Fortunately in 2020 the UK motorcycle magazine MCN managed to test six of the best sports touring motorbike tires using a BMW R1250RS.

The only objective test included was a 70-0 mph dry braking (below), the rest of the results were taken from a 22 mile road route over many different surfaces, which two riders tested blind and rated the tires for steering, confidence, stability, ride quality and feel.

Be sure to check out the full test information at the MCN site www.motorcyclenews.com

Results

1st: Metzeler Roadtec 01 SE
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 2nd 50.68 M 50.61 M +0.07 M 99.86% Excellent steering, felt the sportiest of the bunch. They make the bike feel light and nimble with precise steering, excellent levels of confidence, very stable, good levels of grip from cold. Ride quality is a little harsher than some of the other tires in the test, but lots of feedback and feel. Wonderful tires. Read Reviews
2nd: Dunlop RoadSmart III
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 3rd 50.95 M 50.61 M +0.34 M 99.33% Linear and progressive, with a neutral feel. Super accurate with perfect tracking. Not quite as good from cold as the Metzelers, but once there's a tiny bit of heat, they're great. Good over bumps, but quite a firm ride overall. Read Reviews
3rd: Pirelli Angel GT II
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 5th 52.69 M 50.61 M +2.08 M 96.05% These make the bike feel light and accurate, lots of confidence, work really well from cold, and allow you to hold a line nicely through the corners with excellent feel. Also really stable, move around less than others over bumps and don't track in tramlines. Decent ride quality if not a little on the stuff side, feeling harsher over bumps on the motorway. Read Reviews
4th: Continental ContiRoadAttack 3
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 1st 50.61 M 100% Sportiest feeling tires on test, nimble and accurate, they drop into corners like a sports tire with high levels of confidence. When pushing hard a little vague on the rear, but for normal riding they're great. Slightly less feel than the other tires on test. Read Reviews
5th: Michelin Road 5
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 4th 52.01 M 50.61 M +1.4 M 97.31% The Road 5 makes the bike light to steer, nimble and accurate. They make direction changes easy and it feels like you can place the bike anywhere you want, with great confidence even from cold. Very stable at lower speeds but w hen riding quickly they felt a bit overwhelmed by the weight of the BMW. Read Reviews
6th: Bridgestone Battlax Sport Touring T31
180/55 R17 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Braking 6th 52.7 M 50.61 M +2.09 M 96.03% Steering is good with plenty of feel, however they take longer to warm up than others and felt a bit slithery until then. During faster riding, the TC light came on more with these tires than others on test, and they tended to tramline more than the others. They feel secure when the bike is lent over in fast corners but the ride quality isn't the best. Read Reviews