The Continental RoadAttack sequence are sport-touring tires that strike a steadiness between efficiency and longevity. They’re very best for sport-tourers, requirements, street-biased journey bikes, and reasonably powered sportbikes.
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The Evolution of Continental RoadAttack Tires
With every era from Continental, the carcass, compound, profile, and tread design have developed. When the primary RoadAttack debuted in 2005, it launched Continental’s ZeroDegree belt, a steady metal wire that runs radially across the tire carcass in the identical route as journey, which boosts stability.
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In 2010, the RoadAttack 2 launched TractionSkin, Continental’s proprietary “pre-scrubbed” tread floor that doesn’t require slippery mold-release brokers and all however eliminates a break-in interval for the tires. The RoadAttack 2 additionally featured MultiGrip, whereby a single compound is heat-cured in a progressive trend to supply higher put on within the middle of the tire and extra flex and higher grip on the shoulders. MultiGrip offers a clean transition between zones somewhat than the abrupt transition that may happen with multi-compound tires.
In 2013, the RoadAttack 2 Evo featured RainGrip, a high-silica compound designed to ship optimum efficiency in moist circumstances. 4 years later, the brand new RoadAttack 3 got here with EasyHandling, a specialised alignment between the contours of the entrance and rear tires mentioned to end in impartial dealing with conduct, particularly in hairpins and through gradual cornering.
All these applied sciences go into the brand new RoadAttack 4, with the addition of Continental’s newest trick: GripLimitFeedback. The distinctive mixture of the tire’s carcass building and tread compound offers improved suggestions to the rider when the tire approaches its traction restrict.
The RoadAttack 4 encompasses a new compound and an up to date tread sample that, in keeping with Continental, boosts moist climate efficiency, provides quicker warm-up instances in chilly and moist circumstances, and offers dry grip on par with many sport tires.
A brand new silica-rich compound improves moist grip with out sacrificing mileage, a brand new mix of resins makes the tire extra sticky even when chilly, and your entire rubber stew has been optimized to be used with fashionable ABS and traction management techniques. Continental describes the RoadAttack 4 as a “hyper-touring” tire meant for right now’s 150-plus hp sport-tourers, journey tourers, and sportbikes.
The place the Rubber Met the Highway
To check a few of these claims, Continental invited us to the BMW Efficiency Middle in Greer, South Carolina, which is throughout the road from the manufacturing facility the place all BMW X-Collection SUVs are constructed. The Efficiency Middle provides automotive and motorbike coaching, and the grounds embrace a closed-course circuit, a big skidpad, and numerous off-road obstacles and trails.
A variety of BMW bikes had been fitted with RoadAttack 4 tires. I saddled up on an F 900 R, which has an 853cc parallel-Twin that, based mostly on our final check in 2020, makes 88 hp and 58 lb-ft of torque on the rear wheel.
Associated: 2020 BMW F 900 R and F 900 XR | Highway Take a look at Overview
BMW’s instructors began us off with some fundamental workout routines, equivalent to a gradual journey utilizing simply the clutch to regulate pace, in addition to quick and gradual cone weaves. We moved on to swerving and braking workout routines at pace, and I rapidly gained an appreciation for the RoadAttack 4s’ grip and dealing with.
After we had been instructed to speed up from a useless cease to 30 mph, go between two cones, after which shut the throttle and apply most braking, the F 900 R got here to a fast halt. When our goal pace was elevated to 50 mph, I uncared for to face on the rear pedal after I grabbed a handful of entrance brake lever. The F 900 R has ABS, however I used to be in Dynamic mode, which reduces intervention on the entrance wheel. The entrance tire offered reassuring grip because the again wheel raised up right into a sleek, unintentional stoppie, the likes of which I’ll most likely by no means replicate.
Within the afternoon, we launched into a spirited journey on chilly, damp backroads, and we ended the day with a sport of cat and mouse on the monitor, the place we pushed the tires to their limits. No matter circumstances, the RoadAttack 4s warmed up quick, offered assured dealing with on a wide range of street surfaces, and clung tenaciously to the tarmac.
On Day 2, I chosen an R 1250 RT for an extended check journey on among the most serpentine roads within the southern Appalachians. At 615 lb, the RT outweighs the F 900 R by 144 lb, and its bigger engine makes a further 37 hp. The efficiency of the RoadAttack 4s was much more spectacular on a bigger bike that positioned higher calls for on the tires. We didn’t get an opportunity to check the RoadAttack 4s on moist roads, so we’ll order a set quickly and report again.
Continental RoadAttack 4 tires can be found in a wide range of sizes, with 17-inch and 19-inch fronts, 17-inch rears, and a GT model for heavyweight bikes.
