P100
PRODUCT REVIEWI
BRIDGESTONE BATTLAX
T
he RS12 is a ground-up
redesign of the tire that
was first launched in 2019
(RS11) and uses much of the
experience gained in the Endur-
ance World Championship, and
while not a slick tire, it's pretty
damn close.
The new RS12 has three key
factors over the RS11: a new
compound, new tread pattern
and the use of the HE-MS Belt
(High Elongation Mono Spiral
belt) structure, a first for a pro
-
duction/street-legal tire.
Bridgestone has utilized its
race-developed 3LC compound,
with a harder center for longer
road miles and softer shoulders
for a wider footprint and thus
better mid-corner stability, espe
-
cially when at full braking force
and during the transition when
the throttle is first applied and
the load is gradually taken off
the front tire and transferred to
the rear of the bike.
In comparison to the front, the
rear tire has a slightly wider hard
center compound to deal with the
copious amounts of horsepower
modern superbikes produce.
Where the RS12 differs visu
-
ally from the RS11 is in its new
tread pattern. Gone are the
RS11's side grooves that run
from the edge of the tire to a
quarter of the way across the
compound, replaced instead by
more slick rubber.
This can have the negative ef
-
fect of reduced wet weather dis-
persal but further highlights the
RS12's race nature—more tire on
the ground means more grip and
The RS12 replaces the
RS11 that first saw the
light of day in 2019.
