BRIDGESTONE BATLAX BT023

New Battlax BT-023: a “full spec” sport touring tyre

Bridgestone has developed the new Battlax BT-023 tyre for consistent high-level performance in both touring and sport riding. By combining good wear life and wet performance for touring, with the grip and steering control for sport riding, the Battlax BT-023 provides a wider range of choices for larger bikes. 

 

Consistent sport-touring performance

Bridgestone aims to strengthen its position in the sport-touring sector of the replacement motorcycle tyre market with the launch of the Battlax BT-023 in February 2010. The advanced new tyre significantly upgrades the performance of the
BT-021 it replaces, both in the key touring areas of mileage and wet performance, as well as by meeting the handling expectations of the most demanding sport riders.

Mileage – wet performance

The tyre provides superb wear life and wet cornering thanks to the re-designed angle-groove pattern and Silica Rich Ex compound with “RC polymer”.

Comfort and stability

Both the front and rear tyres are constructed with Bridgestone’s proven Mono Spiral Belt (MSB) technology, providing top-level grip, shock absorption and straight-line stability at speed.
With a 3 Layer Compound (3LC) on the rear tyre, the shoulder compound gives reassuring grip through corners while the centre compound with its wide contact area adds stability and smoothness when cruising. The result is a confident ride, with rich feedback and a secure contact feel in all conditions.

Below is the latest update direct from Bridgestone UK regarding the ongoing mileage testing they are doing:

New Bridgestone BT-023 impresses

By Adam Child - Motorcycle News Review

 15 April 2010

MCN’s Adam Child recently travelled to Scotland to test the new Bridgestone sports-touring tyre. Here are his test notes…

Name: Bridgestone BT-023

Designed for: Sport touring on everything from Deauvilles to GSX-R1000s. There’s even a BT-023GT for heavier touring machines like BMW’s R1200RT.

What’s its USP? Bridgestones sportiest touring tyre yet, replacing the BT-021, and estimated (by Bridgestone) to last around 8-10% longer than it, too.

Front is a single-compound, rear is triple-compound.

Riding impressions: The weather in northern Scotland was almost perfect for British tyre testing – cold with the odd shower thrown in for good measure.

I immediately opted for Honda’s Fireblade to test the new rubber to the limit from the off.

Within a quick mile the rear tyre was already up to temperature, you could feel it offering a high level of grip exiting roundabouts hard on the gas.

Each time I tried to slide the rear it would grip and send the front skywards. Front grip also seemed excellent considering the single figure temperatures.

Later in the day we rode through some heavy rain, and the side-grip from the new BT023 really impressed. The front felt planted even at very high speeds through damp conditions

 These are some of the best road legal tyres I’ve tried in the wet, giving loads of confidence and feedback.

Later in the day I jumped on Kawasaki’s ZZR1400 to really put the rear tyre under some strain. The tyre would obviously spin from cold but again within a mile of so, even in single figure temperatures it refused to slide.

I could only get the rear to step out on stupid handfuls of throttle with a whiff of clutch.

Again the front gave plenty of feel and the ride seemed very smooth from the GT compound tyre.

The BT-023 comes highly recommended for summer and all-year use, especially on bikes like Suzuki’s new GSX1250F or Honda’s new VFR1200F.