New Battlax T30 vs BT-023

jfheath said:

Just for info.

Having had previous communications with Bridgestone regarding the suitability of their tyres for ST1100 and ST1300, I checked with Bridgestone Customer Services via their UK website regarding fitting the T30 GT tyres to an ST1300.

Simple Question: Is the T30GT recommended for the Honda ST1300 please?

I eventually got the reply below.

Dear Mr. Heath,

You asked us a question on 3/25/2014 at 11:52:03 PM. The answer is:
Thanks for your enquiry.

Please see below for a list of compatible tyres for your bike.

79138 120/70 ZR 18 (59W) tl BT 020 F F
77289 170/60 ZR 17 (72W) tl BT 020 R F

3516 120/70 ZR 18 (59W) tl BT 023 F GT
4873 170/60 ZR 17 (72W) tl BT 023 R GT

We would not recommend fitting T30GT's however this is not a legal requirement & is entirely your decision.

Kind regards,
(name supplied)
Customer service department

No reason was given for this statement. It took them over a year to approve the BT023GT for the ST1300 though.

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That response surprised me, I thought / assumed they had been approved already !
cheers for the info.

Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures, I replaced both front and rear tyres at 10k miles (rear picked up a nail)



Front (not too bad)


Rear (squared)

ShifTing said:

Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures, I replaced both front and rear tyres at 10k miles (rear picked up a nail)

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You have 10,000 miles on those tyres and that's all the wear they're showing?? I can't understand how your getting that mileage,and I'd probably be taking another few thousand out of them based on those pics.
I can understand more the mileage that's being got in North America on bikes that do a lot of long distance highway miles,less braking, acelleration etc than the average mile travelled this side of the pond.
I got 8000 on the bt023's but I probably should have changed them at 7000 or before,the rear was showing the bands when I changed it,not good.

I was happily surprised by the wear rate too Broc, usually average between 7 & 8 k on the bt020f !.

Guess Bridgestone's claim of better mileage is true

ShifTing said:

Sorry for the delay in posting these pictures, I replaced both front and rear tyres at 10k miles (rear picked up a nail)

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What kind of roads are you riding and are you easy on throttle??

Hi 970mike, the majority of my mileage can be split equally between motorway (steady 70mph) and inner city (lots of stops and starts). I do tend to be easy on the throttle, as I prefer the constant progress approach over frantic acceleration and braking.

I've been trying to research these but I don't see where they go on the ST1300. They are not listed as a replacement on the 1300 from what I can tell.

ST-Traveler said:

I've been trying to research these but I don't see where they go on the ST1300. They are not listed as a replacement on the 1300 from what I can tell.

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Depends on where you are looking. If you in the USA and are looking at the Honda manual or tire data sticker on the rear fender then only the Bridgestone BT020F is recommended by Honda Motor Co (the Dunlop D220FST is NLA). If you look at the DOT placard on the headstock you see any correct diameter motorcycle MC tire of the correct Load Index (59W front, 72W rear) Width & Aspect Ratio (120/70 F and 170/60 R) and Speed Rating (ZR 168 mph) meets the DOT specification when the motorcycle was approved for sale in the USA.

Find any tire that meets the criteria and you can fit it safely. However, some manufacturers will sell you a tire that meets Honda's and the DOT 's specifications but they do not want the exposure to liability if you kill yourself on the bike and won't list it in their fitment guide. In Bridgestone's case the BT020F is still in production for the ST1300 and it's fitment trumps the BT023 or T30, both of which benefit from years of tire improvement since the BT020 was developed.

In other countries not as liberal as the USA you may not be allowed to fit tires not listed as approved fitments.

jfheath said:

Just for info.

Having had previous communications with Bridgestone regarding the suitability of their tyres for ST1100 and ST1300, I checked with Bridgestone Customer Services via their UK website regarding fitting the T30 GT tyres to an ST1300.

Simple Question: Is the T30GT recommended for the Honda ST1300 please?

I eventually got the reply below.

Dear Mr. Heath,

You asked us a question on 3/25/2014 at 11:52:03 PM. The answer is:
Thanks for your enquiry.

Please see below for a list of compatible tyres for your bike.

79138 120/70 ZR 18 (59W) tl BT 020 F F
77289 170/60 ZR 17 (72W) tl BT 020 R F

3516 120/70 ZR 18 (59W) tl BT 023 F GT
4873 170/60 ZR 17 (72W) tl BT 023 R GT

We would not recommend fitting T30GT's however this is not a legal requirement & is entirely your decision.

Kind regards,
(name supplied)
Customer service department

No reason was given for this statement. It took them over a year to approve the BT023GT for the ST1300 though.

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WELL Bridgestone may not recommend the T30 GT tires.....but I do.
The more I run them the more I like them. Light steering, great grip, quiet, etc. Now please give good mileage.

I'm still running the ST1100 and just recently mounted a Bridgestone Battlax T30 120/70 ZR18 GT SPEC 59W on the front of the bike. I like it. Handling is superb and it is much quieter than the O23 it replaced.
My question is about the T30 for the rear of the ST1100. I'd like to mount the GT spec, but I think it only comes in a wider tire than the ST1100 specifies: 170/60ZR17 GT. Will the wider 170/60 mount the ST1100? It calls for 160/70.

Thanks

Rav

ravgardner said:

Will the wider 170/60 mount the ST1100? It calls for 160/70.

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It will fit from what I've read,and some owners on here use the wider size, but I opted for the non GT spec in the correct size after getting advice,160/70/17
I used the GT spec front tyre same as you, great tyres.

I was just on the Bridgestone Website. It lists the T30 in the stock sizes for the ST1100! It said nothing about GT. Seemed to suggest the non GT. I'm gettin' some when the current tires wear out.

I am very happy with the way the T30 GT tires handle on my ST1300.

I have just changed my bike over to the ST1300 (I missed it too much!) and have just fitted the T30 GT's tyres.....They are awesome a lot better handling than the 023's (as Bridgestone claims). I highly recommend them !
Front 120/70 ZR 18 m/c 59W
Rear 170/60 ZR 17 m/c 72W

The GT tyres are specifically made for heavy tourers (Pan etc)

In Europe the T30 sets are avail in both ST1100 dimensions; no mentioning of the GT version though, will have to inquire my stealer about this (the bloke who made a fuss about me ordering G547/548 two days ago ;-) )

I've mounted T30 GT prior to attending WeSTOC. I gave them a good workout on a Hwy 36, 3, 299 loop. Outside of a little slip on a fresh tar snake, they stuck like glue. I don't have enough miles yet to offer an opinion on the wear.

NorCal_Ed said:

I've mounted T30 GT prior to attending WeSTOC. I gave them a good workout on a Hwy 36, 3, 299 loop. Outside of a little slip on a fresh tar snake, they stuck like glue. I don't have enough miles yet to offer an opinion on the wear.

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Having been on those roads, I would say that was a great test!

Just ordered a set of T-30's for my 1100 yesterday from Revzilla. Cheapest of any place I searched. Plus I had Zilla cash there. Will see how they do as I sometimes pull my Lees-ure Lite camping trailer. Have been running Excedras.

If you want to read some more about these tyres:

http://www.bridgestonemotorsport.com/championships/other/news/2863/bridgestone_launches_battlax_sport_touring_t30_motorcycle_tyre__and_puts_the_pleasure_back_in_touring

In the UK I paid ?270 for front & rear fitted with new valves & balance ($439.14).

The only disappointment was the specialist m/cycle tyre garage didn't torque my wheel nuts nor calipers, they said they are used to doing this by hand......Honda say this should ALWAYS be done so I had to go to a Honda garage to have this completed as you can either over tighten or not tighten enough.