Michelin has announced the MICHELIN Road 5 tire, its newest motorcycle tire, designed specifically for sport touring motorcycles with patented technologies that provide riders with enhanced grip, comfort, and stability, particularly in wet conditions.
Available in January, the MICHELIN Road 5 incorporates its patented XST Evo siping and ACT+ technology for improved wet and dry performance over the life of the tire. Even after 3,000 miles, a MICHELIN Road 5 tire stops as short as a new MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 tire when braking in wet conditions.
“The MICHELIN Road 5 tire represents a breakthrough in motorcycle tire technology,” said Ross Shields, vice president of Two Wheel, Michelin North America. “With design and technology DNA incorporated from Michelin’s leading research and development team, we are able to set a new benchmark for the effects of tire wear and performance over time.”
The MICHELIN Road 5 tire builds on the innovative designs of two distinct predecessors, the MICHELIN Pilot Road 4, and Michelin’s leading automobile tire, the MICHELIN Premier A/S.
The wet grip of a worn MICHELIN Road 5 tire is as good as a new MICHELIN Pilot Road 4 tire thanks to Michelin’s revolutionary patented MICHELIN XST Evo water drop sipes, which grow wider mile after mile.
In 2011, Michelin introduced the patented MICHELIN XST sipe design which was enhanced again in 2014 with XST+ siping technology found in the MICHELIN Pilot Road 4. Designed to evacuate water efficiently, which helps increase confidence during wet conditions.
In addition to optimizing wet grip, the Road 5 tire is designed to ensure grip on dry roads and improved stability compared with its predecessor, thanks to a combination of all new tread compounds and adaptive casing technology called MICHELIN ACT+3.
The design of the casing ply, introduced in MICHELIN Power RS tires, incorporates high angles and overlapping cross plies, which allows for cornering stability while maintaining the high-flexibility in the crown for straight-line stability.
The new Road 5 will be available in two front and five rear sizes to fit a wide range of sport touring motorcycles. The tire will go on sale starting Jan. 1, 2018.
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