SUBLIME SKINS TECH STREET

BY MITCH BOEHM

The tire technology we see and experience today has come a long way since John Boyd Dunlop developed the pneumatic tire for bicycles (and early motorcycle prototypes) way back in the late 1800s, with significant advances in design coming sporadically through the decades.

From wire beads of the ’30s, to a wider variety of sizes, rubber compounds and tread designs in the ’50s and ’60s, to the premium bias-ply skins of the ’70s, into the radial arena in the ’80s and ’90s, and the dual-compound days of the 2000s, riders have gotten progressively more grip, more mileage and a more confidence-inspiring ride every year that’s gone by.

Gone are the days of wonky handling, premature wear or grip-then-suddenly-slide traction; today’s tires have had their handling, grip and wet-weather gremlins largely exorcised, which means more worry-free riding for riders…a good thing on many levels.

To get an overview of all this roundand-black goodness, we gathered up a small armful of new tire types and brands and spooned them onto a gaggle of street bikes we had at our disposal…and proceeded to get out there and ride throughout the Rocky Mountain region during April, May and June on city streets, freeways and backroads. We’ll continue to do so, but we wanted to report on what we’ve discovered (or re-discovered) so far…which is that today’s motorcycle tires are very, very good.

Michelin Power 5

Michelin says its Power 5 tire is a “premium sportbike tire for maximum fun in wet and dry conditions,” and from what we can tell, Michelin isn’t wrong. We spooned a set of 5s onto feedback. The record snow here in the Utah mountains meant a lot of wet roads with flowing water across them at times, but the 5s dealt with that perfectly, with good grip and no hydroplaning. Good stuff.”

Bridgestone Exedra Max

One of Bridgestone’s big-cruiser tire families is its venerable Exedra, which these days is called Exedra Max. The company says the Max offers “optimum” compounding and carcass structure and has “excellent dry and wet grip performance,” as well as long life. Our testing on AMA Member Mike’s 2016 Yamaha Stratoliner verified those claims.

“The Exedras felt great right out of the gate,” Mike reported, “with light steering manners, a confidence-inspiring feel on the move, and really good grip, which helped the big Yamaha’s handling vs. the stock skins. They also improved my bike’s fuel economy, which surprised me. In does a lot of things really well, as we found when installing them on our friend Mike’s 2008 Yamaha FZ1.

“Again, these felt great on the FZ1 as soon as I got them back from the shop,” Mike told us. “They warmed up really fast, even in the cooler temperatures up in the mountains, and the profile felt neutral and seemed to fit the FZ1’s geometry and steering characteristics perfectly. Grip was way better than I could manage, and in the wet they felt really planted and still gave good feedback. They’re also wearing really well. Another winner in the tire wars, for sure.”

Michelin Road 6

Michelin’s latest all-around sport/ sport-touring tire is the Road 6, and in the 10 months I’ve owned and ridden my new-to-me 2013 Ducati Multistrada S Pikes Peak Edition — fitted with fresh Road 6s — it’s been nothing but miles of smiles.

our AMA Member Alan’s 2020 Ducati Hypermotard and set him loose in the local mountains in both wet and dry weather, and early reports say they’re working wonderfully.

“The Power 5s scrubbed in quickly in the cooler (50- and 60-degree) temperatures,” reported Alan, “and while I was concerned that my Hypermotord wouldn’t turn-in as quickly as it had with the stock Pirellis, which are a little more pointed in profile, I was pleasantly surprised. The 5s heat up and feel planted really quickly, and offer really good grip and wet conditions I never had an issue, which probably prompted me to ride a bit too fast in those conditions! I really like these tires, and would purchase them in a heartbeat.”

Continental Road Attack 4

All-around sport/sport-touring tires with wide performance capabilities — grip, mileage and wet-weather performance — are all the rage these days, and Continental’s Road Attack 4s fit that bill perfectly. Called a “Hyper-Touring Tire” by Continental’s marketing folks, the Road Attack 4

They warm up fast, offer more grip than this old roadracer can use, work really well in wet weather and seem to wear like iron. I literally don’t know what else one could ask for in a tire that’s given such a wide range of skills to be really good at…but these things fit the bill. Great stuff.

See? Nothing but accolades, which says something about not only these four skins, but about today’s tires in general. It’s a good time indeed to be in the traction business.