ContiSportAttack 3 tops tyre test

Motorcycle tyres by Continental have real winning genes in their compound and bring in several awards from the motorcycle trade press every year. The most recent test champion is the ContiSportAttack 3, which confidently beat four competitors in the August/September 2017 issue of Austrian Motorrad magazine.

Competing in the test on a KTM 1290 Super Duke R were five pairs of tyres in sizes 120/70 ZR17 on the front and 190/55 ZR17 on the rear. In addition to the subjective impressions of experienced test riders, modern measurement technology also played a decisive role. For example, sensors for traction control and cornering ABS served the testing machine as pulse generators for data recording, which was evaluated by Andreas Keim from KTM’s research and development department.

A milestone in tyre traction was marked by the Conti super sport tyre’s ABS data in wet conditions. The difference in braking distance on dry and wet ground was only 3.62 metres (43.07 metres in wet conditions, 39.45 metres in dry conditions).

In contrast, the difference between braking in wet and dry weather for the four other test candidates was up to 9.85 metres. The test crew was visibly impressed by this new dimension in braking performance: “The clear favourite in our braking distance measurement – the ContiSportAttack 3 – requires just 9 per cent more braking distance on wet asphalt when braking from 100 to 0 km/h than on a dry road surface. This is a sensational result (…).”

Other testing stations were a handling track circuit and acceleration on a slope. The ContiSportAttack 3 achieved full marks in all disciplines and finished the test as the sole candidate with a “recommendation.”