Bridgestone Battlax BT-015 review

Customised performance for some of the world’s most legendary hypersport machines

Bridgestone BT-015 (OE)

The standard fitment for the 2009 CBR1000RR.

What the manufacturer says: “OE (Original Equipment) tyres have to meet a different set of parameters to our aftermarket tyres to suit the motorcycle manufacturers’ specific requirements. The BT-015 was only ever intended as an OE tyre; the latest aftermarket sports tyre from Bridgestone is the new BT-016, a major step forward for sports tyres and would have far outperformed any OE tyre.”

The Benchmark

The first thing we needed to do was set a benchmark lap time using a bike fresh from the shop with the standard fit rubber.  Original equipment tyres are designed to be a safe all-round compromise. This gave James a chance to get a feel for the conditions and to assess how far off the OE tyres are from more specialised aftermarket items.

Lap Times: Damp - 1:22.81 | Dry - 1:13.84

Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/whithams-ultimate-all-weather-tyre-test/13035-2.html#ixzz1tiKKd5Ub

Bridgestone BT-015 (OE)

The standard fitment for the 2009 CBR1000RR.

What the manufacturer says: “OE (Original Equipment) tyres have to meet a different set of parameters to our aftermarket tyres to suit the motorcycle manufacturers’ specific requirements. The BT-015 was only ever intended as an OE tyre; the latest aftermarket sports tyre from Bridgestone is the new BT-016, a major step forward for sports tyres and would have far outperformed any OE tyre.”

The Benchmark

The first thing we needed to do was set a benchmark lap time using a bike fresh from the shop with the standard fit rubber.  Original equipment tyres are designed to be a safe all-round compromise. This gave James a chance to get a feel for the conditions and to assess how far off the OE tyres are from more specialised aftermarket items.

Lap Times: Damp - 1:22.81 | Dry - 1:13.84

Read more: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-top-10s/whithams-ultimate-all-weather-tyre-test/13035-2.html#ixzz1tiKKd5Ub