New Tires from Bridgestone

Nashville, Tenn. (June 5, 2008) -- Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is once again strengthening its already dominant position in the motocross/off-road market with the introduction of the newly developed Bridgestone-brand M203/M204 soft terrain and M603/M604 hard terrain tires. These tires will replace the current successful M201/M202 soft terrain and M601/M602 hard terrain tires in the marketplace.

Prototype versions of these new tires were developed and tested by top AMA factory teams in Supercross, Motocross and off-road racing, capturing a dominant majority of race wins and championships. With this data, and building on the proven performance of the combination, Bridgestone tire engineers have fine-tuned casing constructions and tread design patterns to increase durability, widen the range of soil applications and increase cornering performance on the new M203/M204 soft terrain and M603/M604 hard terrain tires.

Using new lug patterns, rubber compounds and tire constructions, the new directional M203 front block pattern provides tremendous grip with stability under maximum braking. The new block pattern also gives advanced controllability & reliable contact feel at any lean angle in the corners. The M204 rear tire provides solid side grip and traction on wide range of soil with improved slide control even in the tightest corners. The M203 front will be available in five different sizes and the M204 rear will be available in eight sizes. Fronts are 90/100-21, 80/100-21, 70/100-19, 70/100-17 and 60/100-14. Rears are 120/80-19, 110/90-19, 100/90-19, 110/100-18, 100/100-18, 90/100-16, 90/100-14 and 80/100-12.

Derived from top Supercross racing technology, the new M603/M604 enables riders to utilize the machine power to its maximum.  The front M603 newly adopted mid-camber basin (hollow between blocks) gives flexibility to tire tread without dropping stiffness of the block. This enables each block to adapt to the ground surface, which gives amazing balance of lean grip and straight drive stability.

The Rear M604 provides advanced grip and traction. In combination with improved bump absorption, the M604 gives riders confidence on hard pack like never before.
The M603 front will be available in two different sizes and the M604 rear will be available in six sizes. Fronts are 90/100-21 and 80/100-21. Rears are 120/80-19, 110/90-19, 110/80-19, 100/90-19, 110/100-18 and 100/100-18.

Look for the new Bridgestone soft terrain M203/M204 and hard terrain M603/M604 off-road tire combinations in early summer at motorcycle dealers nationwide.