By now, you should have heard about the launch of the new Battlax Adventure A40 – Bridgestone’s upgraded adventure sport tyre aimed at the growing adventure bike market.
The first sizes – 110/80 R19 and 150/70 R17, are already available in the UK from Cambrian Tyres, and are an ideal fitment for the likes of the air-cooled BMW R1200 GS. Two further sizes, which will act as a fitment for the water-cooled version and other bikes, will be available towards the end of the year.
Bridgestone claim improved grip in both wet and dry conditions, better stability, a more comfortable ride and also 22% more tyre life than on the popular Battle Wing.
Michael Neeves, Senior Tester at Motorcycle News, was in attendance at the official press launch near Lagos in Portugal, and got to test the tyres on a 2015 V-Strom 1000, with traction control turned off. In their 6th May tyre special he reviewed the new Bridgestone:
“The roads here are much like the UK’s and offer decent grip, but they have their fair share of lumps and bumps.
With deep, off-road-style tread blocks that move around more than a pure road tyre, dual-purpose tyres are always going to be a compromise. So if you never plan to get your tyres muddy, you’re best off fitting conventional sports touring tyres to your adventure bike when the originals wear out.
But if you like going to ride the odd dirt or gravel track, or simply like the Tonka Toy-like look of dual purpose rubber, which is why they;re fitted to adventure bikes in the first place, the A40 acts like a road tyre and gives you a remarkable amount of grip and confidence.
On dry roads you can feel the front and rear Bridgestones gripping under braking and acceleration, and the new profiles let you roll into corners and flick through switchbacks easily.
Most impressive is the level of solid, reassuring grip at full, peg scraping lean, which lets you really enjoy the V-Strom 1000 on windy roads. Ride quality is typical Bridgestone and on the harder side of plush.
We also took to the dirt on some dusty, gravelly Portuguese trails, which proved two things: firstly, big-capacity adventure bikes like the Suzuki are heavy and clumsy off-road, and secondly, despite this the A40s helped to keep the V-Strom 1000 upright and in one piece.
Although weather conditions were fair in Portugal, MCN’s Tony Hoare has also tested the tyres on a V-Strom 1000 in the UK, in colder, wetter conditions and has never had a problem with Bridgestone’s claim of improved wet and cold weather grip.”
Keep an eye out in MCN in the coming months for reports on their long term test of the tyres.
Find out more about the Battlax Adventure A40 here.
