Year 4 in the ongoing race for sport touring tire supremacy

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Sport touring tires claim to do everything- enough dry grip for most sport bike jockeys, wet grip for the rainiest of days, and mileage for the longest of adventures.  Bold claims.  When you are not sure what tire to buy, they are what to buy. 

However, while some of these claims are true, some are not.  Our years of testing has shown that even in this age of technological advancement you can go wrong with your tire choice.  Over the past three years and tens of thousands of miles of testing we have found differences both subtle and massive among the sport touring tires we’ve run.  Fellow tester and tire geek Dave Wensveen and I have seen it all, from brilliant handling and amazing wet grip to tires that degrade after only 2,000 miles.  There are brilliant tires out there, really good tires and absolutely bad tires. 

Road Dirt is here to help you make an informed choice.

Bridgestone’s redesigned Battlax T33 features slightly revised patterns and new tread compounds compared to the outgoing T32.

Dunlop’s Roadsmart IV has been our sport touring tire champion, easily defeating the Pirelli Angel GT, barely edging out the excellent Michelin Road 6 and Shinko’s Verge 2X is so poor as to not even be in the same league as the others.  This year we will test the Dunlop against the new-for-2025 Bridgestone Battlax T33.

Has Dunlop met it’s match this year?

Bridgestone makes big claims about their completely redesigned Battlax T33. We shall see.

Released in January 2025, Bridgestone makes bold claims of 47% more mileage, the result of a new rear compound.  A new tread design promises a stiffer tire and less slip on edge, all while not compromising wet grip.  Big statements, especially the mileage claim, which we may not be able to fully test this year.

Dunlop’s Roadsmart IV remains unchanged since our testing started with it three years ago.

Our testing platforms have been a pair of 5th generation Honda VFR800s giving us an even testing bed.  However, after the Shinko tires destroyed themselves in the middle of Oregon last year, Dave was so disgusted that he sold his VFR800.  Dave has an interesting decision making process.

The good news is that the VFR landed in the garage of my son Matt Edwards.  Matt has ridden dirt bikes since he could throw a fastball and did his first three-day, 1000 mile tour of Canada a month after getting his driver’s license.  Our deep dive discussions on the intricacies of sport riding techniques mean we ride almost exactly alike, and being pilots on identical bikes should once again give us a good basis of testing.

Tire testing mules in their natural habitat.

However, his schedule does not permit the same freedom to tour as mine, so the mileage question may or may not get answered.  Not everyone has the lifestyle ability to put 10,000 miles on a sport bike in four months.  But as for handling, dry grip and wet grip, we plan to find out.  I do have experience touring on Bridgestone’s previous generation T32, but will put my previous opinions aside to give the redesigned T33 a fresh start.

We want to know the answers to these questions as badly as you, because far from home means putting trust in your equipment, tires especially.

How will Bridgestone’s new T33 compare against the Dunlop, Pirelli, Michelin and Shinko?  Check back here to find out.

Ted