Best sport-touring tires for your motorcycle as tested by the experts at MCN

Tires are the only things that connect you to the road. And they tell you what’s happening, how you’re doing and what you’re riding through. The wrong tire increases the chance that something goes wrong on your ride.

• Latest review: Metzeler Roadtec 02 used for 1000 miles in all weathers

You need to get the right tire for your sport-touring bike period. Sport tires are ideal for riding fast or on track. But classic sport-touring demands good grip and performance in all weather conditions with a good longevity.

• Related article: Bridgestone claim 47% improvement with the latest Battlax Sport Touring T33

What is a sport-touring tire?

The best sports-touring motorcycle tires do two things really well. They have healthy dry grip beyond what’s needed on the road and warm up quickly. They also do well in the rain by dispersing water effectively.

This versatility means they’re good for naked bikes, adventure bikes, some sportbikes as well as sport tourers. Unless you ride off-road or do lots of trackdays, sport-touring tires will check almost every box for you.

The best sports-touring tyres at a glance:

• Best in test: Metzeler Roadtec SE 01 – view on Revzilla
• Best for feedback: Pirelli Angel GT2 – view on Revzilla
• Best for neutrality: Michelin Road 6 – view on Revzilla

How do you determine the best sport-touring tires? You assemble the latest generation from each of the major brands for a back-to-back test on a typical sport-tourer, the wildly popular Suzuki GSX-S1000GT.

The weather for our test provided the perfect hunting ground for this type of tire.

• Related: How to change your own motorbike tyres at home

Best sports-touring tyres

Our blind, back-to-back tire comparison test showed some surprising results. Overall, grip was very similar between manufacturers. But how the tires “talked” and communicated road-feel varied widely.

This new generation of sport-touring tires all have superb wet weather grip, warm-up fast and offer huge improvements over OEM tires. Regardless of your favorite brand, you’ll probably be very happy with your choice. It should be noted the feel and confidence of each tire varied under braking, acceleration and cornering changes.

One set of tires stood head-and-shoulders above the rest. Metzler’s Roadtec 01 SE gave great confidence in all conditions, delivering a ride that blurred the lines between wet and dry roads.

It’s the best sport-touring tire money can buy, and it’s our pick for best sport-tourer tire.

How MCN tested these tires

This was a blind test. At no point did Michael or Matt know which tires they were on. Both rode a set route; Matt taking the first stint, with an emphasis on warm-up time and stability, while Michael focused on ride quality and grip.

Each rated steering, confidence, stability, ride quality and feel. We also measured operating temperature and usable tread depth. The hardness of the centre section of each was measured on the HA scale where 100 represents a fully solid object. Conditions were wet and in the middle 50’s, fahrenheit. We used the recommended cold pressures.

The route

A 28-mile test route taking in fast, flowing country roads, bumpy 2-lanes, a highway stint, plus urban riding over a variety of rough and polished surfaces.

The bike

We chose a Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT, Britain’s best-selling sports-tourer because its OEM Dunlop RoadSport 2 tires are just OK and offer much room for improvement. The bike was set on Mode B at all times, with minimal traction control intervention.

The logistics

Support and prices provided by www.mobile-bike-tires.co.uk. Prices include fitting, but will vary between different suppliers.

Things to keep in mind

The best sport-touring tires walk the line between sportiness, longevity, wet-weather performance and dry feel. All sports-touring tires involve an element of compromise.

To find out more about how MCN tests products, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

Cut through the jargon with MCN’s tire explainer video:

- Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.