Prominent motorcycle tyre manufacturer Dunlop has launched the Sportmax Roadsmart, designed for sport touring motorcycles. This is a tyre that Dunlop is confident delivers outstanding performance on wet roads and matchless all around sport touring performance, qualities that are the fruit of more than two years global research effort.
The new tyre, which is reported to out-perform its predecessor, the Sportmax D220ST, in all areas, shows strong performance improvement on wet surfaces. This result was obtained whilst improving the conflicting demand of mileage performance, which was already recognised as one of the major strengths of the Sportmax D220ST.
“These improvements result from the combination of our latest Dunlop Sportmax hypersport tyres’ attributes with new compounding and construction technologies for an optimised performance in all riding, road and weather conditions,” said Sanjay Khanna, managing director Dunlop Motorcycle.
Updated 2023 - Unfortunately, it was to be expected that such a special tire size would no longer be produced. Therefore, all Ducati Desmosedici RR owners now have to change the rear rim to 17 inches and change the tires to the more common rear tire size, e.g. 200/55 ZR17 or 200/50ZR17.
Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta is to chair a meeting at Misano this afternoon between the three tyre suppliers in MotoGP to hear thoughts and comments about the 2007-introduced tyre restriction rule.
Tyre manufacturers Michelin, Bridgestone and Dunlop this year are restricted to 31 tyres for each rider at each race, but many feel that after five years of 990cc regulations, this first year with the 800cc formula has seen races 'not so close and with less spectacle' as before.
This is not a normal tyre review; in fact the tyre we test in the video below is still a prototype. It's call the Dunlop SportMax RoadSmart and to say it is an important tyre for Dunlop would be a massive understatement.
Check out the video below to see our exclusive test of the prototype tyre.
Michelin has launched a campaign to recall its Pilot Power 2CT and Pilot Power 120/70 ZR 17 front motorcycle tyres with “Made in France” markings. An examination of these tyres showed a possible defect in the tread due to a manufacturing irregularity. No cases of pressure loss have been reported and no accidents have occurred.
Bridgestone UK has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Andrew Whitehead as manager for its motorcycle division. According to an official company statement, Whitehead’s primary role will be to “secure Bridgestone’s market share of quality motorbike tyres.” This portfolio includes the new Battlax BT-021, a long-term replacement for the successful BT-020, the market-leading sport touring tyre.
“It’s an exciting time to join the motorcycle division following the official launch of the BT-021,” said Whitehead. “It’s a fantastic product, and the positive feedback we’ve received about the handling and performance capabilities of the tyre leads us to believe it will make a real impact in the market. The BT-020 is an incredibly tough act to follow, but my focus is to ensure the BT-021, and the rest of the Bridgestone motorbike range, can generate equally impressive unit sales.
Andrew Whitehead, 44, formerly worked in a sales capacity for Bridgestone’s truck division following a six year stint at Dunlop, where he was also responsible for truck and motorcycle tyre sales.
Tyres & Accessories
Starting from the 17th through to the 21st of June, 2007, Sibiu, Romania will be hosting The Hard Enduro Red Bull Romaniacs International Rally’s fourth edition. Licensed by the Romanian Motorcycle Federation, the competition starts with a prologue within Sibiu’s town center, followed by 4 days of competition along a difficult and entailing course, which will go through the Southern Carpathians. The start, as well as the finish lines of every day’s stage will take place in Sibiu.
For every motorcyclist who loves enduro, Metzeler is a brand which represents a particular value, an image of excellence and a tradition of success. Street enduro riders view the Metzeler TOURANCE as the product which sets the standard. Metzeler technicians have pressed on with their development work and have come up with a new product in response to the increasing specialisation of bikes in this class.
This was the origin of the TOURANCE EXP, which stands out for its delivery of maximum performance in the sports touring which modern maxi-enduros allow, without sacrificing the possibility of taking light off-road detours in its stride. To ensure the level of excellence which Metzeler has always offered its enthusiasts, and to put Metzeler once again in lead position with this innovative product, the new TOURANCE EXP is the first tyre to equip not just the rear but the front as well with Metzeler’s patented solution of the zero degree spiral wound steel belt. With an aggressive design and world-class performance, the TOURANCE EXP is being launched to meet the characteristic requirements for this kind of riding – stability, long tyre life and grip in the wet – thanks to the advanced Metzeler technology applied to the various components of this product. Compound, structure, tread design: all the elements have been designed to offer the maximum performance.
Masao Azuma is the Bridgestone Field Engineer assigned to the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team. A former 125cc rider, Azuma competed in eight seasons of the 125cc championship from 1996 to 2003 with a best position of third place in the 1999 Championship. His career tallied an impressive 10 victories and 20 podiums.
Collin Edwards has beeb buissy. Between testing his new GP bike and fulfilling sponsor whims, he's been developing Michelin's new dual compound tyres.
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Developed from our highly successful Sportmax Qualifier and Sportmax GP Racer tyres, the Qualifier RR combines selected elements of each of those tyres to create the ultimate Dunlop Hypersport tyre.
Hiroshi Yamada, manager of Bridgestone‘s Motorcycle Sport department, is sure to be a very busy man in 2007. Supplying the rubber for Ducati Marlboro, Gresini Honda, Kawasaki Racing, Pramac dAntin and Rizla Suzuki means that he has five teams and four different manufacturers to work with during a season in which Bridgestone have to make their own, specific adaptations to historic shift from 990cc bikes to the new, smaller SOOcc prototypes. With this comes the added responsibility of adapting to particular individual demands, although Yamada is confident of finding a solution for everyone.
“Generally, our plan has been focused on getting the direction of tyre construction correct, but now we will be starting to adapt the tyre to meet the requirements of each of our teams. Some riders still require additional support to have tyres that work with their riding style. We can only offer reassurances at this early stage that we will do everything to fulfil our teams‘ and riders‘ requests,“ he commented after last week‘s Official Test in Qatar.
Bridgestone continued its extensive pre-season tyre testing with four of its five teams at the technically challenging Phillip Island circuit in Australia this week. Bridgestone Motorsport's Motorcycle Racing Manager, Hiroshi Yamada believes the test was crucial in terms of season-long tyre development and for October's Australian GP.
How did this week's programme differ from the Sepang test last week? "The programme for this week's test was to continue development of our new rear tyres for the 800cc bikes, as well as to work specifically for the Australian GP later in the year. Phillip Island is a technical circuit and quite hard on tyres because we experience higher tyre temperatures than on any other track during the season. We do not get so many opportunities to test at Phillip Island so we must capitalise on our trip every time."
Metzeler Racetec will continue as the official tyre supplier and presenting sponsor of both the National Superstock and National Superstock Cup championships in a two year contract announced today by Dorna UK, the commercial rights holder of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
Metzeler Racetec has been the official control tyre of these two heavily subscribed production racing championships since 2005 and the partnership will continue through both the 2007 and 2008 seasons.
The Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship and Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Cup will each be decided over 13 rounds held alongside the country’s premier motorcycle racing series, the British Superbike Championship.
The agreement with Metzeler Racetec confirms that they continue as the Official Tyre Supplier to the championships, providing all competitors with a tyre package throughout, and at a significantly subsidised rate. Additionally Metzeler Racetec will also reward performance on track with the provision of free of charge tyres for podium-placed riders against their season package.
Tony Partis, managing director of Dorna UK, commented: “We are very pleased that the competitive nature of the Superstock series has attracted so much support from Metzeler Racetec. With the packages that they have put in place we are maintaining the key values of the Superstock series, of terrifically close racing at a very affordable price.”
Managing Director Business Unit Moto Pirelli Ltd, Gianmarco Spigolon, added: “We have watched as the British Superbike Championship has gone from strength to strength and wanted not just to be part of it, but to add to the spectacle. The Superstock series always sees full grids and full-on racing so Metzeler Racetec are very exited about our association and look forward to seeing it develop even more throughout the next two seasons.”
(Nick Harris Media Communications)
The Michelin Pilot GT is the all-new tire for the Honda GL1500 Gold Wing, featuring the latest advances in rubber composition, carcass construction and profile. It delivers exceptional handling, maneuverability and mileage, without compromising wet or dry grip. Though the GL1500 is out of production, its tire sizes consistently rank among the top ten in unit sales. Capture a piece of this important market with the new Michelin Pilot GT.
Metro Tyres – India‘s one of the leading tyres manufacturers is planning to roll out Tubeless motorcycle tyres in technical collaboration with continental AG of Germany. These tyres will be manufactured primarily for overseas markets to cater to the demand of tubeless tyres among the global two wheeler players like Honda, BMW and Yamaha etc.
