Rubber is arguably one of the most important aspects we need to look at when it comes to safety. I am not talking about the ultra-thin rubber sold at 7-11, I’m talking about the black round thingy under your bike.
I came across this post on Facebook with a picture of Bridgestone Battlax R11 all torn up in the middle. It was shared by Diari Sbk Erwin Afandi and the content is all about how one should not use a dedicated track tyre on the road.
Upon checking with Bridgestone Motorcycle distributor in Malaysia, it is clear it was a cold tear. Cold tear occurs when the compound selected is not generating enough heat, hence it is ‘cold tearing’ and the polymers within the compound are breaking down.
You might wonder why a Bridgestone Battlax S22is better on the road compared to Battlax R11 when R11 is used in races. The answer is on the road, we won’t be able to generate enough heat and S22 has lower heat tolerance compared to an R11. Which is why the label on the R11 clearly state that R11 is for track only.
A race tyre needed at least 80 degrees Celsius to generate enough heat so that the tyre can deliver its optimum performance. On the road especially on the highway, hardly one could reach such temperature.
A race tyre needed tyre warmer that bakes the tyre for at least 90 minutes while on the road, we slowed down a lot when there is traffic and slowing down a little is enough to bring down the temperate of the tyre.
So please, use only street-legal tyre on the road, if you really need to look cool, perhaps Bridgestone Battlax RS10 is a good option for you.
