Throughout the launch of the new BT-016 Bridgestone constantly fell back on its MotoGP success even flying in GP riders to demonstrate the new road tires potential at the sunny Jerez track. Bridgestone was keen to point out that the new BT-016 is heavily based on technology developed for MotoGP.

I could bore you with different belt construction and Bridgestone’s new improved wet weather technology, but what you want to know is, what are they like to ride on? Bridgestone fielded a full array of sports bikes for us to put the tyres to test on.

Simply put, the newBT-016 is hugely impressive for a road tire – even on track. The front tire feels very similar to the race BT-002 tire I use on my Suzuki GSX-R600 race bike. Loads of feel and seamless, endless grip. It’s really impressive for a road tire and I’m finding it hard to find a fault with the front tire. On the road it was stable, even when pushed hard over the bumpy Spanish roads surrounding Jerez.

The five compound rear tire is equally impressive considering it’s a road tire, and not a purpose built track tire. Side grip and feel is excellent and when the tire does break into a slide it’s easy to control and predict. I’ve never felt so comfortable sliding a tire. I could just hold the slide and feel exactly what the tyre was doing. This does not mean the rear tire breaks easily, but after 15 minutes in the hot temperatures it was easy to provoke a slide, especially on the larger 1000cc bikes. Even when the heat had affected the tires, they were still progressive.

In summary the BT-016 is mighty impressive for a road tire and I’ll stick my neck on the line by saying they are more than good enough for the odd track day. Only experienced riders on powerful bikes will find its limitations on track, but for 90% of riders you’ll never need anything more. As an all round tire for the road and track they are faultless and highly recommended.

With three different compounds at the front and five at the back, the BT-016 gives confidence at serious speeds and lean angles.

MotoGP has brought a lot of tire development to the road, particularly multiple compounds. The BT-016 has three different compounds up front with five at the back. The firm proudly boast they were the first to produce dual compound tires. The rear has a relatively hard wearing centre to give excellent stability. The shoulders are softer, which allows you to accelerate while the bike is still on its side. On the very edge is an even softer compound designed to give side grip and improved feeling at huge lean angles.