P110
PRODUCT REVIEW I
METZELER RACETEC RR
G
erman tire company (but Pirelli owned)
Metzeler is making a concerted push
into the U.S. road racing market, with
its Racetec RR Slick leading the charge.
Metzeler has long been owned by Pirelli
(since 1986, in fact), and the company is solely
a motorcycle tire company, having a massive
presence in Europe, and known as one of the
two tire manufacturers that regularly com-
petes at the Isle of Man alongside Dunlop.
Metzeler's U.S. road racing presence hasn't
been massive over the last decade, but Pirelli
is trying to change that by positioning the
brand as a steppingstone for track-day riders
and club racers to the flagship Pirelli brand.
Compared to the equivalent Pirelli, the Met-
zeler has a slightly different compound but
a stiffer construction, which will give slightly
less overall grip but last longer—think of it as
a K1 (medium compound) Racetec RR Slick,
which is about the same as the hard com-
pound SC2 Pirelli Diablo Superbike.
At this stage, Metzeler is bringing in the
K1, K2 and TD (Track Day) tires to the U.S.,
although you can purchase a K0 (super soft)
in Europe.
Part of the way Metzeler has been able to
reduce the overall cost of the tire range is
(Left) The Racetec
RR Slicks offer a
lower price point but
still plenty of grip.
(Below) Grip on the
rear stayed pretty
consistent across the
day, although it did
begin to fade halfway
through the last race.
Still, it performed
great considering
the heat.
