28/08/2026
Mitas TOURING FORCE – Confidence When It Matters
I’ve now put around 2,000 km on Mitas TOURING FORCE tyres fitted to my Kawasaki ZX1000, and so far I’ve been genuinely impressed with how they perform across a wide range of riding.
My riding has included everything from tight twisties and sports touring to wet roads, high-speed cruising and low-speed riding, with lean angles reaching around 47 degrees. That’s given me a good opportunity to get a feel for how the tyres behave in different conditions.
Progressive and predictable
The biggest thing I’ve noticed is how predictable the TOURING FORCE feels.
There’s a progressive transition as you lean the bike over, rather than a sudden change in the tyre’s behaviour. Through the twisties, that gives me confidence to carry the bike into corners and trust what the tyres are doing underneath me.
At around 47 degrees of lean, the tyres have remained composed and planted, giving me the confidence I want from a sports-touring tyre.
The tread pattern – simple, but effective
One thing that immediately stands out about the TOURING FORCE is its tread pattern.
Rather than using a more pronounced block-style tread, the tyre uses a series of predominantly straight, continuous grooves. From my experience so far, I really like how this translates to the road.
The more continuous tread pattern seems to give the tyre a very consistent feel as it rolls onto its shoulders through a corner. I’ve also noticed less of that tendency to develop uneven wear on the corners that I’ve experienced with some more block-patterned tyres.
For a rider who enjoys twisty roads and spends plenty of time leaning the bike over, that’s a real positive. The tyre feels like it is maintaining a consistent contact with the road rather than the tread blocks moving independently underneath you.
Grip in the wet
Wet-weather performance is another area where the TOURING FORCE has impressed me. Riding in the wet can quickly expose a tyre’s weaknesses, but I’ve found these tyres provide reassuring traction and a predictable feel when the road surface isn’t ideal.
That consistency is important to me. You don’t necessarily need a tyre that feels aggressive — you need one that lets you trust the available grip.
From high speed to low speed
The tyres have also performed well across the range of riding I’ve thrown at them.
At higher speeds, they feel stable and planted, while at lower speeds they remain easy to control and predictable. That versatility suits the ZX1000 well, particularly for sports touring where a day’s riding can involve everything from flowing open roads to tight corners and slower technical sections.
European quality and durability
The TOURING FORCE also gives the impression of being a well-engineered, quality European tyre. The rubber compound provides a good balance between traction and expected mileage, which is important when you’re using a bike for touring as well as enjoying the twisties.
At 2,000 km, it’s obviously too early for me to make a definitive claim about the tyre’s total lifespan, but so far the wear and performance have been encouraging.
The tyres also feel robust, with good resistance to the sort of road debris and puncture risks you encounter when putting serious kilometres on a motorcycle.
My verdict
After 2,000 km on the Kawasaki ZX1000, the Mitas TOURING FORCE has given me exactly what I want from a sports-touring tyre:
Grip. Stability. Progressive handling. Predictability. Confidence.
For me, the biggest compliment is that I trust the tyres.
Whether I’m riding fast through the twisties, touring, dealing with wet roads or simply riding around town, the TOURING FORCE has remained consistent and predictable.
A tyre doesn’t have to shout about its performance. Sometimes the best tyres are the ones that quietly give you the confidence to ride your bike the way you want to ride it.
And so far, that’s exactly what the Mitas TOURING FORCE has done for me.
The mitas touring force is an incredible tyre , a real eye opener of how tyres should perform, I’ve been riding for over 38 years, owned motorcycle tyre fitting shops, ridden countless different brands and styles of motorcycles and I can tell you these are up there at the top .
Written by David Lineham .
