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New road-focused hypersport tire offers huge improvement in precision, feedback and wet grip so riders can master the turns
Dunlop has revealed its latest road-focused hypersport tire, SportSmart mk4, featuring improvements to build on its predecessor’s high level of dynamic road performance for a wide variety of sports bikes.
Replacing the highly popular Dunlop SportSmart Mk3 in the range, which was launched in 2019, the new SportSmart mk4 represents a substantial improvement thanks to relentless continuous development of every component in the tire. Designed for use predominantly on roads, SportSmart mk4 sits in the range alongside the road/track focused Dunlop SportSmart TT.
Metzeler ROADTEC 02 : Enhanced Performance and Sustainability
Great news for fans of the supersport touring tire from the traditional Munich manufacturer: Service information for the high-performance METZELER ROADTEC™ 02 is now available for approximately 500 motorcycle models. Additionally, following an update in sizes 120/70 ZR17 Roadtec 02 M and 180/55 ZR17 Roadtec 02 M, there is now a supplementary specification with the letter "M". Thanks in part to an optimized tread pattern, this version is even more versatile and perfectly suited for a wide variety of motorcycles.
The ROADTEC™ 02 is a perfect blend of technology and sustainability, combining the latest technological innovations from the brand and setting a new standard for the sport touring segment. Its characteristics are thanks in part to the patented adaptive tread technology DYNATREAD™. This allows the tire's behavior to adapt to the rider's riding style - from sport touring to supersport use. The ROADTEC™ 02 thus creates a new tire category: the "super sport touring" tire.
Mitas announces two new sizes in its SPORT FORCE+ RS tire range, made to bring extra power to track day riders. The new rear tires in 180/60ZR17 and 200/55ZR17 are specifically designed for more powerful motorcycles bringing the SPORT FORCE+ RS range up to eight sizes available for every kind of bike.
The 2024 season once again presents a challenge for motorcyclists: choosing the right sport motorcycle tire. The good news: A bad purchase is almost impossible, as the differences between the test candidates are minimal.
The Test Motorcycle: BMW S 1000 R
The BMW S 1000 R serves as a representative model for an extremely powerful motorcycle category, whose performance (except for top speed) almost rivals that of a Superbike. With cutting-edge electronic assistance systems and a comfortable riding position, it offers optimal conditions for the test riders.
Test Candidates
Results at a Glance:
METZELER M9 RR : Very Good - Conclusion: Very good compromise between sportiness and everyday use. Whether in the wet, at sporty speeds on the country road or on a time trial: the Metzeler Sportec M9 RR copes very well with all conditions.
MICHELIN POWER 6 : Very Good - Conclusion: "Cool or wet conditions don't affect the Power 6 with its good handling. It has gained in sporting potential compared to the Power 5. A real recommendation for sporty everyday riders."
PIRELLI DIABLO ROSSO IV CORSA : Very Good - Conclusion: "Very sporty tire that focuses on dryness in the Corsa version. The sportier it is driven, the better it functions. The wet performance is uncritical and can convince sporty fair-weather riders."
BRIDGESTONE S22 : Good - Conclusion: "Very sporty tire with good feedback. The good feeling for the front tire in particular speaks for the S22. Another plus of the Japanese tire is its overall performance, which is still harmonious."
Since there wasn't enough time for the big comparison test, we subjected the new Bridgestone S 23 to a follow-up test against its established predecessor and a hot skin.
BRIDGESTONE S23 : The Bridgestone S23 surpasses the S22 in terms of turn-in behavior, stability and lateral grip in the dry. Sporty country road riders will love it for that. In the wet, the S23 really comes into its own, especially when leaning. Here it clearly outperforms the S22, which is clearly demonstrated by the 3.7 seconds faster lap time. In terms of braking distance and acceleration in the wet, the S23 remains at the high level of the S22.
DUNLOP SPORTSMART MK3 : Good - Conclusion: "The Dunlop Sportsmart MK 3 is a very agile and sporty tire. However, the stiff construction reduces feedback in cooler conditions, which costs points especially in the wet."
Dunlop is also launching the Dunlop SportSmart MK4 as its successor this year. Probably available from November 2024.
Additional Information:
Michelin Unveils Three New Motorcycle Tires for Hypersport and Adventure Touring Segments at EICMA 2023 -
Michelin is showcasing three new motorcycle tires at EICMA 2023, designed to deliver more performance and grip on both the road and the racetrack. The new MICHELIN Power 6, MICHELIN Power GP 2, and MICHELIN Anakee Road tires will be available in stores from January 2024.
MICHELIN Power 6: Sportiness for every day
The MICHELIN Power 6 is a new hypersport tire that offers sporty performance and enormous grip on dry and wet roads, as well as high mileage for frequent riders. It also features agile handling and is available in many sizes, making it suitable for motorcycles from 300 cubic centimeters. The MICHELIN Power 6 has already been homologated for the new 2024 KTM 390 Duke.
MICHELIN Power GP 2: From the racetrack to the road
The MICHELIN Power GP 2 is a new racetrack tire that has been homologated for road use. Thanks to Michelin's years of expertise from MotoGP™, the MICHELIN Power GP 2 offers more grip on wet and dry roads than its predecessor, while still delivering high driving precision and optimal handling. This allows experienced riders to push themselves to their limits on the racetrack while still enjoying a safe and sporty driving experience on the road.
MICHELIN Anakee Road: Street performance in a "Trail-Look"
The MICHELIN Anakee Road is a new adventure touring tire that offers plenty of grip on various road surfaces, regardless of whether it is dry or wet. It also features high mileage and driving stability, making it a reliable choice for longer journeys. Developed specifically for large and heavy adventure touring motorcycles, the MICHELIN Anakee Road also features a "Trail-Look" design that is visually aligned with this segment.
Bridgestone today announced the launch of the BRIDGESTONE BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S23, a new sports radial motorcycle tyre for street use that will be available from January 2024.
The Bridgestone BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S23 is the latest product in Bridgestone’s BATTLAX range of premium motorcycle tyres, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023. Delivering various performance improvements over its predecessor, the BATTLAX HYPERSPORT S23 is a next-generation sports tyre that’s engineered to meet the requirements of sporty riding on asphalt, featuring increased levels of exceptional dry grip performance when riding on circuits or cornering on mountain roads.
METZELER ROADTEC 02, the new sport touring tyre from Metzeler brand, is successfully completing the final development and testing phases and, starting from January 2024, will be available for sale to the public.
Compared to its predecessor ROADTEC 01, ROADTEC 02 significantly improves dynamic performance, primarily handling and wet road behaviour, and does so by using a high percentage of materials of natural origin (materials entirely or partially derived from biomass: plants and vegetables) or recycled.
The segment to which ROADTEC 02 belongs is the Sport-Touring one, i.e. that of tyres for mixed sport and touring use, but with this product the Metzeler brand has further raised the bar of sportiness by effectively creating a "Super Sport Touring" tyre. It is able to boast the typical characteristics of a touring tyre, such as high mileage and excellent grip on wet surfaces, combined with many of those more typical of super sports tyres, such as its handling which gives new levels of sportiness.
Mitas continues its drive to be the brand of choice for ultimate endurance enthusiasts, this time with the launch of its newest tire line, the ENDURO TRAIL-RALLY. This next generation tire line is the result of years of development and off-road testing by rally racers and is made to tackle tough terrain and any weather.
Mitas continues its drive to be the brand of choice for ultimate endurance enthusiasts, this time with the launch of its newest tire line, the ENDURO TRAIL-RALLY. This next generation tire line is the result of years of development and off-road testing by rally racers and is made to tackle tough terrain and any weather.
The ENDURO TRAIL-RALLY range comes in one rear tire and three different front tire options designed to give bikes greater stability, handling and puncture-proof resistance, even at high speeds. Riders can count on long-lasting durability even when put to the test of extreme endurance competitions.
Gustavo Pinto Teixeira, Vice President of Two Wheels and Specialty Tires at Yokohama TWS, remarks: “With this new line, Mitas now offers a complete tire range for rally riders. We took feedback from Dakar Rally racers to build a strong range of rally competition tires. We can’t wait to see how they perform in the 2024 Dakar Rally, the grand debut for the new Mitas ENDURO TRAIL-RALLY tires.”
In MOTORRAD (issue 07/2023), sport and sport-touring motorbike tyres were tested on the KTM 390 DUKE in the dimensions 110/70 R17 and 150/60 R17.
Three manufacturers received the test rating "very good" BRIDGESTONE S22, METZELER M9 RR, MICHELIN ROAD 6
One manufacturer received a "good" DUNLOP GPR 300
Two have to be content with a "satisfactory". CONTINENTAL CONTIMOTION CHENG SHIN CST CM-615 CM-616
How MOTORRAD tests
A quick tyre test on a country road? Not conceivable! Such tests are only seriously feasible on specially designed test tracks of the tyre industry. In this case, we were able to use the premises of the Japanese manufacturer Bridgestone in Nettuno (near Rome). For the asphalt test, we used the 2.2 km long "Carrera track" with many bends, for the wet test we used the permanently watered, 1.6 km long handling track. These criteria are the focus of the MOTORRAD evaluation:
*Sections marked with an asterisk are transferable to motorbikes that have a similar geometry to the KTM 390 Duke. **Indicated is the price range for a set of tyres (front/rear) in the tested version in common tyre online shops, as of 1 March 2023.
BRIDGESTONE S22 - "Conclusion: The Bridgestone S 22 is a sports tyre that shines in this test above all with its excellent everyday qualities. Perfect handling is joined by 1a rain qualities with the best braking values in the test."
METZELER M9 RR - Verdict: "Sportiness in sun and rain - the Metzeler is a recommendation for cornering junkies, whatever the weather. For a sports tyre, a very unusual and, in this test, very impressive combination."
MICHELIN ROAD 6 - Verdict: "The bottom line is that the Michelin offers a very balanced package for everyday riding. Beginners who ride their 125 or 48 hp bike year-round will quickly come to appreciate the Road 6's good-natured characteristics."
DUNLOP GPR 300 - Conclusion: "With the Dunlop, an entry-level bike like the 390 KTM in this test clearly gains in sportiness. Even in the rain, the GPR-300 delivers enough grip to push around corners with decent confidence."
CONTINENTAL CONTIMOTION - Conclusion: "In good weather, the ContiMotion is really fun on country roads, even if they are small and winding, and leaves a good impression. In the rain, its restrained grip quickly makes it lack confidence."
CHENG SHIN CST CM-615 CM-616 - "Conclusion: Fair-weather riders on 125s won't feel any shortcomings, but in the rain you quickly reach the CST's limit. On bikes in the 48 hp class, however, the tyre is not a recommendation on dry or wet asphalt."
The entire tyre test can be reordered as a print edition or PDF here.
Also in the next issue there will be a test and technical analysis tyre wear. Which factors are decisive for outstanding mileage?
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Expected to hit the market in April 2023, the additional sizes, 120/70ZR17, 180/55ZR17 and 190/55ZR17, expand the range to a total of six sizes.
Although the tire had already been removed from the Michelin portfolio and was no longer available, lo and behold, the MICHELIN PLOT POWER will be relaunched again in 2023.
We cannot say whether so many customers mourned this, and the 2CT remains in the program.
"Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is introducing DUNLOP SPORTMAX Q-LITE, a versatile diagonal tire with high grip that can be used on a variety of racing tracks and roads starting in the 2023 season. Seven sizes are available.
The Dunlop SPORTMAX Q-LITE has a new design pattern related directly to the high-grip tire of the "Q-series," a single R-tread pattern, a high-grip mixture, and an optimal combination of structures to achieve sufficient grip performance for sporty driving and the road. It is a diagonal tire with a long lifespan. You can confidently drive in various driving situations, from cornering, touring, daily tours, and circuit courses.
Main features and representative technologies
Profil pattern that achieves high drainage performance and wear resistance Long grooves that penetrate the contact area at all lateral inclination angles, changing the angle from the center of the tread to the shoulder to achieve high drainage performance The groove form and angle are improved by wear simulation and enhanced durability by suppressing uneven wear Handling profile for gentle handling By using a single R-profile with a uniform curvature radius of the tread cross section and suppressing ground shape changes during turning, the control performance during turning is significantly improved compared to conventional products
Available in Japan in 2022, probably not available in Europe until 2023."
Pirelli DIABLO Supercorsa V4: from track to road, the fourth generation of the tyre that symbolises sports riding.
The new product, both in SP race replica and SC compound versions, is in the final stages of development and testing, to be on sale from the beginning of 2023
The fourth generation of Pirelli DIABLO Supercorsa tyres, both in the SP racing street version and SC option (available in different compounds and designed for track use), is successfully completing final stages of development and testing and it will be available to the public from the start of 2023.
Compared to its predecessor, the DIABLO Supercorsa V4 (V4 indicates the fourth generation) is a completely renewed product in terms of tread design, compounds, structures and profiles. DIABLO Supercorsa, both in the racing and in the race replica version, is a tyre homologated for road use and has always been an emblem of pure performance and absolute sportiness, in other words ‘speed’.
Avon Tires has launched the newest member of its motorcycle tire range: AVON 3D SUPERSPORT, a hypersport tire designed for both street and track use to offer riders exceptional grip, handling and stability.
Designed, developed and manufactured at Cooper Tire's European engineering center in Melksham, the Avon 3D SUPERSPORT combines grip and durability to offer sport and superbike riders a superb hypersport package.
Dunlop's long-standing reputation in the field of sports tires brings with the new Dunlop Qualifier Core what matters most to Hypersport tyres: dynamic handling, excellent grip on dry and wet roads.
Modern technology and innovative manufacturing methods allow customers to experience the best performance at a great price that until now has only been reserved for top racing tyres.
HCT technology helps the tough floor deliver superior performance.
The rubber cross section and mold shape were developed using a DFF formula that ensures excellent workability.
The design inspired by the first generation SportSmart tire offers balanced tread stiffness, even tire wear and excellent handling on dry and wet surfaces.
Avon Tyres and two-time Isle of Man TT race winner and former British Supersport champion Steve Plater has become brand ambassador for Avon’s motorcycle tyre range. Avon has been working closely with Plater in recent months to enhance the 3D Ultra Xtreme and 3D Ultra Xtreme Slick products. Designed and manufactured in the UK, the AVON 3D Ultra Xtreme and 3D Ultra Xtreme Slick, along with the wet-weather 3D Ultra Xtreme Rain Racer, are high-performance tyres developed with demanding track use in mind. Cooper has previously introduced brand ambassadors for particular product ranges, like Formula 1’s David Coulthard, who represented Cooper UHP tyres.
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