Bridgestone Pulls the Cover off the New BATTLAX ADVENTURE A42 Motorcycle Tire

All-new for 2027 is Bridgestone's BATTLAX ADVENTURE A42, which is an on-road-oriented adventure tire that's intended for long-distance touring.

Photo by: Bridgestone

By: Robbie Bacon

Oct 29, at 10:47am ET

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The way folks are using their adventure bikes is ever expanding. I'd be equally unsurprised to see one at a track day as I would on an off-road trail. Likewise, if you told me you never planned to take your BMW R 1300 GS off a paved road, I wouldn't bat an eye; if this sounds like you, Bridgestone has a new tire that's right up your alley.

All-new for 2027 is Bridgestone's BATTLAX ADVENTURE A42, which is an on-road-oriented adventure tire that's intended for long-distance touring. This model follows on from the BATTLAX ADVENTURE A41, but improves upon it in almost every measurable way.

According to Bridgestone, this tire is under the concept of "the answer to the road-going adventurers", and that means serving riders who ride everything from city streets to expressways and winding roads. It also means that this tire needs to have an optimal balance of wet-and-dry weather performance along with having a long wear life and low tire noise.

The BATTLAX A42 reduces tire slip ratio under straight-line acceleration by 14% compared to the previous model, and delivers longer wear life than its predecessor at both tire positions, with 18% longer life at the front and 25% longer life at the rear. Finally, the latest model has a larger contact patch, which is intended to provide greater riding stability and comfort, and initial testing found that it reduced tire noise by 15%, again compared to the previous model.

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Bridgestone used new tread compounds and an adventure-inspired tread pattern to improve performance. The front tire compound of the BATTLAX A42 uses a flexible polymer to improve road-surface grip, while the rear compound uses a polymer that should enhance wear resistance and mileage. Both compounds include optimized silica and carbon content that is intended to give a high level of balance between wet performance and tire life.

The BATTLAX A42 inherited the design lineage of the latest BATTLAX lineup, including an aggressive tread pattern suited to adventure motorcycles. In addition to incorporating Pulse Groove water drainage technology, the tire should boost pattern stiffness through a revised groove layout. According to Bridgestone, the model is due to hit the Japanese domestic market on February 1, 2027.