METZELER M9 RR

If fast road riding and trackdays are your thing, Metzeler’s new M9 RR needs to be on your radar.

When it comes to road tyres, Metzeler know a thing or two about producing a corker. Since 2013 they’ve claimed 58 international road race wins, including 16 at the Isle of Man TT, with lessons learned directly influencing the compounds, profiles and make-up of their street products, such as 2020’s new M9 RR. This is the fifth generation of the acclaimed, fast road M-series range (M1, M3, M5, M7, M9) with the message being, on its launch around the Spanish Ronda mountain range and much-loved Ascari race circuit, that the product had made big leaps over its predecessor’s dry grip, wet handling, durability and stability levels. So how did they do it? The answer’s a pretty long one, so you might want to pull up a chair, but in essence everything about the M9 RR is box fresh, including the introduction of a dual compound front and rear (the M7 RR had a dual-rear), and a full silica makeup on the soft shoulders that aids warm-up times and improves wet grip. Predictably, the tread design is new too, and is said to improve wear, disperse more water and offer a five per cent greater footprint when pitched against the M7 RR. For added stability and support, the tyre walls have been kitted with 25 per cent stronger cords and a six per cent tougher textile, and for a great contact patch the profiles of the M9 RRs have also had a bit of tweaking. The front tyre is taller, aiding agility and meaning the rider has a larger footprint at lean, with the same kind of thinking applied to the broader rear (just like you’ll find on the brand’s Racetec products). Add

all these changes together and the end result is a tyre that can lap three seconds quicker in the dry, and two seconds quicker in the wet… or at least that’s what we were told.

The proof would be in the tasting, and having selected a hefty, punchy Yamaha MT-10 to lug me around a 130km road rip, the time to get acquainted had finally arrived. I’m not going to bore you every detail, but when we eventually reached the better bends of the Ronda roads (where most manufacturers launch new products), the first real chance to evaluate the rubber was upon me. I liked the predictable way the tyres rolled the Yammy through direction changes, how stable they made my bike and how informative the rear tyre was. The front end took a little more getting used to, but the more I leant on it, the more I got from it. We were riding at a decent road pace and the M9 RRs didn’t disappoint, with my only criticism being the rear let go twice when the rubber was cool, the second I tapped on the gas at lean. I soon learned the tyres’ limits and never had such a problem once the Metzelers were scorchio, so put my slides down to premature eagerness to crack on.

Having reached the racetrack, the real test of the rubber’s limits was soon to begin. I kicked things off with a blast on an S1000RR, giving the tyres the best part of two laps to warm up before looking for big angles or throttle openings. The front tyre made much more sense in this environment, proving an absolute gem under hard braking, maintaining the carcasses’ form and meaning I could carry plenty of speed into bends with a predictable trajectory. The more laps I clocked, the more I trusted the M9s, getting well versed with their predictable mannerisms. The one place where they showed a bit of weakness was corner exits, where a solid handful of acceleration would cause the rear tyre to break traction and progressively slide the rear of the bike. I never had any major moments and found the rubber pleasantly playful. Overall, the grip levels were high, although a second track outing on an R1 brought about exactly the same results. Cracking on at a fast trackday pace, the M9s were pushed to their limit by the big litre bikes. For the sake of variety, I did my last session on a ZX-6R, which was when these tyres really came into their own. Take the big torque figures out of the equation and the M9 RRs made so much more sense. I had an absolute ball on that Kwacker, lapping faster than I had on the litre bikes, running higher corner speeds, trail braking deeper and being able to get on the throttle without hesitation. I never had a single ‘moment’, and the same can be said about the wet track experience that curtailed the test. Riding a separate course, complete with puddles, undulations and white lines to try and catch you out, the Metzelers did a great job of keeping me safe and my confidence high. Are they a notable improvement over their predecessors? Being unable to test the two products back-to-back I honestly can’t say, but comparisons aside I learned the M9 RR makes for a great fast road tyre, that held its own on track and looked untouched after the pastings it received. If you’re in the market for a new hypersport tyre, you could do far worse.