Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126986
A stiff tire also means a stiff tread, explained Aaron, which will cut into the tire's limits of adhesion. The new design Michelin radials will offer increased crown (sidewall) flexibility, which translates into better shock absorption, especially when cornering. The flexible Michelins allow a larger contact patch to meet the' ~ound, making for improved grip m both wet and dry conditions. Though seemingly controversial, the Michelin rear radials are designed with a tendency to drift when cornering. With the drift built in, the tire wears evenly on the shoulder and the center, keeping the tire round. This "lateral creep" helps a rider maintain a trajectory through a turn, offering predictable and consistent handling. "I like to call it brain steer, like power steering on a motorcycle," said Aaron. The new Michelin rear radials have fewer "parts" than belted biasply tires, which means a lighter tire, With less ~eight there is improved heat d.issipation, which allows for the use of higher performance tread compounds for improved grip. Both r- -.. oc 0') ~ 1-4 Q,) ..0 o ..... u o Contributing Editor Tom Mueller tried out Michelin's new line of radial motorcycle tires during a recent tire test session in South Carolina. the High -Sport and 59X series Michelins use the same casings, and according to Michelin, it's the same construction and materials used in their GP tires. High Sport radials will be released initially in one compound only, but more compounds are possible in the future. Pricing for the new Michelin radials is a bit ambiguous at this point. Don Coleman, product publicity manager at Michelin, explained that Michelin doesn't give suggested retail pricing, just the cost to distributors. The new 59X series radials will be priced about 10 to 15% higher than Michelin's current biasply 59X series tires, and the new High Sports will be about 15% more than the 59X radials. "The new High Spon radials wiJI be the most expensive tires on the market, and they deserve'to be," said Aaron. After a question and answer period, and a brief lunch (prime rib at noon?), we were bussed from Michelin's sales training center to the company's ultra-high security test track near Laurens, South Carolina. The two mile course is used for 'car and motorcycle testing, and is kept in perfect' condition - one .Michelin rep stated that there is only three millimeters of variance in the track's surface at anyone point in the course. Michelin launches radial tires By Tom Mueller GREENVILLE, SC, SEPT. 21-22 Michelin Tire Corporation announced the availability of its radial motorcycle tires in the U.S., and then allowed an unrestricted group of journalists to bump, grind and squeal the new rubber to the limits during a two-day cydefest at Michelin's headquarters in South Carolina. 32 Michelin's radials have'been available in Europe (where they are manufactured) for almost a year. The U.S. launch was held up until now, however, until supply could meet potential demand. "We gave it a greatdeaJ of thought, but we wanted to have the tire ready for the distributors before we made an announcement," said Malt Aaron, Michelin's manager for motorcycle tires. "'Is a tire really 'production' when you make a few dozen and give them to the race teams? We don't think so." Michelin's two-day agenda was . planned to the minute, and activities started with a broad overview of Michelin's operations. The corporation employs over 9,000 people in the U.S., operates 20 distribution centers, and has five manufacturing plants - four in South Carolina and one in Alabama. The firm markets passenger car, light truck, ear~hmover, aircraft, motorcycle and bicycle tires. Michelin introduced the first radial tire in 1948, and now all but its bicycle tires are available in radial design. Michelin Tire Corporation is part of the Michelin Group, headquartered in France. It is the second largest tire company in the world, with 51 plants in 12 countries, employing more than 90,000 people world-wide. The overview was followed by a detailed seminar on Michelin's new radials, the High Spon (for production racing) and the 59X series (for street/sport riding). "The two features which make Michelin radials superior to other motorcycle radials are the Radial Casing construction and Zero Degree Kevlar Belt," said Aaron. "The casing cords follow the shortest path around the tire - from bead to bead - and theY aren't criss-crossed as in bias-ply construction. Our rear tires incorporate the Zero Degree Belt, which is wound around the tire on top of the cords, parallel to the direction of motion." According to Aaron, the benefits of the construction are minimum casing growth and tire distortion. '''The shape of the tire is very important, so we try to keep it consistent for the life of the tire, and from low to high speeds. It's proven that a rider goes slower when tire shape isn't constant. When the casing deforms, the contact patch is reduced, and there's less grip." Aaron explained that in bias-ply casings, cords "scissor" under stress, which cause the casing to grow. That promotes wear in the center of the tire, and a flat spot develops. When a rider has to work the bike of( these flat spots to corner, more. ener~ is expended, and riding becomes mefficient. "Michelin cords are laid onto the tire in the direction they do their best work," said Aaron. "The tires offer less centrifugal distortion, which means predictable handling and high speed stability." Michelin's new production recing radial, the High Sport, features radial casing construction and Zero Degree Kevlar Belt.