When it comes to testing tyres, the motorcycle industry has for a long time recognised that Motorrad Magazine are the leaders in their field.
Their expert independent test riders score all tyres in a number of areas, covering performance in both wet and dry conditions. Recently it was the turn of classic tyres to come under scrutiny, and we’re pleased to report that Continental were the runaway winners of the test with the ContiRoadAttack 2 CR and ContiClassicAttack radials – a remarkable 20 points ahead of their nearest rivals!
The tester’s bike of choice was the Yamaha XJ900F ’91 , and the Continentals were pitted against 6 tyres from other manufacturers which are popular with classic bike owners, plus we also submitted our bias-ply ContiGo! for testing.
The ContiRoadAttack 2 CR front and ClassicAttack rear combination, one of our official recommendations for the bike, topped six of the nine dry handling course tests, receiving full marks for it’s performance from cold and lack of any shimmy. In two of the remaining tests, the Continental combo came joint second also. In the wet, Continental secured a victory in every single aspect of the test thanks to the superior performance of it’s innovative radial tyre technology for classic bikes, which also made them the fastest tyre pair around the wet handling course, a full 3.3 seconds ahead of the ContiGo! which came in second place as the fastest bias-ply option on track in the wet. The results of the overall test were as follows:
1. ContiRoadAttack 2 CR/ContiClassicAttack – 224/250
2. Michelin Pilot Activ – 204/250
3. Dunlop Streetsmart – 201/250
4- ContiGo! – 200/250
4- Bridgestone Battlax BT45 – 200/250
6. Metzeler Sportec Klassik – 174/250
7. Pirelli Sport Demon – 167/250
8. Avon Roadrider – 156/250
All Continental tyres submitted were praised by the testers for their lack of any shimmy on the bike, along with the perfect handling and high levels of feedback and comfort.