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/127162
• nne truth. AMALUBE1S NOT DESIGNED FOR CARS, TRACTORS OR TRUCKS. AUTOMOBILE OIL IS NOT DESIGNED FOR MOTORCYCLES. BEAD FILLER The new Spitfires feature four bias plies and a high aspect ratio, and are designed for each wheel, rather than a compromise design. Asso ci at es, has proj ect ed 24 ,000 miles from th e rear tir e a nd twice that for th e front. T he S27 has a zig-zag center groove whi ch looks like a slick to th e roa dway a nd resists wa ndering in .hig h wa y rain grooves, and the trea d depth o f th e front tir e ha s been reduced from past efforts to enhance stability, a prob lem on previous Bridgestone touri ng tir es, particu larl y a t h igh speed. , T he S II sport-to u r in g tire is similar to th e S27, but has a n even softer shoulder co m po u nd. It has been a vailable to th e Eu ro pean a nd Australian markets for the past two yea rs. T he S17 is V -ra ted for sustained speeds up to 149 m ph, while th e SI I ' a nd S27 ar e H -ra ted fo r speeds u p to 130 mph. Additiona lly, the S27 has a load rating o f " C," capable of carrying 930 pounds a t sus tained speeds of 130 mph , a nd more as speed decreases (1023 po unds at 60 mph, for exam ple). T he S27s also operate a t lower press ure (36 psi) th an so me other mak ers', promoting a smooth ride. U nfo rt u na tely, th e S27s a re not yet availa ble for 'the six-cylinder Ho nda G o ld Wi n g. Br id g es to n e pub li c rela tions director Joh n Rozko sa id that it may be as long as -two years until a tire is prod uced fo r th at model. (Presu ma bly because th e rear ti re of th e Go ld Wing is fu ll y enclosed by its bodywork an d thus su bjected to extreme heat .) Mem bers o f the mo torcycli ng pr ess were a llowed bri ef dem onstration rides aro u nd La guna Seca, ap proximat el y 20 m inutes eac h on three differing mo tor cycle/ tir e co m binations - a Suzuki Cavalcade wi th S27 touring tir es, a BMW KI OORT with SI I Sport-Tou r ti res a nd a H on da VF R 750 Intercep tor wi th S I 7 Sp or t Bike tir es. In iti al impressions a re vague, a t best, but the Spitfires seem to work well. There is virtua llv no difference in feel bet wee n t he ce nte r an d shoul der areas, but the tires proved co m p l ia n t, a n d a ffor d ed ampl e trac uon around the racewa y. The tri a ng u lar profile of th e front tire, parti cularly on th e 16-inch front wh eel o f the Intercep tor, makes it fall into turns, b u t no t a larm ingly so. And the hi gh aspect ra tio o f th e S l ls o n th e ' BMW ga ve i t in creased co rn er in g clearance co m pa red to stoc k. But lack of expe rience on these bikes, with these tires, o n th is track - and with n othing to co mpare them , to - forces o ne to reserve judgem ent until o ne's had a cha nce to rea lly use- them . In a ll, it's a n inte res ting conce p t.e .1 What's happening? ClLBIDAIlI