We went for a pretty brisk road ride around the Algarve yesterday on the new Maxxis Supermaxx Diamond tyres. If brand names were allowed in Scrabble this new tyre would have an amazing word score.
I suspected that this 100km road route would tell us less than the previous day's track test and I was right. The biggest problem with evaluating a tyre on the road is that you're never sure what your testing: the road surface or the tyre itself. That's why consistent race track tarmac is always much more scientific.
That said, the new Maxxis Supermaxx Diamond tyres just felt like any other good road tyre on the road. High speed straight and banked stability was excellent, turn in neutral and progressive and bump absorption well suited to the Z1000SX's suspension. I didn't notice any sensation of movement from the diamond-treaded tread edges either like we had under the more extreme loadings on the race track. Put simply, I road like a bit of a twunt, rode steadily and rode everywhere in between those two extremes and didn't notice the Maxxis Supermaxx Diamond tyres at all.
What more do you want from a tyre (apart from good mileage)? Don't turn your nose up at these tyres out of some kind of weird (and misplaced) tyre prejudice. Give them a try. Seeing as they're roughly 20% cheaper than the bigger brands, you could probably afford to do just that especially if you purchase from 2wheeljunkie.co.uk. They are one of teh premier dealers that Maxxis have chosen to showcase their brand new Maxxis Supermaxx Diamond.
The road: Nothing untoward to report here... can you smell the Eucalyptus trees?
On the track. Exit corner. Hard gas. check out the distortion at the point of contact
Front tyre suits all the bikes we tried with exception of front-endy bikes like Supersport 600s
Z750 not ideal on track. Great on the road, though and it really suited these tyres
1250 Bandit. Peachy fuelling and a comfy riding position. The perfect bike for learning a new track in the bouncing rain