Bridgestone Battlax A41 update...400 miles in

[Hann]

Are they still fitting those to new bikes?
Yeah, mine had them from new and the front wore out first, but at about 10K rather than your 2.5!
Mined ewe, i managed to get 14K out of the rear....
The front wore very oddly early on and i suffered poor slow speed handling until it was replaced.

Last time i was in Scotland it seemed to me that the road surface shreds motorcycle tryes in quick time - is that still the case?

 

[MILLE_RIDER]

I got a pair really cheap mail order. Old stock but fine once they'd been through a heat cycle. Most tyres will be far more capable than an old duffer on a GS

 

[MotoRevive]

Strange. I had them on my 1200GSA . Two up. I did double that mileage without issue. They were still in great shape when I sold the bike.

I know how to inspect tyres. I'm an MOT tester.

For me, they had excellent grip and stability in all weathers. I did the NC500 in the rain. Including the Applecross pass without issue.

It's very easy to blame a tyre for something else. Suspension, ride style, incorrect pressure.

They're a sports touring adventure tyre. Made for sporty riders on adv bikes. So they are a softer compound. Buy a heavyweight touring tyre if you do a lot of motorway riding or want something that will last for years.

 

[Mike_E]

Last time i was in Scotland it seemed to me that the road surface shreds motorcycle tryes in quick time - is that still the case?

Maybe that's it... It's all chip seal up here rather than smooth asphalt.

Seems folks are having the front go first, this just seems really really fast wear rate for a touring tyre. Will update once I replace it when it's worn out.

Mike

 

[MILLE_RIDER]

Strange. I had them on my 1200GSA . Two up. I did double that mileage without issue. They were still in great shape when I sold the bike.

I know how to inspect tyres. I'm an MOT tester.

For me, they had excellent grip and stability in all weathers. I did the NC500 in the rain. Including the Applecross pass without issue.

It's very easy to blame a tyre for something else. Suspension, ride style, incorrect pressure.

They're a sports touring adventure tyre. Made for sporty riders on adv bikes. So they are a softer compound. Buy a heavyweight touring tyre if you do a lot of motorway riding or want something that will last for years.

I bought my first pair of Battlax because they were based on the sport touring BT020 carcass (not sure if they still are) which I had really liked on a few pure road bikes. I don't use my GS off road but like to push on on the road and the Battlax's have always performed and lasted well, keeping their profile through their life

 

[Sancheto]

They were on my 1250 when I bought it with 776 miles from new and was amazed that with 4200 on the clock now the front tire is completely done while the back tyre has a good +2-3k left on it. Never had a front tyre wear out before the rear.

After a lot of negative reviews on them, on here, I have found them to be pretty good to be honest. Firmer riding than on my last set of Michelin Road 6s but no issues with them at all in the last 3.5k miles in all weather conditions covering 2/3 day trip to Scotland and 5/6 day trip to Germany. Most of my riding on B roads and smaller A roads with motorways a last resort for essential mile munching.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Victor c]

They are better tyres than you lot are riders.

Its not a motogp. Youre riding adventure bikes on the road. Most of the nonesense is in your head.

Jesus, captain obvious. They will definitely out perform me, but I don’t want a front road tyre that is worn out in less than 5000 miles, and doesn’t inspire confidence. There are far better tyres available.

 

[EPG_19]

Jesus, captain obvious. They will definitely out perform me, but I don’t want a front road tyre that is worn out in less than 5000 miles, and doesn’t inspire confidence. There are far better tyres available.

Then you know they will outperform you and yet you still arent confident?

 

[MotoRevive]

I want a front tyre to be much softer than the rear. It's by far the most important for grip. You can generally recover from sliding or stepping out the rear. But if you lose the front, you're on your arse.

I'd rather swap a tyre in 4000 miles than be being peeled off the road any day.

As for rider vs tyre....

Any popular modern tyre will out perform any of us.

But different tyres do suit different riding styles. So tyres really are a personal thing.

But what I don't subscribe to at all is when people say 'These are lethal' or 'This tyre is a widow maker'. Not these days. Not on any Dot approved or Emarked legal tyre.

That is just being dramatic.

It's easy to lose your confidence on a bad days ride. And far easier to blame a tyre than admit your own short-comings

When I was working in the dealer network, there was always a steady supply of barely run in new tyres which customers insisted on changing because they had a little skid on a greasy road or they just didn't feel confident one day.

The new tyres were often just a placebo.

We would regularly fit these discarded 'almost new' tyres to our own bikes and run them to the canvas.

 

[Victor c]

Then you know they will outperform you and yet you still arent confident?

Do you actually read what your quoting? Where did I say I have no confidence in them? They just don't inspire confidence.

To make it clear for you, here's the difference in the two scenarios

"Don't inspire confidence" describes an object that doesn't generate a feeling of assurance or trust, while "have no confidence in an object" means someone lacks faith or belief in the object's abilities or reliability. They are related but not the same, with the first referring to the object itself and the second referring to a person's subjective feeling about the object.

Typical keyboard expert!

 

[EPG_19]

Do you actually read what your quoting? Where did I say I have no confidence in them? They just don't inspire confidence.

To make it clear for you, here's the difference in the two scenarios

"Don't inspire confidence" describes an object that doesn't generate a feeling of assurance or trust, while "have no confidence in an object" means someone lacks faith or belief in the object's abilities or reliability. They are related but not the same, with the first referring to the object itself and the second referring to a person's subjective feeling about the object.

Typical keyboard expert!

Yawn

The problem is between your ears

Just put them on and ride. Its a GS forum not a moto gp paddock

 

[Bem]

Yawn

The problem is between your ears

Just put them on and ride. Its a GS forum not a moto gp paddock

I beg to differ, based on the available evidence throughout the site.

 

[EPG_19]

I beg to differ, based on the available evidence throughout the site.

Based on tbe nonesense spouted by the bearded Nigels

 

[Mike_E]

Seems folks are having the front go first, this just seems really really fast wear rate for a touring tyre. Will update once I replace it when it's worn out.

Mike

Update as promised. Just back from a wee tour and the front is totally done in. Below the weather markers on the sides and cupped as well, centre is just on the wear bars.
Rear is better but starting to square off a bit and probably has another 1500 in it I reckon. Handling has gone to sh!t now and it's tram lining and really following imperfections.

3700miles. More than I was expecting after my initial post.

Ordered a set of Conti TA3s . See how we go.

 

[Spook1969]

I had the A41 on a new 1250GSA and like others have said the front was completely ‘egged’ at 3.5k miles and the rear was still good to go. Problem is the front tyre had misshaped from 2.5k and turned in poorly.
I also had these on a KTM1290R which is a completely different bike and the rear span a lot exiting corners.
I would not recommend these and certainly wouldn’t fit them through choice.

 

[EPG_19]

Do you actually read what your quoting? Where did I say I have no confidence in them? They just don't inspire confidence.

To make it clear for you, here's the difference in the two scenarios

"Don't inspire confidence" describes an object that doesn't generate a feeling of assurance or trust, while "have no confidence in an object" means someone lacks faith or belief in the object's abilities or reliability. They are related but not the same, with the first referring to the object itself and the second referring to a person's subjective feeling about the object.

Typical keyboard expert!

Youre probably a shit rider who just likes to gob off.

Just ride them, inspire is subjective ya daft melt. Keep up.

A fool and his money etc.

 

[Red]

Do you actually read what your quoting? Where did I say I have no confidence in them? They just don't inspire confidence.

To make it clear for you, here's the difference in the two scenarios

"Don't inspire confidence" describes an object that doesn't generate a feeling of assurance or trust, while "have no confidence in an object" means someone lacks faith or belief in the object's abilities or reliability. They are related but not the same, with the first referring to the object itself and the second referring to a person's subjective feeling about the object.

Typical keyboard expert!

I don't agree at all, the two are synonyms. If something has not inspired confidence then there's, by definition, no confidence. You've just provided two definitions which are distinctions without difference.

Fwiw I've run the A41 on my V-Strom 650 for two years with no issues and the rear has gone first twice. I'm now on the third pair. Possibly the lower power has helped them wear more normally.

 

[younger06]

And normal front suspension....

Xiaomi M14U

 

[Hartley]

I had A41s from new on my 1250 GS and GSA. On both the front wore a lot faster than the rear, not only that it, it ended up with a very odd profile. Done at around 4K. My Crosstourer came with them and had similar issue.

I replaced them on my current GSA with CTA3s and have 5200 miles on them now. About 4000 miles two up with luggage. Front is still in good shape but rear has squared off down the centre and the sides fall away very quickly giving a defined step. I believe this is due to the weights and the roads on a recent trip. What I will say is we had sone horrendous weather and rode the through a lot of standing water and they were rock solid.
New rear CTA3 being fitted today.