Motorbike Tyres
Dunlop reports that the latest addition to its motorcycle range, the Qualifier II, has won Visordown’s annual winter tyre test. The popular magazine, formerly known as TWO, tested a range of premium tyres in wet and dry conditions to find the best tyre for use during cold, wet winters.
Avon Tyres will release a successor to its popular Storm ST family of sports-touring tyres at this year’s International Motorcycle and Scooter show at Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre, later this week. The new Storm 2 Ultra builds on the performance of the Storm ST and, says Avon, improves upon it in a number of areas. Developed from the award-winning Storm ST tyre, the company says the new Storm 2 Ultra offers more mileage and improved grip in all weathers and road conditions.
Having shod the winners of the 2009 Isle of Man TT, Dunlop will no doubt be a name to spark interest among racing bikers, especially given the news released today that the brand is to launch the latest addition to its high performance Sportmax range at the National Motorcycle Show, staged at the NEC, on 26 November. Dunlop states that it has used technology derived from its race tyres to produce the GP Racer D211, specifically the technology from Dunlop’s D211 GP race tyre which helped to provide 165 podium finishes, 25 rider championships in top-class Superstock/Supersport and hundreds of club level race wins.
The latest addition to Pirelli Moto’s Diablo motorcycle tyre family is being billed as the only hypersport tyre for road and track use to draw upon technology from the Superbike World Championship. The Diablo Rosso Corsa, new for 2010, is a racing street segment tyre that supplements the Diablo Rosso in Pirelli’s sport range and effectively replaces the Diablo Corsa III. Pirelli comments that the new tyre exceeds each of its predecessor’s key performance values.
Motor Cycle News readers voted the Avon Storm ST third in their choice of tyre in the popular sports touring sector. The tyre also scored the third highest average number of miles before replacement and showed a big saving on the tyres in first and second place. The votes were from MCN readers – with more than 12,000 taking part and making it Britain’s biggest biking survey and the most comprehensive review of kit and accessories in the UK.
Meanwhile, in RiDE’s annual 2009 RiDER Power Survey issue, the Avon Storm ST came third, above the likes of Michelin’s Pilot Power 2CT, Dunlop’s RoadSmart and Bridgestone fitments: BT-021, 016, 020 and 014. Also, in the category for longevity for front tyres the Storm ST came in third place, ably backed up by the Azaro ST in fifth place and the Avon Viper Sport in sixth. For rear tyres the Azaro ST took fourth place with the Storm ST in fifth, making it another successful RiDER Power for Avon Tyres.
International motorcycle traveller Sam Manicom has navigated his way around the world on Avon Gripster tyres. The 50-year-old adventurer left home back in 1992 on a brand-new BMW R 80 GS with only three months experience of motorcycling under his belt. Since then he’s enjoyed adventures around the world, all of which are recounted in his books: Into Africa, Under Asian Skies and Distant Suns. More than half of the 250,000 miles covered by his trusty BMW over the years have been completed on Avon tyres.
Although recent years have been challenging for the UK automotive industry, Birmingham remains a city steeped in automotive heritage. And, in the midst of some high profile casualties in recent years, BMTR says it is going from strength to strength and this year celebrates its 90th anniversary. The company clearly has some history, but is it the oldest in Britain? In order to find out, and in celebration of BMTR’s 90th anniversary, Pirelli Tyres UK exclusively through Tyres & Accessories is offering a case (that’s 12 bottles) of fine wine to any tyre dealer or wholesaler that can prove they are the oldest in the business.
Readers of RiDE Magazine voted the Michelin Pilot Road 2 as their number one tyre in the magazine’s 2009 RiDER Power survey. The Michelin Pilot Power 2CT was the highest-rated sports tyre, coming in at number four in the top ten. Each year, thousands of readers vote for their favourite bikes and products and this year’s results were published in the November 2009 issue of the magazine, which is renown for its stringent product tests.
The Michelin Pilot Road 2 dual compound sports touring tyre is designed for high mileage combined and performance in wet grip. Also benefiting from the same 2CT (2 Compound-Technology) the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT is a high-performance sports tyre designed for fast road riding and occasional track-day use.
Commenting on the results, Olivier Gros, Michelin’s UK Director of Motorcycle Tyres said: “This is a great result for Michelin as it recognises the amount of work that goes into making our tyres such good all-round performers. What makes it really special is that this recognition comes directly from our customers who are actually using our tyres in the real world, out on the UK’s roads.”
Bike builder Dave Cook has seen his Avon shod ‘Rambler’ crowned as this year’s World Champion machine. The 2009 AMD World Championship Of Bike Building took place recently in Sturgis, South Dakota, and it was Cook’s amazing machine – fitted with Avon’s Cobra tyres – which took top honours. Cook’s creation beat 82 other motorcycles to take top honours.
Friday 13 March saw Goodyear employees and visitors to the company’s West Midlands sites show support for Comic Relief and Red Nose Day by donning red clothes and participating in a range of money-raising activities. The tyre maker not only hosted a dress down day, cake sales, competitions and raffles; a visit from business forum Vistage.
Consisting of a group of specially selected chief executives who share experience and knowledge in order to develop their own and members businesses, Vistage members were showcasing best practice information, including a focus on the Goodyear Dunlop’s successful Dunlop Motorsport operations. Delegates took an exclusive tour of Dunlop Motorsport’s Birmingham factory, seeing at first hand the manufacturing process and business methods used to produce the segment’s championship winning car and motorbike tyres for series such as the British Touring Car Championship, Le Mans and Motor GP.
According to the organisers Motorcycle Trade Expo is Europe’s largest annual business-to-business motorcycle, scooter and ATV exhibition. Last year’s show, the first at Birmingham’s NEC, was described as a record breaking event, but how did the 2009 show go? And what did the leading tyre-related exhibitors have on offer?
Like most businesses in the UK tyre trade, Cambrian Tyres described the 2008 market as good in the first half, and less pleasant in the second half. Despite the difficult circumstances facing everyone at the moment, sales manager, Mathew Leeman, told T&A that the company has been continuing in its recent trend of steady, sustained growth. However, while Cambrian deals with all the best known brands, the company is particularly positive about the Continental brand that it exclusively handles. Here, it seems that the economic pressures are directing consumers towards the Continental brand.
The leading e-Commerce tyre retailer in Europe, Delticom, has announced that it is to merge its current car fleet business with the company’s buff new online portal. The change means that trader fleet owners can now purchase tyres through user-customised settings at the e-tailer’s online presence, www.flotten24.de.
The site will allow any user wishing to buy tyres from Flotten24.de to register free; following which visitors will be able to access the site’s comprehensive web-based catalogue of tyres and accessories. In this way, car tyres, lorry tyres, light truck tyres, motorbike tyres and high-quality motor oils will be offered in the fleet shop, while a personal sales contact will give advice to fleet customers and negotiate individual fleet solutions. In addition to these services, Delticom states that a network of professional service partners – which currently numbers over 5,700 in Germany alone – is available to fit online purchases. The average delivery time, the company adds, is between 48 and 72 working hours.
One of the lesser-known secrets of Michelin’s presence in Stoke-on-Trent is the company’s so-called Black Museum, which the company bills as “the home to the blackest collection of potentially deadly artefacts in the country.” If misused (which they regularly are) such dark items can cause considerable damage, which is why these examples are assembled together in an educational exhibition.
The Michelin Black Museum is an automotive anthology of the damage that can be caused to a vehicle’s tyres. There are around 200 examples in what is believed to be the most comprehensive compilation of the potentially devastating causes and effects of mistreated and broken tyres in the UK.
A group of Cambridge University students has been praying for plenty of sunshine – but not because they are on holiday. The team of four students are responsible for the first ever solar-powered journey from Land’s End to John O’Groats. Backed by a team of around 40 other students from the Cambridge University Eco Racing team (CUER), the drivers aim to inspire the public about environmental issues and sustainable technologies.
The solar car, Affinity, which has been given a special order to drive as a prototype vehicle, is thought to have a top speed of around 50-60mph and scheduled displays schools and other venues along the 934-mile route. And for those of us in the tyre trade, it is interesting to note that team are achieving their impressively low rolling resistance results on a set of Michelin M45 motorcycle tyres!
Just over a year after Tyres & Accessories reported that a newly rejuvenated Michelin two-wheel department was aiming to lead the market, T&A met up with department head, Dr Olivier Gros and Jonathan Brett, manager of the new two-wheel Michelin Business Programme to find out how much progress has been made.
The short story is that Michelin is definitely moving towards its goal of becoming the UK’s number one motorbike tyre manufacturer. Last year, the company gained a six-point share in the sports/sport tyre segment compared with the other leading premium brands (such as Pirelli/Metezler, Dunlop and Bridgestone). And what’s more, because the total market size has remained relatively static, this means that the French manufacturer has actually been gaining sales from its competitors. Looking forward, Michelin is just as confident about next year and Olivier Gros predicts that the company will achieve a further six-point growth next year. In Olivier Gros’ words, 2008 will join 2006 and 2007 as “very successful years” for Michelin motorbike tyres in the UK. When you consider that 2006 and 2007 were both sales records for the company, its demonstrates just how confident the team is that they will achieve their stated aim of becoming number one.
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