Ask a rider what's the most important component on their motorcycle. The answer would more than likely be the tyres - they are the "glue" on which every rider relies on to keep in constant contact with the road. Adrian Small reports.
Tyres provide the stability, feedback and confidence we need to lean the bike to seemingly impossible angles while providing the grip required to keep us in control and allowing us to stop when necessary. For racers the choice of tyre can be the difference in winning or losing.
So many compounds and methods of construction are available that manufacturers now classify them according to usage, type of bike and wheel type/size. When picking a tyre for your bike the decision should be based not on what you can afford but on what suits your needs.
We were recently invited by Bridgestone to test its new Hypersport road tyre, the Battlax BT-014, at the Circuito De Almeria racetrack in southern Spain. This is the tyre to replace the Battlax BT-010 and Battlax BT-012 products.
Bridgestone claims that it brings all-round improvements in wet and dry handling, grip, stability, durability and rider appeal. New tread compounds and carcass construction are used in both front and rear models - the rear has what's called cap-and-base construction which should provide effective shock absorption. Front and rear groove patterns have been designed to reduce deformation under extreme usage and provide efficient water drainage and lower noise levels. The rear tyre has also been stiffened to give greater stability.
This sounds impressive but how does it translate to actual riding conditions? The test, as you'd expect in the south of Spain, was in beautiful dray, warm weather on perfectly smooth tarmac. Our 24 machines came from most of the top race bike makers.
We had six sessions of 20 minutes each which would give a good idea as to how the tyres would perform through high speed straights, cornering and very heavy braking.
Such perfect conditions bore very little resemblance to what we are used to at home. However, the Battlax BT-014 is currently being supplied as standard on the new Honda Fireblade, Suzuki GSX-R 600 and GSX-R 750, two of which we have tested recently in typical Irish weather and roads.
We can report that in both cases the tyres performed remarkably well. It must be said that, even in torrential rain, they inspired confidence under hard braking with ample feedback and surprising agility in corners. The tyre heats up quickly even in wet conditions allowing the rider to feel confident immediately with both handling and grip.
We started our test day in Spain on a Honda CBR600RR. This gave us time to learn the circuit and get a feel for the tyre's capabilities.
Almeria is quite a twisty, technical track with more right-hand bends than left, but the 600 made short work of it. After only one lap we felt more than confident to push the tyres for all we were worth.
Not surprisingly we never reached the limits of the tyres. We always felt well within our comfort zone even though we knew we were pushing harder than normal. Through every corner more lean angle always seemed available and it was easy to make any slight adjustments required.
Stopping from 170mph along the straights was a stable, controllable affair and confidence let you brake later each time.
Moving up to the four new Japanese litre class bikes and a Ducati 999S was a little more daunting but proved that the tyres could handle even the extreme pressures these bikes put them under. Not once did we ever feel the tyres would let go.
So, all in all, the Bridgestone BT-014 is an excellent road-going tyre. It provides the grip, stability and comfort a sportsbike rider needs in both wet and dry conditions. It could be used on a track day but we would suggest going for a more track developed tyre.
The 014 is a worthy successor to the 010 and 012, both of which we have tried over the years. How the 014 will fare against the fierce competition in the tyre manufacturer war is anybody's guess.