Bridgestone Reports Steadily Increasing Motorcycle Tyre Sales

For many years, Bridgestone has dedicated a major research and development programme to the production of motorcycle tyres. Today, the company’s range meets the needs of very different customer sectors, from top-class professional racers to sports enthusiasts, long-distance tourists and everyday commuters. And this R&D is paying dividends; Bridgestone reports a steady increase in the sale of its motorcycle and scooter tyres. In particular, significant gains have been made in the sport/touring radial segment, where Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) has a current market share of more than 30 per cent.

Furthermore, mirroring the corporation’s success as an original equipment supplier in Japan, BSEU reports very good results in its own territory. The company now serves most of the best-known manufacturers in the region, the UK’s Triumph, including Honda (Spain and Italy), BMW, Suzuki (Spain), KTM (Austria), and Ducati. A notable original equipment fitment is for the new Yamaha VMAX, which hits the streets this year. Bridgestone’s new Battlax BT-028 will be the only OE fitment on this bike, which will ride on 120/70R18 59V on the front and 200/50R18 76V on the rear.

New for Bridgestone and publicly displayed for the first time during October’s Intermot show in Germany is the Battlax BT-003 Racing Street – a tyre Bridgestone says offers every rider the chance to experience technology derived from MotoGP competition. The new tyre, says Bridgestone, is designed to provide outstanding street and track day performance for all sporty motorcycles from 250cc upwards, and features the multi-layer compound technology first seen in the company’s MotoGP race tyres.

Compared to the BT-002RS, which it will progressively replace, the BT-003RS is reported to deliver a total improvement in handling in all riding modes – with noticeably better contact feel, feedback, stability and grip – as well as longer wear life. Bridgestone has combined its MotoGP construction technology with its latest multi-compound technology from SACT (Straight And Cornering Technology) to produce a sport tyre that intended to give high-level grip performance in braking, cornering and acceleration.

The BT-003RS front tyre has a new 3-Layer Compound (3LC): a centre compound for linear handling and longer wear life, flanked by a shoulder compound to for high grip and a strong contact feeling. The rear BT-003RS tyre features Bridgestone’s new 5-Layer Compound (5LC) technology, used for the BT-016 advanced hypersport tyre launched in 2008. The centre compound is designed to give good stability and higher mileage, the shoulder compound to transfer the engine power to the road with strong traction, while the edge compound should provide strong side grip at deep lean angles.

Front and rear construction is based on Bridgestone’s HTSPC (High Tensile Super Penetrated Cord) platform with a steel MSB (Mono Spiral Belt). This one-piece construction enhances slide controllability and line-holding through corners, while providing good shock absorption. The increased compression stiffness it produces helps to maintain a uniform contact patch and stability at high speeds. Noticeable S-shaped grooves in the centre tread area (for both front and rear) are intended provide a high level of contact feel and precise cornering ability. Wide lug grooves placed from the centre to the shoulder tread area enhance drainage and wet performance for practical road use.

Sales of the Battlax BT-003RS to European customers begin in early 2009, with three front wheel and six rear wheel sizes available.

The Battlax BT-028, which as previously mentioned is to be the sole original fitment on the Yamaha VMAX, is another key new product from Bridgestone. The front tyre features a multi-cross belt construction with a compound selected for light handling and longer wear life. Optimisation of the pattern, compound and construction are intended to give the front tyre a light and neutral handling character, making it easier to control big and powerful bikes.

The rear tyre pattern, with its newly designed solid blocks, is designed to offer outstanding traction in order to deliver the massive power of the VMAX to the road surface. The Steel Mono Spiral Belt with High Tensile Super Penetrated Cord enhances slide controllability and line-holding through corners. The optimised pattern configuration helps increase wet performance while reducing noise.

In addition to its work on new products, during 2008 Bridgestone moved to consolidate its position in the European motorcycle tyre market through the launch of a major new support programme for dealers. Named ‘Biker’s Club’, the programme is designed to support qualified dealers with technical, marketing and training services aimed at raising customer service standards and reinforcing Bridgestone’s distribution channel. Members of the Biker’s Club dealer network will be able to associate their business with the Bridgestone brand and receive a range of advantages. In addition to technical training and technical assistance from Bridgestone engineers, the network will receive a marketing and sales package that includes advertising and promotional material, tyre support for club meetings, dealer listing on the Bridgestone website and a number of other incentives. Bridgestone reports that around 900 outlets across Europe already display the Biker’s Club logo, and plans are afoot to expand the network to 1,500 dealers by 2012.