Over the last 10 years, the “trail” motorcycle segment, which includes maxi-enduro, crossover, adventure and road enduro, has undergone a real surge. The demand for these vehicles has literally skyrocketed and consequently also the demand for tires dedicated to them, which in the last decade has recorded an increase of over 80%. For this reason, tire manufacturers have thrown themselves headlong into this segment, investing significant amounts in research and development that have led to a greater number of models on the market and increasingly sophisticated and high-performance products.
Bridgestone, for example, has an entire family of tires in its tire range designed specifically for these bikes. A family divided into three variants: the Battlax Adventure A41, designed for those who love to grind out kilometers upon kilometers on asphalt, the Battlax Adventure Trial AT41, for those who don’t mind a little off-road digression, and, finally, the Battlax Adventurecross AX41, designed for 50% asphalt and 50% dirt use. We already know these tires, they are not new to the market, but it is only when you use them one after the other that you have the chance to really understand the differences. And this in turn helps you make the right choice. For this reason, Bridgestone organized not just a simple test, but three intense days of riding that allowed us to thoroughly test all three tires and understand the real differences between them. A very respectable fleet of motorcycles was available, consisting of about twenty of the best enduro road bikes on the market. Different engine sizes, different wheel sizes, different riding settings: BMW F 900 GS and R 1300 GS, Ducati Multistrada V4, Honda Africa Twin, KTM 890 Adventure, MV Agusta Enduro Veloce, Suzuki V-Strom 800, Yamaha Ténéré… Bikes on which the tires were changed from time to time: A41, AT41 and AX41. All in a perfect location for a test of this kind: Serra da Estrella, a natural park south-east of Porto characterized by deserted roads, endless dirt roads and postcard landscapes that accompany us to the highest peak in continental Portugal, the 1,993 meters of Malhão de Estrela (fun fact: in 1716 King João V ordered the construction of a seven-meter-high tower, to reach an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level).
