Shape memory alloy elements (“SMAs”) are bonded, encased, or encapsulated with one or more polymers to form an integrated component with unique elastic, pseudoelastic, and load-bearing properties.

A motorcycle tire includes a tread rubber that includes a base rubber layer and a cap rubber layer disposed outward in the tire radial direction of the base rubber layer to form a ground contact surface. The cap rubber layer includes a crown cap portion disposed in a middle region in the tire axial direction of a tread portion and a pair of shoulder cap portions disposed in both sides in the tire axial direction of the crown cap portion. The crown cap portion has a loss tangent tan δc, the shoulder cap portions have a loss tangent tan δs, and the base rubber layer has a loss tangent tan δb, wherein the loss tangents tan δc, tan δs and tan δb satisfy the following equation (1): tan δc<tan δs≤tan δb . . . (1).

A two-wheeled vehicle tyre includes a tread portion being provided with a belt layer and a tread rubber disposed radially outwardly of the belt layer. The belt layer includes steel cords oriented along a tyre circumferential direction. The tread rubber includes a cap rubber forming a tread surface and a base rubber disposed radially inwardly of the cap rubber, wherein 300% modulus (M300c) of the cap rubber is greater than 300% modulus (M300b) of the base rubber, and loss tangent (tan δc) of the cap rubber is smaller than loss tangent (tan δb) of the base rubber.

A motorcycle tire having excellent handling stability and durability, includes a carcass as a skeleton composed of at least one carcass ply extending toroidally between a pair of bead portions and folded and engaged around a pair of bead cores embedded in each of the pair of bead portions and a belt composed of at least one belt layer arranged on the outer side of the carcass in the tire radial direction. A flipper is arranged between the carcass and a bead core, which wraps the bead core from the inside in the tire radial direction, and the outer side end portion of the flipper in the tire width direction extends to the inside in the tire width direction from the end portion of the belt in the tire width direction.

A tire for running on rough terrain for which an intended tire rotational direction is specified. The tread portion is provided with blocks raised from a tread base portion. Each block has a first side wall surface comprising a radially outer portion extending substantially straight and radially inwardly, while inclining toward the toe side in the intended tire rotational direction, and a radially inner portion extending from the radially outer portion to the tread base portion while curving in an arc shape. The radially outer portion has a radial length of from 30% to 70% of a radial height of the block.

A tire for running on rough terrain for which an intended tire rotational direction is specified, and which comprises a tread portion provided with crown blocks disposed on the tire equator. Each of the crown blocks comprises a V-shaped crown block main portion which bends convexly toward a circumferential direction opposite to the intended tire rotation direction, and only two crown fin portions projecting from the crown block main portion toward the above-said circumferential direction opposite to the intended tire rotation direction.

A tyre for a motorcycle includes a tread portion. The tread portion includes a crown longitudinal groove extending in a tyre circumferential direction on a side of a tyre equator, a shoulder longitudinal groove extending in the tyre circumferential direction on a side of a first tread edge, and a middle groove arranged between the crown longitudinal groove and the shoulder longitudinal groove. The middle groove includes a plurality of middle main groove portions arranged in the tyre circumferential direction and each protruding toward the tyre equator or the first tread edge. Each of the middle main groove portions is formed in a bent line shape or in an arc shape. Each of the middle main groove portions includes a shallow bottom portion having a groove depth smaller than a maximum groove depth of the shoulder longitudinal groove and a maximum groove depth of the crown longitudinal groove.

An insert for a vehicle wheel suitable for being inserted in an inner annular cavity resulting between a tire and a rim of the vehicle wheel is provided. The insert has an annular element that extends in a circumferential direction (C) about a main axis (X-X), and is made in one piece of polymeric material. Dips or protrusions formed on the annular element extend about the circumferential direction (C) and along a respective preferential extension direction (A-A), which lies on a plane secant to the circumferential direction (C). A vehicle wheel having a tire, a rim, and the insert suitable for being inserted in an inner annular cavity resulting between the tire and the rim of the vehicle wheel is also provided.

A tread surface 20 of the tire 2 includes a center portion C and a pair of shoulder portions S. A contour line of the tread surface 20 is divided into ten parts. Among the ten parts, two parts including an equator PC are represented by arcs, and two parts including ends PE of the tread surface 20, respectively, are represented by arcs. A degree of curvature of each shoulder portion S is higher than a degree of curvature of the center portion C. A ratio of the degree of curvature of the shoulder portion S to a width TW of the tread surface 20 is not less than 50%. A ratio of the degree of curvature of the center portion C to the width TW of the tread surface 20 is not greater than 70%.

A tread surface 20 of the tire 2 includes a center portion C and a pair of shoulder portions S. A contour line of the tread surface 20 is divided into ten parts. Among the ten parts, two parts including an equator PC are represented by arcs, and two parts including ends PE of the tread surface 20, respectively, are represented by arcs. A bank angle θb is larger than a camber angle θc. A ratio of a degree of curvature Bs of the shoulder portion S to a width TW of the tread surface 20 is not less than 50%. A ratio of a camber height d to a tire cross-sectional height H is not less than 50%.