Tyre Test: Bridgestone Battlecross E50

After running our WR250R in on Bridgestone Trailwings, we upgraded it to the FIM Dot spec proper road legal enduro tyre, the Bridgestone Battlecross E50. This transformed the WR off-road, and really improved the ability of the bike, with tarmac a compromise.

The Battlecross E50 tyres are a huge improvement over the Trailwing tyres. On the loose hard pack, they have plenty of traction off corners but not a huge amount of front grip. Still ok for long day tours on the dirt at a moderate pace.

The Bridgestone Battlecross E50s have a surprising amount of grip on tarmac for what they are. The road riding is a breeze. You wouldn’t want to waste them too much on the road though, but I found if I rode smoothly I could minimise wear and save them for the off road. Obviously as soon as you push through turns you are two-wheel drifting and you can’t brake hard on the front but they are not road tyres, so the fact they cope with commuting and getting to the dirt is admirable.

Not to be wasted with too much tarmac riding, they are legal to get you from trail to trail on public roads but as expected, they walk all over the place. OK for commuting and short trips though.

On the soft dirt these hardcore enduro tyres are absolutely fantastic. Plenty of traction in the mud and sandy fire trails as well as on the faster open dirt tracks. A plush sidewall and great feel. I could grab the front and step on the rear brakes without the stress of losing it. One of the most versatile enduro tyres I’ve had the opportunity to ride on.

Being a soft tyre, they were very easy to fit to the rims.

The improvement off road that the E50 made over the OEM tyres is huge. But for us, the E50 were too dirt focussed.

Bridgestone Battlecross E50.

We ran Trailwings, then E50 Battlecros, then A41X.

On harder, dusted roads the E50 tyres performed similar to on the tarmac, where the front was a little tucky if leaned too far off centre. Hard upright braking is fine, though, and with the low power of the WR250R, the E50 hooked up fine at full throttle off turns. On the high speed dirt roads, flat in the top few gears, there is some crab walking but it is all predictable.

On the dry hard pack the E50 are OK, but they really shine on the slightly softer, slower speed trails and even in mud, where they give great confidence. The soft sidewalls and broad tread give a good footprint and plenty of feedback.

We ran between 13psi and 15psi depending on terrain and we got surprisingly decent mileage out of the tyres. In fact, we had countless weekend trail rides on the E50s, plus at least 1000km of road commuting, before we took them off and even then, there was plenty left in the front and the rear centre was only 50 per cent worn!

With the extra traction, the suspension of the WR250R started to feel lacking when the bike was pushed closer to the limitations of the enduro spec tyres, so serious trail riders may want to upgrade suspension to get the best out of the E50s. For me, I was just happy to have that extra confidence in the mud, sand, soft trails and having the traction up and down the slippery single trail stuff, as well as more confidence on the softer, sandier fire trails.

For those who spend a little more time on the tarmac either commuting or just transporting to the dirt, more solid blocks and sidewalls are better suited. This is us, so is the reason we next test the Bridgestone Adventurecross AX41, which should give us the high speed dirt road and tarmac stability and grip we need, while still meeting our level of trail riding, which is hobby not competition.