The K3 variant of the new Racetec RR from German tyre brand Metzeler is ideal for fast road riding, and the occasional track day too.
After wearing out another set of his favourite tyres, MCN Senior Editor Richard Newland was keen to try something new, and opted to have the new Metzeler fitted to his BMW S1000RR long term test bike to see what all the fuss was about.
Developed and tested at some of the world’s fastest road races, including the Ulster GP and Isle of Man TT, the Racetec RR K3 features a more durable compound than it’s more race oriented K1 & K2 brothers, which are not recommended for standard road use, despite being road legal.
In their October 7th 2015 issue, Richard gives his thoughts on how the new tyres have performed so far:
“Last year saw me declare Pirelli Supercorsa SP my favourite tyre of all time, so when the RR arrived on a set I was delighted. 4500 miles later and that smile hadn’t sunk at all. Both front and rear were feeling the miles though, and at around 15 degrees of lean the motorway-induced lip was causing the RR to shimmy through fast corners.
I was also curious to try something else, so I fitted a pair of Metzeler Racetec RR K3s just before heading to Donington for my track outing.
They’re just as impressive as the SPs. Grip from cold is excellent, they warm fast, and on track (pressures dropped to 29/29) they never gave a single moment of concern.”
Richard follows on to say that “with one trackday and 1700 miles of road use under their belt, I just can’t fault them for performance and feel.”
With Pirelli and Metzeler essentially being the same company, and the Racetec RR K3 being Metzeler’s equivalent to Pirelli’s Supercorsa SP V2, it’s no surprise that Richard got on so well with the new rubber. Often if a rider get’s on well with one, they’ll get on with the other. The same often applies if they don’t get on with them too… which is worth bearing in mind if you have a customer looking to switch to a new brand.
Find out more about the Metzeler Racetec RR K3 here.
