30 years of progress in Motorcycle Technology

It is December, and the new year is getting closer by the minute, traditional this is time to look back on the year that we leave behind. Well we see things different and we think it is much more interesting to look back of 30 years of progress

Well, those of you over about 45 anyway, because you're the only ones who can remember the Seventies. As astounding as it may seem, some readers have been riding bikes for more than three decades.

And the majority of craggy-faced respondents in our poll reckon that, out of all bike-related things, it's tires that have improved most. But are they right? We asked an expert, which looked a bit young to talk about 30 year ago, but who cares an expert is an expert.

"Thirty years ago, tires had a cross-ply construction. That meant they were heavy, stiff, and had relatively small contact-patch," explains our Support Manager at Dunlop, "In the late Eighties, the invention of radial tire technology revolutionized tire performance in the space of a couple of years.

Radial construction allowed larger, wider tires with grippier compounds yet slower wear-rates. A good road tire these days could have won a world superbike race 10 years ago." our Dunlop expert said.

So when it comes to tires, we really never have had it so good. Now get out there and burn some rubber.