08.06.2004 Talents for All Purposes

Hannover/Essen, June 2004. In recent years, Continental has continuously expanded and renewed its line of motorcycle tires. The versatile range now comprises tires for anything from supersport bikes through to heavy-duty off-roaders.

Here you can find all Continental press releases for Reifen/Tyres 2004 ...

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ContiForce Max: For sports bikes

Featuring superb handling, even in critical situations, and a unique Continental-patented design, the new ContiForce Max is the ideal choice of tire for sport and supersport enthusiasts. Its outstanding characteristics are the result of combining different tire engineering methods: high-impact steel cord, something used only by Continental, is employed in combination with a zero-degree casing structure, giving maximum stability at high speeds. The new type of tread compound delivers good grip, even on wet roads, and the contour of ContiForce Max ensures optimum handling performance. Other benefits of the new sports tire from Hannover are its high mileage performance versus standard tires, and Continental´s attractive pricing structure.

The spring 2004 test ratings were highly positive. MO praises the Force Max´s riding stability, the optimum feel of contact with the road, and its unproblematic performance in extreme situations. Motorradfahrer calls it a genuine all-rounder for country roads and race training purposes.

ContiForce Max makes an ideal tire fitment for sports bikes like the supersport 600 models, and is a good choice for sporty riding on motorcycles like the Yamaha R1, Kawasaki ZX 9R and Honda CBR 900 RR. It has already received many approvals from leading European and Japanese motorcycle producers. With ContiForce Max, Continental is able to satisfy the motorcycle industry´s high demands with just one specification for all approved models!

Safe, sporty riding - even in the wet: ContiForce

ContiForce was specially developed by Continental with those bikers in mind who move their sports tourers in daily use and are thus on the road all year round. Thanks to the application of new compounding technologies, this tire quickly reaches its operating temperature and delivers maximum grip in all riding situations.

Not only does ContiForce perform well on dry roads, it also has impressive wet-grip properties. After all, north of the Alps it rains on one in three days, so northern European bikers will derive particularly high benefits from fitting the ContiForce. One of the key design objectives for this tire was its compound, which also ensures good tire/road adhesion in wet conditions. ContiForce is especially suitable for sports tourers and for drivers of naked bikes. And yet, true sports bikes like the Aprilia RS 250 and Kawasaki ZX 6R can likewise be fitted with the ContiForce. Approvals are available for BMW, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha models.

ContiEscape: The specialist for long-travel enduros

Long-travel enduros are enjoying increasing popularity because they combine a relaxed seating position, comfortable suspension and a high payload with good riding characteristics. Despite their ability to make the odd off-road trip, long-travel enduros are driven almost exclusively on asphalt and paved roads. And, in such conditions, massive-bar tires do not guarantee the same amount of tire/road contact as street tires. Continental is therefore offering a new tire called Conti­Escape - an enduro tire imparting the impression of being an off-road tire thanks to its conspicuous tread pattern design, while still delivering superb road-tire performance. Conti­Escape is suitable for fitment to all popular enduro bikes - from the 125cc through to the 1150cc models.

The ContiEscape tire is designed for a wide spectrum of road and weather conditions, and therefore provides good handling characteristics on wet and dry roads, on smooth asphalt and paved routes. In addition to its good handling, ContiEscape offers the added benefit of increased mileage performance, an important factor for riders wanting to make long trips without having to contend with frequent tire changes.

ContiMilestone: Silica tire for cruisers and choppers

ContiMilestone is a tire for lavishly motorized Japanese choppers, heavy tourers and cruisers, as well as for Harleys. Being a directional tire, it offers high riding stability, good wet-weather properties and a long service life. Another advantage of this tire from Hannover is the use of silica technology, which considerably improves wet-grip performance and reduces the rolling resistance.

As a type CM 2 rear-wheel tire, ContiMilestone is a cross-ply tire with a laid-on belt or bracing ply. This belt provides uniform distribution of pressure in the ground contact area. Moreover, the construction reduces lateral slip (i.e. flexing energy in the tread), thereby resulting in a longer tire service life.

Tread design of the ContiMilestone was deliberately based on the well-known TK 16 and TK 17 tires from Continental so as to gain a sensible supplement to the range. The TK 16/17 tire models and the ContiMilestone can be combined without reservation. With a tread depth of five millimeters (front) and impressive nine millimeters (rear), the tire has no trouble achieving a high mileage performance, especially since it also incorporates a sophisticated, ultra-modern, silica rubber compound. Another feature of the ContiMilestone tire is a virtually uninterrupted usability as a tube-type and tubeless tire.

For the medium-size category: Avenue

Conti´s tire family for medium-sized motorcycles is called 'Avenue', and can be fitted to popular machines like the BMW F 650, the Suzuki models GS 500 E and XF 650, and the Kawasaki ER 5 Twister. The Motorradfahrermagazine certified Avenue as being "one of the most highly recommended tires for the medium-size category". In addition, the tread´s high land-sea ratio provides a long service life. The range of sizes for this mid-size bike specialist has been greatly extended and now largely covers the market.

Off-road tires: The competitive TKC 80

For the heavy enduro category, Continental has developed the TKC 80 as a competitive off-road tire - the fruit of cooperation with Richard Schalber who has won the enduro world championship several times over. BMW uses the M+S-rated TKC 80 as original equipment on the Adventure R 1150 GS, but the enduro tire from Hannover is meanwhile also a popular choice for the riders of many other enduro models. The tire features good self-cleaning properties, optimum grip on soft ground, and excellent riding characteristics on the road. The range of approved TKC 80 sizes is being continuously expanded.

Those riding the multifunctional TKC 80 on long-distance journeys will find it a convincing performer. Indeed, positive ratings are truly abundant. Riders wishing to combine high mileage capability, excellent road characteristics and good self-cleaning properties with high concerning stability on soft ground will be served very well by the TKC 80. Christoph del Bondio, an experienced desert rally rider and organizer of off-road events (www.delbondio.de) is convinced: "For me, the TKC 80 is the measure of all things." As a true competition tire, the off-road tire from Hannover bears an M+S stamp, thus ensuring maximum grip off the road as well. Its sports capabilities have been proven in various grueling events, among them the Paris-Dakar rally.

The additional benefits of having M+S properties are felt by riders on German roads: even if a motorcycle really needs a tire with a higher speed rating, the TKC 80 can be fitted in conjunction with an appropriate information plaque.

ContiCity: safe and economical

Continental developed the ContiCity especially for light motorcycles and those with capacities of between 50cc and 125cc. It is characterized by a modern tread design, good wet-weather adhesion, riding stability and a long service life. The German tire specialist thus offers an impressive range in the frequently neglected "small-capacity" class.

More tires made by Continental are available for classic sports motorcycles (TKV11/12), for touring motorcycles (TK 16/17), for cruisers and classics (TKH 23/24), for versatile sports tourers (TK 22 RC/44 RC), for street enduros (TKC 60/70) and for youngtimers (TKP14/K112/ RB 2).

The Continental Corporation is a leading supplier of tires, brake systems, chassis components, vehicle electronics and technical elastomers. The company reported consolidated sales of 11.5 billion euros for 2003, and a year-end worldwide work force of around 69,000.

The Tire Division is an Official Partner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup GermanyTM. More information on this can be found at www.conti-online.com and www.ContiFanWorld.com.