News ContiSportAttack 5 Tire Review - The Call of Confidence.

The sport-touring tire is both a strategic and iconic product. Not only does it account for a large share of the market, but it also showcases a manufacturer’s expertise in both dynamic road riding and track performance. It’s the perfect blend of two worlds, delivering both the joy of the open road and the thrill of the track.

In this field, the collective biker mindset instantly thinks of certain well-established brands—French, Japanese, or Italian. Germany has decided to respond: Continental wants a bigger share of the segment and to cement its position among the top three with its new ContiSportAttack 5.
To put it to the test, a squad of S 1000 RR and S 1000 XR bikes—very powerful machines—will be leading the charge.
No time to even put on the heated covers; let’s jump into our boots, put on our helmets, and head out to discover it on the roads of Alicante.

No one will complain about a quick start with the coolness of the road and the tires. Because that coolness won’t last long on the rubber. Even starting off at a leisurely pace, it heats up quickly and has a few pleasant surprises in store for us to enjoy throughout the day. A truck and a few technicians left ahead of us to set up the pit crew at the track—the ContiSportAttack 5 looks at them mockingly, as if it could easily do without them to make the transition from driving to racing. We’ll see about that in a few paragraphs—or kilometers.

Until then, a spirited drive will let us enjoy the sea air—or the smell of manure—glances at cheaper gas, the proud memory of having coffee with Jeremy McWilliams, and the tire’s patience. It doesn’t reveal itself right away, thanks to the semi-active suspension that filters out some of the feedback and information. But once outside the urban area, it begins to reveal the specifics of its behavior. As the pace picks up, through a series of turns and challenges, the tire dynamically showcases its technology.

Beneath the rubber, it is reinforced with steel cords according to the MultiZoneBelt design. This configuration provides greater stiffness in the center, while the belts become more spaced out on the sidewalls, allowing the tire to hug the road more closely and offer a larger contact patch. Its dynamic handling clearly illustrates this characteristic. While riding, the rider quickly feels a distinct firmness. It is neither unpleasant nor bothersome; it is noticeable. This is especially true on small roads but much less so on fast sections. When the road and speed open up, that’s when the opportunity arises to push the speed a bit and observe the tire’s great stability, remaining unflappable throughout the day’s ride. However, we note that the center of the tire doesn’t provide much feedback on the road surface. This should be verified on motorcycles equipped with mechanical suspension. On the other hand, once you take the ContiSportAttack 5 into a corner, it’s a whole different story. In fact, it communicates much more. Very progressive and quick to lean into corners, the tire conveys much more information about the road surface. There, gripping the asphalt with suppleness, it quickly inspires a sense of confidence that settles in like a sweater when you’re cold. The grip is evident, like a piece of velvety tape. And in that moment when the tire is working hard while you’re watching the exit, the bumps are communicated without being felt harshly. The gravel in the path—lost, hoping to disrupt the feel—rolls under the tire; your hands sense its presence, but the rubber obliterates it while the front end remains unaffected by any disturbance.

The difference in feel depending on the tread area has nothing to do with dual-compound or triple-compound technology as seen in other brands. Continental uses a single compound across the entire surface, but a variable curing process on the tread results in different grip depending on the area. This curing process, combined with the asymmetrical carcass, enables this feel and this progressive response during high-stress phases.
The transition from firm to supple feels very natural with the ContiSportAttack 5. Even when pushed hard, it’s so confident that it instantly regains its line after sudden jerks or epileptic twitches from the front end—whether intentional or not.

Once we arrive in the paddock, a quick bite to eat is in order. But still no heated blankets in sight. This doesn’t scare anyone, and for good reason: in addition to heating up quickly, the SportAttack 5 retains heat for a long time. It won’t take long to get it back up to operating temperature. In any case, we need to learn the Murcian track layout. So the Continental will be ready well before we are.

And even better: it doesn’t require adjusting the pressure. Most of the time, before hitting the track, the rider grabs their pressure gauge and lowers the pressure for track use, usually to 2.1 / 1.9, when cold.
Not with the ContiSportAttack 5!!! We take it to the track as-is, with its road pressures of 2.7 / 2.9. So you can go straight from the highway to the curbs without touching the valves. It’s surprising, it’s intriguing, and it posed no problems in any situation.

Let’s check it out. The ContiSportAttack 5 is a tire designed for 80% road and 20% track use. That works out perfectly, as it’s exactly how this test day unfolded: 4/5ths on the road and the rest on the track. Will it confirm its qualities on the Cartagena track, or will it struggle?
After several sessions, the answer is clear: it loves the track. The strong confidence built up throughout the morning only grew stronger between the rumble strips. The tire withstands the onslaught of a hypersport’s high power output without batting an eye. The rear end absorbs the load, the front end steers without hesitation, and the pair follows the dynamics without any unwanted reactions. The tire also accepts course corrections—even risky or late ones—without hesitation or the slightest objection. In fact, it instills confidence when attacking corners and provides reassurance when making mistakes.

The central stiffness becomes an additional asset during braking, where you can hammer the front end like a bull. The tire supports impeccably and doesn’t collapse under the load, transitioning into a very stable and progressive lean angle.

On the dashboard, the internal pressure of each tire is well above what is typically used on the track. But at no point did the tires’ behavior seem affected by this technical quirk.
Surely a slight barometric readjustment would have yielded even greater efficiency on this demanding track. But that would have gone against the philosophy of this tire. Its purpose is to let you go fast and easily on the track, like a reversible sneaker.

If you feel it’s limiting your performance, it’s because your riding style is already more track-oriented than road-oriented, and you need to look for a sturdier option in the range, such as the ContiRaceAttack 2 or the ContiTrack slick.

Subtle yet very reliable, the ContiSportAttack 5 offers two final selling points to address key considerations. One, which is quite subjective, lies in its presentation. Like many recent tires, it no longer has that initial paraffin layer that needed to be broken in before the tire could be fully enjoyed. But before showcasing its performance, it reveals an “orange peel” finish that is both grainy and satiny on its rubber and silica surface, like elegant P10000-grit sandpaper. This isn’t what 99% of users will ask of it. But in this day and age, presentation is sometimes worth more than substance.

The other, more economically relevant aspect is its longevity. Its tread pattern and deeper grooves allowed its designers to incorporate a thicker rubber layer. Meaning more miles to cover.
It will mainly face off against the Michelin Power 6, the Bridgestone S23, and the Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4. These are popular choices, and it holds its own against them.

For all the technical details on the Continental ContiSportAttack 5, click here -->