TESTED: Metzeler’s Roadtec 02 | MoreBikes

Bruce Wilson has been over to the Isle of Man to see how Metzeler’s new Roadtec 02 maintain up within the moist and dry across the well-known TT course…

I’ve by no means come throughout a hoop branded as a Tremendous-Sport-Touring, however that’s precisely the place Metzeler brackets its new Roadtec 02. The pondering is straightforward: it might do every little thing you’d anticipate from a standard sports-touring tyre, however with the additional advantage of real, sporting efficiency, which I discovered was no exaggeration first-hand across the Isle of Man TT course. However earlier than I get into what it was prefer to blast round on, I’ll rattle via the tech, innovation, and basic speaking factors of this one-stop rubber. 

It’s been about eight years because the Roadtec 01 got here to life, and whereas it’s confirmed a stable success for the German tyre producer, like something, it may very well be bettered… and it has been. How so? Properly, as with all tyre of this sort, the primary focus is on grip, longevity, and outright efficiency, and Metzeler reckons its upped the sport in all these areas. Maybe probably the most eye-catching of the improvements on the 02 is the tread sample, which seems extra acquainted than ever with the model’s sportier M9 RR, however what units it aside is a saucy factor known as Dynatread. Supposed to present the tyre one of the best of each worlds, the tread adapts in line with the stress it’s put underneath. At a slower tempo, with much less load utilized, the tread stays good and large so most quantities of water can go via its channels. However once you get cracking on, these sipes start to slim, including extra stability to the combination and a larger sporting edge. Intelligent stuff, and it’s backed up by some new compounds, too, which have seen a ten per cent acquire in efficiency within the dry and a 5 per cent declare within the moist. The entrance tyre is now full Silica, and that makes it super-suited to chilly circumstances and wet-weather efficiency. On the rear, the ring advantages from a twin compound, with the identical Silica on the shoulders of the tyre however a more durable centre to make sure you can pop to your mistress and again a trillion instances earlier than you begin carrying your tyres out. 

A much less apparent enhancement to the tyre is the profile and rigidity of the carcass. As all the time, Metzeler has outfitted the 02s with its coveted 0° metal belt, on to which a stiffer building sidewall and a broader tyre profile imply that the help underneath the pores and skin of the tyres’ compounds shouldn’t be solely larger, however there’s additionally now extra of it touching the Tarmac always, which isn’t a foul factor. It’s additionally price mentioning that the adjustments to the tread design imply there’s a larger land/sea ratio to the rubber, whereas one other factor the model was eager to shout about was the product’s use of 43 per cent bio-based/recycled supplies – that means you may take pleasure in some guilt-free again wheel motion. 

At the least, I actually was as we undertook our tour of probably the most iconic racing island on this planet. Of all of the locations to place your tyres to the check, few playgrounds high the TT course, and it was additionally a message of confidence from the tyre producer that its rubber was as much as the problem of the world’s quickest highway race circuit. Armed with a plethora of bikes, blurring the strains between heavyweight tourers and sporty six-hundreds, my lack of enthusiasm to throw a seaside towel over my bike of alternative earlier than breakfast meant that I obtained no matter was left when our time got here to cop a really feel of the rubber – a Honda Hornet 750. I figured the Honda and I’d have our work minimize out, however the reality is, using on a myriad of unrestricted roads, I had that factor completely pinned, scorching on the heels of our information and TT chief travelling marshal, Tony Duncan. 

Using the type of experience you dream about, not needing to look over your shoulder for the Police, or questioning what was exhibiting in your speedo, I used to be in a position to absolutely interact within the expertise, making an attempt exhausting to maintain within the wheel tracks of Tony’s Blade that was flinging sporadic spurts of water my manner as we hit damp and dry patches in fast succession. For me, that transition from one situation to a different is the worst of all worlds, as you by no means understand how exhausting you may push within the moist or dry, not to mention that bit in between the place your tyres are nonetheless a bit moist within the dry, or vice versa. However with a handful of miles within the bag underneath these combined circumstances, I turned comfy and relaxed, realising that regardless of the state of the Tarmac, the Metzelers may deal with it. The dry grip was nice, and within the moist they didn’t a lot as flinch. In fact, by this level it was nonetheless early days, and with extra distance got here much more enthusiastic using, to the purpose the place we needed to maintain again just a few instances to let our followers catch up. I used to be in my component, and I used to be additionally massively impressed by the Roadtec 02s. 

We spent that morning using across the southern finish of the Island, going right here, there, and in all places, taking in a combined bag of quick, clean, and braille-like surfaces. Some routes have been large, whereas others have been tight and nadgery, the place the rubber had an opportunity to indicate me it wasn’t terrified of turning round tight apexes with awkward cambers. The purpose is that wherever we went, regardless of the situation, they didn’t disappoint – which for me, in all honesty, made my job a lot more durable. It doesn’t appear all that lengthy again that you just’d hop on a motorbike to check a set of tyres and also you’d be capable to criticise it within the first 10 minutes, however this simply wasn’t the case. 

Having pigged out on cake on the Sound of Man, we headed again to Douglas for a motorbike change and an opportunity to present these tyres a little bit of stick on the precise TT course. At this level, Milky Quayle stepped in to prepared the ground, and one other change was my steed, switching to a GSX-8R for the trek over to Ramsey. You’ll be able to in all probability think about my face after we discovered that they’d truly closed the Mountain course so we may pull the pin and bag a shoot. Higher nonetheless, by this level within the day the highway appeared to be fairly rattling dry. The morning had highlighted simply how good the 02s have been in inclement, typical road-riding circumstances, however certainly this subsequent stint was going to inform me a lot extra about this new breed of rubber. Easing into proceedings, the tempo quickly began to crack on, and by the point I used to be on the Gooseneck I had the pegs on the ground and my knee buried into the Tarmac. There was no hesitation from the tyres to show in at pace, and the soundness of the bike felt nice getting into, passing via and gassing out of the bend. I say this realising that the bike in query had a hell of lots to do with the efficiency I used to be experiencing, however the tyres actually weren’t holding me again. To show this level, Metzeler inspired us to modify bikes once more throughout a photoshoot to hammer dwelling how nicely the tyres labored whatever the machine we have been using. 

A Triumph Road Triple was maybe the most effective picks within the combine, and I used to be in my component on that factor, blasting alongside to the Victory Café, up on the Bungalow, the place the climate did a quantity on us. Fog descended, and the circumstances have been as soon as extra moist and windy, however that in all probability proved a bonus to the Metzeler crew, who have been super-keen to indicate how nicely this tyre may address all circumstances. Naturally, the tempo obtained reined in as soon as extra, and sticking on Milky’s tail, I had blind religion in his hind lights that darted from bend to bend within the thick fog in entrance. It was a very good job he knew the place he was going as a result of I felt completely misplaced till we descended in the direction of the Creg. With the climate choosing up, the previous few miles again to the grandstand gave a very good alternative to assume over the rubber that’d delivered on its promise to hack no matter you threw its manner. I can’t speak about the way it’d carry out on a monitor, actually placing the hammer down, nevertheless it’d confirmed an incredible sparring associate all through the day, tackling quick road-riding with out a lot as a slide to get my coronary heart racing. I’d had an absolute blast on them and, extra to the purpose, I’d discovered to totally belief them… and I reckon you’ll, too. In the event you’re after a quick highway tyre with all-weather capabilities, you could possibly do a lot worse.