Best Motorcycle Tires for Wet and Dry Roads
If you ride your motorcycle or scooter in all kinds of weather, you'll need a tire that can handle slick roads, freezing temperatures, and the occasional rain. Since bikes have far smaller contact patches than cars, normal motorcycle tires have limited tread patterns to compensate. This is why summer motorcycle performance tires are virtually slick, yet they provide excellent traction on dry streets.
Aquaplaning and losing control is every rider's worst fear. So, if you live somewhere that gets a lot of rain, it's time to get some properly treaded tires and pump some of that water out of the way.
Riding a motorcycle is usually enjoyable, but it can also be deadly. Changing weather, which creates variable riding conditions, is one of the most difficult things to deal with. If you ride all year, you'll be exposed to a variety of weather and situations.
As a result, it makes sense to install motorcycle tires with features that allow them to perform well in the rain and cold and maintain their temperature throughout the journey.
When you're avoiding traffic on the highway, running and ripping on a two-wheeler is already dangerous. When you add a little rain to the mix, you've got yourself in a tough situation. Wet roads are not only dangerous for four-wheeled cars, but they are also dangerous for motorbikes.
However, there is a solution to alleviate this problem, and it's through all-terrain, rain-ready motorcycle tires designed with care by industry leaders.
Riding in the rain, while exciting, may be life-threatening and exceedingly dangerous. Because of light reflection, the roads become slick, and your visibility is impaired. When you add wind to the mix, you're in for a treat.
As a result, having the best motorbike tires for wet and dry roads is critical. These are designed to perform well in slick conditions, with water dispersion and improved grip.
You must select tires that will provide you with the mileage, comfort, and traction you require in various weather conditions. We recommend pairing up with the safest, longest-lasting tires you can locate.
A heavy-duty tread pattern and a high-quality compound should be found on the best-performing versions. There are far too many motorcycle tires on the market, and you most likely have no idea which ones are ideal for your bike.
A set of quality rain tires is a must-have if you want to ride your motorcycle safely in wet weather conditions. In rainy weather, a high-performance set of tires for your motorcycle improves traction, which makes the ride more enjoyable.
However, finding the best rain tires for your motorcycle might be difficult with so many tire companies to choose from.
We've shortlisted a selection of the best motorcycle tires for wet and dry roads for sports bike enthusiasts, street cruisers, and adventure riders to maintain strong friction and firm traction no matter what.
Michelin Pilot Road 4
There is generally one tire that emerges as the absolute best in each aspect of motorcycle tire performance. There are a variety of tires that perform well in rainy conditions, but none can compare to the Michelin Pilot Road 4.
If you value performance and traction on wet roads, this winter motorcycle tire should be at the top of your choice, with the only dispute being which one comes in second.
The Pilot Road 4 is the most recent addition to Michelin's touring tire family, and it was designed from the start to provide great traction in wet situations (in particular, while braking.)
The difficult tread pattern with deep, long grooves and horizontal XST+ siping creates numerous channels to evacuate water while braking, accelerating, or leaning through corners, and the advanced silica-charged rubber compound creates multiple channels to evacuate water while leaning, braking, or accelerating through corners.
Metzeler Tourance
You should definitely own an adventure touring bike if you reside in regions like the Pacific Northwest, where some mild off-roading is virtually likely, and rain is almost definite.
The tread design on the Metzeler Tourance Next enables comfortable on-road riding in all weather while also providing grip on fine gravel and tame fire-service roads.
Roadtec 01 SE by Metzeler
The Roadtec 01 SE is designed for all-weather riding, a high-end sports-touring tire. In 2020, the original Roadtec 01 was replaced by the Roadtec 01 SE. The key difference is that at full lean, it has more rubber in contact with the road, giving it a steadier sensation.
Even in the rain, the performance is outstanding. The only minor disadvantage (in our opinion) is that it may not be as quick to steer as some of its competitors' tires. In 2016 and 2017, the original Roadtec 01 was named MCN tire of the year, and there's also an HWM variant for bigger motorcycles.
American Elite Dunlop Tires
Dunlop's second-generation American Elite Tires are the only replacement tires available for Harley-Davidson motorcycles made in the United States. The set includes a multi-tread back tire that is built to last, thanks to innovative tread designs on both tires and a long-wearing mix in the center that provides reliable performance and even wear in both wet and dry conditions.
Pirelli Angel ST
Pirelli is an excellent choice for street sport touring. This is a set of both rear and front tires, while both can be purchased separately. Nonetheless, they should be utilized together because one complements the other.
Pirelli Angel ST has a useful tread design and is constructed of environmentally safe compounds. It features a revolutionary 0° steel belt radial structure that improves stability on both wet and dry surfaces.
It's designed for sport and super-sport enthusiasts who want the best in terms of aesthetics, comfort, and performance. Furthermore, the Extended Mileage Sport (EMS) design adds to the vehicle's overall appeal and comfort. Both the front and back variants are W-rated for 168+ MPH speeds. As a result, they're compatible with a broad range of riding styles.
Continental Road Attack 3 Tires
Continental's Road Attack tires have established a great standing among many tire enthusiasts, and the Road Attack 3 is the best yet. With their superb all-weather performance, these tires are designed for riders who want to do everything from weekend vacations to cross-country tours.
They performed best in warm, dry conditions, while their wet weather stability and grip are superior to the competitors. This is especially important when traveling in a variety of weather conditions. It does a fantastic job of evaporating water, resulting in even better wet grip.
Bridgestone Exedra Max Tire
With Bridgestone's Exedra Max, you'll not only look cool and elegant while cruising, you will also enjoy a comfortable ride on both wet and dry roads. It's past time for you to enjoy some long and comfortable highway travel.
Bridgestone's Exedra Max has a belt package construction, which is fantastic since it increases the tread area's stiffness. This one-of-a-kind design improves fuel efficiency and puncture resistance while reducing distortion.
Even for heavier motorcycles, you have outstanding linear handling, allowing you to perform a lot of long-distance touring.
It has a rubber compound that was specifically chosen for Cruiser applications in order to deliver long mileage. The angled side stripes drive water away from the center of the tire, while the street tread pattern with a unique center groove improves water evacuation.
The lack of tread wear indicators is something we dislike about Exedra Max. Bridgestone Exedra Max is an excellent choice for traveling in wet and dry conditions because of its belt package structure and optimal compound.
Shinko 009 Raven Tire
This budget-friendly motorcycle tire is also one of the best you can obtain for your bike. It has additional features that set it apart from the competition, in addition to its excellent value for money.
First and foremost, the tire is capable of reaching speeds of up to 168 mph, making it ideal for sportbikes. It has a great tread compound that makes it suitable for both wet and dry riding. It has received DOT approval and can be utilized in a variety of states.
When creating the Shinko 009 Raven tire, the manufacturer prioritized performance, quality, and longevity. It has an aramid belt that helps regulate the temperature in the tire and makes it more durable. The tread is also exceptionally resistant to wear, extending its lifespan even further. Furthermore, the tire's tread design offers a comfortable and secure ride.
Qualities of the Best Tires for Wet and Dry Roads
Silica is essentially sand and is actually silicon dioxide. Tires are made using carbon black and rubber. Carbon black is what gives tires the black color and acts as a filter. However, it is not only there to add color to the tires; carbon black actually helps to bind the whole tire together. Softer tires wear out faster since they provide a lot of grip.
Silica is also more elastic than carbon black, allowing the tire to be stretchier at lower temperatures, which means the tires can deform and find grip in asphalt gaps significantly better than a tire without silica in wet and cold circumstances. Because high-performance motorcycle track tires require various qualities, they will employ less silica and more carbon black.
Silica is the key reason why tire technology has advanced so much in the last decade, which is why you'll see manufacturers mentioning the silica content of their tires more frequently, as it's an excellent predictor of the rubber's wet weather capability.
Almost every new tire on the market now boasts about how good it is in rainy weather. Sure, driving in the rain has never been safer thanks to recent technological advancements, but there are still distinctions between the variety of models available on the market.
Choosing the ideal tires for rain driving circumstances, however, can be difficult; some experts will tell you that summer tires are enhanced in the rain than all-season tires, while others will say that all-season tires are the best option.
If the weather is mild, summer tires are the greatest choice for rainy circumstances; they soon lose their capabilities in cold weather. In both warm and cold weather, all-season tires provide good traction in wet circumstances, whereas winter tires provide the best wet traction in cold weather.
Since summer tires aren't designed to be utilized in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, the tread and compound can be tuned to provide the most traction during the summer. That means they'll give you extra traction when it's wet.
Whether you're looking for summer performance tires or normal all-seasons, this will give you a solid understanding of which tires perform well in the rain.
If you ride a motorcycle, you understand the value of good tires. Tires that are too old might be dangerous; therefore, it's critical to replace them as soon as possible.
Plus, new tires with the most up-to-date technology provide better performance. A solid set of tires will get you where you need to go safely while also making the ride more enjoyable.
Modern motorcycle tires are made from highly calculated and advanced compounds that help to improve grip and longevity, thanks to more than a century of development.
Since they are under load for the whole of a ride, high-performance motorcycle tires are even more important than brakes. This is odd because far too many motorcycle riders take their tires for granted.
