Due to land in the UK in January, Bridgestone’s new H50 makes use of their unique U-EYE Technology in order to provide a noticeable improvement in handling response on big V-Twin machines.
Florida was the location of choice for the official launch, which makes a lot of sense given that The States will be by far the biggest target for Bridgestone, and we’ve already covered several post- event reviews which have appeared both in leading magazines and online.
The latest review comes in from American V Magazine, who tested the new Battlecruise H50 on both Harley-Davidson and Indian machinery.
The roads in Florida are generally straight and flat, which in the long run can really take it’s toll on the central band of any tyre, and although the launch covered nothing like the mileage these tyres are said to be capable of it was still a great opportunity to put them to the test.
In their latest issue, American V say:
“The absence of corners gave me plenty of chances to find the nastiest pieces of road – white lines, over banding and an occasional poorly-maintained stretch of tarmac of concrete – to try and unsettle the H50s but to no avail; they tracked true, barely acknowledging the challenge.”
Later on they got the chance to ride the Scout on it’s OE Kenda tyres, and could immediately tell the difference:
“I could feel the difference within ten yards, the bike feeling generally heavier and generally slower to steer, but I persisted in case it was a sensation that would pass once the wheels were moving properly, and was surprised when it didn’t. It didn’t make it dangerous or unpleasant… just less pleasant, and after a couple of passes in each direction, I swapped back to the H50s and a bigger surprise.
While the first switch was noticeable, feeling like every operation was damped – a bit like stirring porridge after stirring tea – the switch back wa much more marked. The action of picking the bike up off its stand and pointing the front wheel forwards was like getting onto a different bike. It felt 50lbs lighter, and riding it back to the staging point and a final blast past the cameras, it felt as though it had had a suspension upgrade too.”
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