Metzeler Roadtec 02 - Motorcycle tyre review

Replacing the Roadtec 01 SE (the sportier version of the standard 01) was always going to be a tough job but Metzeler seem to have nailed it with the new-for-2024 Roadtec 02 – claiming the product is two tyres in one: ideal for both touring and sporty riding… a ‘Supersport touring tyre’ if you will, with claimed improvements in hard handling, soft handling, wet weather handling and even road noise. There are even graphs to demonstrate the 02’s advances vs. the 01.

An updated tread patten known as ‘Dynatread’, inspired by the sporty M9RR is said to retain uniformity as lean angle increases creating a more comfortable transition as well as smoother and more precise ride.

With over 130 years of experience of making motorcycle tyres, the firm were only too happy to acknowledge in the press conference just how advanced modern-day motorcycles are with their horsepower and range of suspension settings at the touch of a button, mostly. Naturally this increases the demands on a tyre.

So, if I were Metzeler’s PR team planning the press launch event of the new Roadtec 02 rubber, I’d want the world’s media to try it on a range of target bikes on a range of surfaces in a range of weather conditions, so where better to go than the Isle of Man whose climate and roads can tick the surfaces and conditions boxes with ease.

Construction

Designed to withstand the stresses of modern-day power and torque figures as well as the plethora of electronic interventions such as traction control and even variations of suspension actions and reactions, Metzeler has gone one step further by creating a tyre that’s suitable for alternative classes with sports touring and supersport style bikes as the target. But how? The central radius, i.e. the middle band around the rubber circle is wide which should lead to easier handling and stability at higher speeds whereas the carcass itself is deliberately stiff. On the fronts, the new full silica compound is quick to warm-up, offers increased levels of grip in all conditions vs. the outgoing Roadtec 01SE. An increase of 10.2% in dry conditions, and 5% in the wet, so says the Metzeler graph.

While on the dual compound rear tyre a new full silica across the shoulders should provide more confidence at lean and an even more impressive performance over the R01SE – with claims of a 9% increase in the dry but a huge 15% better grip level in the wet, also aided by a new high silica used for the central part of the tyre.

The Dynatread tread pattern is adaptive offering touring behaviour in soft handling and wet weather as the grooves aid water dispersion and grip while they’re quick to warm-up. At a higher pace of ride, its super sport nature becomes clear as the tread’s gooves join to offer a flatter surface and that boosts dry grip, cornering precision and a consistent feel.

Interestingly, Metzeler has gone a little green by also claiming that 43% of the tyre is made of bio-based and recycled materials, so while a cheeky burn-out is less planet-damaging than before, you do still look like a prat.

Suggested fittings

Among the bikes available at the press launch fitting the supersports/sport-touring target were: KTM 990 Duke, BMW R1250R, Yamaha Tracer 9GT+, Triumph Street Triple 765, Honda NT1100, KTM 890 SMT, Kawasaki ZX6R, Yamaha XSR700 and Honda’s 750 Hornet. However, the size availability chart looks like this:

FRONT

120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL

110/80 R 19 M/C 59V TL ADV

120/70 ZR 19 M/C 60W TL ADV

REAR

160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL

180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL

190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL

190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL

190/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL (O)

150/17 R 17 17 M/C 69V TL ADV

170/60 ZR 17 M/C 72W TL ADV

Road use

The new Metzelers offer added lightness to the steering and feel smooth when flowing from side to side with a degree of precision of the cornering process without a sudden drop, added inputs, and even shave some of the required handlebar effort. Supportive and trustworthy too, in fact they kept control of the KTM 990 Duke’s otherwise twitchy front-end (courtesy of the bike’s steep rake/trail), allowing its natural nose-focused riding dynamic to be accentuated. The Roadtec 02’s a good-looking tyre too, the tread is sharp in appearance and certainly easier on the eye than a set of Dunlop Mutants, for example.

The Isle of Man offers a real mixture of roads – from the beautifully smooth surfaces over The Sloc (along with its striking countryside views) and its fast, sweeping corners to the crumbling, narrow and suspension workout lanes down towards the Calf of Man in the South-West. An ideal situation to quickly test the tyre’s capabilities over opposing surfaces within just a few miles. Your natural riding instincts would tell you to swerve to avoid potholes, drain covers and imperfections in the road, but when testing tyres those tendencies can be ignored as you look for untrue sections of the road surface to get an idea how the tyre behave and grip in different scenarios. Thankfully I got to do so on both the relatively lightweight KTM (184kg) as well as the more buxom BMW R1250R (239kg), and the Roadtec 02 was more than capable allowing me to explore their performance in a variety of corners, from the sharper downhill 2nd gear left that tightens, to a steep uphill, off-camber, wet, right-handed hairpin, then onto the famous Mountain section of the TT course. A portion of which had been closed especially for this test allowing us to use the full width of the road and explore faster corners such as the Gooseneck, Joeys and Guthries. When I say ‘performance’, I refer to stability under braking, then the cornering process from the initial turn in as you release the brakes, then under acceleration as you drive out of the corner. As well as their behaviour through the quicker turns that just require down change and dab of brake.

Wet weather use

Once again, we have the Isle of Man’s climate to thank for allowing us a more thorough test than had we have zoomed off to Portugal or Italy. While the rain stayed away, the previous day’s downpours had left damp areas across our test route and my natural wet road nerves were soon eradicated courtesy of the tyre’s performance. I was really pleased with how natural they felt in the wet, and how much confidence they gave me to concentrate on the road ahead instead of wondering if they’d break traction or loose grip under braking, in the corner or when accelerating. The front steered nicely, the rear stood firm, while the bike felt natural under braking – much like it would in the dry.

The front tyre comes with a claimed 5% improvement in front end wet grip vs. the Roadtec 01 yet is 15% better at the gear with the grooves playing their part at dispersing water, and they even allow the rider to brake harder than with the predecessor.

Confidence

The test route was ideal and allowed me to try the tyres on surfaces varying quickly in quality and levels of dampness. Not once did I push any of the bikes enough to break the tyre’s traction, and the overall feeling gave me more confidence than the already brilliant all-rounder that is the Roadtec 01. I was comfortable on them, they felt grippy in all conditions and allowed for quick and precise steering across the range of bike sizes too.

Above: front and rear from the BMW R1250R after 100-miles around the Isle of Man

Longevity

This test was conducted over just one day and three different bikes covering less than 100-miles, the last 10 of which was in thick fog. So the biggest question we leave with is how long will they last on the type of riding that you do? Motorway miles will soon square off a set leaving the edge grip as virginal compared to the hard use of the centre of the tyre. Whereas spirited side-to-side B-road riding will accentuate the sportier capabilities. The key advantage here is the tyre’s versatility, they will do both and from what I experienced on the selection of Isle of Man surfaces, the wear pattern looked uniform, and there was no sign of tear or rubbering up.

Two alternatives to the Metzeler Roadtec 02

A couple of alternatives which are similar in style, but have some key differences are:

• Pirelli Angel GT II – Pirelli and Metzeler are the same company though the Angel GT II were launched back in 2019 and tested by our own John Milbank who noted their excellent grip levels in dry and wet plus their longevity. £235 was the price at the time, back in 2020. The new Metzeler’s are an evolutionary step-on from the GT II’s with the new tread design and focus on dry and wet handling, braking performance, and feel.

• Dunlop Mutant - BikeSocial bossman, Steve Rose, tested these on his Yamaha Fazer 1000 back in 2021 with the manufacturer claiming ‘a high-performing tyre for road bikes for all weather’. He was much more impressed with their wet weather performance than they’re styling. A set would cost around £280.

These are just two of many alternatives – you can find all the tyres we’ve tested here and be sure to regularly check for the tyre discounts available through Bikesocial membership.

Metzeler Roadtec 02 -Verdict

As I’ve mentioned, tyre testing on three bikes in one day won’t answer many of the questions had we covered thousands of miles or if we were riding the same road on the same bike back-to-back with its rivals, so the conclusion is not complete.

However, what stood out during this event is three-fold; smooth transition from the centre of the tyre to its shoulder when cornering, how light the steering was especially on the bigger BMW, and the front-end confidence they gave me in the wetter conditions.

Another huge advantage is the selection of bikes they’ll fit, and just how many riding styles they’ll suit with their dual-purpose nature. We’ll be sure to update this test once we’ve had the chance to add some big miles to a set, but in terms of first impressions then you’ll be hard pushed to find a better set of sports-touring tyres than the new Metzeler Roadtec 02.

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Customer Review

BikeSocial member, Graham Bell has been running the Roadtec 02’s on his BMW S1000R, and he has this to say:

“I’m very open to trying different brands of tyres and I have experienced some great ones and some not so good… but these new Metzeler 02’s have impressed me more than any other tyre I’ve used. I had them fitted on a very cold but dry morning (by Two Tyres in Greenwich, great service from them too) with the usual caution on new tyres almost forgotten as they inspired confidence and felt like they were scrubbed in already, tipping into roundabouts and bends without any concerns. The more miles the better they became in feel and as the afternoon warmed I put some more miles on them to ensure they were ready for normal use. I found I could push on and ‘make progress’ quite happily. One day when out recently I encountered a light shower making the road greasy, soon after a deluge followed and I felt totally confident in them. I even practised heavy braking (when safe!) just to try them for feel and I can say they were amazing.

I have yet to really push them to test the fast sporty side but have no doubt that they will perform impressively."