Metzeler is a German motorcycle tire company founded in 1863. Metzeler originally produced a variety of rubber and plastic products, expanding in to aviation in 1890 and automotive and motorcycle tires in 1892. The factory was destroyed in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and rebuilt after the war. In the 1950s and 1960s the American distributor of Metzeler tires was Berliner Motor Corporation

Berliner Motor Corporation

Berliner Motor Corporation was the US distributor from the 1950s through the 1980s for several European motorcycle marques, including Ducati, J-Be, Matchless, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Sachs and Zündapp, as well as selling Metzeler tires...

. After 1979 Metzeler focused only on motorcycle tires, and was acquired by Pirelli

Pirelli

Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...

in 1986.