CERM Research Shows Michelin Leads Motorcycle Tyre Performance

CERM (Centre d’Essais Routiers Mécaniques) has tested Michelin’s Pilot Road 2 and new Anakee 2 motorcycle tyres against the leading competitors in the market, with strong results for the French manufacturer. The Pilot Road 2 was tested against the Dunlop Roadsmart as an update to previous tests against six major competitors’ sport touring tyres; while the Anakee 2 was compared to two direct, major-brand competitors – the Metzeler Tourance EXP and Bridgestone Battle Wing. In both cases the tests involved two criteria: wear resistance and wet-surface grip.

The initial sport touring tyre tests, conducted in 2006 and 2007 compared 120/70 R 17 and 180/55 R 17 Pilot Road 2 tyres fitted to Suzuki Bandit 1200s with six comparable tyres from other premium manufacturers. The result were good, from Michelin’s perspective, and showed that the French tyres not only lasted longer but also offered better wet handling than its competitors, defying the supposed performance payoff between the two characteristics. According to Michelin, the same performance advantage was proven again in the 2008 tests against the Dunlop Roadsmart.

The 110/80 R 19 and 150/70 R 17 Michelin Anakee 2 tyres were tested for longevity in a convoy of three identical BMW R1200GS motorcycles that travelled a total of 4,872 km. Each of the bikes was equipped with a set of one of the three tyres involved in the test.

Lap time was chosen as the best comparative measure of wet-surface grip. Each pair of tyres was mounted on a BMW R1200GS equipped with a data logging unit and test riders were not told which tyres they were using for each run.

The new Anakee 2 is reported to have delivered the same level of wet grip as its two rivals while offering at least 29 per cent longer life. To ensure fairness, the Michelin tyres were chosen at random by CERM from production-runs at the factory and the competitors’ products were purchased from European distributors.