There are only two things that I won’t ride without – Alpinestars’ Supertech Rs and Arai’s RX-7 GP. Needless to say, I won’t ride in just these two items, but they are the only ones I won’t substitute for anything else. I’m not usually a superstitious human, but I’m convinced that if I ride in anything else, it’ll be the day I end up upside down in a ditch.
I was in dire need of some new riding jeans, and got hooked on the idea of some Draggin numbers after seeing their mint advert with some absolute honey barely containing her arse in a pair – the power of advertising eh?
Let’s get this out of the way: last year’s SBK game was disappointing. Get over it. Since then, developers Milestone worked on the impressive MotoGP 08 for Capcom, and now they’ve taken things on again with SBK 09 for Black Bean.
Let’s talk about winter boots. Now I know we’re out of the depths of winter, and summer seems like it’s well and truly here, so you’re probably thinking, “Why the hell is he banging on about winter boots?” I guess I just wanted to shout about them, really. My longterm Alpinestar S-MX Plus boots gave up the ghost during the darker months, so I replaced them with the Alpinestars S-MX R.
I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time – the new Arai RX7 GP. We first heard that it was in development about two years ago, and the UK importer has got very bored of me asking when it would arrive.
Quite frankly, the weather out there is shite and I was getting fed up of water coming in everywhere with my sports summer gloves. These £69.99 Wolf waterproof gloves featured in our ‘Stay Dry’ Products special pages in the December issue, so I half-inched them from the kit store.
Here it is in a nutshell: these are the best tyres I’ve ever tested. They’re so good that in the course of a one-day race meeting, consisting of two 15-minute qualifying sessions and an 18-lap race on the Donington National circuit, I can’t honestly say that I found their limit or truly got a handle on them.
The MotoGP series of videogames started out as an impressive franchise that degenerated into increasingly arcade style outings, without a single impressive outing on the so-called ‘next generation’ consoles of Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii.
I ride everyday, rain or shine, but that doesn’t mean all my bikes have to conform to the same demands. While I have scant regard for wrapping myself up against the weather, my more delicate machines need a little bit more love.
The last few weeks has seen me opt for a Cold Killers Wind Buddy fleece top to go over my weather kit. I’d never used one before and was impressed with how good they actually are. This one has got the waterproofed windstopper front with a fleece back, it’s actually mega out of date and was on sale in 2007, many of you may have one…
Think of this tyre like a
What struck me more than anything having raced on all the different treaded competition hoops, is how close this class still is. The perception is that Pirelli, Metzeler, and Dunlop are way ahead, and Dunlop have to fight to be remembered in a control-tyre crazy world.
The reality is that the tyre war is far from over; it’s become a cold war, an arms race with little real fighting head-to-head on track. The gap between the most and least impressive isn’t a lot. At the highest club level, any of these can be competitive.
We have a verdict though, and here it is, along with a reminder of each tyre’s pros and cons, and a proprietary score out of ten as we do for bikes:
1 Dunlop D211GP
10/10 + everything, the new benchmark – nothing
2 Metzeler Racetec
9/10 + grip, stability – less feel than Dunlops
3 Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa
9/10 + edge grip, slick feel – wear, less drive when spinning
4 Bridgestone BT-003
8/10 + trail braking, drive grip – edge grip
5 Michelin Power Race
7/10 + edge grip – less feel, Michelin can do better, old
How we tested:
Tyre testing is almost impossible to do fairly. You can always pick holes in any method and find variables. What we were certain of, is that blindfolding is a gimmick (does any mag test bikes blind?), race tyres deserve a race bike with race suspension, and that trackday testing with one session per set of tyres wouldn’t probe deep enough.
I used each type of tyre for a whole race weekend in the ThundersportGB national series, riding my GSX-R1000 K4 Powerbike that has pukka K-Tech/WP suspension by RaceLab and 180bhp with which to shred tyres. While this meant that I rode all the tyres on different tracks, it allowed me a lot of track time on each, plus the chance to fit fresh tyres and continue getting to know the tyre instead of further learning being capped by wear. We used 120/70 fronts and 190/55 rears, the manufacturers’ recommended pressures, and soft fronts and medium rears. It’s a system that worked well, and leaves us confident in the appraisal of each tyre.
Wilko
This is a new version of the hugely successful Supercorsa, and it
There isn’t much left to say about the Racetec. It’s the benchmark and still as fast as anything and massively popular. It has a very neutral character, so fit ‘em and go without worrying what side effects they may have on your bike.
I used these early in the year, and although they seem to have been around forever they set a tough pace for other tyres to follow. Even the new Supercorsa, from the same Pirelli-Metzeler family, couldn’t beat it.
In terms of pure laptimes, the Racetec is still right on it and the grip, wear rate, and stability are all top notch. The only thing I think they’re bettered at is communicating their limits. The Dunlops spoke to me more, though even that could be personal preference.
The Racetecs deserve their popularity for trackdays and racing. They haven’t been completely overtaken yet, but others, Dunlop especially, have caught up so this isn’t the default choice it once was. Price could understandably swing it one way or the other with so little else to choose.
Wilko
Contact: Metzelermoto.co.uk
Fast Bikes: Officially the UK's best selling sportsbike magazine Subscribe Now
