RideFast May 2018

The grip on offer on the wet
track was really impressive.
felt planted and never gave any indication it
would give up. I tried carrying a bit of front
brake into the bends to see how it felt –
loading the front under braking – and the
steering remained stable. Dabbing the back
brake or trailing in hairpins never created any
moments either.
During the 200km road ride we were faced
with many types of asphault, from gorgeous
newly-laid tar to black stuff from the days of
the Flinstones, and the Road 5’s felt at home
on all of it.
The rain in Spain, kind of.
After the road ride we are treated to a nice
lunch before heading to the 2nd workshop of
the day, the wet course. So, while there was
no rain anywhere in sight, I was keen to see
how this was going to be done.
We were at the Monteblanco circuit, and
would be using a smaller version of the 4.5km
track for the wet riding. Sprinklers were
positioned at certain parts of the shortened
track to help wet the tar.
More grip and better water distribution is
what Michelin aimed at getting out of the new
Road 5. In the briefing before heading out on
track, former Moto3 rider, Aleix Masbou, told
us that we could get as much as 35degrees
of lean angle from the new Road 5 tyre in
wet conditions. A look of surprise, respect
and fear greeted all our faces. Thankfully,
before heading out on track and testing it for
ourselves, another test rider did a few laps to
show us just what needed to be done and
put my mind at ease. We are also told to
grab a handful of front brake, release and flick
through a section highlighted by red cones.
We were given two types of motorcycles to
test for the wet course - Yamaha’s ultra good
MT10 and the lighter, more nimble Triumph
Street Triple 765 RS, which I was really
excited to test for the first time.
I headed out on track on the MT10 first.
Turn one was slightly damp, so wasn’t that
hard to commit. Turns 2, 3 and 4 were
drenched so caution was the order of the day.
We were only given 3 laps on each machine,
and after only 1 felt really confidant in the
tyre capabilities in the wet. No movement
upright or leant over, the Road 5’s felt solid
and stable. Jumping on the front brake hard
and flicking not through the cones for the first
time in anger was a lot easier than I thought,
again showing off the new tyres strengths and
proving that Michelin had indeed done their
homework.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, I
quickly jumped on the new Triumph 765
RS, eager to experience the new machine,
and especially the new engine that will be
used in the 2019 and beyond Moto2 world
championships.
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