Product Spotlight: Metzeler Sportec M7 RR

 

The latest motorcycle tire from Metzeler, the Sportec M7 RR, is a road us supersport tire created to ensure the highest levels of handling and safety, even in the difficult situations encountered on the road, such as wet, rough and dirty asphalt. In addition to offering excellent grip, the highest levels of handling and safety, riders will greatly appreciate a 20 percent increase in mileage in comparison to its predecessor the Sportec M5 Interact.

Metzler spent exhausting amounts of time competing in prestigious road racing events such as the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the North West 200, the Southern 100, the Metzeler Ulster Grand Prix, and the Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix utilizing the treacherous courses as testing grounds for the development of this new tire. Through these rigorous testing grounds Metzeler achieved 17 podiums last year with 10 victories.

Designed from the ground up, the [mageProductLink sku="335-2450100" title=""]Sportec M7 RR[/mageProductLink] features new compounds, the use of innovative materials in the structure, all-new profiles, and a brand new tread pattern.

Sportec M7 RR is the latest evolution of the Sportec range and is in line with keeping up with the development and technologies of new motorcycles.

Who is Sportec M7 RR for?

Sportec M7 RR provides a new level of supersport performance and has been designed for riders who prefer a sporty riding style and use their bike in all types of riding situations from daily city commuting to long weekend tours, and who need always grip no matter the conditions of the road surface, weather, or temperature.

Compounds

A brand-new range of compounds was developed for the Sportec M7 RR. The new compounds features a high silica content which is able to offer sporty performance on dry surfaces in high temperatures as well on wet roads in lower temperatures. The key to this technological breakthrough in compounds resides in the exclusive and patented mixing process that is able to provide compounds of the highest quality, maximizing the dispersion of all components in the polymer matrix, and reaching a high level of homogeneity.

The front tire is mono compound with 100 percent silica and the rear is dual compound. The shoulder on the rear has a 100 percent silica compound which provides chemical grip on both dry and wet surfaces and is supported by a harder compound in the substrate that guarantees the highest levels of stability and cornering precision. This same compound of the basis can be found in the middle of the tread and provides high mileage.

Structure

To support the work of the profiles, allow the compound to have traction on the surface,

and to keep the grooves open in the footprint area, an appropriate structure was developed. The radial carcass was composed of a special version in rayon; this structure is much more rigid and able to maintain its shape under conditions of greater stress and deformation from the load. Above the radial structure is a 0 degree steel belt with the Interact technology featuring different tension zones that offers a progressive behavior at every lean angle. The

Interact technology is the evolution of the technology of the 0 degree steel belt and is an integral part of the development of all Metzeler tires that use the steel belt. Combining the Interact structure with the technology applied to the compounds, all the elements of the complex structure-belt-compound blend perfectly by offering a continuous fine-tuning of performance in different lean angles.

Profile

The profiles of Sportec M7 RR are characterized by the composition of different radii, designed to encourage an immediate descent into motorcycle lean and an increase of the contact patch while cornering.

Tread

With the clear objective of obtaining a sporty behavior that must be maintained on wet

and dirty roads, the layout of the grooves on the M7 RR were designed to ensure grip on dry surfaces and at the same time provide water drainage and excellent cornering stability in wet conditions. The longitudinal grooves in the tread are interrupted by elements of the compound that improve the stability of the tread, the regularity of wear, and increase the thrusts in acceleration. These elements in the compound also contribute to the grooves keeping their shape when the tire is in contact with the asphalt to allow for water drainage. In the lateral grooves, the depth decreases gradually towards the shoulder area to increase the compactness and lateral thrust when cornering at maximum lean angle in dry conditions. The width of the grooves, on the contrary, increases toward the shoulder area to ensure an effective area for water drainage at increased lean angles.

The land/sea ratio (ratio of rubber to sipes: rubber being the land and sipes being the sea) has also been revised. In comparison to the Sportec M5 Interact, the land/sea ratio has increased from 12.6 percent to 14.7 percent on the front and decreased from 12.6 percent to 11.1 percent on the rear. This change in design was made to accommodate the fact that the front tire is the one that has the most important role in the drainage of water on the road.

Sizes

Metzeler Sportec M7 RR is available in the following sizes:

Front
110/70 ZR 17 M/C 54 W TL
120/60 ZR 17 M/C (55W) TL
120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL (M)

Rear
150/60 ZR 17 M/C 66W TL
160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL
180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL
200/55 ZR 17 M/C (78W) TL