"We received feedback that our BT-016 tyre wasn't good enough, so we created the BT-016 Pro as a stop-gap before the new S20." For a Japanese boss, this assessment by Hisao Suganuma, Bridgestone's Motorcycle and Motorsport Manager, is remarkably honest.
The company's old sports tyre certainly had its failings, generally in outright grip and wet weather performance, something that the new generation of rival rubber such as the Pirelli Diablo Rosso and Dunlop Qualifiers more than highlighted. Now, after just a year of the Pro being on sale, Bridgestone has superseded it and launched its latest sports tyre - the S20.
Unlike the current crop of Bridgestone tyres, the S20 isn't called a BT-something-or-other. In an effort to simplify the whole tyre-choosing process, the company is renaming its tyres with R standing for a Race tyre, S a Sports tyre, T a touring one and finally SC a scooter tyre. Simple but effective.
So what's new with the S20? Like the BT-016, the S20 uses multi-compound technology. The central band of the tyre is a harder compound of rubber to increase wear rates, while the outer edges are a softer compound for improved grip. Unlike the BT-016, which has three different compounds in five layers in the rear, the S20 has just two layers, like the stop-gap Pro version.
According to Bridgestone this gives a more consistent contact patch in the rear tyre through the lower angles of lean, with a larger footprint at maximum angle. The front tyre, which also has three layers and two compounds, now has a larger contact patch than the BT-016 Pro with similar lean characteristics. As you would expect the actual compounds of rubber are updated between the S20 and the BT-016 Pro and the tread pattern is also new. In reaction to the criticisms of the BT-016's wet weather performance, Bridgestone has given the S20 wider and deeper grooves to aid water dispersal.
The S20 is a fast road/trackday tyre, so Bridgestone chose to launch it at the circuit of Portimao in Portugal on a variety of sports bikes. As you can see from the onboard lap (which is
former GP star Jeremy McWilliams giving a 2012 Fireblade full bore
) the track is not only blisteringly fast in some sections, it also has some heavy braking zones and tight corners with high angle - in short it is perfect for tyre evaluation.
Testing a tyre in isolation is always tricky, but the S20 certainly had a far more sporty feeling than the older BT-016 Pro which we rode on track last year. Where the Pro felt more 'rounded' in the way it rolled into corners, the S20 has a lovely direct feeling that gives loads of confidence and feedback from the front end without sacrificing any top speed stability. On the start/finish straight the 1000s were touching the mid-160mph mark before braking hard for the third gear first corner and at no time did the S20 feel flighty, which was reassuring. Under brakes the front was very stable, delivering a good feeling of solidness and security.
We tested the tyre on two 1000s, the 2012 Fireblade and 2012 GSX-R1000, neither of which come with traction control. Exiting corners hard under power the S20 dug in and drove really well out of the bends and it was only right on the edge of the tyre under power that there was any sign of movement, and then it was progressive predictable. On smaller-capacity bikes (a GSX-R600 and GSX-R750) the tyre seemed to easily deal with the reduced power and there was no sign of it letting go, despite severe lean angles.
Bridgestone also claims to have improved the wet weather performance of the S20 comparedwith its previous sports tyres. Having ridden the Pro in the wet with fairly impressive results we think the S20 should banish the demons of the old BT-016, although as it was dry in Portugal we can't say this for certain.
One other thing we did notice was the way the S20 seemed to get up to temperature quite quickly - a trait Bridgestone has actively sought. For proof
check out McWilliams's video lap
; the tyres were stone-cold when he started from pit lane...
How much?
Tyres prices always vary, but Bridgestone reckon a set of S20s should set you back around £250 fitted. They come in sizes to fit most popular sportsbikes. Check out www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk for your local dealer.