WORDS: BRENDAN ABLE
PHOTO: METZELER
METZELERCRUISETEC
DESIGNED FOR SPORTY CRUISERS, WE’VE GOT HOLD OF A
SET OF THE ALL-NEW CRUISTECS TO PUT SOME KM s ON.
F
or quite some time now Metzeler has
had a strong following in the cruiser
community. Metzeler only makes
motorcycle tyres and has produced some
gems for cruisers in the form of the ever
popular ME880 and the later ME888. After
our experience on the tyres a few months
back at the Oceania launch, I reckon the
popularity of this new tyre is going to grow.
The clever chaps at Metzeler identified a
need for high performance tyres focusing
on the new generation of V-twin rider
searching for more performance-biased
handling. What they came up with is a tyre
designed specifically for a V-twin but with
characteristics normally only found in sports
bike tyres. And with the Cruisetec going all
the way up to a 260/40R18, there are sizes to
cover most performance cruiser V-twins out
there. Prices start go from $214 to $449.
Now that all said what better way is there
to test a tyre designed for a V-twin than to
fit them to one? Luckily enough I have a just
the bike for the job; a 2018 Harley Davidson
Fat Bob. The bike itself has still done low
kilometres – just 1600 – and, if I’m honest,
I found the stock tyres somewhat lacking,
especially on a bike with such great cornering
characteristics. In the past I’ve used the
ME880 and ME888 on other cruisers and I’ve
been a big fan – they’re always been a solid,
reliable choice. So when the opportunity to
test the new Cruisetec tyres came along I
jumped at it.
These Cruisetecs will see a fair bit of varied
riding. I do a pretty good mix of riding, with a
background in off-road racing, consisting of a
lot of twisty backroads and some longer open
road trips. There’ll also be some highway
riding and commuting in the mix too. And
let’s not forget some of those very varied
road conditions we seem to be ‘blessed’ with
in New Zealand. I’ll let you know more once
I’ve covered some kilometres.
KIWI RIDER 99