- Joined
- Mar 18, 2006
- Messages
- 2,824
- Age
- 70
- Location
- Ilkley, W Yorkshire, UK
- Bike
- 2013 ST1300 A9
- 2024 Miles
- 000679
- STOC #
- 2570
This is an explanation that the product manager for Bridgestone Europe gave me in repsonse to my query as to why the BT023 standard version was approved for the ST1100 and the GT version was the one that was approved for the ST1300.
The content of this post is not the original. I deleted that in error. I'm pretty sure that this email is what was contained in the original post of 9 years ago. The information is certainly agood insight into the tyre recommendations provided by manufacturer. Reading between the lines it is also possible to deduce that just because a tyre is made in a size that fits your bike, it doesn't follow that it is the recommended for that model. The manufacturers recommendations are the things to go by, not the size.
Hi John,
Thank you for getting back to me.
Yes, the BT-023 standard version is approved for the ST1100 as advised in my previous mail.
The BT-023 GT was indeed produced for heavier bikes but that does not mean it will work to the required standard on all heavy bikes. It actually works very well on some much lighter bikes too. All tyres have to be tested and one cannot just assume that because the bike is heavy the GT spec is the tyre to use.
The standard is not “just approved for the ST1100 because we do not make a GT version!” It’s approved because we have tested it and it passes our stringent test criteria. We do not just recommend a pair of tyres without testing them first or because another variant is not made in a particular size.
It’s not just about weight, it’s about the whole make-up of the bike, like the quality of the suspension. Tyres have their own unique self-damping properties and sometimes the standard tyre will suit a particular bike better, even if it’s a heavy bike!
The ST1300 is a different bike with a different weight, different aerodynamics and different weight distribution. It’s a different bike! They cannot be compared as like for like. As advised, just because one tyre works on the ST1300 does not mean it will work on the ST1100 and this can be said for many other bikes and their varying models.
I trust this helps you to understand?
Many thanks and again, thank you for your mails.
Kind Regards,
The content of this post is not the original. I deleted that in error. I'm pretty sure that this email is what was contained in the original post of 9 years ago. The information is certainly agood insight into the tyre recommendations provided by manufacturer. Reading between the lines it is also possible to deduce that just because a tyre is made in a size that fits your bike, it doesn't follow that it is the recommended for that model. The manufacturers recommendations are the things to go by, not the size.
Last edited:
