Continental have long since been a force in the general automotive industry, pioneering technologies that promote safety and awareness while driving. The German company's knowledge and expertise stems from a long history in designing and constructing tires specifically, and their newest set of sport-touring tires, the ContiRoad Attack 3, see a complete re-design over their predecessors.
THE TECH
Building on the successful platform of the Road Attack 2 Evo, Continental set out to design a sport-touring tire that improved on mileage as well as both wet and dry grip. They began by hand-designing a new pattern from scratch, analyzing the design on their test track in Germany, keeping an eye on the strength and endurance of the tire. Any irregularities were also studied separately in their indoor facility, where further stress-testing takes place. Sensors were also used to closely monitor tire temperature in both instances, which yielded crucial information about the structural integrity of the tire, along with cooling patterns in both dry and wet conditions.
Continental have implemented a new rubber compound with a higher silica concentration to improve the wet grip, and the newly-shaped tread grooves run out to the edge of the tire to move as much water away from the center contact patch as possible, and out towards the drainage grooves. Continental say this helps with braking force in wet conditions, as the tire displaces water while maintaining traction to a higher degree than previous designs.
Continental’s engineers and designers made a point to cut the tread depth of the ContiRoad Attack 3 tires to a depth of 2mm, drawing from their experience in the automotive tire field. They stated that a full 2mm tread depth not only follows the minimum safety ratings in all countries where tread depth is regulated, but also absorbs water easier and more efficiently as the tire encounters damp or wet roads. The deeper tread depth also means that the duration at which the grooves remain on the tire throughout its life is increased. Continental’s line of reasoning was that deeper grooves allow for more surface area containing rubber compound, equaling a quicker warm-up time, and significant grip early in a ride.
The ContiRoad Attack 3 tires maintain the same homogenous grip grading with a single compound by means of a temperature-controlled curing process. Typical motorcycle tires are composed of separate bands of extruded rubber that are fused together, resulting in a distinct border between compounds. The ContiRoad Attack 3 tires maintain the same “MultiGrip” technology of the ContiRoad Attack 2 Evo tires, offering a smoother transition between the different firmness gradients.
Carried over again from the ContiRoad Attack 2 Evo tires is the ZeroDegree steel-belt construction that sees a steel belt running along the inside of the tire’s carcass, as well as Continental’s own TractionSkin. Continental is the only motorcycle tire manufacturer that does not use a release agent in their molds, instead employing a fine sandpaper-like surface found on the external surface that Continental say almost eliminates the standard break-in period on a new motorcycle tire, giving you that nice, scrubbed-in feeling right off the bat.
THE RIDE
The Spanish island of Mallorca provided the perfect assortment of twisty roads and paved surfaces to put the ContiRoad Attack 3 tires through their paces, all while granting an absolutely stunning backdrop. Continental had provided quite an assortment of modern middleweight sport bikes for testing purposes, and it was a 2017 Yamaha FZ-09 that I chose as my preferred whip. Cutting through farmland and picturesque hills on the way to Palma de Mallorca, I was immediately impressed by the sheer confidence the ContiRoad Attack 3 provided right out of the gate. Gone was the usual slippery sensation caused by mold release agents on other new tires, increasing my confidence level as I maneuvered the peppy FZ-09 along the sharp hairpin corners.
Hard braking from my end did not see an upset in stability from the tires, and certainly didn’t cause any strange shudders in the bike itself. As Continental mentioned, the deeper 2mm tread pattern not only allows the tire to warm up quicker, but yields improved wet grip. I can’t speak on the improvement of wet grip myself, as the weather was a pleasant 70 degrees, and there was no sign of water on the road at any point.
A lunch break provided the chance to swap bikes, so I jumped at the chance to try a 2017 KTM 690 Duke fitted with the same set of rubber. Regardless of the vast differences between the KTM and the Yamaha, I still found the grip to be consistent, and I was just as at home throwing the Duke into the tight switchbacks along the snaking highways, the same confidence I had quickly found earlier on the FZ-09. Again, the tire performed very well across the board, as handling, edge-grip feel and braking were all solid.
While the rest of the group briefly paused at a gas station, my wandering eye noticed some excessive wear on the rear tire of a 2016 Super Duke 1290, as the rubber along the leading edge of the tread had begun to bead up and peel off. Curious to know just how soft these tires were, I pressed my thumbnail into the tread, and was surprised to find the tire far stickier than it had felt in the morning. Seeing as how Continental had not provided any estimate in terms of longevity, I raised my concern about the observed wear pattern, however my inquiry was met with a cryptic and long-winded answer, the bottom line being that it was “impossible to give a proper estimate across such a broad spectrum of motorcycles,” and that I was to judge it based on what I felt.
Verdict
While I’m happy to say that the Continental ContiRoad Attack 3 tires far exceeded expectations in terms of grip and handling, I just can’t see the endurance being at a comparable level to the rest of the competition in the sport-touring field without a more in-depth test, especially on the larger bikes. I guess that means testing a set back home under my own conditions is the next logical step!
Here's a video from Continental on the ContiRoad Attack 3 Tires:
Sizes Available
Price Range
MSRP: $140-$212
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