Charging out of corners with the
Scout's big torque resulted in
no traction theatrics, and heavy
braking was never an issue.
over rain grooves or pavement seams.
The softer shoulder compounds (as well
as the front Cruisetec, which is a single
compound construction) utilize high-rated
plasticizers and silica in their makeup to
promote quick warm-up and much better
grip in both dry and wet conditions.
The tread pattern on the front Cruisetec
features converging grooves along with
diverging extension grooves. The design is
claimed to provide quick warm-up, instant
turning response, and improved grip both
during straight up and leaning situations.
In emphasizing the grip aspect, Metzeler
revealed internal test figures that showed
the Cruisetec stopping in less distance un-
der wet conditions from 53 mph than all
of its competitors. Meanwhile, the rear
Cruisetec has a similar pattern, but with
no grooves crossing the center, which
Metzeler says promotes even wear. Both
front and rear tread designs also contain
bridges between the grooves to control
tread deflection under extreme loads.
To prove the new Cruisetec's perfor-
mance, Metzeler invited the world's
motopress to Mount Magazine near Paris,
Arkansas, in the Ozark Mountains. The
mountain's undulating roads would offer
ample opportunity to test the Cruisetec's
cornering capabilities, while the valleys
surrounding the mountain provided
plenty of long straight sections of high-
way and byway to check out its overall
ride quality. A good selection of cruisers
from Harley-Davidson and Indian were on
hand as test mules.
My first test mule was a Harley Road
King, and while the bike isn't exactly a
paradigm of power and performance,
I spent enough time aboard it to get
a good idea of the Cruisetec's overall
manners. Right off the bat, it was pretty
easy to tell that the Metzeler was put-
ting down a big footprint at both ends.
There's that sense of solid footing and
CYCLE NEWS CRUISER BUYERS GUIDE
