VOLUME ISSUE MAY , P109
List Price: TDB. (Metzeler expects these tires to be available
in North America in the third quarter of 2024)
Website: https://www.metzeler.com/en-us/catalog/product/roadtec-02
02
Called Dynatread, this adap-
tive tread design works the
other way when cornering
loads are not as high, expand
-
ing the grooves to give you six
percent more water-draining
capability and maintaining its
original sport touring-specific
ethos. However, the tread pat
-
tern looks suspiciously similar
to that of the Sportec M7 RR
street supersport tire.
The Dynatread is an inge
-
nious feature that allows a
broader range of riders to take
on a set of Roadtec 02s and not
be too concerned if they have
the right rubber underneath
them for when they want to
light it up a little.
The Roadtec 02 is an all-new
design and has leapfrogged
the Roadtec 01 SE into the U.S.
market that debuted in Europe
last year—Metzeler USA tells
us we'll get this 01 SE tire later
this year, but it's aimed more
at the higher mileage sport
touring crowd that the Roadtec
01—which debuted in 2016—
serviced so well.
Like so many of Metzeler's
street tires, the 02 runs a full
silica compound on both the
front and rear, and the rear runs
Metzeler's Cap&Base dual com
-
pound structure with a rede-
signed harder center for higher
mileage and more high speed
stability.
The tires are created using 43
percent bio-based and recycled
material, and Metzeler also
claims higher hysteresis in all
conditions, which is the tire's
rolling-resistance rating relative
to the amount of energy lost
through heat when it flexes un
-
der load. More resistance/hyster-
esis means the tire will heat up
faster and bite into the tarmac
harder, thus giving you more con-
fidence when you crank the bike
over on its side. However, too
much hysteresis will mean the
tire will deform too much, giving
you a spongy feeling and slow
steering. As with almost every-
thing in life, it's a compromise.
One of the goals with the
Roadtec 02 was increased
braking performance in the wet,
something we, at long last, got
to experience while testing (see
Rider Analysis). Compared to
the Roadtec 01 SE (that we're
still to get in the U.S. at the time
of writing), the 02 allows more
lean angle and a higher brake
pressure with less BS interven
-
tion, although they didn't elabo-
rate as to what bikes they were
testing to come up with that
claim. Modern ABS systems
• EXCELLENT FEEL UNDER
BRAKING IN THE WET
• FAST BUT ASSURED INITIAL
TURN-IN
• WET WEATHER ACCELERATION
GRIP WAS FANTASTIC
• I'VE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA
WHAT THEY'RE LIKE IN THE DRY
Those smaller side grooves close
up under hard braking in the dry
while cranked over. Ride a little less
aggressively, and they'll maintain
their shape, and, voila, you've got a
sport touring tire under you.
Smoother soft (low speed) and
hard (high speed) handling
and increased wet-weather
performance are the main points of
the Roadtec 02, but it's also a few
decibels quieter in all conditions.
