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Michelin Two-Wheel tyre innovation

Explore our remarkable adventure

Did you know that our two-wheel tyre history started as early as 1891? Since then, we have established an impressive track record of tyre innovations for bicycle and motorbike. Technological breakthroughs led to many of them, always inspired by producing maximum safety and performance! Trailblazer in our category, our intentions are clear: meet cyclists’ and motorbikers’ evolving needs on and off-road.

Innovation is at the heart of MICHELIN Two-Wheel tyre history

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1891: “A flash of inspiration” 

Such was Edouard Michelin’s revelation when he came across a cyclist struggling with a flat tyre. He soon invented tyre removal and tyre repair. This innovation improved the wheeler's comfort and reduced the risk of tyre punctures. It also set the stage for our future in tyre technology.

30s to 50s: safety at the heart of innovation

Straight-sided, beaded edge, ribbed patterns, bias ply, Michelin innovates with new rubber techniques and material design structure.
MICHELIN tyre range soon expands from the 1926 skid-resistant to skid-proof motorbike models.
The early 30s see the arrival of a wide range of innovations, such as “Confort à tringles” (straight-sided), “Confort Bibendum”, “Confort à talons” (beaded edge), “Cablé à tringles“ (straight-sided with layers of textile cords) or “Cablé à talons” (beaded edge with layers of textile cords) tyres, soon joined by the MICHELIN Flèche d’Or (Golden Arrow) and ZigZag tyres in 1935.
In the Post-War era, Michelin gives birth to the brand-new Radial tyre. Unlike previous pattern techniques, plies align at a 90° angle to the central section of the tyre. The discovery revolutionises grip, durability and performance. It also sets mobility market standards in Europe and America.

1960: the birth of “le Rapido” and ACS standard

Adherence, Comfort and Safety. Michelin emphasizes its driving conditions priorities for small and medium-sized bikes. This includes two-wheel tyres for mopeds and lightweight motorbikes.

130 years onwards and upwards

130 years later, our journey with two-wheel tyres is still all about performance. What used to be important only for motorcyclists and racers is now crucial for anyone on two wheels. Whether you're riding on or off-road, performance matters. That's why there's a push to develop new tyre technology that delivers in terms of volume, value, and performance. Advances in materials have led to many innovations, transforming plain rubber into something much more sophisticated.

Since the 1990s, material technologies have introduced concepts like Dual Compound (2CT), Silica integration, and Tubeless tyres, offering a whole new perspective.
Those concepts have enabled the launch of hypersport performance on the road, with products such as the MICHELIN Pilot range in 1999 for four-wheel vehicles, or the MICHELIN Power range in 2005 for motorcycles.

Did you know we register about 400 patents a year?

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We design tyres you can trust

Riders, manufacturers, motorsport actors and key opinion leaders ask for our tyres.

Partnerships with manufacturers

We have partnered with best-in-class motorbike manufacturers, such as Harley-Davidson and the Scorcher range. Each Michelin and Harley-Davidson development has its own approach by working in virtual loops very early on, during the design and development phases. Thanks to our respective modeling capabilities, we were able to develop a new range of motorcycles and the ideal tyres for it simultaneously, before carrying out a battery of tests to perfect the fit, evaluate other options and finalize convergence. This process of virtual co-design and simulation ensured that each motorcycle and its tyres were perfectly matched.

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Sponsoring with key performers

We have joined forces with leading athletes. The fearless MTB riders Cam Zink, Sam Hill , Nicholi Rogatkin, and Malene Degn; but also the powerful Road riders Bryan Coquard, Guillaume Martin, and Simon Geschke are perfect examples of Michelin's outstanding associations. The bicycle range dedicated to competition is the Racing Line Range. It has been specifically designed to meet the needs of professional, semi-professional and everyday riders and to put you on the top step of the podium.

On the motorcycle side, as the official MotoGP™ tyre supplier, Johann Zarco, Francesco Bagnaia, Fabio Quartararo, Jorge Martin, and Marc Márquez, to name just a few, can point out the quality of our tyres. Michelin is a brand of trust and safety. The MICHELIN Power Range is the one that enables you to get the best performance from your motorcycle, thanks to technology directly derived from motor racing.

Entering World-Class Races

Our history in races has driven many two-wheel tyre innovations.
It all started with the 1899 successive wins in Nice-Castellane, Paris-Roubaix, "Critérium des Motocycles" and the "Coupe des Motocycles".
In 1973, Jack Findlay wins the Senior Tourist Trophy, our first victory in the 500cc category. 
The following year, we innovate with racing tyres, tailor-made for the Grand Prix. Those same slick tyres will help Barry Sheene win the GP Championship in 1976. 
In 1977, it is Bullseye! We sweep all five categories in the World championships (50,125, 250, 350 and 500cc).

80s: innovation all around

In 1982, two-wheel tyre innovation goes off-road with the "Desert" all-terrain tyre, dedicated to the rally-raid motorbikes market. It leads to a straight win of the Atlas and the Pharaohs Rallies that year. 1983 sees the first of 36 consecutive victories in the Paris-Dakar Rally, unveiling the tyre's amazing potential.
Back on circuit track that same year, we introduce our first Radial tyre in the GP500, leading onto the improved A59X and M59X series in 1987.
It is Silica integration followed by Dual Compound Technology for GP500 that will ensure us an unrivalled championship domination in the 90s.

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The new challenges of the XXIst Century

Michelin is not only back into MotoGPTM but also becomes the official supplier to the FIM Enel MotoE World Cup, a new type of competition in the electric wheelers’ world.
The electric world proves to be a highly demanding market with regards to new parameters such as rolling resistance, energy loss and noise reduction. Technology challenges that we totally embrace.

As we celebrate our 500th GP victory in October 2023 with Francesco Bagnaia, no World Championship, off-road or road competition can resist our award-winning tyres!

Michelin is committed to pushing the boundaries of technology, safety and performance at a global level. This predicts many more groundbreaking innovations to come.

Media gallery
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1891 - The 1st bike that the Michelin brothers come across is being pulled by oxen. Its owner is exhausted after trying to fix a flat tire. Edouard Michelin has a ‘flash of inspiration’ of how to remove and repair tires : it is a revelation and the beginning of history.

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1891 - Charles Terront during the Paris-Brest race

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1930 - The motorbike tire range includes "Confort à tringles" (straight-sided), "ConfortBibendum", "Confort à talons" (beaded edge), "Câblé à tringles" (straight-sided with layers of textile cords), and "Câblé à talons" (beaded edge with layers of textile cords).

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1935 - Sale of MICHELIN Flèche d'Or and MICHELIN ZigZag tires

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1950 - Michelin develops tires for the new two-wheeled motorized vehicles that are very popular after the war: scooters and mopeds (50 cc engines)

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1973 - In triumphing in the Senior TT race, Jack Findlay brought Michelin its maiden victory in the 500cc premier class, where he won against Barry Sheene. In so doing, the Australian rider wrote the very first line of a long human and technological story.

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2008 - Michelin and Harley-Davidson sign a historic partnership agreement: MICHELIN Scorcher tires are co-developed and co-branded as original equipment and replacement tires for many of the iconic brand’s models.

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