I recently swapped out a set of original Bridgestone tires for the latest ContiRace Attack from Continental Tires on my 2010 Ducati HyperMotard.
After the guys at Pro Italia in Glendale, CA had switched out the tires, I went for a ride on Memorial Day up the Los Angeles Crest Highway to Wrightwood and back…
It’s 120 miles of twisty, winding, sweeping roads from Foothill Blvd in Sunland, which give me a good opportunity to scrub in the new tires and discover how they worked.
I have to report that these new Attack tires are awesome – great grip, with a high lean angle, that gave me increased corner speed and plenty of confidence in my riding.
The HyperMotard is one of those bikes that thrives on feedback and encourages the rider to push-on, and the Conti tires provides just the right level of grip for the suspension to really work hard, while letting me know exactly what was happening on the road surface.
On my way back down Hwy 2 from Newcombs Ranch, I came tell-tale signs in the dirt that suggested somebody had been off recently. Stopping to peer over the steep drop, I came across a rider who had crashed. He’d been using racing slicks and on that cool morning had taken a corner too fast, launching this Yamaha into a ditch, landing 100ft from the road.
Fortunately,he only suffered a broken ankle but his bike was totaled and he had a very expensive ride to the ER without health insurance!
The lesson for us all – Always have the correct tires for your riding. You want good sports tires for dry roads that can deal with cooler temps or damp patches. It’s definitely cheaper than a ride to hospital courtesy of the Sheriffs’ Department!