I'm the kind of dude who, once I find a tire I love, sticks to it and gets the same set over and over again. It doesn’t matter if it's a motorcycle, car, truck, or even bicycle, either. But when it comes to motorcycles, I’ve always found myself gravitating to one particular tire series—the Bridgestone Battlax.
I’ve owned multiple sets of the Bridgestone Battlax S22, and have a brand new set of Battlax S23 rubber on my XSR900 at the moment. I’ve also owned multiple sets of Battlax T32 tires for my touring bikes, and currently have a set that’s about halfway through its service life on my MT-07. And so, when I got word that Bridgestone released the successor to the T32, aptly named T33, you can bet that my interest was piqued.
At this point, it should be common sense that I’ll be getting a set of T33s once my T32s say goodbye (I’m working on a long-term review of the S23s I currently have on my bike as we speak). But until then, let’s talk about what’s new with the Battlax T33.
Now, Bridgestone has kept things pretty vague in its official press release, using quite a lot of flowery marketing jargon in explaining the benefits of its new tires. It’s clear that Bridgestone just really wants you to grab a set for yourself and see what they’re capable of.
But one thing that really stood out is that Bridgestone’s claiming a whopping 47-percent increase in mileage with the T33, all while maintaining its high level of performance. Now, I don’t know about you, but I managed to get more than 7,000 miles on the Battlax T32s on my MT-07, and trust me, I don’t go easy on my bikes. And so if Bridgestone’s claims turn out to be true, we could be looking at a tire that lasts north of 10,000 miles—pretty impressive.
Bridgestone says that it was able to increase the tire’s mileage by using a new compound, as well as employing a new pattern and construction. This results in a “reduction of the tire’s contact patch slippage area.” So I guess, this just means that the tire is more efficient as it has less rolling resistance.
When it comes to the tread pattern, there’s a noticeable difference when compared to its predecessor. The T33 clearly boasts a sportier tread pattern that actually looks much more similar to that of the S23. Meanwhile, the T32’s tread pattern was less aggressive, and clearly resembles that of an all-weather tire. It’ll be interesting to see how the T33 tires handle wet conditions, as the T32s were some of the best wet-weather tires I’ve ever tried.
As is the case with all of Bridgestone’s road-focused rubber, the Battlax T33 will come in a wide range of sizes that fit sport, naked, touring, and adventure-touring bikes. More specifically, there are four front and six rear tire sizes, with an additional five sizes set to hit the market in 2026.
Source: Bridgestone
