In the most comprehensive motorcycle tire comparison test ever conducted by PS Magazine, twelve high-performance motorcycle tires went head-to-head to answer a fundamental question: how close can everyday sport tires get to specialized hypersport rubber when pushed to their limits?

The April 2025 test put six sport tires against six hypersport models from the industry's leading manufacturers—Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Metzeler, Michelin, and Pirelli. Each manufacturer contributed both a sport and a hypersport option, creating the perfect conditions for direct comparisons between brands and tire categories.

Testing took place at Goodyear/Dunlop's premier testing facility in southern France, where temperatures ranged between 14-18°C—typical conditions riders might encounter during shoulder-season track days. The test bike was a BMW S 1000 RR

Sport vs. Hypersport: Breaking Down the Differences

The fundamental distinctions between these categories lie in their construction and intended use. Hypersport tires feature stickier rubber compounds, higher positive profile ratios with minimal tread grooves, and stiffer carcasses. They're designed primarily for track use in dry conditions, prioritizing maximum grip and stability at extreme lean angles.

Sport tires, by contrast, offer more versatile performance with better wet-weather capability, longer wear characteristics, and quicker warm-up times—making them more suitable for varied road conditions throughout the year.

Surprising Results

Perhaps the most striking outcome of the test how blurred the lines have become between these two categories. The test's standout performer was the Dunlop Sportsmart MK4, a sport tire that claimed the overall victory by excelling across all test criteria. The MK4 demonstrated exceptional cold-running behavior, precise and effortless turn-in, and transparent feedback—all while delivering the fastest wet lap time by a considerable margin.

The Pirelli Supercorsa SP V4 secured the hypersport category victory and second place overall, posting the fastest dry lap time of any tire tested. Its transparent feedback and exceptional precision made it the benchmark for pure track performance.

Interestingly, the results showed significant crossover between categories. Two sport tires outperformed two hypersport options on the dry track, while three of the best hypersport performers in wet conditions outpaced the least capable sport tire. This indicates that the traditional segregation between these categories is becoming increasingly fluid, with top performers in each group encroaching on the other's traditional territory.

Weather Matters

The test highlighted the critical importance of conditions when selecting tires. While hypersport options generally required a lap or two to reach optimal operating temperature even in moderate conditions, most sport tires were ready to deliver performance after just a few corners.

In wet conditions, the gap became more pronounced, with the Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 outpacing the slowest hypersport tire (Continental RaceAttack 2 Street) by over 11 seconds per lap on the wet handling course. However, versatile hypersport options like the Michelin Power GP2 demonstrated impressive adaptability, proving that some cutting-edge hypersport designs can maintain reasonable wet-weather capability.

The Final Verdict

This landmark comparison revealed that for most road riders—even those who occasionally participate in track days—modern sport tires offer an exceptional balance of performance characteristics. The test's findings suggest that unless you're exclusively focused on track riding in dry conditions, the latest generation of sport tires provides grip levels that were once the exclusive domain of specialized track rubber, combined with superior versatility and safety in varied conditions.

For those seeking pure track performance regardless of conditions, the test highlighted several standout options that bridge the gap between categories, particularly the Michelin Power GP2, which delivered strong performance across all conditions while maintaining hypersport-level grip.

As the testers concluded, even normal sport tires now offer grip reserves that can hardly be fully utilized on public roads—a testament to how far motorcycle tire technology has advanced in recent years.

Dry

Wet

Results

1st: Dunlop Sportsmart MK4
190/55 R17 Origin: France Weight: 10.54 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 9th 82.64 s 79.82 s +2.82 s 96.59% Wet Handling 1st 72.64 s 100% The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is a sport category tire that emerged as the overall winner in this comprehensive test. This brand-new tire excels with its exceptional cold-running behavior, requiring minimal warm-up time before it's ready to deliver optimal performance. Riders will appreciate its incredibly easy and precise turn-in capabilities and outstanding feedback both front and rear, creating what the testers described as a "heightened pleasure factor" when cornering. Its behavior at the grip limit is particularly noteworthy, with slides beginning relatively late and remaining highly controllable under skilled hands. The MK4 was the absolute fastest tire in wet conditions with the best wet lap time in the entire test, dominating both sport and hypersport competitors by a significant margin. Its exceptional wet handling is complemented by excellent braking performance and outstanding feedback in these challenging conditions. Read Reviews
2nd: Pirelli Supercorsa SP V4
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 10.88 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 1st 79.82 s 100% Wet Handling 8th 78.63 s 72.64 s +5.99 s 92.38% The Pirelli Supercorsa SP V4 represents the hypersport tire category and secured the fastest lap time on the dry track, setting the benchmark that no other tire could match. This tire delivers what testers described as the most transparent feedback of any tire in the comparison, combined with exceptional precision when entering and exiting corners. It handles pressure exceptionally well, both when braking into turns and when accelerating out. Following its 2023 update, the developers infused even more sporty characteristics, though this comes somewhat at the expense of cold-running behavior. The tire shows excellent behavior at the grip limit for a hypersport option, scoring the highest points in this category among all hypersport tires and demonstrating surprising predictability for such a performance-focused product. Read Reviews
3rd: Metzeler Sportec M9 RR
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 11.12 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 6th 81.71 s 79.82 s +1.89 s 97.69% Wet Handling 3rd 74.13 s 72.64 s +1.49 s 97.99% The Metzeler M9 RR is a sport tire that continues to impress despite celebrating its sixth birthday during the test year. Its combination of excellent braking force transmission and transparent feedback enables late and deep braking into corners. The tire offers abundant grip reserves both front and rear, which helped it achieve the fastest lap time among the sport tire category and one of the quickest among all tires tested. When pushed hard, there's some slight movement at the rear, and minor criticisms were noted regarding handling, but these are truly minimal issues. In wet conditions, the M9 RR excelled with the fourth-best wet lap time overall, showing excellent balance between dry and wet performance that few competitors could match. Read Reviews
4th: Michelin Power GP2
190/55 R17 Origin: Spain Weight: 10.24 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 3rd 80.93 s 79.82 s +1.11 s 98.63% Wet Handling 6th 76.19 s 72.64 s +3.55 s 95.34% The Michelin Power GP2 falls into the hypersport category but functions as a bridge between sport and hypersport tires. It remains stable in all situations, offers precise tracking, excellent handling, and outstanding feedback. The GP2 delivers quick lap times despite requiring a relatively short warm-up phase compared to other hypersport tires. In wet conditions, it proved to be the best-performing hypersport tire in the test, securing the best wet handling score in its class and the second-best wet lap time overall. Testers highlighted it as the "insider tip" for riders wanting a comprehensive all-season package from race track to cool, wet weather. Its only notable weakness is a somewhat abrupt loss of grip when pushed to the absolute limit. Read Reviews
5th: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 11.01 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 8th 82.04 s 79.82 s +2.22 s 97.29% Wet Handling 5th 74.64 s 72.64 s +2 s 97.32% The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV is a sport tire that shares many characteristics with its hypersport sibling but is more oriented toward everyday sporty usage. The extremely transparent feedback—described as allowing you to "feel everything precisely"—and short warm-up phase make the Rosso IV tremendously enjoyable to ride. Like the Metzeler M9 RR, hard pushing creates some movement in the rear, but the resulting slides remain well-controllable. It demonstrated impressive wet handling capabilities, ranking fifth overall in wet lap times among all tires tested, making it one of the better wet-weather performers while still maintaining strong dry-track capabilities. Read Reviews
6th: Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23
190/55 R17 Origin: Japan Weight: 11.52 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 10th 83.05 s 79.82 s +3.23 s 96.11% Wet Handling 2nd 73.45 s 72.64 s +0.81 s 98.9% The Bridgestone S23 is a sport tire released the year before the test that demonstrates a small time deficit on the track but a significant advantage on the wet handling course compared to its hypersport counterpart. Its strongest attributes include crystal-clear feedback at the front, ultra-precise and light-footed turn-in characteristics, and high stability at corner entry. When powering out of corners, it introduces some instability into the rear, and the test BMW began sliding relatively early compared to other tires. However, with gentle throttle application, these slides remain easily controllable. It was one of three tires showing premature wear during the test, but its excellent wet-weather performance—achieving the second-best wet lap time among all sport tires and the fifth-best overall—confirms its impressive qualities in challenging conditions. Read Reviews
7th: Metzeler Racetec RR K3
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 10.33 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 2nd 80.17 s 79.82 s +0.35 s 99.56% Wet Handling 7th 78.26 s 72.64 s +5.62 s 92.82% The Metzeler Racetec RR K3 is a hypersport tire that has been available for ten years yet still delivers impressive performance. Its standout feature is immense grip, which combined with high stability allowed it to record the second-fastest lap time on the dry track, demonstrating remarkable longevity in its design. The compound holds up well under hard acceleration out of corners and provides confidence-inspiring traction throughout the lap. Its wet-weather performance is acceptable for a hypersport tire but still notably better than some of its hypersport competitors, showing reasonable adaptability despite its focus on dry grip. Its main downside is premature wear, which became evident during testing. Read Reviews
8th: Michelin Power 6
190/55 R17 Origin: Spain Weight: 10.19 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 11th 83.59 s 79.82 s +3.77 s 95.49% Wet Handling 4th 74.34 s 72.64 s +1.7 s 97.71% The Michelin Power 6 is a sport tire that received qualified praise compared to previous tests. While last year testers praised its increased stability when powering out of corners compared to its predecessor, the punch of the BMW S 1000 RR used in this test appeared to push the tire to its limits, resulting in noticeable chassis instability. However, in wet conditions, the Power 6 performed impressively well, achieving the third-best wet lap time overall behind only the Dunlop MK4 and Michelin Power GP2. Additionally, the tire offers formidable handling, high precision, and outstanding wet-weather qualities, making it a viable all-rounder for road use where the dry-condition instability issues are less likely to manifest. Read Reviews
9th: Continental RaceAttack 2 Street
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 11.40 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 5th 81.23 s 79.82 s +1.41 s 98.26% Wet Handling 12th 84.3 s 72.64 s +11.66 s 86.17% The Continental RaceAttack 2 Street is a hypersport tire that demonstrates some positive characteristics along with defined limitations. On the positive side, both this tire and its sport counterpart exhibit high stability and behave predictably at the grip limit—abrupt loss of traction is not an issue. The RaceAttack provides plenty of grip in dry conditions and communicates the traction limit transparently. However, it ranks as the most water-shy tire in the entire test, recording the slowest wet lap time with over 11 seconds deficit to the fastest wet performer. It begins to break away at the rear with relatively little lean angle in wet conditions and offers only a narrow margin at the grip limit. It performs best in sunny, warm conditions where its dry-weather talents can shine. Read Reviews
10th: Dunlop SportSmart TT
190/55 R17 Origin: France Weight: 11.46 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 4th 81.03 s 79.82 s +1.21 s 98.51% Wet Handling 11th 83.2 s 72.64 s +10.56 s 87.31% The Dunlop Sportsmart TT is a hypersport tire that already entered its seventh year during the test period. Its primary strength lies in abundant rear-wheel grip, allowing for acceleration rather than sliding out of corners. Despite its high stability, it causes no chassis disturbances on the powerful test motorcycle. In dry conditions, it delivered one of the fastest lap times of all the sport tires tested, demonstrating its focus on track performance. However, wet conditions are decidedly not its forte, with one of the poorest wet lap times in the test, more than 10 seconds behind the category-leading Dunlop MK4. Testers simply stated "forget it!" regarding its wet-weather performance. Read Reviews
11th: Bridgestone Battlax Racing Street RS11
190/55 R17 Origin: Japan Weight: 10.61 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 7th 81.88 s 79.82 s +2.06 s 97.48% Wet Handling 9th 79.17 s 72.64 s +6.53 s 91.75% The Bridgestone RS11 is a hypersport tire that delivered mixed results in the test. Its stiff construction occasionally causes front chattering, offers only average feedback, becomes somewhat sluggish at medium to high lean angles, and grip breaks away rather abruptly when pushed hard. The overall grip level itself is acceptable, but these handling characteristics impact rider confidence. On the wet handling course, it performed better than several other hypersport options but still ranked 10th overall in wet lap times, highlighting the compromises made for dry track performance. It represents the traditional hypersport approach of maximizing dry grip at the expense of wet-weather capability and ease of use. Read Reviews
12th: Continental SportAttack 4
190/55 R17 Origin: Germany Weight: 11.10 kgs Tread: 8.0 mm 3PMSF: no	Test # Result Best Difference % Dry Handling 12th 84.57 s 79.82 s +4.75 s 94.38% Wet Handling 10th 79.62 s 72.64 s +6.98 s 91.23% The Continental SportAttack 4 is a sport tire that sits at the bottom of the test rankings but still offers respectable performance. It handles wet conditions significantly better than its hypersport counterpart, though it falls behind other sport tires in the comparison. Despite being the slowest tire on the dry track with the longest lap time of all tires tested, it performed surprisingly well in wet conditions, ranking 9th overall in wet lap times and notably better than some hypersport options. The tire exhibited relatively coarse wear patterns compared to competitors and showed premature wear signs during testing. According to the testers, a successor is likely to appear the following year, suggesting Continental has already recognized areas for improvement. Read Reviews