Bridgestone have been Fast Bikes’ go-to partner for their annual Sports Bike of the Year test for the past few years, but this year the Japanese manufacturer had their all-new Battlax R11 treaded race tyre to bring to the party.
This year’s test took place at the 3.9km Navarra Circuit in Northern Spain, and saw the latest crop of sportsbikes go head-to-head before one was official crowned SBOTY 2018.
Ducati’s new Panigale V4S was this year’s potential dark horse, and lined up against some very hot bikes including the Fireblade SP1, Suzuki GSX-R1000R and MV Agusta F3 800.
All bikes were first tested on the treaded Battlax R11, and once the team had whittled their choices considerably, the top three were put onto the class leading Battlax V02 Racing Slick for one final shoot-out to decide the winner.
Of the Battlax R11, Fast Bikes had this to say:
“If any comment could be aimed at the 10, it’s that feel and feedback could have been improved to match the superb levels of grip. A ‘Mono Spiral Belt’ design has been implemented on the 11 (front and back) to address this, which lets the carcass deform more towards the edge of the tyre. This provides more ‘feel’ as to what the tyre’s up to and as a byproduct, also provides an even larger contact patch than the 10, to boot. It also uses the GP-Belt technology from the V02 slick, too, for extra support.
There are soft and medium compounds available; we used the mediums on SBOTY and even though we had spare tyres for those bikes that wouldn’t eventually get some slicks fitted, despite two full days of nonstop razzing we never felt the need to change them.
So, the R10’s outstanding grip and awesome longevity levels have been maintained (and slightly improved), even though the 11s are no longer as stiff. There’s an appreciable sidewall flex to the 11 which does markedly improve feel on the rear, and while there is also more feel from the front too, they remain that near unbelievable yet typical Bridgestone front – like it’s never going anywhere but where you want it to!
These would easily last you a couple of days on track, we love them, so do give them a try!”
Fitting the V02 Slicks allowed the team to push the three finalists to their very limit on track, and Fast Bikes commented:
“While the V02 has now been around for a few years, it’s far from just a sticky Bridgestone hoop with no tread pattern. And despite the new R11 getting times closer to the V02, it still dropped big chunks off the lap times. This tyre benefited from the multiple seasons of R&D that Bridgestone put into their MotoGP single tyre supply tenure. It has a soft compound, but once which doesn’t seem to compromise longevity – and long after the three bikes have been timed, they get razzed by everybody else there nonstop. Nobody felt them tail off at all, no matter how many heat cycles they wen through, which gives some credence to the claim.
They also feature bespoke belt technology straight from MotoGP which allows a larger contact patch to be utilised by us, or your good self. Speaking of which, if you’re looking for a decent track day slick which will last, therefore saving you money, then look no further.”
If you opened this article thinking that we’d tell you who won SBOTY 2018, then you’re going to be disappointed…
To find that out, you’ll need to pick up the July issue of Fast Bikes, which is out now!
In the meantime, find out more about the Bridgestone race range here.
