Many Michelin tires built for sports bikes today have 2CT stamped onto the sidewall. And if you’ve ever wondered what that means, it actually does stand for something — it isn’t one of those machine-generated model codes. 2CT stands for Two Compound Technology, and it’s Michelin’s exclusive shorthand that conveys the tire is made up of two different rubber recipes. This is not the only useful feature on a Michelin tire, but it’s one of the more telling ones.

It’s not like these two compounds are ground into paste and distributed equally around the tire, though. One of them is actually limited to just the middle strip, while the other takes up the rest. The middle of a motorcycle tire takes the brunt of regular riding, since bikes obviously spend most of their time rolling in straight lines. But when you lean into a corner, especially at high speeds, that’s when the shoulders come into play. Because of this, both sections end up wearing at very different rates, so it makes sense to build them out of different materials to match the different conditions they are subject to.

That’s exactly what Michelin did. They tossed a harder compound into the middle, one that favors longevity and high wear resistance. Meanwhile, the shoulders got a more supple compound, reportedly 20% softer than the center, with the goal of maximizing mechanical grip around corners. The exact differences in materials between the two hasn’t been officially revealed, though the tire in its entirety uses silica-infused rubber, aramid fibers, and radial construction.

2CT tires get a lot more interesting for racing enthusiasts once you dig into their history. These were initially designed for Michelin’s racing program way back in 1994. At the time, they weren’t officially labeled 2CT yet, and were simply referred to as dual-compound tires. From there, the tire took a good decade to filter down into road-legal designs consumers could buy. The first consumer-oriented model, the Power Race, was launched in 2005, and was the first tire to wear the 2CT badge. But even then, it was strictly track-focused.

Four years later, motorcyclists were finall treated to the first proper road-going tire to use the 2CT badge. This was the Pilot Power 2CT, which dropped in 2009 and is still in production today.

One quirk worth flagging about this line is that while the Pilot Power 2CT was the first to feature the 2CT branding, the meaning of 2CT has since expanded. Today, it’s evolved from a specific model identifier into a universal label for all tires from the company using the same technology. So 2CT now also shows up on scooter rubber and ADV tires, like is the Anakee Adventure 2, an 80/20 adventure-touring tire built for riders who also go off-road occassionally.

There’s another newer and upgraded version worth mentioning called 2CT+, which was first introduced on the Power RS tire back in early 2017. It packs a harder layer of rubber underneath the soft shoulder compound, in order to offer a firmer ride for the everyday street rider. Today, Michelin Pilot Power 2CT tires typically cost between $147 and $195 per tire and can be picked up both individually and in sets. Beyond Michelin, most major motorcycle tire brands offer their own dual-compound options now, although Michelin will forever be recognized for getting there first.