Metzeler, a brand with a history of producing motorcycle tyres for 130 years, has launched the latest generation of its super sport rubber, taking the wraps of the Sportec 01 and 01 RS at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The new Sportec tyres feature Metzeler’s Dynatread adaptive tread, which in simple terms means the grooves in the rubber are designed to be more open at lower road speeds, helping water evacuation and warm-up.
Under heavier loads, braking and acceleration they compress, allowing the tyre to put more rubber on the road. A detailed presentation at the launch event covered the differences between the two options, with the 01 being more road-focused.
It’s aimed at riders who want genuine sports performance without giving away too much wet-weather confidence or day-to-day usability. Its RS sibling is more aggressive, bringing a more track day-ready compound and tread layout, while remaining street legal.
For us to test them out properly, they were fitted to an array of bikes from brands like Yamaha, Kawasaki, CFMOTO and BMW. With the sun out and Sydney Motorsport Park’s Grand Prix Circuit on offer, the track beckoned.
A quick taste test of the Sportec 01 was first up, as I cut a couple of snappy laps aboard a CFMOTO 675SR-R, before settling in for a longer session on a high output Yamaha YZF-R7. The combination provided some real insight into the tyre.
Having a full 20 minutes of lap time allowed us to build into the session and see how hard we could push it. We found ourselves able to lean right over onto the edge of the tyre, especially through turns 2 and 5, and onto the main straight at the western Sydney track.
The Sportec 01 proved itself nothing less than confidence inspiring. Even entering Turn 1 off the main straight at higher speeds, it exhibited no signs of instability. Under heavy braking, it felt composed, delivering good front and feel and grip when switching direction.
As the session progressed, we pushed that front tyre even harder, and it just seemed to get better and better. These feelings were reaffirmed in the last session of the day, when we climbed aboard the Yamaha XSR900 GP for one last blast.
Metzeler’s Sportec 01 is the perfect choice for riders who want a versatile tyre that offers top end road performance in both wet and dry conditions. Stepping across to the 01 RS saw us jump on a BMW S 1000 RR.
It’s the sportiest road legal tyre developed by Metzeler and offers maximum grip, outstanding hard handling, and is perfect for those who want a street legal product that can handle the racetrack. Impressively, they came up to temperature pretty quickly.
The super sticky grip is immediately evident, as is just how obvious the more aggressive compound is. There’s an abundance of road holding, particularly when leant right over, or when riding hard out of corners.
Braking stability from the front was first class. There was plenty of grip when turning in too, although through turn 6 and 9, we were still getting ABS intervention under heavy throttle application. That said, the rear felt planted, with no unnecessary twitching.
While the day provided good insight into track capability, a long term test is required to see what they’d be like to own. From what we saw though, we’re confident in their performance characteristics.
Pricing starts from $259.95 (size dependent) for the 01 and $299.95 for the 01 RS. You can find out more on the Metzeler website (Sportec 01 and Sportec 01 RS), or by talking to your local stockist.
Our test tyres were supplied by Metzeler Australia as part of a track-only launch event. Exhaust Notes Australia was not paid to attend this event. Images courtesy of RbMotoLens.
