With winter fast approaching, we're excited for the New Zealand release of Bridgestone's new flagship sport touring tyre. While it's predecessor (the Bridgestone T31) offers riders a reliable option for most riding conditions, the new and improved T32 has taken wet weather performance to new heights.
Key Highlights
- Battlax Sport Touring T32 tyre supersedes previous T31
- New Pulse Groove Technology allows for enhanced overall wet performance
- Tested and endorsed by Red Bull Athlete Aaron Colton
Shop Now: Bridgestone Battlax T32 Range
The new benchmark for all-year riding
New Zealand can often bring about a host of weather conditions we have to navigate through as riders. This is where the new Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring T32 tire comes as a welcomed option, with improvements providing a 7% shorter braking distance in wet conditions and a 13% bigger contact patch on the rear [than its predecessor].
Larger bike riders are also in luck, with a dedicated GT tire line for middleweight and heavy motorcycles. This line also comes with improved wet performance and grip, plus an increase of 10% in wear life compared to predecessor.
New Pulse Groove Technology
What is this exactly? To put simply, it's a new tread that combines pulse shaped grooves with small center deflectors to channel out water and improve drainage in wet weather. This results in enhanced grip and reduced tire slip ratio in wet conditions.
While it might look like a simple adjustment, the results thus far have been widely tested with favourable outcomes. In the recent UTAC Ceram – Millbrook testing, it was awarded the 'Overall best wet performance' as well as having the fastest wet lap times and great dry handling.
Tested and endorsed by Aaron Colton
Technical jargon and statistics aside, the best way to see what this tyre is like is to hear the thoughts from a rider with ample experience and knowledge - Red Bull Athlete and stunt rider Aaron Colton. He takes these tyres through a series of tests, showcasing how it performs in purely wet, intermittent (both wet and dry) and purely dry conditions.
Our final thoughts
For those that love to ride all-year round or regularly commute in bad conditions, this is a welcomed tyre to the market. Couple that with it's fantastic dry riding feedback and heavier GT range, we think this tyre will please many riders around New Zealand.
We're big fans of Michelin's Road 5 range (which offers fantastic wet weather performance too), so it's great to see Bridgestone make this performance upgrade and give riders another reliable choice for sport touring riding.
The standard T32 set will run on many bikes including popular Honda models such as the VRF800, VTR1000, CBR500R, NC750, and CBR1100. For specialist advice on what's best for your particular bike, message us using the link below.
