Bridgestone Battlax BT021

So got a new bike so like aways you build your way up on them no one wants to throw a new bike down the road. So got a lovely fireblade witch had bt021 on front bt023 on the back. So after getting more confident on the bike start to notice that the front feels like it dosnt want to do anything start to tip in and have to force it abit get it lent ova and with no warning it wants to fold and I mean we're not talking big lean angle like just getting it ova. Did a ride with my brother in law (he on a 125) and start to rain this is were this problem became so much worse that i hated being on my bike not only did I feel every corner that I was going to bin my dream bike while going so slow watching a 125 disappearing with ease was sole destroying. DO NOT BUY these tyers at all. Safe to say I have order new tyers and the bike has been garage till new ones are on all coz of the unpredictable dam scary felling of the front bt021. Honestly spend some more money and get something that make you love the road not hate every minute of the journey like this tyers dose.

Fitted as OE on my BMW R1200RT and absolutely hated them. Rear squared off within a few thousand miles. Front would tuck under at normal speeds. I’ve ridden for years as a professional rider (trainer and examiner) but I had no confidence in any condition with this tyre. Totally ruined the riding experience of my bike which was immediately transformed when I fitted another make of tyre. Avoid this tyre at all costs.

Purchased an SV1000S with B21's about half worn, found them ok on warm days,however,recently riding locally,turned left,went to roll on throttle,front tyre slipped, back slipped then gripped and bike high sided,scared the life out of me.Air temp was about 16 degrees.I have been riding for several years,and spent some time checking tyres and looking for oil on road afterwards.I would advise caution on cooler days with these tyres.

I bought my Honda VFR 1200 in June this year. The BT021s were on. At first, as it was the biggest bike I've had so far, I was overly careful at riding. As I got used to it, I picked up speed around the country lanes where I live. After the first two months, I noticed a lot of slipping and "bouncing" when I hit bumps and holes. I started to feel I was losing my skill as a rider and becoming old. Especially in the wet, I started to slow right down to go round corners and tried to stay as upright as possible. Round abouts were a nightmare. If anybody was behind me, they would be right up my back as I would be going at a snails pace. If I was riding with a group, after any corner or round about I would be a fair distance from the rider in front, so would have to speed up to get back behind them. I would have to brake earlier than usual, and gently. If I had to use my brakes harshly or quickly, I would slip to the side. The front tyre wore very unevenly and had a big dip along the right side. I suddenly realised what a GOOD and SKILLED rider I actually was, to have kept the bike upright!! I'm surprised nobody has been killed due to these tyres yet. I know we are meant to check tyres everyday, but you normally know how long a tyre is going to last, so most of us check at certain points in the tyres life. But it throws you when it's life is so short!! And it nearly throws you off the bike too!!! Very, very, VERY DANGEROUS! DO NOT BUY if you are a real biker who is often on their bike! Waste of money!

After two generations of Bridgestones on my Blackbird, I had no hesitation in renewing my front tyre with the latest o-21. 1500 miles later it was too bald to keep for the MOT. It had worn like a bishops hat, both sides had worn out, but the centre was hardly touched.

Don't waste your money.

The Bat-21's were factory tires for my new 2012 Kawasaki Concours that I purchased new in 2013. I got just a little over 5K miles before the front tire started wearing in a very strange manner. The center was still intact, but to the immediate left / right of center, the tread had worn off quickly and was "greasy" looking. I had to replace the rear tire before 7K miles as it was just worn out. I check the tire pressure before riding and am not an aggressive rider by any stretch. I purchased Bat-23 as replacements trying to keep the same feel of the bike handling. I just replaced the Bat-23's with Michelin Pilot 4 GT's as I am going on a long distance trip and would have to replace the Bat-23's while out on tour.

As a side note, I have my 2001 Concours running Dunlop tires and average about 10 ~ 11K per set of tires. I understand there is a weight difference between motors, but I feel the Bat-21's were not the correct tire for the 2012 Concours.

These were fitted as standard on my new r1200rt and the bike felt like a different machine to the previous one which had metzelers fitted. Poor wear on the right side of the front tyre left a ridge that made the bike very difficult to steer, it would try to run on in corners and never inspired confidence from the outset. The rear quickly squared off and after 4000 miles I've had enough, despite there being plenty of (uneven) tread left they are going to be replaced. I have had plenty of unpleasant moments tipping into corners and to cap it all the ride is very harsh.

Came fitted to new Fazer 8, couldn't wait to get rid of them, front felt unsafe and wore strangely, back squared off despite varied riding, don't do A roads or motorway any more than I have too. Been riding 50 years IAM National Observer and Rospa Gold.

Used to run them years ago on my 1999 R6 and loved them, so a bit of a culture shock to find them so awful.

I have a xjr1300sp with bt021 tyres on, they give no sense of safety at all, the rear has done 4k and is squared off with 2mm left, the front however is dangerous , its worn on the sides far more than the centre so you have a ridge and thats very disconcerting in a corner! It just doesn't give any warning before it lets go...avoid at all costs, buy pilot road, roadsmarts or avon storm.

Bike R1200RT

RoSPA Gold Standard Rider.

Good Points (yep! there are some for fair weather bikers!)

1) On hot sunny day the performance is good, the tyre warms up and the adhesion fills you with confidence, allowing you to flow with the conditions & ride the bike hard out of corners, even with a pillion & luggage

2) In dry conditions this tyres performance is nothing more than OK

Bad Points

a) Avoid any type of metal covers, there is no grip on these, even during dry conditions !! (Yep! I now we should avoid these surfaces, however, there are time where this is not possible).

b) DO NOT USE THESE TYRES IN THE WET OR EVEN DAMP CONDITIONS!!......WHY?

The compound will not give any grip!!

The first time I had a slide it was at a relatively low ‘roundabout’ speed, I put it down to diesel or oil on the surface. This has gone on for a few weeks now, having little heart stopping moments along the way. This has now escalated into a big slide on a roundabout, where I almost took a low-side tumble.

I inspected the tyres, with a passing fellow biker who saw the slide, we could not believe what we experienced…………….. the tyres were still wet, our fingers just slid off the tyre surface, NO GRIP!! When the tyre dried out (a few mins) the grip returned! We rolled the bike forward over a wet area, the same loss of grip was experienced.

Please don’t trust your life or your bike with these tyres