I preordered these back in March and finally got them in April, during Motocycle Superstores first shipment for $196.98, and shipped free to my door.
Bridgestone - Battlax Hypersport S-20 Rear Tire
Color: --, Size: 160/60ZR-17 (SKU: #403452)
$107.99
Bridgestone - Battlax Hypersport S-20 Front Tire
Color: --, Size: 120/70ZR-17 (SKU: #403450)
$88.99
Price has gone up since then, surprising they were cheaper when I preordered.
Cycle World said, "Ultimately, I found the Hyper Sport S20’s performance to be of solid track-day quality, perhaps even superior to that of the BT-003 RS"
Bridgestone Battlax Hyper Sport S20-
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKVwunasJjk]The NEW Bridgestone Hypersport Battlax S20 - YouTube[/ame]
I've been extremely happy with them and I can say they are THE best tire I have ever ran.
Here they are with 1100 Miles on them:
Notice the lack of chicken strips.
The warm-up time is a thing of the past. I've ridin' them a half-dozen times already in 40 degree weather and have noticed no difference pushing them in the cold weather. I have a clover leaf on-ramp 2 miles from my house and like to push my tires hard when they are still cold.
I can't believe how sticky they are. I live down a 100-foot gravel driveway, and when I pull into my garage the tires look like they dragged half the gravel in with it.
My favorite part about these tires is how they handle the rain. I probably ride more rain days then the average biker rides on sunny days. I don't put a lot of miles (8K/year) on my motorcycles but I do ride about 200+ days a year. I live in an area north of Seattle known as the convergence zone, which is where the clouds meet after they've gone around the Olympic mountains. This means I get dumped on A LOT!
For obvious reasons I don't push my tires hard in the rain. I don't want to find their limits in a corner when it's wet. Now in a straight line I don't mind dropping the clutch and lighting them up. The BT-21's would light up with much less throttle and just feathering the clutch anytime it was wet. These S20's will not light up for me unless I'm VERY aggressive with the throttle and I just drop the clutch or if I'm on a painted strip on a wet road.
My new (to me) 03 Interceptor has Pilot Road 2's and I can't compare them quite yet. I've only put about 1K miles on it and won't ride my Interceptor in the rain, since my 6R is all set for that job (heated grips, brush guards, etc.). The PR2's have not given me a reason to not trust them, but I still like the S20's better, because I can tell they are more sticky!
I know the Pilot Road 2's and 3's have an excellent reputation, but there is no way I could justify the price difference when I can get these S20's for half the price.
The fact that these tires are sooo sticky I'm guessing they are not going to last, but I'll just have to wait and see...
Bridgestone - Battlax Hypersport S-20 Rear Tire
Color: --, Size: 160/60ZR-17 (SKU: #403452)
$107.99
Bridgestone - Battlax Hypersport S-20 Front Tire
Color: --, Size: 120/70ZR-17 (SKU: #403450)
$88.99
Price has gone up since then, surprising they were cheaper when I preordered.
Cycle World said, "Ultimately, I found the Hyper Sport S20’s performance to be of solid track-day quality, perhaps even superior to that of the BT-003 RS"
Bridgestone Battlax Hyper Sport S20-
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKVwunasJjk]The NEW Bridgestone Hypersport Battlax S20 - YouTube[/ame]
I've been extremely happy with them and I can say they are THE best tire I have ever ran.
Here they are with 1100 Miles on them:
Notice the lack of chicken strips.
The warm-up time is a thing of the past. I've ridin' them a half-dozen times already in 40 degree weather and have noticed no difference pushing them in the cold weather. I have a clover leaf on-ramp 2 miles from my house and like to push my tires hard when they are still cold.
I can't believe how sticky they are. I live down a 100-foot gravel driveway, and when I pull into my garage the tires look like they dragged half the gravel in with it.
My favorite part about these tires is how they handle the rain. I probably ride more rain days then the average biker rides on sunny days. I don't put a lot of miles (8K/year) on my motorcycles but I do ride about 200+ days a year. I live in an area north of Seattle known as the convergence zone, which is where the clouds meet after they've gone around the Olympic mountains. This means I get dumped on A LOT!
For obvious reasons I don't push my tires hard in the rain. I don't want to find their limits in a corner when it's wet. Now in a straight line I don't mind dropping the clutch and lighting them up. The BT-21's would light up with much less throttle and just feathering the clutch anytime it was wet. These S20's will not light up for me unless I'm VERY aggressive with the throttle and I just drop the clutch or if I'm on a painted strip on a wet road.
My new (to me) 03 Interceptor has Pilot Road 2's and I can't compare them quite yet. I've only put about 1K miles on it and won't ride my Interceptor in the rain, since my 6R is all set for that job (heated grips, brush guards, etc.). The PR2's have not given me a reason to not trust them, but I still like the S20's better, because I can tell they are more sticky!
I know the Pilot Road 2's and 3's have an excellent reputation, but there is no way I could justify the price difference when I can get these S20's for half the price.
The fact that these tires are sooo sticky I'm guessing they are not going to last, but I'll just have to wait and see...