Tires – French tires more competitive than ever! – The Power One 17 “sculpted for leisure

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French tires more competitive than ever !

Tires - French tires more competitive than ever! - The Power One 17 & quot; carved for leisure

It was on the sublime Portimao track in Portugal that Michelin presented its latest motorcycle tire to the international press: the Michelin Power One. Or rather its latest tires because behind the same name actually hide 27 models ! Test.

The Power One 17 "sculpted for leisure

"We will go crescendo during this test", announce us the persons in charge of Michelin who present their novelties to us as they run. So we begin with the discovery of the 17-inch sculpted Power One," circuit / road "version..

This tire uses a technology already seen at Michelin: 2CT or "Two Compounds Technology", inaugurated on the Power Race in 2005 and declined since on the Pilot Power 2CT and Pilot Road 2: the tread is made of rubber more resistant to center than at the edges.

"Its characteristics offer the best balance between durability on the one hand and maximum grip on the angle on the other hand", recalls Michelin. Difficult for us to confirm it in just a few laps of the circuit, but we can however be fully satisfied with the transition between the two compounds when taking angles: the latter are easy and perfectly progressive. the CBR600RR that Site chose as its first mount !

Already available !

"The Power One has been available since the start of this year", tells us Gilles Elmoznino of the Michelin press service. On the other hand, for prices, it is necessary to investigate on the side of the dealers. Because unlike motorcycle dealers, tire distributors are free to set their own prices."A priori, the prices of the 17 "sculpted Power One should be in the same range (between +2 and + 4% increase) as the Power Races they replace.", gives us our interlocutor:"and now with the Internet, you can get an idea of ​​the prices charged in a few minutes". To your mice, then !

Great novelty for 2009, Michelin introduced on the entire Power One range (the 17 "circuit / road but also the 17" Racing and 16.5 "slicks) a new technology called SCT for" Synthetic Component Technology "…

As its name suggests, this "Technology" brings into play new 100% synthetic ingredients, supposed to offer the tire "ultra-fast start-up"."These same types of rubber were still used 2 or 3 years ago in MotoGP", Eric Leyval tells us..

And the development manager continues: "if the Power Race required one or two turns to heat up, the Power One only requires one or two turns". Michelin goes so far as to ensure that the knee can be put down from the first corner !

Small players, we did not try to attack from the first straight of the circuit out of the pits. But it is true that long before the end of the first loop, whether on the nice CBR600RR, the KTM RC8 coupler or the angry MV Agusta F4 1078 RR, the tires allowed us to take significant angles..

From the first loop, the Power One already made it possible to negotiate at high speed the large curve commanding the straight line of the circuit – you can get out of it at over 200 km / h! -, without fear of loss of grip or slippage à la Xaus (read the end of the second run,) !

And on the maximum angle, the pilot benefits almost from a slick tire … "As a reminder, it was Barry Sheene who was the first to win a race with a slick, in 1977", recalls Éric Leyval to introduce Michelin’s third discovery: the NST for" Near Slick Technology ".

The tire is therefore 95% slick, the 5% of grooves used mainly to "homologate the tire for non-slick championships", he explains. This ratio also allows the sculpted Power One to venture on the road..

In terms of grip, the Power One is therefore largely up to the task, and the guts will be those who will make it go on the slopes! The jerks on the go-around and the consequent engine braking of the RC8’s twin-cylinder did not surprise the rear tire, nor the power of the 4-cylinder of the F4, which needs to be whipped to express itself..

As for the profile, it remains round enough not to make the bike too nervous when turning. Its carcass "not too rigid"actively participates in this rapid building of confidence:"again the Power One circuit / route had to be easy", recalls Michelin’s R&D manager.

According to the Bibendum, the sports tire segment has grown by 90% in ten years. A trend that is not ready to be reversed and which in itself legitimizes the considerable efforts of Michelin and its competitors, invested in the development of its tires that are both efficient and accessible. !

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