| Continental Road Attack Tire Review |
The Bike: 1995 BMW R1100RSL
Date of Report: May 3rd, 2006
Total elapsed mileage: 365 miles.
Tire pressures: 36/40
4/29/06
Continental Road Attack Initial Impressions
Mileage: 140
Riding: Sport, two up. Ortega Hwy.
New tires are always a revelation compared to old, worn tires. Even old, worn M1’s. Handling sharpens, pressure on the bars to turn
drops dramatically, ride compliance increases – all these things are good things. I bet a set of Cheng Shins that don’t have a 3” flat
spot would do the same…
I always love it when Moto-journalists claim, after putting barely a hundred miles on a set of tires “These things are awesome!”.
Yeah, right. The tires really aren’t broken in yet, you have no real idea of longevity, nor do you know how the tires will work as they
wear down. And really, can you tell me how good a tire sticks when one has to take the first 50-100 miles easy just for tire break
in??? 100 miles? Hell, I just did that with the wife and I can tell you that ALL new tires feel GREAT!
Maybe I should be a tire tester for a magazine?
I digress…
First thing I noticed was actually during mounting. The Conti is simply a wider tire. The Metzler M1’s, while worn, came right off
without any issue (I would not think that the actual width of the tire changed much at all during wear…). The Conti’s took some
work, real work to get on. Enough work to knock my bike off the centerstand…
BANG!
/sigh. Oh well. Mount the tires with the bike on her side and the right her.
Tires mounted, time to ride. Ortega highway has the best set of twisties that is actually close to me. So, with just about 140 miles
on the new Conti RA’s it’s time for a first impression. The absolute first thing that hit me was the “multi radius curvature” Conti
talks about in their marketing drivel. Yep, I can definitely feel the curvature. It’s very different than a normally curved tire and,
at least on my bike, I get that “falling in” sensation. When leaned over it’s appears to be very easy to get the bike to lean further.
Initial Thoughts:
1. More stable in a straight line than a Z6 (I had a strange front tire vibration for 2k miles on the Z6's).
2. Super easy turn in.
3. But a strange “falling in” sensation going into turns.
4. Unsure of maximum grip, not as much feel as the M1’s
5. Light years better handling than a PR. On par with Z6 handling, but different...
6. Really strange “falling in” sensation…
*********************************************
Ride 2: 225 miles: Palms to Pines. (ZX Andy was in town and I played hooky from work)
Solo ride
The Palms to Pines ride is a wild ride. On the one hand you have immaculate asphalt with gorgeous tight mini-sweepers and fast S-
Curves. On the other hand (aka, the Palm's side) you have massive sweepers that seem to go on forever and can be taken at a
comfortable 80mph...cranked over far enough to skim cylinder heads.
So I had a chance to push the RA’s a bit harder while riding solo. A welcome thing since most of us ride solo anyway. That and it's
nice to really be able to push the bike hard.
The RA’s curvature is different. The bike definitely falls into turns. I mean FALLS into turns. Just a bit of pressure on the
steering and the bike flops over right quick. Quicker than anything I’ve ever ridden. I mean, it just rolls over as if it doesn’t want
to stop until the bike crashes into the asphalt. I had to wonder how Conti got the tire to do that...mind you, I ride a bike with very
conservative steering geometry so if it can make my bike flop like that it's a pretty big deal to me.
During one of the breaks in the ride I took a moment to compare the profiles of the RA’s and Andy’s Pilot Roads. Oh yeah, HUGE
difference. The RA’s looked like half a ball. It was very oddly round from top to bottom. The PR’s on the other hand looked like a
squashed or flattened out ball (Stand on a tennis ball and that’s what they kinda looked like).
The bigger surprise was found when I looked at the edge of the tire. I’m not quite sure how to explain this. When I rode on the Z6
or PR I could always tell when I hit the edge of the tire – the bike just didn’t want to increase lean angle any more. An invisible
wall if you will, created by the tire’s edge. The RA’s, being so round, just don’t have that same “hitting the edge” feel. In fact there
were several occasions where I had my bike leaned over to the point where I just knew I had maybe an inch of space between the
asphalt and the cylinder heads and the RA’s wanted to know if I wanted to lean further. No, THEY wanted to lean further. The
tires just seemed to have limitless encouragement to lean. Which is, quite odd, really.
Fact: My first test ride of a Z6 had me within ½” of the edge. My second ride had me to the outer edge of the Z6. I could hit the
edge of the tire at will and maximize my lean angles comfortably.
Fact: My first ride on the RA had me at 1” from the edge. My second ride has me at just over ½” from the edge. And I’m not likely
to get any closer the way the tire is profiled. That’s pretty much the limit on my bike. The tire may be able to lean more but my
cylinder heads won't allow it!
Ok, still more on the handling. Handling is so light that I’m readjusting how I ride the bike. Body steering inputs make the bike
move around a LOT. A quick shift to the left and the bike throws left instantly. A quick peg weight to the right and the bike moves
right, fast. On my Z6’s and M1’s I had to throw my weight around a lot more. Furthermore, I was also able to play with “tank
weighting”, that is, controlling my lean angle by putting pressure on the gas tank with my thighs. The Z6 & M1’s didn’t allow tank
weighting like this. I literally felt like I could pull the bike through a turn with my knees. Similarly, peg weighting was improved as
well.
All of this ability to turn comes at a price though. The bike is now so easy to turn and make mid-corner corrections that setting a
line has become a lot more difficult. It’s almost as if the bike wants to float through turns. Z6’s, PR’s, M1’s – you just set the line
and the bike arcs around the corner effortlessly and as if on rails. The RA’s on the other hand require attention mid turn to make
sure they don’t go wandering off! Several times I caught myself diving deeper into turns than I had intended or finding myself
wandering in the curve, making several corrections to work my way through. The tires just don’t hold the line the way the Z6’s do.
It’s quite likely that this is just a matter of getting used to the tires and the light touch they require.
At the end of the ride the tires were actually quite sticky to the touch. I hadn’t expected that.
So, at 400 miles here are my summary thoughts:
1. Smooth tread pattern does NOT track rain grooves.
2. Compliant, gentle ride. Not harsh like PR's.
3. Super easy to turn in…
3a. Doesn't hold a line as well as an M1 or Z6
4. Takes mid-corner corrections well.
5. But difficult to tell how close to the edge of the tire you are.
6. Gonna have chicken strips…
7. Sitcky enough (I haven’t slid out at all) in the dry.
8. Unknown wear at this point.
And the question so many people have been asking: Are they better than Z6’s? I dunno, but I got laid the day I mounted the RA’s…
Next post: After WCRM III
Date of Report: May 3rd, 2006
Total elapsed mileage: 365 miles.
Tire pressures: 36/40
4/29/06
Continental Road Attack Initial Impressions
Mileage: 140
Riding: Sport, two up. Ortega Hwy.
New tires are always a revelation compared to old, worn tires. Even old, worn M1’s. Handling sharpens, pressure on the bars to turn
drops dramatically, ride compliance increases – all these things are good things. I bet a set of Cheng Shins that don’t have a 3” flat
spot would do the same…
I always love it when Moto-journalists claim, after putting barely a hundred miles on a set of tires “These things are awesome!”.
Yeah, right. The tires really aren’t broken in yet, you have no real idea of longevity, nor do you know how the tires will work as they
wear down. And really, can you tell me how good a tire sticks when one has to take the first 50-100 miles easy just for tire break
in??? 100 miles? Hell, I just did that with the wife and I can tell you that ALL new tires feel GREAT!
Maybe I should be a tire tester for a magazine?
I digress…
First thing I noticed was actually during mounting. The Conti is simply a wider tire. The Metzler M1’s, while worn, came right off
without any issue (I would not think that the actual width of the tire changed much at all during wear…). The Conti’s took some
work, real work to get on. Enough work to knock my bike off the centerstand…
BANG!
/sigh. Oh well. Mount the tires with the bike on her side and the right her.
Tires mounted, time to ride. Ortega highway has the best set of twisties that is actually close to me. So, with just about 140 miles
on the new Conti RA’s it’s time for a first impression. The absolute first thing that hit me was the “multi radius curvature” Conti
talks about in their marketing drivel. Yep, I can definitely feel the curvature. It’s very different than a normally curved tire and,
at least on my bike, I get that “falling in” sensation. When leaned over it’s appears to be very easy to get the bike to lean further.
Initial Thoughts:
1. More stable in a straight line than a Z6 (I had a strange front tire vibration for 2k miles on the Z6's).
2. Super easy turn in.
3. But a strange “falling in” sensation going into turns.
4. Unsure of maximum grip, not as much feel as the M1’s
5. Light years better handling than a PR. On par with Z6 handling, but different...
6. Really strange “falling in” sensation…
*********************************************
Ride 2: 225 miles: Palms to Pines. (ZX Andy was in town and I played hooky from work)
Solo ride
The Palms to Pines ride is a wild ride. On the one hand you have immaculate asphalt with gorgeous tight mini-sweepers and fast S-
Curves. On the other hand (aka, the Palm's side) you have massive sweepers that seem to go on forever and can be taken at a
comfortable 80mph...cranked over far enough to skim cylinder heads.
So I had a chance to push the RA’s a bit harder while riding solo. A welcome thing since most of us ride solo anyway. That and it's
nice to really be able to push the bike hard.
The RA’s curvature is different. The bike definitely falls into turns. I mean FALLS into turns. Just a bit of pressure on the
steering and the bike flops over right quick. Quicker than anything I’ve ever ridden. I mean, it just rolls over as if it doesn’t want
to stop until the bike crashes into the asphalt. I had to wonder how Conti got the tire to do that...mind you, I ride a bike with very
conservative steering geometry so if it can make my bike flop like that it's a pretty big deal to me.
During one of the breaks in the ride I took a moment to compare the profiles of the RA’s and Andy’s Pilot Roads. Oh yeah, HUGE
difference. The RA’s looked like half a ball. It was very oddly round from top to bottom. The PR’s on the other hand looked like a
squashed or flattened out ball (Stand on a tennis ball and that’s what they kinda looked like).
The bigger surprise was found when I looked at the edge of the tire. I’m not quite sure how to explain this. When I rode on the Z6
or PR I could always tell when I hit the edge of the tire – the bike just didn’t want to increase lean angle any more. An invisible
wall if you will, created by the tire’s edge. The RA’s, being so round, just don’t have that same “hitting the edge” feel. In fact there
were several occasions where I had my bike leaned over to the point where I just knew I had maybe an inch of space between the
asphalt and the cylinder heads and the RA’s wanted to know if I wanted to lean further. No, THEY wanted to lean further. The
tires just seemed to have limitless encouragement to lean. Which is, quite odd, really.
Fact: My first test ride of a Z6 had me within ½” of the edge. My second ride had me to the outer edge of the Z6. I could hit the
edge of the tire at will and maximize my lean angles comfortably.
Fact: My first ride on the RA had me at 1” from the edge. My second ride has me at just over ½” from the edge. And I’m not likely
to get any closer the way the tire is profiled. That’s pretty much the limit on my bike. The tire may be able to lean more but my
cylinder heads won't allow it!
Ok, still more on the handling. Handling is so light that I’m readjusting how I ride the bike. Body steering inputs make the bike
move around a LOT. A quick shift to the left and the bike throws left instantly. A quick peg weight to the right and the bike moves
right, fast. On my Z6’s and M1’s I had to throw my weight around a lot more. Furthermore, I was also able to play with “tank
weighting”, that is, controlling my lean angle by putting pressure on the gas tank with my thighs. The Z6 & M1’s didn’t allow tank
weighting like this. I literally felt like I could pull the bike through a turn with my knees. Similarly, peg weighting was improved as
well.
All of this ability to turn comes at a price though. The bike is now so easy to turn and make mid-corner corrections that setting a
line has become a lot more difficult. It’s almost as if the bike wants to float through turns. Z6’s, PR’s, M1’s – you just set the line
and the bike arcs around the corner effortlessly and as if on rails. The RA’s on the other hand require attention mid turn to make
sure they don’t go wandering off! Several times I caught myself diving deeper into turns than I had intended or finding myself
wandering in the curve, making several corrections to work my way through. The tires just don’t hold the line the way the Z6’s do.
It’s quite likely that this is just a matter of getting used to the tires and the light touch they require.
At the end of the ride the tires were actually quite sticky to the touch. I hadn’t expected that.
So, at 400 miles here are my summary thoughts:
1. Smooth tread pattern does NOT track rain grooves.
2. Compliant, gentle ride. Not harsh like PR's.
3. Super easy to turn in…
3a. Doesn't hold a line as well as an M1 or Z6
4. Takes mid-corner corrections well.
5. But difficult to tell how close to the edge of the tire you are.
6. Gonna have chicken strips…
7. Sitcky enough (I haven’t slid out at all) in the dry.
8. Unknown wear at this point.
And the question so many people have been asking: Are they better than Z6’s? I dunno, but I got laid the day I mounted the RA’s…
Next post: After WCRM III
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