VOLUME 57 ISSUE 10 MARCH 10, 2020 P117
S TANDOUT FEATURE
Super tacky ADV tires that beg for
tight, fast corners on the tarmac
RIDER AN ALYSIS
When I think about Continental
ADV tires, I immediately think TKC80.
For those who ride big adventure bikes
off-road, the TKC80s have been the
go-to tire for many years. However, the
majority drives the market, and that
means that most people would rather
have a long-lasting, well-handling tire
that's more suited to twisty tarmac
than rocky fire road, and the Conti-
TrailAttack lineup has been scratching
that itch for years. However, its new
Attack 3 had me scratching my head
when they arrived for this review. I
called the home office asking why they
LOWDOWN
sent me used tires. Having worked
on the OE level of the Powersports
industry, I know all about press-
prepped units, but I had never heard
of press-prepped tires, and I thought
that's what I might be looking at. As
it turns out, it's Continental's new
"Traction Skin," which makes the
tires ready to ride without tiptoeing
around until they're worn in. It's like
putting on a set of scrubbed tires. If
you watch F1, you know that scrubs
are the most desired tires for drivers
needing to push hard during strate-
gic portions of the race, and you can
do exactly that as soon as you ride
away on these new Contis. There's no
actual wear on the tires—it's merely a
new way to release the tire from the
mold that doesn't leave a slick, shiny
surface needing to be worn off by the
customer.
I'm fortunate to live on one of
•10% OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY IS
GENEROUS; THESE ARE STREET
TIRES, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S
EVEN A HINT OF MUD
•EXCEPTIONAL GRIP ON TWISTY
TARMAC
•GREAT WET-WEATHER
PERFORMANCE
•QUICKLY REACH OPTIMUM
TEMPS
the most spectacular roads in the
north Georgia mountains, and the
twisties start as soon as I leave my
driveway. Typically, I take it easy until
I know for sure that my tires are up
to temp and ready to be pushed, and
I always take it easy for the first sev-
eral miles on new rubber. However,
needing to see if these tires were "as
advertised," I rolled out and hit the
gas hard to see if I could achieve
any loss of grip. Knowing that my
health insurance premium was paid,
I pushed harder and harder, and the
ContiTrailAttack 3s stuck like glue.
I've never gone that fast on an ADV
bike before. Flicking the bike from
turn to turn, the Contis are stable,
well-mannered and confidence-inspir-
ing. Continental claims that these
tires will maintain these handling
characteristics throughout what's
predicted to be a very long life. How-
ever long they go, you'll be smiling
the whole time if you like riding fast
on twisty roads.
By Keith Dowdle
