Say Hello to the “20/80” Tire: Where the Track Meets the Street
By Geoff Drake
Originally published in BMW Owners News.
Let’s face it: pretty much all tires from major manufacturers are miracles compared to the waxy bricks we rode 30 or 40 years ago. Of course we can whine about cost, durability, traction, and a half-dozen other things. But when it comes to grip and compliance for normal, sane road riding, there isn’t a bad tire in the bunch. The science has advanced light years, and we’re all the beneficiaries of that. So let’s be happy about it. For the most part, terrible tires are a thing of the past.
Still, we’re a demanding group, and we want it all: a tire that sticks like epoxy, provides traction in all conditions, lasts 15,000 miles, and costs as much as a dinner on the town. But here’s the reality of motorcycle tires that many of us don’t want to confront: somewhere along the line, compromises must be made. No racer would expect his sticky gumball to last for a second race, or in some instances, beyond a few qualifying laps. Similarly, if our road tires stick like well-used chewing gum, they ain’t gonna last. And a slick tire, while providing maximum contact with the road, will be our enemy in wet or low-traction conditions, where a tire requires sipes to channel water.
The fact is, we want it all. It’s almost enough to make you pity the poor tire maker.
So what’s a company to do? Continental thinks it has an answer.
The Latest in a Long Line: the ContiSportAttack 5
Continental, like all tire makers, has chosen its particular path through this wilderness. And it has chosen well, with the new SportAttack 5 street tire.
The company has been making tires since 1871 for cars, motorcycles, and (first of all), bicycles. It calls its new SportAttack 5 a “20/80” tire, which stands for 20 percent track, 80 percent road. In other words, it’s a tire that likes to travel at supra-legal speeds, if given the chance. The SportAttack 5 is only made in 17-inch sizes, which makes it a good candidate for your S-, XR-, or RS-series BMW (check fitment below). Liter-bike fans may find the SportAttack 5 is just what they need for achieving new lean-angle stats on their TFT display. GS riders, on the other hand, should note that these are not the correct shoes for your next Backcountry Discovery Route.
The SportAttack line started in 2007, and technologies have been steadily added since that time, with the introduction of the SportAttack 2 in 2012, the SportAttack 3 in 2015, and the SportAttack 4 in 2020.
The SportAttack 5 is made in Germany and includes a completely new rubber compound and casing. The company says it’s the culmination of four years of development with BMW and KTM, along with input from former MotoGP star Jeremy McWilliams of Ireland.
The major feature added to this latest edition is something the company calls the “MultiZoneBelt”. As you can see in the accompanying graphic, the steel belts in the center of the tire are packed more densely together, while there are fewer belts, spaced more widely apart, at the edges. The company claims this provides a stiffer tire for stability and improved braking when the bike is straight up and down, while allowing more grip and compliance (comfort) when leaned over. Continental also claims that the new construction and compound make life easier by reducing warmup time, and eliminating the need to change tire pressures for track conditions. A pretty big claim.
The SportAttack 5 also includes technologies from other editions of the tire, including:
- BlackChili compound: Originally developed for the company’s bicycle tires, this improves rain grip and overall traction.
- TractionSkin: A mold-release technology that reduces the need for a break-in period: a relief to anyone who has had to tip-toe away from the dealer’s lot after getting new tires.
- RainGrip: A silica compound optimized for wet weather riding.
- GripLimitFeedback: For increased sensitivity at extreme lean angles, where this tire is intended to be used.
- MultiGrip: A compound that is specially cured to make the shoulders of the tire more flexible (improved grip), while providing more wear resistance in the center.
But what’s it all mean? Daniel Solórzano, head of Continental’s tire division for the Americas, says the tire “has more tread depth overall, for faster warmup and a boost in mileage. Another goal was to remove the need for pressure compromises between road and track, while still delivering predictable performance and confidence at higher speeds, using road pressures.”
Dicing in the Desert
With all this in mind, Continental gathered a dozen journalists and industry folks in Desert Center, California, for a day of testing on the 2.68-mile, undulating Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. As the name implies, the track is right in the center of, well, the desert, where temperatures ranged from the lower 70s to near 90 in March, giving us the opportunity to experience the varying conditions most of us encounter in the real world.
Continental supplied a variety of bikes, and I spent the day on the highly entertaining and tractable Suzuki GSX-8 and its brethren, the GSX-8TT, which has a small bikini fairing. Both retro-styled bikes include the same 776-cc parallel twin engine.
I may not have been as fast as many of the guys there, but I can safely say I rode as much as anyone, taking advantage of all the testing opportunities afforded me throughout the day (six, 30-minute sessions). I got progressively faster, and best of all, never had a “moment” or jeopardized my most important job of the summer: walking my daughter down the aisle at her forthcoming wedding. Nor did I devote much time or thought to warming up the tires, as is usually de rigueur for any track day.
I’ve done a lot of track riding in my life, and can safely say I’m no slouch, but this gang made me feel like a kid on a tricycle with sand in the wheel bearings. I relegated myself to the B group and that remained my happy place (see photo). The SportAttack 5 tires did a good job of ameliorating typical track-day concerns: the bike felt secure from the outset, even at extreme lean angles and under hard acceleration with the tire threatening to spin.
There were plenty of superfast guys capable of visiting other portions of the tire, including stunter Quinn Redeker, well known to the BMW cognoscenti. Quinn said he was putting his knee on the ground after just a couple of corners, right from the start of the day. I’ll take his word for it. You could have easily slipped a Webster’s Dictionary between my knee and the pavement, so I’ll have to trust his judgment to take the tires on a journey I was not capable of. But the SportAttack 5 tires did feel exceptionally confidence-inspiring, even for a mortal.
At the end of the day, I could only wonder: Is it even possible to cram more technology into a tire? Seems hard to believe, but you know manufacturers will keep trying. The good news is, we’re all the beneficiaries of this warfare.
And if the last 19 years of development are any indication, we look forward to seeing a SportAttack 6 at some point in the future; yet another tire I won’t be able to ride to its fullest potential. But, as with the new SportAttack 5, I’ll enjoy it nonetheless.
If you want a great street tire with track cred, the SportAttack 5 may be for you.
The ContiSportAttack 5 is available in the following sizes and MSRPs:
120/70ZR17 $279.95
160/60ZR17 $355.95
180/55ZR17 $363.95
190/55ZR17 $406.95
200/55ZR17 $420.95