wet , the inclement and even the indecisive weather that New Zealand has thrown at them . Over the years I ’ ve tried many different tyres from Metzeler ’ s catalogue , and these 01SE are among the best for just getting on with doing everything .
WET WEATHER SPECIALIST As I said , this was my second set and I thought I had seen how good they were especially in the wet , but a very , very wet ride showed me that they are way better than I remembered . They ’ ve been unfazed by surface changes , including those bum-puckering weld lines that tend to be a bit slippy-slidey . Of course , there are the shiny bits on a wet road that must be respected , or even avoided , as they are definitely slippery . Even the best tyres around have their limits . The tread pattern on both the front and rear tyres displace a huge amount of water . The front pattern looks ( and performs ) like a road version of a race wet tyre , shifting water out of the way of the rear tyre , so it can grip and let you get on with accelerating as enthusiastically as you dare . It grips . Boy , does it grip . The same can be said for braking in the wet . The confidence from the front is there in bucketloads . I keep my Speed Triple in Track mode all the time , I find it gives the best throttle response ( more fun ), but still keeps the ABS and traction control operational . I ’ ve never felt the need to change the mapping to rain mode . The feedback from the tyres is more than enough to let me know if I ’ m overstepping the mark .
KIWI RIDER 63