, scooters, and small standards. I’ll tell you what each one is genuinely good at, and where I’d spend my own money.

1. Michelin Pilot Street 2 — My Overall Pick for Small Sport Bikes

If I had to put one tire on every 12-inch mini I own, it would be the Michelin Pilot Street 2. I’ve run a 120/70-12 front and 130/70-12 rear on my Grom for two full seasons, and it’s the tire I keep coming back to.

The Pilot Street 2 replaced the original Pilot Street, and the headline change was the silica-rich compound. That’s the part you feel on a cold morning. It grips almost immediately, instead of the greasy first five minutes you get from a harder sport-touring compound.

What I Actually Like About It

Michelin’s water-siping pattern channels water surprisingly well for a tire this small. I’ve ridden it through proper Pacific Northwest rain without a single pucker moment, which is not something I can say about every budget mini tire.

Wear has been reasonable too. I got roughly 6,000 miles out of a rear before it squared off, which is solid for a compound this soft. The Pilot Street 2 also comes in 17-inch sizes like 100/80-17, 110/70-17, and 130/70-17, so it works on a Z125 or a small standard.

Expect to pay around $80 to $110 per tire. Not the cheapest option here, but I’ve never regretted buying a set.

2. Michelin City Grip 2 — Best Wet-Weather Scooter Tire

The City Grip 2 is the tire I put on my Vespa after one too many sketchy commutes on worn-out stock rubber. Michelin designed it specifically for scooters, and it shows in all the small details that matter.

The compound is silica-heavy, and the tread uses what Michelin calls shark-tooth sipes. Those are tiny interlocking cuts that open up as the tire wears, which means wet grip doesn’t fall off a cliff at 50 percent tread depth the way it does on cheap scooter tires.

Sizes and Real-World Behavior

It’s available from 10-inch up to 16-inch, covering everything from a Honda Ruckus to a PCX 150 to a Vespa GTS. I’ve run both the 12-inch and 13-inch versions, and both felt planted and predictable from the first mile.

Longevity is the standout. I got close to 8,000 miles out of a rear on a 150cc scooter, which is genuinely impressive for a tire with this much wet grip. Michelin also makes a City Grip Winter version if you ride below freezing.

Figure $65 to $100 depending on size. For a daily commuter, that’s money well spent.

3. Pirelli Angel Scooter — Best All-Season Scooter Tire

The Angel Scooter is what I’d call the sporty all-rounder of the scooter world. Pirelli borrowed the name from its sport-touring line, and the tire leans more toward feel and feedback than the City Grip does.

In my experience the Angel Scooter turns in noticeably quicker. On a Vespa Sprint it made the bike feel a size smaller in traffic, and it holds a line beautifully when you’re hustling through a roundabout.

Wet and Dry Performance

Dry grip is excellent for a scooter tire. Wet grip is good, though not quite City Grip 2 good in standing water. Even so, I never felt let down in normal rain riding, and I’d happily commute on these year-round in a mild climate.

It’s offered in 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16-inch sizes, with fitments for the PCX, NMAX, Vespa, and a long list of European scooters. Double-check your exact size before ordering, since coverage varies by wheel diameter.

Budget roughly $70 to $110 per tire. They wear a little faster than the Michelins, but I’d trade a bit of mileage for that extra steering feel any day.

4. Bridgestone Battlax BT-46 — Best 17-Inch Tire for Small Standards

Most small-bike tire lists ignore 17-inch wheels entirely, which is a mistake. Plenty of small motorcycles use them: the Suzuki TU250X, Honda CB125R, Kawasaki Ninja 250, and a huge range of classic twins and singles.

The Battlax BT-46 is my pick there. It replaced the long-running BT-45, which was the default tire for small standards and classics for roughly two decades. The 46 keeps that proven bias-ply construction but adds a modern silica compound.

Why It Works on Small Bikes

Small bikes don’t generate much heat, so you want a compound that comes up to temperature quickly. The BT-46 does exactly that. On my buddy’s TU250X it felt settled within a mile or two on a 45-degree morning.

Common sizes include 100/80-17, 110/70-17, 130/70-17, and 140/70-17, in both front and rear fitments. Prices are reasonable at roughly $70 to $130 each.

If you want a sportier 17-inch option, the Pilot Street 2 in 17-inch sizes is a great alternative. But for pure longevity on a small standard, the BT-46 usually wins.

5. Pirelli Diablo Rosso Scooter — Best Sporty Grip for Mini Bikes

If your idea of a small motorcycle is a tuned scooter or a mini you ride hard on back roads, the Diablo Rosso Scooter is the tire I’d point you toward first.

It’s a genuinely sporty scooter tire. The profile is aggressive, the carcass is stiff, and the compound prioritizes grip over mileage. On a friend’s tuned Yamaha Zuma it transformed the bike, sharpening turn-in and locking down mid-corner grip.

The Trade-Off

You pay for that grip in tread life. I’d expect noticeably fewer miles than you’d get from an Angel Scooter, and definitely fewer than a City Grip 2. If you commute 50 miles a day, this probably isn’t the tire for you.

It’s available in 12 through 16-inch sizes, so most minis and scooters are covered. Budget around $75 to $120 per tire.

My honest take: it’s a fantastic tire that most riders don’t actually need. Buy it if you genuinely ride hard. Otherwise the Angel Scooter is the smarter purchase.

6. Dunlop TT93 GP — Best for Mini Track Days and Grom Racing

Walk through the paddock at any mini moto race and you’ll see a lot of Dunlop TT93 GPs. It’s the default race tire for 12-inch mini racing in the US, and there’s a good reason for that.

The TT93 GP is a bias-ply tire with a very stiff carcass and a soft compound designed to work at the temperatures you actually reach on a 10-horsepower bike. That’s the key detail most people miss.

Street or Track?

Big-bike race tires never get hot enough on a Grom, so they feel wooden and vague. The TT93 GP doesn’t have that problem. It’s happy at the temperatures a small bike can actually generate.

The standard TT93 GP is street legal in most sizes, and plenty of riders run it on the street without issue. Dunlop also offers a GP Pro version aimed squarely at track use only. If you’re doing track days, go Pro.

Expect to pay around $80 to $130. Wear is short, and that’s simply the deal you make for grip this good.

7. IRC GP-1 — Best Dual-Sport Tire for Trail 125 and CT125

If you own a Honda Trail 125, you already know this tire. The CT125 ships with IRC GP-1s front and rear in 80/90-17, and there’s a strong chance you’ll just buy them again when they wear out.

That’s not laziness, it’s a good decision. The GP-1 is a classic dual-sport tread with a chunky block pattern that hooks up surprisingly well on gravel and hardpack. I’ve ridden my Trail 125 on forest roads and it never felt out of its depth.

On-Road Manners

Here’s what surprised me: it’s genuinely decent on pavement. It’s not a sport tire by any stretch, but it’s stable at the speeds a small bike can manage, and it doesn’t howl the way aggressive knobbies do.

Note that these are tube-type tires. If your bike runs spoked wheels you’ll need to factor in a fresh inner tube with every change. You’ll find them around $50 to $80 each.

They’re also a popular upgrade on TW200s and other small dual sports, though you’ll need to confirm sizing for those oddball rims.

8. Shinko 244 — Best Budget Dual-Sport for Small Bikes

The Shinko 244 is the budget dual-sport tire I recommend to anyone who wants to ride dirt without spending real money. It’s a copy of the old Yokohama Super Digger tread, and it just plain works.

It comes in a wide range of small-bike sizes, including the oddball 130/80-18 and 180/80-14 fitments the Yamaha TW200 uses. That alone makes it valuable, since TW200 tire options are genuinely limited.

What You Get for the Money

Grip on loose gravel and dirt is good. Grip on wet pavement is fine but not confidence-inspiring, and the tire can feel vague at higher speeds on a small bike. For the price, I’ll happily take it.

You’re looking at roughly $45 to $85 per tire, which is about half what a premium dual-sport costs. If you’re building a cheap trail bike or just want a spare set, buy these without hesitation.

How I Judge a Small Motorcycle Tire

After enough tire changes, you start noticing the same handful of factors decide whether you’ll love a tire or hate it. Here’s what actually drives my decisions.

Size, Load Rating, and Speed Rating Come First

Before brand, before compound, before anything else, check the sidewall numbers. A 120/70-12 is not the same as a 120/80-12, and the load and speed ratings still matter on a light bike. Undersized tires on a loaded scooter are how you get a blowout.

I always match or exceed the OEM load index. On a 150cc scooter carrying a passenger plus groceries, that safety margin is very real.

Warm-Up Speed Beats Ultimate Grip

Small bikes don’t put much heat into a tire. A 10-horsepower engine at 40 mph generates a fraction of the heat a liter bike does at the same speed.

That’s why silica-rich compounds win on small bikes. They work at lower temperatures. A hard, mileage-focused touring compound can feel genuinely sketchy for the first several miles of every ride.

Tube-Type vs Tubeless

Plenty of small motorcycles run spoked wheels and tube-type tires. The CT125 and TW200 are two obvious examples. If that’s your bike, you need a tube-compatible tire and a fresh tube with every change.

Cast-wheel minis like the Grom and Z125 run tubeless. Don’t mix the two, and never try to run a tube-type tire without a tube.

Longevity vs Feel

There’s a real trade-off here, and it’s worth being honest about. The sportiest tires on this list will last maybe half as long as the commuter-focused ones.

My rule is simple: if I ride more than 5,000 miles a year, I buy for longevity. If the bike is a toy, I buy for feel. That single question answers most tire decisions for me.

Final Thoughts

If you want one answer, the Michelin Pilot Street 2 is my pick for 12-inch minis and small sport bikes. For scooters, the City Grip 2 is the wet-weather king while the Angel Scooter is the better handler.

For 17-inch small standards, grab the Bridgestone Battlax BT-46. For dirt, the IRC GP-1 is the Trail 125’s natural partner and the Shinko 244 is the budget route that punches well above its price.

Whatever you choose, replace both tires as a pair when you can, check your pressures weekly, and don’t ride on a squared-off rear hoping to squeeze out another thousand miles. On a small bike, you don’t have the power to save yourself.

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