Bridgestone Hypersport S20


CtrlAltDl

New Member
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. :confused:

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...
 

Perdurable

Teeker!!!
Elite Member

CtrlAltDl

New Member
AFAIK, best bang for the buck!
 

Nastybutler

Cynical Member
Elite Member

RoadTrip

New Member
$204 from Motosport and Kneedraggers delivered, still available.

I understand the whole mileage concept, but for me tires are the only 'upgrade' I am interested in, so I buy the sticky hypersports and run through em like crazy. Installation + tires end up costing me about $100/month to ride the sticky stuff, doing 2 rears for every front, rear lasting about 2500 and front 5000, averaging 10,000 miles a year on the bike.

The main issue is the squaring off and handling degradation after about 1500 miles on the rear if you have too many straight roads like round here in Texas. But, I tell you there is no better feeling than a fresh set of round hypersports, so much confidence, it really is like having a new bike each time you lay down that cash, you rail corners and flick the bike side to side like a track star.
 

CtrlAltDl

New Member
The price difference it worth it for the PR3s because they'll last at least 10K miles. I'm guessing those Hypersports won't come close to that. So IMHO they're not the best bang for the buck. I'm sure they're great tires for as long as they last though.
Who knows maybe they will last 10K. My last Bridgestones lasted 11K+ and I put a plug in the rear with 600 miles on it.

Like I said, we'll just have to wait and see.
 

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member

CtrlAltDl

New Member
Have you ever ridden with either bt003's or Dunlop Q2's?
Nope, and quite frankly I liked the BT-21's too. I know they get a lot of flack, but I was pretty happy with them as an all-round tire.

I really don't think the BT-003 would work for me, since the wet grip has gotta suck on those.

Every few years tire tech gets exponentially better and I think this S20 is part of the "next" echelon of new tires.

I can't wait to hear other people's opinion's. So get out there and get you some!
 

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member

CtrlAltDl

New Member
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.
Ok, so I've had a chance to ride the PR2's in the rain and I can honestly say they don't leave me very confident in them compared to the S20's. I know the VFR has about 35-40 horsepower on the 6R, but even what I consider mildly hard acceleration on the VFR in a straight line was breaking them lose in the wet stuff.

Just the confidence level I have in the S20's now makes them worth much more to me than what I paid. I'd easily pick them over the PR2's any day.
 

CtrlAltDl

New Member
I love these so much I had to get them for my Interceptor too. Noticed a lot less rolling resistance than my PR2's, while turning my bike around in the garage. Of course that could just be the difference in a new versus old tire.

Turn-in on the corners is much easier too. It just wants to go into the twisties!
 

GoGreen09

New Member
Q2 vs S20

I'm planning on getting these soon. Thanks for the write up. Confirmed what I was expecting. Have you ever ridden with either bt003's or Dunlop Q2's? Those are the last 2 sets I've used and have loved both for aggressive canyon carving. If you have experience with them, how would you compare them?

Also how's the profile? Do they seem like a really steep edge (like the Q2) or a little flatter? (Like the 003's)
Hey Jon I've tried the Q2 and S20 on the track and I like them both. The Q2 does have a steep edge because I can let the bike fall quick on the turns. The S20 isn't as steep, but it's not sluggish at all. What surprised me was that I thought I was close to the tire edge with my lean angle, but I actually had a lot more room to go. Not an expert on the tire compounds, but the S20 felt softer than the Q2.

I've done 2 seasons with Q2s exclusively so I was really hesitant with the S20. The price got me to bite, and I'm glad I did. I still like the Q2, but now I know that I can go to other tires and not feel so attached to the Q2s.
 

CtrlAltDl

New Member
Finally, someone else has tried the S20's!

Soon everyone will be joining the hypersport cult, if we can only get them to drink the Kool-Aid...

:sinister::sinister::sinister:
 

RoadTrip

New Member
Yeah, I been hearing good things, done bunches of BT-016's, pretty excited about moving to S20's soon - main thing I am excited about is the supposed faster warm up, sometimes the BT-016's have less than full grip at the beginning of a ride, so you gotta feel em out until they are ready.

This is the same thing I have been saying, with HS's you are paying for a confident feel, and seemingly endless amount of grip, that super grippy feel may not be worth it to some, but it gives me a lot more confidence, so it's worth it to me.
 

efforex

New Member
So i ended up commuting out my BT-023 with only 5k miles on it on the rear kinda disappointed but i am getting the Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S20 160/60 17 mounted tomorrow or monday. I hope i can at least get 5k out of it and im anxious to see the grip on it over the bt023
 

CtrlAltDl

New Member
This is what mine look like after 2,500 miles. I've been commuting on them this winter. I absolutely love how sticky they are when they are still cold and when it's wet out.
 

Attachments

Kdubb223

New Member
So i ended up commuting out my BT-023 with only 5k miles on it on the rear kinda disappointed but i am getting the Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S20 160/60 17 mounted tomorrow or monday. I hope i can at least get 5k out of it and im anxious to see the grip on it over the bt023
Damn I just put a set of 023's on...But I don't rack up miles thanks to a short commute so I should be fine. I like the tires so far though, much better than the stock ones I had on. Let us know how that S20 works out!
 

CrazyCawi

New Member
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. :confused:

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-

The NEW Bridgestone Hypersport Battlax S20 - YouTube

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...
I have a set in my garage for next season and I cannot wait :)
 


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