Bridgestone Battlecruise

[Ohio HD]

Curious if anyone has run the Bridgestone Battlecruise tires on their bike and what you thought of them.

I imagine they're like the Dunlop American Elite, more a touring tire than performance. 

[kd]

They look like they have a great wet road tread pattern.

[Ohio HD]

They claim mileage equivalent to the Michelin Commander II. So I imagine they're a bit stiff. But good for a heavy bike that you want to get miles from the tires. 

[kd]

Frankly, if I had noticed the tread pattern before I bought my last pair of C11's I probably would have a set. I hate being caught in the rain with tires that have no real rain groove channeling.  With the reduced road maintenance (re-paving) and rutting from heavy trucks I have noticed more pooling in the lane.  It can get hairy some times.

[motorhogman]

Cycle World did a preliminary road test and review on them if they are H 50's ?

Cycle World

[fbn ent]

Yes they do look good. AVON have done the best in rain for me up to now but the tread is interesting. The test isn't very relevant for me as a Scout isn't anywhere near a Big Twin IMHO.

[motorhogman]

Yes they do look good. AVON have done the best in rain for me up to now but the tread is interesting. The test isn't very relevant for me as a Scout isn't anywhere near a Big Twin IMHO.

True enough. Not an FLH for sure.  I said preliminary because it was only a big 90 miles..  I've tried several brands of tires over the 21 plus years on my 01 FLH and the only one that ever got me more miles was the discontinued Metzler 880's. got close to 12,000 on rears. Everything else less than 10,000 most of the time.

[fbn ent]

Yes they do look good. AVON have done the best in rain for me up to now but the tread is interesting. The test isn't very relevant for me as a Scout isn't anywhere near a Big Twin IMHO.

True enough. Not an FLH for sure.  I said preliminary because it was only a big 90 miles..  I've tried several brands of tires over the 21 plus years on my 01 FLH and the only one that ever got me more miles was the discontinued Metzler 880's. got close to 12,000 on rears. Everything else less than 10,000 most of the time.

The mileage isn't that important to me unless it is stupid low. I'm all about traction wet or dry.

[tdrglide]

The 7 comments at the end of the article are an interesting read also

[FSG]

The 7 comments at the end of the article are an interesting read also

 

[motorhogman]

"The mileage isn't that important to me unless it is stupid low. I'm all about traction wet or dry."

At the price of tires it's all important to me.. There was a time when it wasn't lol.  I have never had a bad handling tire on my 01 FLH. Ridden in every kind of weather imaginable. Even torrential rain that had the road flooded over my floor boards splashing up on my chest at maybe 10 to 15 mph.  To me "handling" has everything to do with the machine and what it was designed to do ?  This old FLHT of mine wasn't made to be a road racer and I have always rode it like a touring machine. Never experienced any really bad handling from any tire I ran on it unless of course I ran them down to nothing which I have a couple of times on the rear.

[smoserx1]

  Very well said.

[fbn ent]

"The mileage isn't that important to me unless it is stupid low. I'm all about traction wet or dry."

At the price of tires it's all important to me.. There was a time when it wasn't lol.  I have never had a bad handling tire on my 01 FLH. Ridden in every kind of weather imaginable. Even torrential rain that had the road flooded over my floor boards splashing up on my chest at maybe 10 to 15 mph.  To me "handling" has everything to do with the machine and what it was designed to do ?  This old FLHT of mine wasn't made to be a road racer and I have always rode it like a touring machine. Never experienced any really bad handling from any tire I ran on it unless of course I ran them down to nothing which I have a couple of times on the rear.

I guess I have to agree with you to a point. In my bulletproof years I floated the old Dunlops a couple times and went to Avons. Never floated one of them. The way I ride now maybe it isn't such an issue but well, you know.... old habit and all.

[RKRuss]

Coincidently, I was having a tyre conversation with a mate on the weekend and he mentioned these. He has them on a 1200 Sportster. He mentioned that they were great in the dry, but in the wet he reckoned he was just about better off to park up and wait for the rain to stop. He was saying that they were very slippery.

In fairness though, we live in a comparatively high rainfall area in the Northern Australian tropics. He rides his Sporty to work and back each day which is a commute of around 35 miles which takes in a local mountain range that's a bit of a favourite with riders.     

[Ohio HD]

Coincidently, I was having a tyre conversation with a mate on the weekend and he mentioned these. He has them on a 1200 Sportster. He mentioned that they were great in the dry, but in the wet he reckoned he was just about better off to park up and wait for the rain to stop. He was saying that they were very slippery.

In fairness though, we live in a comparatively high rainfall area in the Northern Australian tropics. He rides his Sporty to work and back each day which is a commute of around 35 miles which takes in a local mountain range that's a bit of a favourite with riders.     

I would bet he's not wrong. If these are compatible with Michelin tire mileage life, they probably are a hard compound. I went through one set of Michelin tires, never again. 

[kd]

I tend to agree with the "hard" description.  There really is no other way to get better mileage than going harder.  

I do however like the tread pattern.  At all times and angles there are grooves that will evacuate water and decrease the area of the contact segments within the contact patch.  The groove edges may also aid in cornering.  I expect the bite is a bit better and with a softer compound would probably really perform.   Like others, I don't strive for big mileage.  I'm into the performance qualities wet, dry and cornering.