With multiple compound construction offering both excellent grip and good longevity, Bridgestone’s S22 was a beloved tire. But evolution is inevitable and for 2024, the respected Japanese tire manufacturer introduces the next generation S23.
Encinitas, California. Maintaining the shape and construction of the S22, Bridgestone’s new for 2024 Battlax Hypersport S23 is a serious evolution of the highly rated sports tire. According to the manufacturer’s internal testing on the Autopolis circuit in Japan, the S23 offers tangible gains, like an impressive 3 seconds per lap improvement over the S22 on both dry and wet conditions. Bridgestone also claims a 3% shorter wet stopping distance and an 8% mileage increase for the S23.
To achieve this, a new pattern design was developed to improve water drainage, which maximizes grip in wet conditions. Bridgestone claims the updated pattern, called Pulse Groove Technology also minimizes wear while improving stability and handling. A new compound is now used on the edge portion of the thread. It enhances dry grip at high lean angle by being more malleable, which essentially allows for more rubber to be in contact with the pavement. The performance increase is achieved without sacrificing wear, according to the manufacturer. Like the S22, the front tire has 3 distinct compound bands: the harder center increases strait line mileage and the softer edges maximize corner grip. The rear features 5 distinct bands : a harder compound in the middle, a softer band just below and a high grip portion at the very edge.
Bridgestone has now been perfecting this multiple layer compound technology for four decades and on the road, that refinement is first noticed by an absolutely seamless transition between various lean angles. The S23 feels so good it would have been very interesting to find out how it holds up on a track with liter bike power brutalizing it. But that particular press launch was a street-only event, the environment where the tire will primarily be used. Our test mules included serious sports bikes like BMW’s S1000RR, Kawasaki’s ZX-6R, Honda’s CBR1000RR and Buell’s Hammerhead 1190. But less extreme machines were also available, like the Honda CBR650R, the Suzuki GSX-8S and GSX-S1000, the Triumph Street Triple 765 and Speed Twin 1200, the Buell 1190SX and a couple variants of the Indian FTR1200.
Evaluating a tire like the S23 on the street isn’t obvious. Between our hotel on the Pacific coast to our lunch stop in Julian, there were only a handful of twisty sections where grip and handling quality could begin to be judged. But things did get interesting after lunch when almost two hours were spent doing photo passes. These passes are normally pretty mundane : look good for the camera, turn around and repeat. But in this case, the turn around point was way down the mischievously twisty 79. Not so good for the photo count, absolutely fantastic for the riding. I began the ten-ish minutes ride down from Julian relatively calmly, but as soon as I turned around to go back up, it was hammer time. The Indian FTR1200 I was on felt great, the tires felt grippy, the traffic was light, I didn’t have to follow anyone’s pace, and other than the occasional patch of fine gravel in the middle of the lane, pavement condition was good. I didn’t know at the time if two passes or twenty were planned and I wasn’t going to risk wasting any of that California twisties action. Almost immediately, the FTR began scraping mid-corner, and it wasn’t only the pegs. I didn’t push too hard to avoid unloading the rear tire, but when I got to the top, I saw scraping marks on the headers. The video guy noticed and asked if he could install a GoPro to get some action footage on my next pass. He mounted the camera just ahead of my right knee and I made sure he got some good stuff, but at the bottom of the hill, I realized the GoPro had touched the pavement. The corner of the camera was scrapped and the lens was cracked. Oups. On the way up, I turned the traction control off and wheelied out of every corner the FTR’s power would allow me to. After profusely apologizing to the camera guy for the damage, I switched to the Suzuki GSX-S1000 and went back down. What a nice bike that one. It felt perfect for this: confidence inspiring sports-naked riding position, good torque from down low and awesome power till redline, superb handling and an unusually loud inline-four growl as a bonus. Nothing was touching down prematurely, so I went hard. Again, I turned the traction control off before making my way back up the hill and power wheelied out of literally every corner. The naked Suzuki was so fun I stayed on it for a while and kept pushing more and more as the dozens of turns became more familiar. My only slightly uneasy moment happened when I crossed the middle of the lane where gravel made the rear slide out. I had been very precise up to that point and never touched the gravel patches, but I was having so much fun going faster and faster I got off course by just a few inches at just the wrong spot. The rear immediately regained traction, but I thought maybe it was time to slow down a bit.
Unlike lap times on a racetrack, there’s nothing scientific about going up and down a mountain. There’s no way to exactly quantify a tire’s performance in those conditions. And yet, as much as I misbehaved, the fact is the S23 never did. On the contrary, the more juvenile my riding got, the more grip I realized was available to me. Enough so I had no issues whatsoever gassing the GSX-S enough while still leaned over to make the front leave the ground coming out of turns, something I must confess gives me a great deal of joy, but on that bike, also demands turning traction control off. So while I can’t quantify the improvements the new S23 is claimed to offer over the prior S22, what I can do is say that on that sunny day and on those deliciously twisty California roads where I rode hard and had so much fun, I trusted the S23. I trusted it to stick well and be consistent, and it did. I trusted it when I switched bikes to not feel any different, and it didn’t. And I trusted it to have some reserve if I ever exaggerated, and it did. On the street, I frankly don’t know what to ask more of a sports tire.
The Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S23 is available now in the following sizes :
-front
120/70ZR17
-rear
160/60ZR17
180/55ZR17
190/50ZR17
190/55ZR17
200/55ZR17
