The Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 Sport Touring Tire
The Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 replaced the renowned BT-020 Bridgestone sport touring tire and it offers good front-end feel after warm-up and good stability both on motorways and country winding roads.Grip for the Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 tire is reasonable: the rear tire can be a bit loose when it's cold and warming them both up takes quite a few kilometers. Wet-road grip was good but again after getting some warmth into them. The large sips in the tread do their job to carve a path through the water and they are comfortable, giving plenty or shock absorption on long rides.
The Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 beats the BT-020 on all counts, including higher and better wear characteristics.
The Battlax BT-021 is Bridgestone's first tire to use MSB (Mono Spiral Belt) on both front and rear. With optimal stiffness provided by the HTSPC (High Tensile Super Penetrated Cord), this MSB construction raises stability and shock absorption to the highest levels.
The distinctive new slash pattern design with wide-crossing center grooves on the front tire gives top-quality handling and good feel through the handlebars.
The rear tire SACT (Straight and Cornering Technology) tread construction with cap and base technology and dual-compound tread provides plenty of cornering control from the high-grip shoulder compound, while the firmer centerline and base layer produce the necessary tread stiffness for improved life. Stability and cushioning are enhanced by a newly-developed outside bead filler in the soft two-ply construction.
For the rear pattern design, a low negative ratio in the center puts more rubber on the road, adding durability while reducing pattern noise from air bumping.
The Bridgestone Battlax BT-021 is designed to provide a wide range of heavier sport touring motorcycles, from 600cc to 1200cc, with the highest possible levels of comfort at speed as well as feel through corners off the highway and under all conditions.
The Bridgestone BT-021 is an excellent all-rounder but, if you want a tire with higher levels of grip, you may have to consider the Battlax BT-023 which looks as though it will eclipse the BT-021 in all areas.
