When developing the S20 EVO, Bridgestone called on the expertise of its Motorcycle Tyre Adviser, nine-time World Champion Valentino Rossi to help it transfer the technology it uses in MotoGP into a road tyre that everyone can use.
When it comes to using the combined MotoGP experience of Bridgestone and Valentino to produce the ultimate road tyre, Rossi said that “When pushing to the limit you learn a lot about everything. Yourself. The bike. The tyre. Sharing my experience, feelings and knowledge from the racetrack is important to those around me, it keeps the technology evolving”.
With Valentino’s help, Bridgestone’s S20 EVO has managed to deliver a tyre that improves upon the class-leading performance and safety of the S20, with the added bonus of greater durability and stability. We’re happy to say that the best got even better!
As you can see in the promotional film and photos for the S20 EVO, Valentino had some fun while testing as well, putting the tyre through its paces on a Yamaha YZF-R1. If you ride a motorcycle yourself and would like to try out the latest tyre to get Valentino Rossi’s personal stamp of approval, check out the Bridgestone Europe website.
Media information: G. Meylemans: +32 2 714 68 40
About Bridgestone Europe
Bridgestone Europe (BSEU), with European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is a key regional subsidiary of Tokyo-based Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres and other rubber products. Bridgestone Europe operates an R&D center, 8 plants and offices in more than 30 European countries, with over 13,000 employees. BSEU’s premium tyres are sold both within Europe and globally.
For more information about Bridgestone Europe please visit www.bridgestone.eu or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
Bridgestone – the number one tyre and rubber manufacturer in the world – has formed a technical partnership with Saroléa, the Belgian motorcycle brand and designer of the Saroléa SP7 electric superbike, revealed for the first time on 26th April at the Mettet circuit in Belgium during the Speed Trophy. Under the deal, Bridgestone will provide technical support and tyre expertise for Saroléa’s track testing and ambitious racing plans which debut in 2014.
Proving that green doesn’t mean slow, the agile electric machine shifts from 0 to 100 kph in 2.8 seconds, on its way to 250 kph at full throttle. To harness this power Bridgestone will fit the SP7 with Battlax V02 racing slicks, constructed with its latest “GP belt” technology. Saroléa’s 2014 racing agenda includes the TT Zero Challenge at the Isle of Man TT series, the world’s most prestigious motorcycle races, and the FIM eRoadRacing world cup series.
The partnership initiative is seeded from Bridgestone’s commitment to a future with sustainable mobility. This is underpinned by the Corporation’s long-term environmental vision which focuses on ecological conservation, resource conservation and reduction of CO2 emissions.
“This Bridgestone partnership is an exciting opportunity to combine our MotoGPTM experience with our vision of sustainable mobility. The Saroléa superbike is blazing a trail for electric motorcycles and e-racing” says José Enrique Gonzales, Director Marketing, Bridgestone Europe.
About Bridgestone Europe
Bridgestone Europe (BSEU), with European headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, is a key regional subsidiary of Tokyo-based Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres and other rubber products. Bridgestone Europe operates an R&D center, 8 plants and offices in more than 30 European countries, with over 13,000 employees. BSEU’s premium tyres are sold both within Europe and globally.
For more information about Bridgestone Europe please visit www.bridgestone.eu or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Saroléa Founded in Belgium in 1850, Saroléa manufactured arms and bicycles before becoming one of the world’s first motorcycle brands. It gained a worldwide reputation in racing, where it developed and tested innovative technologies. Now, more than 50 years after Saroléa closed its factory gates, this rebirth with an electric drive train marks the brand’s dramatic return to the world stage. The new Saroléa SP7 electric superbike is built around an innovative carbon fibre monotube chassis and ultra-efficient axial flux motor powered 100% by battery.
Avon Tyres are being fitted to a series of specially-built motorcycles which celebrate the ‘Spirit of the Seventies’ – classic bikes which have been overhauled into stylish, bespoke machines combining the best of retro style and modern performance.
The team behind these amazing motorcycles are friends and fellow bike enthusiasts, Tim Rogers and Kevin Taggart. They formed ‘Spirit of the Seventies’ as a retro-custom motorcycle company, specialising in transforming bikes from a classic era of motorcycling.
The ‘retro scene’ in the UK has been growing in recent years, making these bikes into some of the most talked about machines in Britain, with regular features in the specialist press and the wider media.
Rogers and Taggart give these classic bikes a new lease of life, after offering the eventual owners the opportunity to get involved in the design of their machine right from the start. The end result is a beautiful, hand-made creation built to fulfil the dreams of the owner – and many of these unique machines sit on Avon Tyres.
Taggart says, “Our goal is to create stylish and highly desirable bikes that epitomise the essence of bikes from the 1970s. It’s a nostalgic era for Tim and I, one we’d like to recreate but with the advantage of modern engineering upgrades and an injection of style.”
Modern tyres also help bring a machine from the 1970s up-to-date, so Avon’s rubber fits the bill by being both thoroughly modern but also having been one of the leading tyre brands from the ‘70s era. Rogers says, “Avon offers us the best grip available, regardless of whether it’s for a re-engineered classic such as an S6 or a modern performance machine such as the Ducati GT-R1000. There isn’t a great choice of tyres available for some of the older bikes, particularly when they have 18-inch wheels and it’s important for us to make sure that the bike has the best grip possible, especially when you consider that we are stripping weight and increasing braking performance.
“The S6, for example, has a Yamaha YZF-R6 front-end from the 1990s, which includes the front forks and brakes but, thankfully, Avon’s product range allows us to give the bike the rubber it deserves. We’re big fans of the Roadrider and I’ve put my money where my mouth is, as they’re fitted to my own bike, a ‘Spirit of the Seventies’ S2. Increasingly, we’re working on modern performance bikes and, again, Avon has it covered. We have no ties with Avon Tyres, we simply want to use the best. The reception that the 3D Ultra range received from UK motorcycle magazines earlier this year told us all we needed to know about their performance and the fact that they look great, fit the bikes and are manufactured in the UK seals it!”
So far, a number of models have been created at Spirit’s headquarters at Fairseat, near Brands Hatch in Kent. Those that sit on Avon Tyres include the S2, which is based on the Yamaha XS750 and 850 and the S6 (again based on the Yamaha XS750) all of which use Avon Roadriders. Then there’s the S5, based on the Kawasaki Z1000, often with an 1105cc big-bore kit on it and the S11, based on the Ducati GT-R. These machines use the latest Avon 3D Ultra hypersports tyres.
The style of the bike – and tyres – fits well with the clientele, which includes Steve Coogan, Chris Evans and Christian Slater.
For more information go to www.avonmotorcycles.com and for more on Spirit of the Seventies go to www.spiritoftheseventies.com.
Motorcycle Industry News and Images mainly from UK
