BRIDGESTONE R11 DOT RACE TIRE
PRODUCT TEST
P122
the Yamaha YZF-R3, as there's
only about 36 horsepower to
get to the ground. You could get
absolutely stupid with the throttle
and the rear would simply stick
and lurch me forward (almost)
regardless of what lean angle I
was carrying.
What did stand out was the
front-end grip at full lean, as the
lightweight R3 can carry rather
silly mid-corner speeds. I would
always know where I was with
the front of the R3, with loads of
feedback coming from the tire.
This was clearly a good omen for
the second day when we would
switch to the big bikes.
Dancing between a Yamaha
YZF-R1, R1M and finally a half
day on an R6, what rang true
about my time on the R3—out-
standing front-end feel and
grip—was magnified on the big
bikes due to the higher speed
and weight.
Heading down the Utah Mo-
torsport Campus West course
into the 180° left turn one, it was
The Variable Monospiral Belt (in blue) means you now
have more tire on the ground at high lean. The heat
graph and bottom left shows how the low-pressure area
of the previous R10 has been eliminated.
The R11 rear tire gets the GP Belt (dark blue) that
runs over the top of the V-MSB to help give more
stability under hard acceleration.
