Bridgestone Tyres an OE Option for Andretti/Benelli Motorcycles

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) and Power Sports Factory, Inc. have announced that a range of Bridgestone brand motorcycle and motorbike tyres will be available on the entire line of Power Sports Factory’s Andretti/Benelli premium motorcycles by the end of 2008. As the only motorbikes endorsed by racing legend Mario Andretti, the range of bikes combines high performance, competitive pricing and design by Benelli. The Andretti/Benelli line is known for its high-quality construction and attractive styling, comments BFNT, making it a smart choice for consumers.

“Given BFNT’s long-standing relationship with Mario Andretti, and the Bridgestone brand’s reputation for high performance motorcycle and motorbike tyres, we found this to be a great opportunity to tie the two together,” commented Phil Pacsi, vice president, Consumer Marketing, BFNT. “We are proud that Mario wanted to ensure that our tyres would be available on the motorbikes that carry his name.”

Steve Kempenich, CEO, Power Sports Factory, added: “Power Sports Factory is very excited to be able to offer Bridgestone brand tyres on our Andretti/Benelli motorbikes. In testing, the performance of our motorbikes dramatically improved when we replaced the original equipment tyres with Bridgestone tyres. Add in BFNT’s legacy of success with the bikes’ endorser, Mario Andretti, and you have a perfect fit.”

The Bridgestone Battlax BT45 Sport Touring tyre offers a silica-enriched compound for wet and dry grip, while its edges offer performance while cornering. A larger crown radius contributes to better stability for touring at speed. The Battlax BT45 will be available on the Andretti/Benelli M Series, which combines classic European styling with powerful performance, making it the ideal “around town” ride.

The Bridgestone Molas ML50 is the Bridgestone brand’s core scooter line for quality-conscious end users. The ML50 provides fine dry grip, solid wet performance, riding comfort and long life, and it will be available for the Andretti/Benelli X Series – which blends revolutionary design with high performance to deliver affordable quality to the high-end motorbike market.

Customers of the top-of-the-line Andretti/Benelli XT Series can choose Bridgestone Molas ML50 for the front tyre and the Bridgestone Hoop B02 for the rear. The Hoop B02 is specially designed for today’s more powerful high performance scooters, and it provides tremendous dry grip and handling.