Bridgestone S20 tyre review

[Drew]

This'll be my ongoing review, of the set of S20s that the good folk at Eurotred NZ have given me for that purpose.

The sizes I went for are 120/70R17 front, and 190/55R17 rear.

So, I finally got the tyres fitted today, although the tyres have been sitting at TSS for a while as the RF had some clutch issues to be sorted before I could ride it. A down side to being mates with the guys in the workshop..."You know how to use the fitting machine, get on with it". Not that I mind, the guys there are usually pretty busy.

My initial impression, just looking at them, is they appear similar to most other sports touring tyres on the racks. A less 'chunky' tread pattern than some, but since I am predominantly a road race tyre user I don't spend a lot of time looking at anything else for subtle difference.

Once fitted I'm pleased to note that the profile of the front hoop is more aggressive than the likes of the Diablo Rosso and similar. I prefer a sharper front end and tyre profile is the best way to get it on a standard road bike.

First impression from riding on them...It's fuckin PISSING down. Only rode on them on the motorway, and since I didn't need to evade any immediate hazards I can't say either way what they're like.

Once I get out for a ride, I'll let ya know what I think properly.

Cheers heaps to Dave and Jay from Eurotred NZ for hooking me up, and I look forward to testing them more indepth.

Oh yeah, could you guys please post up here as to the recommended pressures for them? Should likely start with the manufacturers ideas, and change to suit myself if need be.

[JayRacer37]

This'll be my ongoing review, of the set of S20s that the good folk at Eurotreads have given me for that purpose.

The sizes I went for are 120/70R17 front, and 190/55R17 rear.

So, I finally got the tyres fitted today, although the tyres have been sitting at TSS for a while as the RF had some clutch issues to be sorted before I could ride it. A down side to being mates with the guys in the workshop..."You know how to use the fitting machine, get on with it". Not that I mind, the guys there are usually pretty busy.

My initial impression, just looking at them, is they appear similar to most other sports touring tyres on the racks. A less 'chunky' tread pattern than some, but since I am predominantly a road race tyre user I don't spend a lot of time looking at anything else for subtle difference.

Once fitted I'm pleased to note that the profile of the front hoop is more aggressive than the likes of the Diablo Rosso and similar. I prefer a sharper front end and tyre profile is the best way to get it on a standard road bike.

First impression from riding on them...It's fuckin PISSING down. Only rode on them on the motorway, and since I didn't need to evade any immediate hazards I can't say either way what they're like.

Once I get out for a ride, I'll let ya know what I think properly.

Cheers heaps to Dave and Jay from Eurotreads for hooking me up, and I look forward to testing them more indepth.

Oh yeah, could you guys please post up here as to the recommended pressures for them? Should likely start with the manufacturers ideas, and change to suit myself if need be.

Hey Drew,

Pressures we have settled on for personal use are mid 36's on the road - 36 front, 34 rear would be my first starting point. HOWEVER, I should also say bike manufactures pressure would be the ones advised normally...

Hope you enjoy and yes thanks must go to Eurotred NZ - follow their facebook page, just look for Eurotred NZ (no 'a' in the tred )

[mattathm]

Do the S20's replace the BT016 Pros?
Cause Im running those and they are real good.

[Drew]

Hey Drew,

Pressures we have settled on for personal use are mid 36's on the road - 36 front, 34 rear would be my first starting point. HOWEVER, I should also say bike manufactures pressure would be the ones advised normally...

Hope you enjoy and yes thanks must go to Eurotred NZ - follow their facebook page, just look for Eurotred NZ (no 'a' in the tred )

Name edited.

I set the pressures at 30 PSI front and rear, so I'll bump those up a bit. The manufacturers suggestions are somewhat less than relevent methinks, since the bike is 12 years old and the technology they were suggesting for is now obsolete.

[Eurotred (NZ) Ltd]

Do the S20's replace the BT016 Pros?
Cause Im running those and they are real good.

Yes, you are spot on. The BT016-PRO was a small upgrade on BT016 (standard) but as Bridgestone have stated, it was a stop gap measure. S20 is their new generation Hypersports tyre, and has some huge leaps in technology and performance - we are just starting to hear this back from guys like Drew, One Armed Bandit and retail customers also. We think they are pretty revolutionary for the Hypersports tyre market! If you follow the link below, it will take you to a test run by the Motorrad Test Centre independently of Bridgestone - this shows you how they rate S20 Vs. BT016-PRO and competitors.

http://www.bridgestone.eu/s20-test

[Drew]

I'm glad they out perform the BT016, because I have had less than desirable results using an original fitment BT016 from an CBR1000, where the tyre overheated to the point of being useless. My fault a lot, as I ran it on the rear too soft (25psi).

Can I get some tech info on them, optimal temp and pressure change figures guys?

I'm not riding a superbike I'll admit, but there are huge gains to be had from simply having the info and tyres set to the right pressure. Both in performance and longevity.

[JayRacer37]

I'm glad they out perform the BT016, because I have had less than desirable results using an original fitment BT016 from an CBR1000, where the tyre overheated to the point of being useless. My fault a lot, as I ran it on the rear too soft (25psi).

Can I get some tech info on them, optimal temp and pressure change figures guys?

I'm not riding a superbike I'll admit, but there are huge gains to be had from simply having the info and tyres set to the right pressure. Both in performance and longevity.

Fortunately, (as has been discussed on here at length recently!) OEM spec tyres (like you were running from the CBR) and aftermarket replacements are quite different and much more often than not the OEM stuff is not as good. In the case above, if you had compared the BT016 from the CBR1000RR to an aftermarket set of BT016's, you would have found the aftermarket significantly better. Now we are two generations on from there so they should be getting better and better - a huge amount up on the cast off OEM BT016's you will have run!

Remember Drew these arn't a Superbike racing tyre, they are a sports road tyre so the same temp and pressure tech info just isn't available (mostly becuase there is not a veriety of compounds to be choosing from!). In the same breath, we can't say that XXpsi is the correct pressure becuase the same tyre could be run on an R6, a Hayabusa, and an XJR1300 for example, all of which will require a different pressure.

In the case of your bike (and your riding) I would be recommending 32-34 cold front, and 32-36 cold rear. The reason for this is you will have (with the weight of the bike and your corner entry) a lot more roll force on the sidewall of the front tyre - if you run lower the tyre will begin to 'fall' over itself and then the feel goes away and they can handle unpredictably. On a lighter bike with a gentler style, I may recommend lower. The rear I'm not so sure on - I like a lower pressure but that is on a 6 inch rim - with your 5.5" if you go too low, again with the weight etc the tyre will flex too much and give poor feel and excess movement. This is the one where I expect you will experiment and find something that works for you (and that is the kind of feedback and information that Eurotred NZ is looking for.)

With these tyres I wouldn't get so hung up on hot pressure - it varies so much with road riding and no warmers that it is not a good reference - work from cold and how it feels to you as you are riding.

As for tempratures, the compounding of S20 combined with RC-Polymer means it is cabable from 0 degrees right through to race track tempratures - its best grip will be between 30/40C and 60/70C but you shouldn't see too much decline on either side of this (they will probably degrade quicker if kept above this point however).

Personally, I'm expecting you will come out of this test with a better idea of how capable all round modern sports road tyres are, perhaps even to the point where they are better than race cast off's in most (if not all) areas for road use.

[mattathm]

Drew and I ride in a similar manner and we both have shit bikes that we push to the limits... LOL (sorry Drew but your bike is shit)
Im very interested in the report outcome and the preferred tyre pressures.
I've also had a look at the link (thankyou) and ordered the full report

Keep the comments rolling in... cheers.

[White trash]

Drew and I ride in a similar manner and we both have shit bikes that we push to the limits... LOL (sorry Drew but your bike is shit)
Im very interested in the report outcome and the preferred tyre pressures.
I've also had a look at the link (thankyou) and ordered the full report

Keep the comments rolling in... cheers.

No offence bro, but you ride nothing like Drew.

[mattathm]

i know..... on the back wheel I do tho, LOL

[Drew]

i know..... on the back wheel I do tho, LOL

I've finally got the clutch sorted on the RF now, and your wheelies were second best before that!

[Drew]

Probably wont be a selling point for the tyres, but it'll be interesting to see how the bike goes on one wheel with these. With the racetech on the rear, the old nail has a tendency to wander from side to side. Here's hoping the less pointy tyre takes care of that.

[onearmedbandit]

Probably wont be a selling point for the tyres, but it'll be interesting to see how the bike goes on one wheel with these. With the racetech on the rear, the old nail has a tendency to wander from side to side. Here's hoping the less pointy tyre takes care of that.

Found them to be mint on one wheel, very stable.

[JayRacer37]

Probably wont be a selling point for the tyres, but it'll be interesting to see how the bike goes on one wheel with these. With the racetech on the rear, the old nail has a tendency to wander from side to side. Here's hoping the less pointy tyre takes care of that.

Found them to be mint on one wheel, very stable.

I see we are going to get all the real important info here boys!

[onearmedbandit]

I agree Jay, I'm glad you feel that way. With today's high powered motorcycles in an emergency a rider may need to accelerate sharply, causing the front to unexpectedly rise up. Knowing that if this should ever happen that the bike is stable is important for further risk avoidance. Unfortunately I haven't tried the same under emergency braking, so I can't yet comment on the feel when the back is off the ground, but in the interests of rider safety I will do so as soon as I can.