Michelin Anakee Road in the long-distance test on BMW R 1300 GS

Despite all the off-road capabilities that modern adventure bikes offer the skilled rider, most owners actually prefer to keep their often quite expensive bikes on the asphalt. That doesn't call for big, chunky knobs, which admittedly might look sexy, but rather for grip, stability and performance. And above all, for reliable functioning across the widest range of road and weather conditions. Something we had plenty of, both at our winter base in Barcelona and especially on the three-day return trip to Austria.

Just like the Road 6, which is designed 100 percent for road use, the Anakee Road also features 2CT+ technology, meaning it combines a hard rubber compound across the entire tread width with a softer one at the tire shoulder. The former provides stability and durability, the latter better grip and handling. Comfort and handling are indeed among the tire's strengths - it can be guided playfully through a series of corners and never loses grip while doing so. You really have to be quite bold with the ride-by-wire in lean to find the limits of grip; only when giving it real hard throttle at corner exit did the traction control need to step in. Ridden in smooth, round lines, the Michelin goes along good-naturedly until boots or footpegs start scraping the ground.

Even at low temperatures, such as in the French mountains, when the thermometer showed only slightly above zero degrees in the early morning, the rubber inspired confidence. Which it also does, and especially so, in wet conditions. From damp patches on the road to genuinely heavy rain, we experienced it all, and the Anakee Road made you almost forget the conditions outside, thanks to the 100 percent silica compound combined with its outward-drawn tread pattern. What most of us are willing to ride in the rain, this tire can handle without needing to shy away from comparisons with the best in class - even though in wet conditions you should generally prefer a rounder line and avoid abrupt braking maneuvers anyway.

There's nothing to complain about regarding stability, which stays comfortably within limits even at high highway speeds, and there's no disturbing righting moment felt under braking either. All of this is to be expected from a modern 90/10 tire on the road - but what about the 10 percent off it? Normal field tracks and gravel roads are no problem, as long as you choose your speed accordingly. This is where the difference to tires with a coarser tread pattern, such as the Anakee Adventure, becomes apparent, especially under braking and when turning in - those tires simply accept a higher pace or remain controllable for longer in this respect. Caution is advised when unpaved paths become wet or even muddy - the limits are reached quickly there. So why choose the Anakee Road over the Road 6, provided the latter is available in the matching size? Because thanks to its harder carcass, it remains more stable on rough surfaces or, say, stone steps, absorbs more, and is therefore simply more versatile for touring.

With the new Anakee Road, available in four front and four rear sizes each (90/90-21, 110/80R19, 120/70R19, 120/70ZR19 as well as 150/70R18, 150/70R17, 170/60R17, 170/60ZR17), Michelin now also has an up-to-date 90/10 tire in its portfolio, and together with the Anakee Adventure (80/20) and Anakee Wild (50/50), it covers pretty much everything that makes adventure biking fun. Thanks to the full-silica compound, it leaves nothing to be desired in the rain, while the proven dual-compound technology delivers solid grip and agile handling, as well as presumably decent mileage. We've now put around 3,000 kilometers on it with the GS - certainly half of that on the highway - and the rubber still looks really good (we'll provide an update on mileage in our long-term test report on the BMW R1300 GS). It reveals weaknesses mainly when you leave its intended range of use or its comfort zone - on wet field tracks, meadows or in mud, the fun quickly comes to an end, but for touring with occasional detours onto (dry) unpaved paths, it's more than ready.