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Diagram A 1200cm3 900cm 3 This diagram illustrates where the M-1 is situated within the Metzeler street-tire line. DOT race tires make up the far left of the graph, and the highmileage touring tires fill the right side of the illustration. 750cm 3 600cm 3 250cm 3 125cm3 flick into a corner quickly, due to the sharp profile. The second is a flatter radius toward the edge, which creates a larger contact patch at the maximum lean angle. The rear tire is similar to the front, except that a third radius has been added to the very edge of the tire to help the rider obtain better feedback at the maximum lean angle. This helps the rider predict more accurately when the tire is going to slide and break away. The tread pattem on the M-l has been optimized f(;>r maximum grip in both dry and wet conditions. The front tire appears to be mounted backward when you first look at it; however, if you look carefully at which way the rain grooves are facing at the point of contact with the road, you can see that the rain grooves disperse the water away and back from the tire in the natural direction it wants to travel. The tread pattem on the rear tire offers more rubber and less grooves, as the number of rain grooves on a rear tire isn't as crucial as the front. One of the goals of Metzeler with the M-l was to create a tire that Diagram B would heat up quickly and evenly, offering consistent grip across the entire tire in a wide temperature range; from cold and wet to hot and dry. Another was to offer superior stability at all speeds; under braking as well as at top speed. RIDING IMPRESSIDN Metzeler wanted us to mount the tires on a bike with which we were intimately familiar, so as to offer the best possible distinction between the Metzeler tire and the tires th'at we were using prior to this test. I chose our Suzuki GSX-R600 test unit that won our 600cc Sportbike Shootout back in January. I chose the bike for two reasons: flfst, the bike would be perfect for The Streets of Willow Springs track that we were going to ride on; and second, it's a bike that I felt best represented popular sportbike sales - the 600cc market. The first half of our test day was spent ripping around some of the nicest roads in southern California. We departed Ojai, California, and proceeded to ride north through 125plus miles of twisties on our way to Willow Springs Raceway. It's not 0° steel-belt tire with radial carcass (90°) always easy to determine the performance of a tire on public roads because it's not prudent to approach a tire's limit on the street. On the other hand, I didn't really have any complaints; the tire worked very well and seemed to be very stable under braking and while leaned over. The tire had a generally forgiving feel. But, a lot of the roads we rode on were very dirty and dusty rendering them useless as far as the test was concerned. THE TRACK Grip didn't seem to be an issue up until this point, but it was the Streets of Willow racetrack that was going to give the tire its ultimate test. This track is one of the best tracks available for testing, due to its tight-twisting, hard-braking, and suspensionpounding nature. I started out conservatively, not knowing where the tires' limitations would be, but as I continued to lap the track, I started to realize that the tire was performing exceptionally well. I was very impressed with the tires' stability in a wide variety of conditions. It was incredibly stable under heavy braking for some of the track's tight corners, some of which required a decent amount of trail braking while leaned over. The bike tracked straight and stable and hardly sqUirmed around at all under braking, giving me the confidence to go in deeper and deeper as the day progressed. Another attribute that really impressed me was the tires' planted feel at max lean angle; it handled bumps on the track at max lean without any issues, it always felt compliant and gave me the confidence to get back on the throttle earlier when exiting a corner. As far as grip is concerned, the tires really impressed me on the racetrack. I ran through an entire tank of fuel on the GSX-R600, and then filled it up a second time and ran through another half tank before calling it a day. Even at the very end of the day, when I was riding much more aggressively - with 50 or so laps of confidence behind me - the tire really should have been wearing out, but it didn't miss a beat. Grip seemed as good at the very end of the day as in the very beginning. The front tire showed signs of feathering and wear, but still was providing perfect grip, and the rear tire's wear was minimal, considering what it had been through. Just to put the icing on the cake, a small group of us decided to avoid the freeway as much as possible on the way home and took a mountainous route back into Los Angeles, and once again the tires refused to show any signs of giving up the fight. They truly survived a massive torture test with aplomb. The best thing about the test is that the Sportec M-l s still appear to have plenty of life left in them: at least a couple thousand miles of canyon carving and commuting. I'm not sure what a second track day would do to the equation, but they are more than prepared to continue performing street duty; and I'm not talking about riding around on thrashed tires to be thrifty, they're absolutely acceptable. CN Diagram C @tJgtJ[JD{f} &J[JD@ This cutaway sho_ the many layers that go into the construction of a radial tire. The most Important elements In the new M-1 are the zero-degree steel belts. They are encased In a bandlna (right) and are then wound onto the tire In the same plane as the tire's rotation. This helps reduce heat and all~ Metzeler to run softer compounds, without the risk of overheating the rubber. {j)[ltJ@D[JD[§]'tig Front tires: 130170 ZR16 .......•.......$141.95 110170ZR17 .......•.. , $141.95 120/60ZR17 $141.95 120/65 ZR17 ...•...........$145.95 120170ZR17 $145.95 Radial carcass (90°) This Is a bandlna, two to three steel belts are encased in each one and then wound onto the tire. Rear tires: 150/60 ZR17 ......•........$173.95 160/60 ZR17 _ $174.95 170/60ZR17 $179.95 180/55ZR17 $186.95 190/55 ZR17 .........•.....$217.95 200/50 ZR17 $233.95 "Projected MSRPs: subject to change. cue I • n __ s " OCTOBER 31,2001 29