Bridgestone Battlax T30 - Free tyre giveaway

[Drew]

Scratcha has my vote. The TDM would be a very good bike as a test hack in my opinion, and the riding he does is perfect for this application. That's North Island vote.

No idea down south.

[Eurotred (NZ) Ltd]

Awesome guys, there is a lot of good members that have votes, now lets keep the votes rolling in.

[JayRacer37]

Fuck - you're a hard man ... I had Battleaxes on my GSF650 (don't ask me for a number - no idea) when I bought it brand new .. they were very grippy tyres and I thought they were great - lucky for me - because they were grippy and a great tyre to learn to ride my first every in-line four on ..

Unfortunately I killed the rear tyres in 4,000ks . and that included 2,000 running in the brand new bike .. I changed to other tyres because I thought that mileage was pretty poor - way to low .. I got 5,000 ks on the rear on Pilot Road, Pirrelli Diablos ... so I changed to Conti Road Attacks ... (Conti told me I'd get 8,000ks on their rear ...Yeah right ! I killed the rear in 3,000ks ... ) But I loved they tyres so much I kept them ..

I'd be tempted by the offer of free tyres - but I love the Conti's and wouldn't seriously consider changing .. However I think the bridgestones would probably get my vote as the second most fun tyre I've had on the small Bandit.

Gidday Banditbandit, sounds like you had an un-ideal experience with OEM specification tyres! As mentioned before, the tyres on the bike new usually don't reflect the aftermarket tyres performance as the OEM ones are specced by the bike manufacturer. This means they usually suffer for life particularly as they like light thin tyres that make the demo bikes feel like they handle 'easier'. There are other factors in play of course but this is one of the more obvious ones. I would certainly recommend not completely discounting a tyre brand if you didn't enjoy the tyres on a brand new bike (and this goes for all brands not just Bridgestone) as the tyre you will buy from your dealer, unless you specifically ask for the OEM tyre type, will be the aftermarket which is usually a much nicer thing, for grip, mileage and life.

Interesting, read about the T30 recently and it made me think about previous Battlax tyres over the years. Strangely enough my take on them is in line with Hitcher, so maybe Hitcher would give a fair (if harsh) review?

I've got a Michelin tattoo so that rules me out

I'm not surprised at your thoughts, in all honesty the BT020 and BT021 were not particularly well recieved tyres, they certainly had their shortfalls and these are the tyres that Hitcher is talking about when he mentions wanting to burn them! However, Bridgestone were aware of this and when the time came for the BT021 to be superseeded they stepped up their game big time for the BT023 and we are hoping they will have done so further again for the T30 as they have been researching it for a couple of years now. This is why we do this test with the T30, (and S20 in the past) as the reputation formed by riders of Bridgestones radials from 6-10 years ago needed some work, and this is an honest way of us gaining and providing real world, unbiased feedback. As you say, maybe Hitcher would be ideal, see if we can change his mind? I have read the other reviews he has done of products (like the Aprilia Tuono) and he is certainly honest and open about what he finds!

From the sounds of things, it's a sport touring tyre, so I presume regular tyres ie, 120/70/17 and 180/55/17 (or thereabouts). I'll count myself out because the Hornet only does about 12-15k a year. The BMW has other tyre sizes. Give someone else a shot.

I nominate Blackbird. mmm no idea about the South tho...

They are in the main touring road sizes, available sizes can be found down the page here, with some other further information;

http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate...012121401.html

bet ya dont have a 130/70/16 so i cant help

You are correct, that size usually takes a sports tyre rather than a touing so it's not available in the T30 but it is in the S20 in that size, or there are still some BT016's around that are likely a little cheaper

[Gremlin]

They are in the main touring road sizes, available sizes can be found down the page here, with some other further information;

http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate...012121401.html

Heh, well, they ARE available in my sizes (110/80/19 and 150/70/17). So if people want me to review it's possible, but it would be compared to other dual purpose bike tyres in 19 and 17 combination, and perhaps not your traditional sport touring tyre sizes (120/70/17 and 180/55/17) and target market.

I'll let others decide.

[_Shrek_]

They are in the main touring road sizes, available sizes can be found down the page here, with some other further information;

http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate...012121401.html

pity this was not up a bit sooner, as we're doing a road trip to the norf from down here would have been good to try out a set, thats if'n I'd got the vote

[gonzo_akl]

I vote for Hitcher in the north - he has a history of providing open and entertaining reviews, could be a bit of a risk but you'll certainly know whether they are the business.

Jantar in the south as I have the same bike.

[george formby]

They are in the main touring road sizes, available sizes can be found down the page here, with some other further information;

http://www.bridgestone.com/corporate...012121401.html

I got nothing but good things to say about 021's, particularly in the wet on the TDM, nice to see the new ones are available in the right size too. Be interesting to see the life of them, I was looking at about 6 - 8k for a rear and not much more for a front with the 021's.

Hint......

[JayRacer37]

Bump.

Since I work for the importer it would be bad form for me to vote, but we need all of you guys to get amongst it!

Jay

[Tryhard]

I vote for caseye he knows all about tyres!

[Coldrider]

When are the T30 s hitting the market place?

[Eurotred (NZ) Ltd]

When are the T30 s hitting the market place?

Hi Coldrider, The T30 will be hitting the market around the 20th of Feb.

[Tryhard]

When are the T30 s hitting the market place?

http://http://www.bridgestonemotorsport.com/championships/other/news/2863/bridgestone_launches_battlax_sport_touring_t30_mot orcycle_tyre__and_puts_the_pleasure_back_in_tourin g

Hi Coldrider hope my link worked for you!

[Maha]

I opted to leave the BT021 tyres on the Yamaha when I bought last year, as they felt really good on the test ride. Was going to have the Michelin Pilot Road 3's swapped over from my trade in, kind of which I had now, not so confidant in the wet on the 021's Touring tyres.
Be interesting to to see/read a review on the T30's.

[JayRacer37]

I opted to leave the BT021 tyres on the Yamaha when I bought last year, as they felt really good on the test ride. Was going to have the Michelin Pilot Road 3's swapped over from my trade in, kind of which I had now, not so confidant in the wet on the 021's Touring tyres.
Be interesting to to see/read a review on the T30's.

Maha, the BT021 is very outdated now, and the biggest improvements made in the BT023 and T30 are there wet grip over prevous iterations. I think you would be plesantly surprised if you tried either the BT023 (for premium mileage) or the T30 (for premium touring grip) over the BT021, particularly if you liked the feel of them when you first rode them.

[Maha]

Maha, the BT021 is very outdated now, and the biggest improvements made in the BT023 and T30 are there wet grip over prevous iterations. I think you would be plesantly surprised if you tried either the BT023 (for premium mileage) or the T30 (for premium touring grip) over the BT021, particularly if you liked the feel of them when you first rode them.

Agreed, I have read OAB's review on the 023's? but I like the sound of the T30 tyre thus far, and naturally, if you are endorsing them, they obviously have merit. Grip in the wet is what I miss about the PR3's.