The Bridgestone Battlax BT-003RS tires that Cycle News reviewed in issue 17 are finally available in North America. The high-performance/track-day tires replace the BT-002RS tires and were designed for aggressive street riders and/or the occasional track-day riders. (The R in the BT-003RS is for Racing, and the S is for Street.) The technology in these buns was derived from MotoGP, using multi-layer compounds.
The BT-003RS front tire has a Dual Tread Compound (DTC): a center compound for linear handling and longer wear life, flanked by a shoulder compound (New "Ultraction Compound") to secure high grip and a strong contact feeling.
The rear tire is designed with a center compound that gives good stability and higher mileage, while the rear's shoulder compound (New "Ultraction Compound") transfers the engine power to the road with strong traction and provides strong side grip and more contact feeling at deep lean angles. The 140, 150 and 160 rears have Triple Tread Compound, as was first used in the Battlax BT-016 last year.
Front and rear construction is based on Bridgestone's proven High Tensile Super Penetrated Cord (HTSPC) platform with steel Mono Spiral Belt (MSB). This one-piece construction enhances slide controllability and line-holding through corners, while providing good shock absorption. The increased compression stiffness it produces helps to maintain a uniform contact patch and stability at high speeds.
Noticeable S-shaped grooves in the center tread area (for both front and rear) provide improved contact feel and precise cornering ability. Also, wide lug grooves placed from the center to the shoulder tread area enhance drainage and wet performance for practical road use.

What does all this mean?

"Bridgestone has managed to find a good balance between track performance and street compliance with its new BT-003," Tom Montano, Cycle News test rider, explained in his article. "The new BT-003 comes in sizes that will work on smaller 250cc all the way to the big open class bikes."

Motorcyclists in North America can choose from  three front-wheel sizes and six rear-wheel sizes, as shown in the pictured chart.

If you are a subscriber to the online edition of Cycle News, you can see the full review of the BT-003RS:  Just log in to the online edition of Cycle News, and select the  back issue dated May 6, 2009.

If you are already logged in, you can simply click  here 

Manufacturers Suggested Retail Pricing:-

110/70ZR17 $169.50
120/60ZR17 $177.22
120/70ZR17 $184.78

140/70ZR17 $188.86
150/60ZR17 $208.69
160/60ZR17 $216.74
180/55ZR17 $244.98
190/50ZR17 $274.91
190/55ZR17 $280.77