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Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41 Tires


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You may have seen me post these at our IG feed and/or the AIMExpo thread in ride reports but I thought I'd also put it here.  Bridgestone is out with a brand-new adventure bike tire called the Battlax Adventurecross AX41.  A mouthful huh?

I don't really know much about them but the response seems mostly positive with some comments indicating a negative history with their old tires, the Battlewings or "death wings" as they've been called.  They look pretty good to me as far as a 40/60 (street/dirt) tire and resemble both the Karoo 3 and Anakee Wild.

From their brochure:

Designed specifically with the Adventure enthusiast in mind.  This 40/60 Adventure tire is the perfect compliment to your modern Adventure motorcycle, and delivers uncompromising performance both on and off road.

  • The BATTLAX ADVENTURECROSS AX41 offers improved off-road traction from a new pattern design, compound and high cross sectional area.
  • The new compound, pattern design, and block wall angle optimization have improved the durability of the AX41.
  • The new Anti-Irregular Wear Block has improved the performance on road by reducing block deformation due to step wear.

IMG_3122.JPG IMG_3123 2.JPG

New Durable Compound.  New Pattern Design.  Larger Diameter Design.  New Block Profile Design.

Front sizes:  100/90-19, 110/80-19, 120/70-19, 90/90-21

Rear sizes: 140/80-17, 150/70/17, 170/60-17, 150/70-18, 130/80/17.

All sizes Q speed rated.  Front load ratings are 54-60 and rear are 65-72.

No indication whether tubeless or tube type but I'm guessing both. Edit: They're saying tubeless and can also run tubes so I guessed correctly.

No word on pricing (yet) but they're saying "competitive" so hopefully not more than $300 for a set.

They're saying shipping in January '19 to dealers so to the rider in Feb.

 

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  • 5 months later...
They certainly have the look. Let us know how they go-
So far so good. Felt "odd" for the 1st 20 miles or so but one they scrubbed they felt pretty planted on the street. Ive been cautious cornering but quickly gaining more confidence on them. They're a bit noisy at certain speeds on certain surfaces but I knew that would be the case going in. Haven't seen much dirt use yet but initial impressions on dirt roads are very good...night and day better than the Anakee Adventures. My passenger can't hear them at all but the pilot inside the bubble can.
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Buddy of mine sent me these pics and suggests the rim damage comes from sidewalls that are too soft. This is from the KTM Adventure challenge in Park City

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If someone would show me that without any background I'd say...too much speed verses a sharp impact with not enough tire pressure for the conditions or tire.

 

Given that sidewalls are dumb and don't know how stiff they are, I'd still say not enough pressure. I don't know what the interior surface area of a given tire is but 30PSI as an example X 300 sq/in as an example = 9000lb of force at the interior of the tire. I'm not convinced that any sidewall on these types of tires are going to add significantly to that.

 

But I could be wrong so just ignore all that. Thinking out loud

 

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I actually see this happen a lot. Not with motorcycles but on side by sides. I went up to wind rock for Christmas with my RZR Hi lifter and that place is well known for causing people to lose their tires. I ran 4 to 5 PSI higher than what most people recommend and surprise...gobs of traction, no lost tires. And this over some seriously sharp rocks. I covered 40 miles, sweating bullets the whole way because I didn't have a spare. I found the same thing with my mountain bikes where people are recommending pressures that just don't make sense for my body weight. I ignore them and don't have anywhere near the issues they have. I think people like to tease the limits of tire pressure too much sometimes. If low equals good then lower must equal better. I think they end up crossing a line.

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My fat ass is also 220, and I don't ever air down the rear.  When it brakes loose on the dirt at street pressure (34psi) it is very predictable and usually fun.  The front however gains noticeable line holding ability when dropping from street 35 to dirt 28 and I don't air down every time I hit the dirt either.  I spent this last weekend exploring the Mojave Preserve at a very leisurely pace, so I didn't bother to air down at all, no problems.  

Now if I'm riding at say an @Rogers type pace, dropping the front pressure a bit yields a great advantage in the corners on loose stuff. 

BTW who's bike is that Eric?  I rode the Park City Ultimate Race too and there was some rocks but good grief!  12 psi?

Edited by greedyg
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On 4/8/2019 at 12:26 PM, greedyg said:

My fat ass is also 220, and I don't ever air down the rear.  When it brakes loose on the dirt at street pressure (34psi) it is very predictable and usually fun.  The front however gains noticeable line holding ability when dropping from street 35 to dirt 28 and I don't air down every time I hit the dirt either.  I spent this last weekend exploring the Mojave Preserve at a very leisurely pace, so I didn't bother to air down at all, no problems.  

Now if I'm riding at say an @Rogers type pace, dropping the front pressure a bit yields a great advantage in the corners on loose stuff. 

BTW who's bike is that Eric?  I rode the Park City Ultimate Race too and there was some rocks but good grief!  12 psi?

I'm at 20-23psi front and 15-20psi rear. Street or Dirt. I like low pressures. Mojaves gonna be fun! I have a new GoPro Hero 7 this time.

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  • 4 months later...
Again, sample of one but this guy posted about this tire vis a vis a Tractionator Adventure.  Apples/oranges maybe but the bottom line seems to be a point on longevity.  Great comments too, in particular one from [mention=13]Manybikes[/mention]  

 

The comparison comments from the owner that has all of them were valuable. I ride in places where there's often a light layer of sand on the road that you cant see, where a harder compound could be deadly in corners. So far the AX41s are quite confidence inspiring on the street...at least for a set of knobbies. I think I'll be OK sacrificing some mileage for traction on the street.  

I'm not completely happy with the front tire performance in deep sugar or peanut butter sand. The front end gets scary and wants to slide.

 

Of course you could argue that there probably isn't a tire that can handle that stuff under the weight of a GSA.

 

 

 

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