Dunlop Roadsmart IV

Carts

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Morning all

I put a post out before about putting a new set of tire on my 1250 TE, i decided to go for Dunlop Roadsmart IV, did 100 miles on them yesterday, thought id give some feedback. FYI i had Conti Trail Attack on before

I was looking for a tire that makes the bike drop onto its side easier, i can confirm the roadsmart dose this. I've spent time researching and thinking about this, for me the quick drop in give me more confidence, i think its because i tend to square the comer ( or more correctly like to late apex) on the road? Now this quick drop may give others a negative feeling as it can be described as unstable. When the bike is on its side these tires allow me to move the bike line easier, but to others this could be a negative, or instability ?

The carcass feels harder (note this is different to grip) The harder carcass is giving more feedback in corners, weather this is good or bad depends. Reading up it deepens on peoples liking and how our mind interpretate the feed back. i.e. if you have a tire that can tell which side of a 20p is on to if you run over it some people interpretate it as great feed back, for others this info can be off putting giving overload and a feeling of instability .

For me this part is still work in progress if better or worse

As for grip wet or dry, i haven't and probably wont be able to push to limits, but have no problem

So I'm happy with choice so far, to be honest the last couple of year have been a journey over how tires affect my bikes handling and the handling trait i like. Think this is important to understand, and starts to explain why even different testers rank tires differently, it depends on a lot of how they ride and like a bike to feel,

The more i learn, the less realize i know......
 
I was tempted into trying these by the current offer and have to say they're a great set of tyres, 1600 miles in and no slips or slides despite dealing with wet gravel and mud strewn roads in the borders last week.
A regular riding buddy has had several slips on his Road 6 equipped GSA in that time usually while following me on mine.

The one time I thought they might slip was on a mountain road on Friday last week, strong crosswinds and a flooded road in a hidden dip, I hit that at about 40 and... Nothing, the tyres dealt with a pretty extreme set of circumstances for road riding without a problem.

Compared to the previous Bridgestone A41's they are more sure footed but the bike is no less nimble than it was, I prefer them but have not tried any other tyres yet as the bike only has 2200 miles so far. I ran over something on the A41's and sliced the rear down to the cords at only 600 miles.
 
Doesnt it go to show we all like different things. Firstly, im no riding god, just an average guy. Ive always prefered what i call a linear tyre, one that takes and equal amount to lean all the way,not that falls in as Cart explains. No surprises i guess. Im one of the very few who, despite the racket, liked the Anakee 3's.
 
Interested to see how you get on with them , I used to love the Trailsmart and Trailsmart Max tyres and used them exclusively on 3 bikes , also liked the Roadsmart 3 but then had serious handling issues with Meridians on two bikes r1200 gsa kc and f800gsa and so went over to Continental Trail Atrack 3 on one and Avons on the other.Oddly the 800 was fine for 1200 miles and then the tyres went off but on the 1200 they were dangerous and unstable from the off

I was given a pair of Mutants by Dunlop which are now on my r1250gsa and they are alright but that is about all ( they are better in the wet than the dry).

I have Metzeler Next's on the ktm 1090 s and r1150gs and find them a really good tyre but am interested in a full road tyre for the 1250 at the next change over ( which will be sooner rather than when the Mutants are worn out ).
 
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Hi Hartley

Yep interesting how we can like different feelings to a tire, that why im trying to understated what i want out of a tire. May its a failing in my riding ability why i like a tire like i do?

Neil W

ill keep you informed, i be interested to know what you mean by unstable, may be what you don't like i do?
this is more about a learning curve for me, i don't think there is a right and wrong , just Wong for a particular rider
 
I don't think there's really any such thing as a really bad tyre these days. We each have personal views on tyres and some will suit some bikes and riding styles better than others. I always got on well with the A41s on my GSA. Never had any dodgy moments with them and they got good mileage. Quieter than Anikees too at the front. For outright grip and feedback, for a pure road tyre on the RS, I now use Meztler Sportec 01se's which I've found fabulous in all conditions. I have about 4K miles on them so far and loads of grip left. Fronts, like a lot of D/C tyres can develop ridges on the tread (braking forces cause ridge wear on the tread either side of the middle) and this has only been an issue when I've let pressures drop a little. providing I keep them at 36psi, they're fine. Rears have tons of feedback and grip in wet and dry conditions. I reckon on at least 6K miles on this set before I change them.
 
Hi Motety

i agree with your comments, funnily enough the Mezler Road tech was where the recreant journey started, i had them on 3 bikes R1250GS, R1100S & Ducati 888. I liked the feedback and grip but over time on R1100S & Ducati 888 i dident like handling ( as described above ) replaced with Metzler M9? and Sport Michelin transformed the handling back to what i liked, hence looking ad Dunlop on R1250Gs

On the R1250Gs i had no issue except found the front tended to 20p piece as you noted ( I did 2 rear to 1 front aprox 12,000 m) moved on to Conti ( as Slick recommended ) for me little difference between Road tech and conti except i think the front dealt better with wear on front wheel. so ended up having 2 sets conti on.

I did consider Bridgestone but dont think the manufacture does themselves any favors with the OEM they provide as ware out quickly,
 
I don't think there's really any such thing as a really bad tyre these days. We each have personal views on tyres and some will suit some bikes and riding styles better than others. I always got on well with the A41s on my GSA. Never had any dodgy moments with them and they got good mileage. Quieter than Anikees too at the front. For outright grip and feedback, for a pure road tyre on the RS, I now use Meztler Sportec 01se's which I've found fabulous in all conditions. I have about 4K miles on them so far and loads of grip left. Fronts, like a lot of D/C tyres can develop ridges on the tread (braking forces cause ridge wear on the tread either side of the middle) and this has only been an issue when I've let pressures drop a little. providing I keep them at 36psi, they're fine. Rears have tons of feedback and grip in wet and dry conditions. I reckon on at least 6K miles on this set before I change them.
Completely agree with you .. if it comes from major brand it's going to be 'not bad' and then it comes down to personal preference/riding styles/riding use .. I have been a 'brand fan' over the years with some movement, more recently I really like the offerings from Metzler and Continental.
 
Hi Hartley

Yep interesting how we can like different feelings to a tire, that why im trying to understated what i want out of a tire. May its a failing in my riding ability why i like a tire like i do?

Neil W

ill keep you informed, i be interested to know what you mean by unstable, may be what you don't like i do?
this is more about a learning curve for me, i don't think there is a right and wrong , just Wong for a particular rider
Soon as I put the Meridian equipped wheels back on my low mileage 2018 model r1200gsa with Maxton suspension (which had been a superb handling bike on its Dunlop Trailsmart Max tyres ) it became an utter pig, it developed a serious shake on the steering which on deceleration down from 50 mph to below 30 mph turned into a tank slapper (every time) , mechanic tried it and agreed it was horrendous and I got them to fit a set of Continentals and bike was absolutely fine. We had tried rebalancing the meridians and they looked fine and on the balancing machine the tyres appeared to be true with no deviations of the carcass . Oddly enough the Meridians which I had fitted a month or so previously on my f800gsa seemed fine but after a few weeks they began to develop similar although not as serious issues . Turns out the Meridians were subject to two or three safety recalls in Europe and it has put me off Dunlop tyres (the Mutants are only on because they were free) .
 
Morning all

I put a post out before about putting a new set of tire on my 1250 TE, i decided to go for Dunlop Roadsmart IV, did 100 miles on them yesterday, thought id give some feedback. FYI i had Conti Trail Attack on before

I was looking for a tire that makes the bike drop onto its side easier, i can confirm the roadsmart dose this. I've spent time researching and thinking about this, for me the quick drop in give me more confidence, i think its because i tend to square the comer ( or more correctly like to late apex) on the road? Now this quick drop may give others a negative feeling as it can be described as unstable. When the bike is on its side these tires allow me to move the bike line easier, but to others this could be a negative, or instability ?

The carcass feels harder (note this is different to grip) The harder carcass is giving more feedback in corners, weather this is good or bad depends. Reading up it deepens on peoples liking and how our mind interpretate the feed back. i.e. if you have a tire that can tell which side of a 20p is on to if you run over it some people interpretate it as great feed back, for others this info can be off putting giving overload and a feeling of instability .

For me this part is still work in progress if better or worse

As for grip wet or dry, i haven't and probably wont be able to push to limits, but have no problem

So I'm happy with choice so far, to be honest the last couple of year have been a journey over how tires affect my bikes handling and the handling trait i like. Think this is important to understand, and starts to explain why even different testers rank tires differently, it depends on a lot of how they ride and like a bike to feel,

The more i learn, the less realize i know......
I just hit 6800 miles on my Roadsmart 4’s on my BMW 1250 RT. They’re all used up. I liked the handling but just put on Michelin Road 6’s. Much more $$ than the Dunlops.
I had the Michelin Road 4’s which came on the bike new. They were real noisy. Hope the 6’s solve that issue.
 
The thread is getting old, but I thought I would add a little something.

@Paulyboy, no worries, the 6's are quiet. You must have realized that by yourself between May and now haha :D
They are however very loud on the angle. On my RT, they were so loud and created such a strange vibration that I initially thought I had a problem with my driveshaft. The side grooves wear in such a way that they act almost like dirt tyres (on the angle only) in terms on vibration and noise. This is why I don't use the Road 6s, although they are VERY good tyres otherwise.

Now, about the Roadsmart IVs... I use a lot of tyres. I ride a lot of kms, about 50K a year. And I must say that after trying just about every possible road tyre brand, my favorite by far is Dunlop. All their tires have a rather soft shell making them pleasant for ligther riders and setups (I am 140 lbs). The rubber compounds are fantastic and heat up very fast, even in the winter. I just came back from a nice day of riding in the hills by 5°C and despite my Roadsmart IVs looking like this, I had a lot of fun and used all the tyre with pleasure and confidence. No other brand offers me the same confidence in such conditions at such wear levels.



BUT! and this is what made me want to add something, I cannot go past 3700 miles with a set of RS IVs. Impossible. And yet, I try! Granted, I do ride hard. But not stupid hard. I commute and I occasionally go and have fun in the hills. I am very respectful of my motorcycles and I want to stay alive, so my riding style is... civilized, I would say. But still. I cannot do more than 4K with them. With the Mutants, I manage 5K in the same conditions.

So my own personal (probably not worth much) conclusion is that the RS IVs have a very soft compound, closer to sport tyres than to touring tyres. This explains their excellent grip and their super fast heating time. On the downside, they don't last long. But they suit the GS so well that I think they are my favorite. I just bought Mutants because I am planning a lot of miles in the coming months and I don't want to end up with a shot tyre in the middle of nowhere, but otherwise, I would have bought RS4s again.
 
Hi Magnus.

You commented agree with my thoughts, the only downside of these tyres are the longevity. I think my rear tyre will need replacement in next 500 ish miles. So probably about 3,500 plus in is max I can get out of them. Contis and metzler I get over 5,000.

But what I really like is how they make the bike turn so easily and quickly compares to contis and metzlers. This though is probably a personal thing and others may prefer a more stable tyre.

As for grip to be honest I haven’t found a modern tyre that has a grip problem wet or dry, well at the speeds I ride. That’s why I more interested in feel tyre give.
 
Yep!

I did find ONE modern tyre that really scared me by its lack of grip and stability (on a GS, that is): Conti Trail Attack 3. The worst I have ever fit by far!
I keep a note on my phone with mileage and comments about every tyre set I fit to my bikes and cars. The Trail Attack 3 is the only tyre next to which I wrote "Don't ever buy again!" haha! Just in case I forget...

And surprisingly, the Trail Attack 2 was in my top 5.
 
I had the Dunlops prior to the Road 6, I'll be going back to Dunlops or the Metzeler Roadtec 02 when they are worn out, not a huge fan of them at all, when pushed hard they're not very good and the rear slides easily, could be me expecting too much when riding hard but never had an issue with Dunlops or the Metzeler Roadtec 01SE.
 


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