Best Motorcycle Tires: Confidence-Inspiring Traction

When it comes to choices for motorcycle tires, there’s no shortage of options. But picking the right tire for your bike means being real about the type of riding you do. Do that, and you'll surely find the perfect tire for you here.

In my 20-odd years of motorcycling, I've done everything from scrubbing in slicks to rounding off knobbies, and learned that the best tire is the one that suits the riding you do. So I've been careful to create a list that encompasses a broad spectrum of motorcycle and riding styles. Although I haven't been able to personally test every tire on this list, I've ridden iterations of several models here, and my other picks are based on my institutional knowledge of the motorcycle industry. I reserve the right to change my picks, and I surely will, as new manufacturers and models ebb and flow in terms of quality.

Michelin’s Road 6 is an improvement over last year’s best overall pick, the Road 5, in almost every way. This sports touring tire should be your go-to if your rides involve a healthy mix of rain, shine, twisty roads, and highways. Michelin claims there’s an extra 15 percent of wet grip on tap when compared to the Road 5s, thanks to the combination of Michlien’s Silica Technology tread compound and Water Evergrip Tech tread pattern. The inclusion of Michelin’s 2CT+ technology should also give you more confidence in the corners, as it’s meant to provide better rigidity at lean.

It’s not just the grip and stability at lean that Michelin sought to improve, as the manufacturer claims the Road 6 has a 10 percent increase in tread life over its predecessor. Some Road 5s rear tires managed to get around 18,000 miles of life, so in theory, the Road 6s could be capable of nearly 20,000 miles before you need to replace them. These tires are perfect for sport, sport nakeds, and sport-touring machines as the rear is 17 inches, and the front comes in 17, 18, and 19-inch options. In terms of a combination of longevity and grip at low temperatures, this model remains king but be warned that such a premium tire comes with an appropriately premium price tag.

The Dunlop Roadsmart 3 Tires aren’t cheap, but rather, extremely good value. These tires are perfect for year-round riders who are logging a lot of miles in all conditions. It features a multi-tread compound, meaning there’s a hard rubber compound in the center of the tire to help reduce wear when racking up highway miles, but softer rubber on the shoulders to improve grip. This is combined with a tri-polymer blend and high-dispersion silica mix to provide even better mileage and great wet-weather grip.

There’s an interlocking groove tread, which provides excellent water evacuation and promotes even tire wear. The wet-weather grip shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the tire’s construction, but what is surprising is the amount of dry-grip on offer from a tire at this price point. Although, this is by no means a sports tire. Users can expect about 20,000 miles from the front tire and approximately 13,000 from the rear. It's worth noting that the Dunlop Roadsmart 4s are available, but if anything, that just makes the Roadsmart 3s even better value.

As the proud owner of a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIIs, the Diablo Rosso IV advances the model in every way you’d want. This tire gives as much grip as you could ask for on the street. If you want a stickier tire, you should mainly be using it to ride to the track. But that’s not to say the Diablo Rosso IV isn't at home on the track because it absolutely is. The deep-V profile ensures turn-ins and transitions are quick, and since the lyocell strands are 30% stronger than the previous version, it’s more stable too.

These tires have large contact patches, which give outstanding grip in dry conditions. But, for this same reason, the wet-weather grip is relatively poor by comparison, as there isn’t much thread to clear the water beneath you. It takes a bit of work to get the Rosso IVs up to optimal running temperatures, but when they are, confidence-inspiring grip is aplenty. All of this grip comes at a cost, however, and you’d do well to get 5,000 miles out of the rear. But, if you’re a fair-weather motorcyclist who enjoys spirited rides on a naked or supersport, this is the model to go for.

The previous generation of the Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 was a favorite for track riders, and the latest, heavily updated iteration builds on its success. When Pirelli launched the Diablo Supercorsa in 2007, it did so with the vision of selling a street-legal tire that motorcyclists could ride to the track on. The latest model uses a wider section of structural cords made up of textile fibers that are braided together to give the tire better rigidity and greater shock-absorbing capabilities. It also uses a new compound for improved grip, and for the first time, the front tire is a dual compound, so it should have improved longevity.

The iconic flash thread pattern is now an interrupted flash, which provides a larger contact area with the road and reduces the risk of groove deformation. There are different radius profiles at different lean angles because of the slightly pointed profile, which is intended to maximize entry and exit speeds. The shoulders are still slick and provide tons of grip when you’re on the limit if the previous iteration is anything to go by. It’s too early to say what mileage you can expect from such a new tire, but I wouldn’t hope for much more than 2,500. And although these tires are street-legal, they’re the last tires you want to ride in the rain with.

If you want a road-focused adventure tire, don’t look past the Continental Trail Attack 3. These tires are meant for riders who treat adventure bikes like touring/sports touring motorcycles, so think of them as 90/10 tires, and please look at my 50/50 tire pick if you regularly go off-road. This model warms up faster than its predecessor and is supposed to get better mileage. It features Continental’s MultiGrip technology, which is meant to improve grip and longevity. Instead of using dual compounds, Continental uses different cure temperatures in different zones of the tire, resulting in a smoother transition from the center to the side of the tire.

There’s a 0-degree steel belt construction on the rear, which should improve stability and comfort at high speeds. This model features Continental’s TractionSkin tread surface, which not only decreases the tire's warm-up time but also scrubs the tire in faster thanks to its abrasive surface. You can expect to get around 8,000 to 11,000 miles out of the rear tire. The sizing options cover practically all adventure motorcycles on the road, and these tires are eligible for Continental’s free 3-year roadside warranty. These tires are on the pricier end of the spectrum but also have a lot on offer.

For those of you who like to push your adventure bikes off-road but ride healthy stints on pavement, there's the Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross AX41. Bridgestone claims this is a 40/60 (on-road/off-road) tire, but that’s splitting hairs, as this is the tire dominating the 50/50 class. As you’d expect from a tubeless 50/50 tire, this model uses a block tread pattern to provide plenty of mechanical grip off-road while handling on-road riding relatively well.

Anyone who’s used 50/50 tires knows that the biggest problem with a block pattern is leading edge degradation. To combat this, Bridgestone uses a staggered block pattern to reduce leading edge wear, which should give you more mechanical off-road grip for longer. What this looks like in the real world is 2,500 to 3,000 miles of off-road riding before you start to lose mechanical grip, and you can expect up to 5,000 miles out of the rear tire on pavement. The most important thing is, to be honest with yourself about the type of riding you do because if it’s mainly on-road, you’ll sacrifice grip and longevity.

If you’re looking for a great all-around, durable, sports-touring motorcycle tire that’s suitable for a wide variety of applications, my top choice overall has to be the Michelin Road 6. If you're on a tight budget, Dunlop's Roadsmart 3 offers insane longevity and wet-weather grip for such a low price point.

Here's everything you need to consider when buying motorcycle tires.

When it comes to the ideal motorcycle tires, size matters. For optimum performance, be sure to pick a tire that’s the same size as the original tire for your specific bike. You may be tempted to go with a wider tire for better grip or cornering performance, but double check to be sure that you aren’t going to compromise safety. 

Pattern is a huge factor. If you ride primarily in dry conditions or on a track, you’ll likely opt for something slick with fewer channels. If you want to ride around town or are a daily commuter who often gets caught in wet weather, you need a tread pattern that has more aggressive grooves and sipes that can efficiently clear water so you don’t lose traction. Obviously, off-road applications require an aggressive, knobby tire with a blocky and deep tread pattern that can chew up gravel and loose soil.

If a motorcycle tire is constructed from single-compound rubber, it will give you confident and superior grip at lean angles. A dual-compound tire features softer rubber on the sidewalls and is harder in the center. This decreases overall wear without sacrificing a lot of grippiness, which can be a good choice for a street tire, cruiser, or commuter.

As with car tires, a motorcycle radial tire features steel belts that run at 90-degree angles to the tread’s centerline. They’re rigid and offer solid traction but tend to wear down quicker. Bias-ply tires incorporate nylon belts that run at 30- to 45-degree angles to the centerline. This is better for carrying heavier loads or having a softer ride. 

Tube tires are traditional. They’re still common on vintage bikes and are a more affordable option. The newer tubeless tires run cooler. They might offer better performance and handling and tend to deflate slower than tube tires. They are pricier, though.

Less than $100 will get you a fine commuter tire, whereas track day fiends will need to dish out more than $250 if they want appropriately fresh rubber. Everything else falls in between this price range.

You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.