Bridgestone S20 tyre review

[Drew]

Got the high powered model with the gold power band, pulls more than a 16 yo.

Oh right. I didn't realise any of the rr-sp ones came to New Zealand.

[emaN]

Cheers for the updates Drew.

Got mine on last week, just in time for the Suzuki day at Toe-Pour.
Barely scrubbed in, a few km's old, I took the 1st session on a cool track nice & steady.
Started off with pressures of 32 front & back, just to see. Nothing terribly untoward happened.

2nd session I set 'em to 32/30 & was upping the pace.
Started getting mildly disappointed as they were spinning a bit from the apex & drifting - methought I'd left this malarkey behind when I got rid of the Powers! So I finished the session downcast.

Waiting for the 3rd session and with air/track temp warming, I figured I'd leave them at 32/30 & soften rear rebound 1/2 turn.
3rd session came & went, with a weensy front slide (interesting to read of yours Drew & OAB) & the rear having a lil' step-out peeling into T13(?) (the r/hander past the old pits entry). But both of these only happened once all day.
However, the spinning & drifting continued, leading to much frustration as I was "uselessly" trying to get the jump on handy-ridden thou's!
Once again, I returned to my pit feeling like the pits.
The front was feeling good, and had squished spots of rubber here 'n there.
(I was having brake fade issues, which I only 'sorta' fixed in the 5th session, so I wasn't expecting the front to be working too hard).

Before the 4th session I was recommended 28/26. I obligingly obliged & can report the rear hooked up a whole lot better. Started towards the back of the group tho', so was a busy-ish session, with no clear track. At least this time the rear would hold longer when I was "off line" passing someone.

The 5th & last session was my best; got outta the pits at the front so I could have clear track & figured I'd see if these things really do have the 'quick warm-up time'. No-one came past & there were no moments.
Being able to push tho', I was once again getting slides when being 'assertive' with the right hand.
The front however, felt planted & sure. Leaned over I very much wanted to experiment with understeer, but figured I'd leave that for another day! But that goes to show how sure footed the front felt.

I have since met someone who knows about these hoops, who recommended a 30/28 set-up. But he reckoned, looking at the tyre, that it was feathering up nicely. We agreed that perhaps I was expecting a bit much from them.
I'd love to have had the chance to try that 30/28 tho', as I've got a sneaky feeling that this could be the set-up for me.

Thinking about it afterwards tho', given how they performed at Taupo, there will be oodles of grip on the slower road rides that I spend most of my time on, so I'm sure they'll turn out to be a great compromise.

Happy days.

[ajturbo]

I'm Running the S20's on the Duc (400cc) race bike.. running them at 28 front/rear.
I'm not the fastest of riders
But they are great... i lent the bike to a mate who came first in a race where i was dicing for last 5 places.. lol

will be putting them on again when the rear wears out...

on a side note, i have the 16pro on the XB... will be very interested to see how the rear lasts... but i like them a LOT more than the Angles i had before...

[Kickaha]

i lent the bike to a mate who came first in a race where i was dicing for last 5 places..

Shows what a shit rider you are, although it wasn't his bike so he probably didn't care if he crashed it

[AllanB]

If you are a CHCH rider these are on special at Avon City Suzuki.

[ajturbo]

If you are a CHCH rider these are on special at Avon City Suzuki.

sorry, but i will NEVER buy anything of them...
they refused a WOF on the XB cause the number plate was not in the normal place..?????
i have had the XB for 6 years and NEVER move it.. that is how i brought it.. and now it's not mounted right...????

fuck them.!

[ajturbo]

Shows what a shit rider you are, although it wasn't his bike so he probably didn't care if he crashed it

fuck man.. keep that up and i may start believing you...!!

[JayRacer37]

Cheers for the updates Drew.

Got mine on last week, just in time for the Suzuki day at Toe-Pour.
Barely scrubbed in, a few km's old, I took the 1st session on a cool track nice & steady.
Started off with pressures of 32 front & back, just to see. Nothing terribly untoward happened.

2nd session I set 'em to 32/30 & was upping the pace.
Started getting mildly disappointed as they were spinning a bit from the apex & drifting - methought I'd left this malarkey behind when I got rid of the Powers! So I finished the session downcast.

Waiting for the 3rd session and with air/track temp warming, I figured I'd leave them at 32/30 & soften rear rebound 1/2 turn.
3rd session came & went, with a weensy front slide (interesting to read of yours Drew & OAB) & the rear having a lil' step-out peeling into T13(?) (the r/hander past the old pits entry). But both of these only happened once all day.
However, the spinning & drifting continued, leading to much frustration as I was "uselessly" trying to get the jump on handy-ridden thou's!
Once again, I returned to my pit feeling like the pits.
The front was feeling good, and had squished spots of rubber here 'n there.
(I was having brake fade issues, which I only 'sorta' fixed in the 5th session, so I wasn't expecting the front to be working too hard).

Before the 4th session I was recommended 28/26. I obligingly obliged & can report the rear hooked up a whole lot better. Started towards the back of the group tho', so was a busy-ish session, with no clear track. At least this time the rear would hold longer when I was "off line" passing someone.

The 5th & last session was my best; got outta the pits at the front so I could have clear track & figured I'd see if these things really do have the 'quick warm-up time'. No-one came past & there were no moments.
Being able to push tho', I was once again getting slides when being 'assertive' with the right hand.
The front however, felt planted & sure. Leaned over I very much wanted to experiment with understeer, but figured I'd leave that for another day! But that goes to show how sure footed the front felt.

I have since met someone who knows about these hoops, who recommended a 30/28 set-up. But he reckoned, looking at the tyre, that it was feathering up nicely. We agreed that perhaps I was expecting a bit much from them.
I'd love to have had the chance to try that 30/28 tho', as I've got a sneaky feeling that this could be the set-up for me.

Thinking about it afterwards tho', given how they performed at Taupo, there will be oodles of grip on the slower road rides that I spend most of my time on, so I'm sure they'll turn out to be a great compromise.

Happy days.

Very good feedback, you are bang on with what I would expect of the S20's on track - in that they provide good feel that lets you push their grip envelope without having any wild moments. The fact you are comfortable riding up to the point where the tyres are walking and spinning (most riders are not) suggests for your track work you may be better with a 'racier' tyre - something like the Bridgestone BT003-RS or even R10. This would raise the breakaway grip point, with of course the downside of slower warm-up (warmers would be ideal with tyres like the above). The S20 is happy enough on track, but is certainly a sports road tyre with a little trackday capability rather than vice-versa.

The pressures you ended up at are very low for this tyre type and will contribute to the tyre beginning to overheat, particularly the rear - again this will lead to it spinning from the middle of the corner. May I ask who it was you met that recommended 30/28? I can see how you ended up there though, to make that tyre grip on track that is what I would suggest although it is low and you will begin to loose stability and gain too much heat, which will cause greater grip degradation thoughout a session. But, I agree it is probably the best grip solution for a compromised position. Perhaps a better solution may be a more track-biased tyre for when you are planning a few trackdays?

Running a GSXR1000 L2 (admittedly on OEM spec S20's) we ended up at 34 front 32 rear as the best track solution that didn't compromise stability greatly - though they were easy enough to spin up from there if you so desired. I couldn't tell you exactly what the difference between the OEM Suzuki S20 and the aftermarket is though sorry.

As you say in the last paragraph, for sports road riding at most paces, these are ideal and will work very well for you whist providing good life (although maybe not so much if you decide to keep the pressures that low on the road!) Enjoy, and always happy to hear good honest feedback

[emaN]

Very good feedback...
As you say in the last paragraph, for sports road riding at most paces, these are ideal and will work very well for you whist providing good life (although maybe not so much if you decide to keep the pressures that low on the road!) Enjoy, and always happy to hear good honest feedback

Thanks loads for reading/replying man!
Thanks for your info & passing on your experiences! Always good t'hear from guys with loads of knowledge.

I usually do a trackday in Nov (the 'cheaper' Suzuki one) and one in Jan/Feb, so there's not much point getting anything stickier. As you say, I'd then be likely lookin' at warmers/gennie/pit garage etc... Can't really justify that kinda carry on, not saying I wouldn't love to!

Like you mention, they're a sporty road tyre trying & succeeding at wearing two hats; I'm sure I'll enjoy them, & I'm lookin' forward to a good strop up the Cape or summat.

I'm not sure I'm "comfortable with my tyres walking"... I think I rely on the fact that I'm on a 'peaky' 750 & that I'm a wee bit less likely to get spat off, so I can push things a bit more
Were I on a thou I'd perhaps be fairly timid.

Just wish I had a tenth of the talent you quick boys have!

[Digitdion]

Lots of feedback about this tyre. But what about it when being used as a sport touring everything tyre?
I ride a triumph Tiger 1050. Use it for everything. I like to ride in a spirited fashion at times and currently using Michelin pilot road 3. PR3 is a great tyre in all conditions. It's pricey, and currently the s20 is going for a good price.

Are these two tyres comparable?
Or am I comparing apples with oranges?

[Drew]

Lots of feedback about this tyre. But what about it when being used as a sport touring everything tyre?
I ride a triumph Tiger 1050. Use it for everything. I like to ride in a spirited fashion at times and currently using Michelin pilot road 3. PR3 is a great tyre in all conditions. It's pricey, and currently the s20 is going for a good price.

Are these two tyres comparable?
Or am I comparing apples with oranges?

Well they are real good at all speeds, in all the conditions I've ridden, under a big heavy bike. Both Onearmbandit and I, are impressed with how they are wearing.

That says to me, they will do what you want. Go fourth and try them.

[Coldrider]

The OEM S20's on my ride looked unused at 2000ks, by 3000ks the rear was very uniform in shape, but wearing fast, have 3300ks now, and in 500ks the rear will be dicked. That included hot dry flat Canturbury roads, and torrential rain on the west coast , about four riding days.
Will not be replacing S20's based on my experience of other brands.

[Digitdion]

The OEM S20's on my ride looked unused at 2000ks, by 3000ks the rear was very uniform in shape, but wearing fast, have 3300ks now, and in 500ks the rear will be dicked. That included hot dry flat Canturbury roads, and torrential rain on the west coast , about four riding days.
Will not be replacing S20's based on my experience of other brands.

Thanks for your feedback. That's maybe the Achilles heal about this tyre for me, how it wears! Pilot road threes are going to b hard to beat. Even though they are not cheap. Any other feedback about the s20 is really appreciated.

[Coldrider]

Thanks for your feedback. That's maybe the Achilles heal about this tyre for me, how it wears! Pilot road threes are going to b hard to beat. Even though they are not cheap. Any other feedback about the s20 is really appreciated.

Not sure how deficient the OEM tyres are versus the real deal but when I went away from battlaxs I got used to 7000ks per rear. I have no complaints about the S20 performance wise.

[roogazza]

Not sure how deficient the OEM tyres are versus the real deal but when I went away from battlaxs I got used to 7000ks per rear. I have no complaints about the S20 performance wise.

Could you tell us the type of bike and pressures used . Most tyres are pretty good nowdays, but if they wear in five minutes thats a negative.
I'm due a set of tyres and have been using the old P/Powers (not even 2CTs) for years. Although money is no problem, changing the bloody things every five mins is a pain.
I run Std pressures on the road for that reason alone.