P160
PRODUCT REVIEWI
B
ridgestone seems to be
one of those unsung
heroes of the motorcycle
industry here in America.
The company has tradition-
ally lagged behind arch-rivals
Dunlop and, to
a lesser extent,
Pirelli, in terms of U.S. exposure
and market share despite cat-
egorically having some of the
best
tires in the world regard-
less of the riding segment.
This is something
the Japa-
nese giant aims to rectify in
2024 with
the release of the
Battlax S23 Hypersport tire,
which slots ahead of the five-
year-old S22 we tested at Jerez
back in 2019.
The S23 doesn't replace the
S22, which Bridgestone says
still has a worthy place in its
lineup, especially in Europe, but
sits behind the premium RS11
hypersport street tire we first
saw in 2020.
The rise in hypersport tires
that can be used for everyday
tasks is not surprising. The tires
we're seeing now that can be
taken to the track, thrashed and
not require tire warmers, stands,
etc., while still being capable
of doing a cold morning shop
run in perfect safety are getting
more numerous by the year.
The S23 comes to dealer
floors in a very busy time with
Dunlop's Q5, Pirelli Diablo Rosso
IV, Michelin Power 5, and Con
-
tinental's ContiSportAttack 2
all offering exceptional
perfor-
mance at competitive prices.
Improving
on the S22 wasn't
going to be easy for Bridge-
stone as the S22 was such a
great
product, and a personal
favorite for me, especially the
feel of that front tire. KTM even
went as far as putting it as OEM
fitment for the previous-gener
-
ation 1290 Super Duke in 2020,
but have
since swapped to Mi-
chelin Power Grip GP rubber for
the
2024 1390 Super Duke.
In S23 guise, Bridgestone is
claiming a five percent higher
BRIDGESTONE BATTLAX
The S23 will fit bikes from Yamaha's
YZF-R7 through to bruisers like the
KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
