It’s that time of year again when the lucky people at Fast Bikes head to Portimao with some of the hottest motorcycles on the planet, all in the name of naming the ‘Sportsbike of the Year 2017’ winner.
Once again they’ve decided to team up with Bridgestone, who have supplied control tyres for the test to put all bikes on a level playing field.
All bikes were first tested on Bridgestone’s treaded Battlax R10 tyre, before the top three were put on the MotoGP-derived Battlax V02 Slick to try and separate them and find a winner.
As the magazine hasn’t hit the shops yet, we’re not going to tell you which bike won… well, not yet anyway!
However we can tell you exactly what they thought of the tyres, as we’ve already had our copy in the post ahead of it going on general sale.
Battlax R10 Racing“The R10 is Bridgestone’s top-shelf track day and racing tyre, and proved to be a hefty upgrade in grip for all SBOTY contenders. The R6 used a 180 section rear and, with no 200 section available, a 190 was fitted to the big boys without hindrance to electronics or handling – the only re-calibration needed was the Aprilia’s complex APRC tech, which requires riding along at 25mph at constant throttle. All tyres were the slightly harder Type 2 to allow two days of uninterrupted spanking.
While the R10s are road legal, they’re best suited to circuit use and will never disappoint; as much grip as you’ll even need from the get-go and wonderfully progressive drop-off that’s unrivaled in motorcycling. There’s also a far racier profile over OE fitment, which seriously sharpened steering for some. With no warmers, the R10 took a few laps to obtain heat and confidence when new. Once scrubbed in, everything was dandy and we relied on the Algarve heat to allow for kneedown antics within half a lap.
Pressures are vital on track and with Gary from Bridgestone on hand with his wanger, the fronts were set at 31psi and the rears at 27psi hot. Every bike did at least 100 laps without rubber issues, the Panigale mustering well over 120 – although the rear looked like a slick, although times were within a second or two of its brand-new state. Wow…
There were no suspension adjustments needed. Every bike just reveled in extra grip, more corner speed and trail braking.”
Find out more about the Battlax R10 here.
Battlax V02 Racing Slick“The V02 is Bridgestone’s full-fat racing tyre, developed after years of MotoGP experience and used in World Endurance racing – the only open tyre class in motorcycling. The V02 is also now being recognised as the best all-round slick by real-world punters in the club racing scene.
After an hour in the warmers, playtime commenced. It was like riding completely different bikes. Grip everywhere, the ability to load the front with staunch commitment, unwavering stability mid-corner and throttles were opened sooner and harder.
We usually expect around a second trimmed from lap times over the R10s, and 2017 was no different. But we weren’t reaching the limits of the tyres – we were now challenging the stock limitations of the bikes.
You can however expect another second off your lap time in race-trim.”
Find out more about the Battlax V02 here.
