VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P101
Over the course of the day, I
rode two supersport bikes, a
naked bike and two 1000cc
superbikes, and fastidi-
ously checked the front
and rear pressures the
second I came into the
pits. Each time, the
pressures had jumped
upward of six psi—one
time it was nine psi—
but I couldn't fault how
they were working. It is
one of the great mind-
boggling moments of
my riding career.
Continental says this
is due to the combination
of the BlackChili compound
and the MultiZoneBelt technology,
but many other companies use
variable belt tensions in their tires
and insist that you must air the tires
down substantially before riding.
Anyway, back to the performance.
The first thing you notice (once
you've got the whole pressure thing
out of your head) is how quickly the
ContiSportAttack 5s warm up. Within
four corners, I had a tentative knee
down at Chuckwalla on stone-cold
rubber, which is high praise indeed.
CONTISPORTATTACK 5
STANDOUT FEATURE
Excellent front-tire feel and very fast
warmup time when used on track
RIDER ANALYSIS
Before I start, an interesting piece
of information: Continental doesn't
want you to change the tire pres-
sures from the street settings when
you go to the track.
I know, sounds insane, right? Con-
tinental says they have changed the
way their tires work so rather than
chasing an ideal pressure, you just
run them from cold and gain a feel
for how they are gripping.
(Above) The new tire uses less
grooves on the side to aid in high-
lean angle grip. (Left) ) The KTM
990 supersport machine was a better
option for the ContiSportAttack 5
with a little less weight for the tire
to have to support.
