Metzeler RoadTec 01 - FIRST RIDE TIRE REVIEW

I’m going to start this story by dating myself, only because the assignment to ride Metzeler’s brand-new RoadTec 01 street tire brought back fond memories of my early days in motorcycling.

But first, I'll begin with a brief history of the Metzeler tire company which some of you, like myself, may not have realized started out as a rubber and plastic goods manufacturer back in 1863. By 1892 Mr. R. F. Metzeler's factory had begun to venture into the tire business. In 1932, they mastered the use of a new synthetic rubber called BUNA and by 1978, Metzeler introduced its first tubeless tires for motorcycles. Coincidentally, 1978 was the same year I got my first proper streetbike, a Yamaha RD350. By 1981, I had a Suzuki GS750 and that's when I discovered Metzeler tires. Around 1980 or so, (I can't remember the exact year) Metzeler introduced the ME 99 rear tire, which was like a nothing else I'd seen or used at the time. It was by far the best tire out there, and miles ahead of its competitors.

Ha, those were the good old days, but enough about the past, let’s get on with the business at hand. Since those days, I have only had the pleasure of riding on Metzeler tires a few times, so when the offer to go to Germany and try its new RoadTec 01 came up, I was in. This is not just an upgrade of its RoadTec Z8, rather it is a completely new tire from the tarmac up; hence the 01 in the name.

Part of the press event included going to the factory in Breuburg just outside Frankfurt, Germany, to see first hand how the new RoadTec 01 is built. The facility houses Metzelerʼs new fully automated tire building machine, and tire vulcanizer from which the new RoadTec 01 is born. Unfortunately, I was the victim of a less than desirable airline which dropped the ball and cancelled my flight on the morning of my departure. So I missed the tour.

The target groups for the RoadTec 01 consist of Sport-Tourers, Urban Fighters, and Master Travelers, as Metzeler calls the categories. That's quite a range of disciplines to cover, but Metzeler had a plan. Make a tire that works well for a wide range of road-going motorcycles. Metzeler claims the RoadTec 01 has improved grip throughout a wider range of riding conditions, whether it be wet, dry, or low-friction surfaces, plus it has improved mileage by 10 percent. How was this achieved? It started off with a new tread-pattern design. Up front, the tread grooves are positioned transversely to the rolling direction, while in the rear the grooves are positioned in an opposing orientation to the rolling direction. The groove distance from center to the shoulder has been increased both front and rear, with the front 01 sporting new longitudinal groove angles, which are better for water drainage.

The rear tire has a “Drop and Saber” tread pattern on the sides, with a new and larger central slick section for added stability and mileage. The new tread patterns have led to a more centralized and five-percent larger contact patch, which in turn has resulted in improved overall grip and stability. In terms of compound, the RoadTec 01 front is made of 100 percent silica, while the rear has a mixture that includes 80 percent silica in its dual-compound construction.

The compound is a new Polymeric Matrix Blend, which consist of a mix of liquid polymers, and silica nano-particles which, as Lucio Vesentini from Metzeler explained, resembles something like one part bread, one part honey, and one part liquid which act like a thick gel to fill in all the microcracks with rubber, making for a wider contact point and better adhesion to the ground.

I had to repeat that comment because I thought it was a good analogy, and perhaps I was hungry at the time. The result of this design is more uniform distribution of stress for the tires. This has allowed the carcass of the 01 to be more elastic, which in turn provides better contact, feel, and control. Of course, tire safety is a very important concern as well, so by incorporating new highly advanced testing protocols combined with new technologies in both design and tire construction, Metzeler was able to achieve a new standard of performance and control with the RoadTec 01. Bold claims indeed, but I think they just might be able to pull it off.

Street Ride
The following morning we boarded a bus that took us to Bosch's Boxberg Proving Grounds, where Metzeler has carried out extensive testing while developing the RoadTec 01. After a brief introduction to the day's events, we were split into groups with mine heading out onto a street ride first. There were several different bikes to choose from, so I picked a Triumph Street Triple 675 to start out on. Our route would involve a mixture of country back roads, tight one lane farm roads, and some highway. Getting used to the bike and the surroundings always takes a few miles, and that's when you don't want any surprises. A good tire can make that job easier, because you want predictability and control, which is what you will find with the RoadTec 01.

My initial feedback was positive, as I found that I could feel the road and all of its subtleties clearly. The RoadTec 01 is not as stiff as some of the more track-oriented tires out there, nor does it claim to be. What it does do though, is provide a well-sorted carcass capable of bridging the gap between sport riding and touring. It’s just stiff enough to take a good flogging but isn’t so stiff as to beat you up.

As the ride progressed, I found myself testing several aspects of the tire. I was aiming for the bumps, finding loose gravel and chewed up sections of road, testing traction on turn entries and exits, and finding the limits under heavy braking. In each one of these conditions the RoadTec 01 proved to be very competent. Bump compliance is exceptional, the tire soaking up obstacles just enough to keep you planted, while still having a good sense traction and control. The applied in the loose sections, give the 01 a chance to negotiate iffy surfaces and it will transmit the feel back to you so you can respond accordingly.

In terms of braking, the RoadTec 01 was very good. I tested the limit a few times and what you notice is how well it reacts to trail braking deep into the corner. I thought for sure I was going to run wide a few times, but it provided enough feel, composure, and response to finish the curve. As the day progressed, I tried out multiple bikes, and the tire felt similar on multiple machines. Even on a big BMW R1200GS with a 19-in. front and 150mm wide rear, the RoadTec 01 worked great.

Boxberg Proving Grounds
The second part of the day involved bombing around the Bosch facility. It's a pretty amazing place, complete with a massive oval, a tight infield road course with watering capabilities, and a big skidpad area with three separate braking test sections. Metzeler did a lot of testing with the RoadTec 01 at the Bosch facility, and offered me the chance to experience first hand some of the testing methods they utilize.

First up, was the braking test: I hopped on a Suzuki Bandit 1200, got going around 40 mph onto a makeshift cobblestone street and grabbed the front brake as hard as possible. First, I tried it on a bike equipped with the RoadTec Z8, and then tried the RoadTec 01 and compared the difference. Oh, and did I mention that it was soaking wet! I was given three runs, and right away I could feel the difference between the Z8 and the 01. The Z8 protested vigorously by skipping over the surface, causing the ABS to pulse more, which meant a lack of traction. The RoadTec 01 on the other hand performed very well. The Bandit fitted with the 01s was smooth and tracked well the entire time with very little interaction from the ABS. After all was said and done, the stopping distance of the 01 was considerably shorter than that of the Z8, additionally, the new RoadTec 01 transmitted a much more stable and controlled feel.

Next we headed over to the road-course, which was quite fun, especially in the wet. The 01s performed very good on the dry sections of the course but it was the wet sections where the new tire really stands out. The feel and traction are superb in the wet, and braking performance was equally impressive, presenting you with a sense of control comparable to that of an intermediate rain tire. It didn’t matter which bike I was on either, the tires worked excellent on all of them.

Finally I headed out on the giant high-speed oval. Stability was the topic at hand, which once again I found to be positive and precise. At top speed on a Kawasaki ZX14 I felt in total control and even when I tried to upset the bike a bit it never gave me negative feedback and was planted and stable.

The new RoadTec 01s comes in a wide range of sizes and is appropriate for a wide range of motorcycles. In the end, the Metzeler RoadTec 01 is a well designed tire capable of negotiating a wide range of riding conditions and surfaces.