Test shows varied performance of “no name” motorcycle tires

An “unnamed” tire comparison test was published by German motorcycle magazine Motorrad, and the results show a wide range of performance in this segment. Five brands in the size combination 120/70 ZR17 and 180/55 ZR 17 were compared to a benchmark tire from the premium segment and tested under various driving conditions. The result? Motorrad concluded its assessment by stating that “so-called no-name tires cannot be judged wholesale” and that products in this category range from premium ones to technology of a bygone era.

Listed alphabetically, the tires tested were Full Bore USA M-1 Street Sport, Maxxis Supermaxx Radial, Mitas Sport Force, Nankang WF-1 and Shinko F009RR / R009RR. The benchmark tire of reference was the Michelin Pilot Road 4. In dry testing, the performance of the best of these “unnamed” tires was just behind the Michelin tire, but in wet testing the best of the pack. is moderately late. , while two tires competed for the wooden spoon with performance that left a lot to be desired.

The Mitas Sport Force won first place in the wet and dry tests. Motorrad awarded the Czech Republic manufacturer’s tires 208 points out of a maximum of 250 and wrote: “Manageable, sporty, affordable: the Mitas ‘Sport Force’ offers a distinctly different ride than its competitors. And he doesn’t prematurely fall to his knees underwater.

Behind the Mitas tire was the second Maxxis Supermaxx Radial with 194 points and a “conditionally recommended” rating, and the Nankang Roadiac WF-1 with 177 points. Behind the group were the Full Bore USA with 159 points and the Shinko F009RR / R009RR with 149 points out of a possible 250. Motorrad described the technology used in these last two tires as “the tire technology of the 90s”.