Tyres are underdogs of motorcyle technology. They're been boring black round things for over 100-yrs and nobody gives them as much hype as improvements in metallurgies, electronics or engine outputs. However, they've contributed HUGE portions to modern bike's performance.
First with adoption of radial tyres in '80s. Hot bias-ply tyre at time was Dunlop K591S which I used on my VF500 Interceptor. Then I tried CBR600-F2 with radial tyres and it was night vs. day difference! Lower rolling resistance AND better wear AND grip! Simply amazing!
Then somewhere in late '90s came silica compounds. These were closely guarded secret compounds so it's not easy to figure out who used them first. Nowadays, every tyre-maker claimed they were first. Probably because it took decades to find right mix. Early attempts did yield better rolling-resistance, but worse lifespan and grip. Now I think they've all settled on some proprietary hydrosilicates as favourite. Reduction in rolling resistance, yet improvements in lifespan AND grip. Basically
any tyre you buy today is gonna be miraculous compared to just couple decades ago.
Next revolution promises another 20% improvement in rolling resistance as well as higher grip using Graphene Plus nanotech. Patented by Vittoria and used successfully by winning teams in TdF for past two years. Hopefully this will show up in moto tyres soon!
