BRIDGESTONE BATTL AX ADVENTURE A41
PRODUCT TEST
P122
"High-speed stability is abso-
lutely crucial in the adventure/
on-road segment," says Francois.
"We have achieved a better result
in the A41 compared to the A40
by changing the tire tread pattern
and the block design between
the treads. This happens by the
changes in the pattern but also by
the block rigidity. The block design
between the grooves is really im-
portant for this tire."
The Adventure A41 is con-
structed using Bridgestone's MSB
(Monospiral Belt Construction),
with a stiffer case construction
to aid in the high-speed stability
desired by the engineers. The
rear compound (and most of the
fronts, save for 21-inch tires, for example) uses a
Cap and Base design. That allows for the harder
center compound to be run underneath the softer
side compounds, thus giving the carcass extra stiff-
ness, more rigidity and better stability when braking
and cornering. This allows the softer compound to
flex, bend and grip to the road and trial conditions,
resulting in a five-percent-larger contact patch.
Wet weather performance was also improved, with
Bridgestone claiming an eight-percent-faster lap time
around their wet testing facility in Rome, Italy. Unfor-
tunately for us, this was an area we simply couldn't
test in the arid, near Martian landscape of Morocco,
the one of the most northern points of Africa.
Q u i c k Te s t s i n Pa r a d i s e
Not often in any westerner's life do they get the op-
portunity to ride the motorcycle in Morocco, so we
jumped at the chance to put the new A41s through
their paces in a land seemingly built for them.
Here you can see
Bridgestone's Monospiral
Belt Construction (in blue)
for the A41.
The A41 was a
good companion
for the big GS,
offering excellent
braking and high
speed stability
on Ouarzazate's
albeit excellent
(when tarred)
roads.
