Bridgestone BT-016 Review and BT-002 RS 1st Impression

Amber Lamps · 05-21-2009, 12:50 AM

Well, I changed out my BT-016 tires for the BT-002 RS tires today and here's my take.

BT-016:
Good tires, at first I was leary of them especially at initial takeoff but I may have been unfair to the tires because as they wore in, they seemed to get better at launch. They were very stable and supremely predictable. I felt that even though they were at the end of their life, they acquitted themselves reasonably well at the Gap. They did turn a bit heavy though...

BT-002 RS:
Whoa! Instant confidence! I have enough time in the saddle to differentiate between new tire giddiness and an actual difference in profile. They remind me of an argument we had on this forum a while back about profile and tire size... even though it is labeled as a 190/50 allow me to emphatically assure you that the profile on these tires is much narrower and taller than the BT-016 tires they replace. These are the first tires in a long time that are making me reconsider my 36/42 tire pressure regimen. These babies literally fall into corners almost too easily. They would have been great at the Gap but they may take some getting used to on the long sweepers around here. I'll post more impressions as I have them. As a 1st impression... well if some of you Pirelli and Michelin snobs are willing to take a chance on tires that cost $239 shipped, I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.

05-21-2009, 12:50 AM	#1
Amber Lamps Moto GP Star Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14,556	Bridgestone BT-016 Review and BT-002 RS 1st Impression Well, I changed out my BT-016 tires for the BT-002 RS tires today and here's my take. BT-016: Good tires, at first I was leary of them especially at initial takeoff but I may have been unfair to the tires because as they wore in, they seemed to get better at launch. They were very stable and supremely predictable. I felt that even though they were at the end of their life, they acquitted themselves reasonably well at the Gap. They did turn a bit heavy though... BT-002 RS: Whoa! Instant confidence! I have enough time in the saddle to differentiate between new tire giddiness and an actual difference in profile. They remind me of an argument we had on this forum a while back about profile and tire size... even though it is labeled as a 190/50 allow me to emphatically assure you that the profile on these tires is much narrower and taller than the BT-016 tires they replace. These are the first tires in a long time that are making me reconsider my 36/42 tire pressure regimen. These babies literally fall into corners almost too easily. They would have been great at the Gap but they may take some getting used to on the long sweepers around here. I'll post more impressions as I have them. As a 1st impression... well if some of you Pirelli and Michelin snobs are willing to take a chance on tires that cost $239 shipped, I think that you'll be pleasantly surprised.