After 1500Km with the AT41
Report on the Bridgestone AT41.
Drove 1500km with the Bridgestone AT41 Tyres last week.
The first thing that struck me is the large number of studs on the new tyre. This is much more than with previous tyres. It is remarkable that I have ridden them off the rear tyre but they are still 50% present on the front tyre.
Unfortunately and of course also nice, I have not yet driven with wet road surface and I mean during rain showers. But the first impression is.. a lot of grip on the road! The somewhat coarse profile gives a lot of confidence and invites sharp turns and fast corners.
On the highway with two full suitcases, the stability is perfect. Just tested, but up to 185 km/h nothing wrong with the counter. The cruising speed of around 130km/h is just fine .. stable straight ahead!
Off-road… well then you will appeal to the 20% in my opinion. And for me that means a sand or gravel path underneath. It was of course dry weather. But the grip is good and you can notice the effect of the more studded tyre.
The Bridgestone AX41 finds its way even more when it comes to off-road thanks to the sturdy studs.
But also with the AT41 it is loosely holding the steering wheel and the tyre finds its way. Here you really notice the difference with the A41 tyre.
The lesser points, the tyre is of course still new and the profile is maximum. But on my DL1050 the rear tyre makes a buzzing sound between 100 and 115km/h. Whether this is a nuisance is of course very personal. This remains a subjective experience.
Last week Peter and I had contact with Bridgestone about this. They also indicate that it can depend on many factors.
Another critical point is of course wear and tear, with the A41 I have driven 16000km and with the real studded tyre the AX41 only 6000km. Bridgestone indicates that the AT41 should perform well in terms of wear. And we will experience that in the coming period. I measure the profile depth every 1000km and keep you informed.
Summary, The AT41 is a really good and beautiful Vstrom tyre especially in terms of looks.
The profile is tough and belongs to the Vstrom. The driving qualities are in order and a piece of gravel or sand road is a party. The tyre noise that occurs at 100 and 115 km/h is audible on my motorcycle but is not recognised by Bridgestone on other motorcycles. It will probably also decrease as the tyre wears more.
All in all a nice addition to motorcycle tyre country.
