Bridgestone Battlax 016 Hypersport v/s PP2CT'sn - YR64L review

[Cr1MiNaL]

Disclaimer: The following information are the views of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bridgestone, its affiliates or any of its employees. I can almost guarantee that Michelin do not agree with any of the following.

I have been a Michelin fan all my life, but the new Bridestones are slowly but surely making me a convert. After having the new Bridgestone 016's for just over a week, and without giving much away I can vouch for them being a brilliant road/sport tire.

The three compounds in the front and rear work incredibly well together. Feel, contact, grip and feedback are all superior to the PP's.

Warm up time is just as quick as the PP2CT's/PP's I've used for years. They don't squirm as much coming out of corners like the PP's used to, and they feel fine in the wet too. I thought the PP's were a disaster in the wet.

The profile looks like its not as curved as the 2CT's were and they don't dip in as quickly as PP's do when new. The soft compound on the edges of the tire seems to shread up pretty quickly though on NZ backroads on a hot day, unlike 2T's which would shread only if ridden really hard; which means you can literally see at what lean angle you are powering on out of the corner.

I feel the transition from corner to corner smooth and effortless and the bumps are taken in with ease. This might be because the 016's are steel belted unlike the Michelin 2CT's.

And just like everything else on my bike, the new 016's are straight decendants of the Moto - GP family, so I thought why the heck not!

Besides for about the same price as the old PP2CT's why would'nt you try the new three compound 016's?

Give em a shot

YR64L.

[HungusMaximist]

Fark bro, that front is a headache to read.

Could you do white on black please or some other high-vis colour? Because the dark blue blends in too well with the background.

Good boy!

[Cr1MiNaL]

Fark bro, that front is a headache to read.

Could you do white on black please or some other high-vis colour? Because the dark blue blends in too well with the background.

Good boy!

Not my background, go light universe !

[R6_kid]

Farkin Rajistan!

Knew you'd like em - the boys I spoke to loved them.

[discotex]

You're a more capable rider than I am so this makes a handy reference point.

I don't think I'll bother trying the 2ct's next time as I'm really happy with the BT-016.

What pressures you running on the R6? Stock 36/42 or have you dropped them?

[puddytat]

They sound good!! I swapped to the Rosso's & rate them better than the PP's too, 'specially on the track.

[Devil]

The BT016's do feel pretty good. Good linear tip in and good mid corner stability. Typical Bridgestone.

I'm a big fan of the BT002 streets though, but they dont do them in a 160 rear.

28psi front and rear on the 'tard.

[puddytat]

450.00 a set sounds good.....

[Devil]

450.00 a set sounds good.....

Where were you getting 2CT's for $450 a set???

(erm, not that I moan, I get them cheaper, but i'm special).

[NZsarge]

Interesting, let us know how long they last compared to the PP's.

[Morcs]

BT92's FTW!

[Cr1MiNaL]

Also if you look at the rear you can actually notice the third compound on the sides. It is a fair bit softer and about 1.5 inches in width, quite reassuring ! :)

Also discotech I run 35 front 39 rear for sport riding.
31 front 32 rear on the track (depending on track conditions)
and 38 front 44 rear while commuting in the mornings.

Yr64L.

[discotex]

Also if you look at the rear you can actually notice the third compound on the sides. It is a fair bit softer and about 1.5 inches in width, quite reassuring ! :)

Also discotech I run 35 front 39 rear for sport riding.
31 front 32 rear on the track (depending on track conditions)
and 38 front 44 rear while commuting in the mornings.

Yr64L.

I get the same thing on the side. There's a definite line where the rubber gets softer.

I'm running 35f/38r so pretty much identical. Find it a bit sloppy for commuting unless I get some heat into them. Need a pump at home so I can change them without the hassle of the gas station.

[puddytat]

Where were you getting 2CT's for $450 a set???

(erm, not that I moan, I get them cheaper, but i'm special).

Nah it was for a set of Bts on the site somewhere au...

[Mort]

I have the BT016 on me VFR and 2CT's on the Blade. Both brilliant tyres. I think the BT016 may have the edge but its hard to tell really... Both great tyres...

[Rodney007]

good review raj,

the front kicks ass and yes has great feel and feedback,

the rears good, lets you know wats happenin, but slides a tad bit to easy for my riding style,

what pressures were you running?

i was told 34 f/ 32 r,

after days worth of suspension tweaking and changing pressures, i found that 29-30 front and 28-28.5 rear was giving far superior results to anything above 30,

the fronts nearly immortal and running the front on 33 was okay but felt more stable on the brakes at a lower setting, although a slower turn-in somesuspension tweaking made up for that.

on 28 psi on the rear youd get more nudging on throttle from corner exit but the threshhold was greatly increased before the tyre actualy broke contact.

good road tyre... but if you ride agressivley and want the next level of traction for trackdays... 002's or a supersport is the way to go.

personaly a waste of money cause i was told these are the bees and ees of tyres.

got 1.42 taupo, with minor trackday experience so not too bad of a tyre "aparently"