The best sportsbike tyres as tried and tested by MCN, for a spirited ride or trackday fun

Before you can choose the best sportsbike tyres for your bike, or indeed pick any motorcycle tyre, it’s important to think about the kind of riding that you do. A set of the stickiest track tyres will suit a sunny day at Cadwell Park, for example, but will be a real let-down on a drizzly autumn commute.

The sportsbike you ride will also have a part to play in your decision-making process. For instance a 47bhp A2 sportsbike has different requirements to a 120bhp middleweight or a 200bhp+ superbike – although some principles are universal.

Finally, there is an element of personal choice and subjectivity when it comes to choosing sporty tyres (or any tyres) – just look at the road racing grid for proof, where racers are generally split between Dunlop and Metzeler.

Best at a glance

• Best for serious trackdays: Metzeler Racetec TD Slick
• Best road-legal track tyre: Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V4
• Best for year-round riding: Metzeler Sportec M9 RR

What to consider when buying sportsbike tyres

Tyres are only as good as the care you give them so looking after your motorbike’s rubber is important. Invest in a pressure gauge to make sure you are running the correct PSI as this will help with grip and longevity. You’ll want to run lower pressures on rack due to the higher temperatures reached, too.

If you’re on a budget, it’s best to consider trying to find a previous generation of a reputable tyre than scouring the web for deals on brands you’ve never heard of. Many of the previous generations of the tyres listed here can still be bought from trustworthy outlets for low prices and are still perfectly good options.

Another way to save money is to invest in some home tyre changing kit. Even if you just buy the stands you need to remove the wheels and take them to a fitter it can make the job cheaper than taking the whole bike.

So here are some of the best sportsbike tyres that we’ve used on various machinery and riding conditions and would recommend for your motorcycle.

Best sportsbike tyres

Frequently asked questions

If I ride a sportsbike do I have to fit a sporty tyre?

No, it depends on how you ride and in what conditions, but most people will fit a sporty tyre or a sports-touring tyre to a sportsbike to improve the handling when they want to step it up a notch.

What tyre pressures should I be running at?

This will depend on the bike you have, the riding you do, the weather and plenty of other factors. It’s best to check the motorcycle manual and tyre manufacturers’ website to find out the best pressure for your situation.

Will I get fewer miles out of a sporty tyre than others?

In general, yes. This type of tyre will be made from a softer compound to allow it warm up quickly and grip better. So if you want a more hard wearing tyre you are better going for a sport-touring or touring tyre where they have a harder compound to allow less rapid wear.

How MCN tests sportsbike tyres

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles in order to provide you with opinions and evaluations you can trust, alongside news of the most significant developments in motorcycling safety gear. We want you to stay safe, enjoy your riding and hopefully look great while doing so! 

We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions.

That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on. To make it onto this list, sportsbike tyres must have been used for thousands of miles by our team of experienced testers, show no major flaws, and meet modern safety standards as well as offering decent value for money. 

To find out if a portsbike tyres is worth spending your money on, our testers use them in the way you will. That means riding them on road and on accasion on track, subjecting them to heavy cornering and braking forces. We then judge them on criteria such as grip, feel, weight of turn-in, wear and water dispersion.

If you can’t see a review against an item on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet or because it did not score four stars or above. Only budget kit that scored at least four or five stars will appear in our best of buying guides.

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When we review a tyre, we award it a score out of five. In the ratings tab of a given product, you may also find more specific scores for the different aspects of a product’s performance to help you make an informed decision. We test against criteria like how comfortable it is, how protective is it, does it look good and if it is good value for it’s price tag. Here’s a guide to what each number score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A product with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A product with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A product with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A product with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A product has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

– Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections – read why you should trust us.

- Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us.