Dunlop Roadsmart

[Bones]

Had my first proper ride on twisty dry roads yesterday and am happy to report that the newly fitted Dunlop Roadsmarts stick like the proverbial to a blanket. Chicken strips scrubbed off the rear without so much as a squirm. The profile gives lovely turn in and they were great on the brakes too. Probably better than the Battleaxe road tyres I had fitted a couple of years ago. I'll let you know how they wear in 6 months.

 

[Rasher]

Thanks, be looking to fit some to mine next month.

Does the profile look better, I know many of the dual sport tyres look like they can be ridden off the edge of the tread, hoping these will be good for silly lean angles well beyond my talent / bravery.

 

[bose]

new rubber

Yep please report back with views on wear rate ,will be good to see if there up to taking the strain from the GS,reports so far is they dont last long ???

 

[davnjud]

i like my roadsmart for cornering too too but suspect they have a higher rolling resistance than the the battlewings and my fuel consumptio has increased by 5-10%. keeping them inflated to correct pressure seems to be critical in this respect.

 

[C-J]

Did 7000 miles on my first pair... Couldn't fault them so got another pair on now.. Have never let go and do a pretty good lean angle.. Have toured on them and hooned on them....... Theyre great

If you don't go offroad get them...

 

[Beemerman59]

Replaced mine when the rear was down to 1.5mm after 5K miles.

 

[Rasher]

I got @4k out of them on the ZZR14, would hope a bike that weighs a bit less and produces little more than half the power does bit better!

 

[Yonkyo]

Replaced mine when the rear was down to 1.5mm after 5K miles.

I thought that these puppies were the ultimate road tyre, combining great performance plus long tyre life.

5k from a rear on a GS is hardly exceptional. I regularly get more than that from a rear Battlewing (and i aint no pussy when it comes to opening the throttle).

I was going to give the Roadsmarts a try next, but i dont think i'll bother now.

 

[Beemerman59]

I thought that these puppies were the ultimate road tyre, combining great performance plus long tyre life.

5k from a rear on a GS is hardly exceptional. I regularly get more than that from a rear Battlewing (and i aint no pussy when it comes to opening the throttle).

I was going to give the Roadsmarts a try next, but i dont think i'll bother now.

Agreed, I got more from the Battlewings too and looks like the same will be true with the Conti trail attacks I have on at the moment. I seem to remember, so I may be wrong, but when the Dunlop's first came out there was talk that it wasn't the centre tread that was a particularly hard compound, more the edges of the tyre were softer.

Having said that though, the Dunlop's were the best handling and grippy road tyre I have tried to date.

 

[Rasher]

Maybe they are different on the GS sizes than they are for superbikes

My 1400 got through two BT-014's in under 3k!!!

I then fitted Dunlop Qualifier RR's (Ultra sticky road / track tyre) and got 3k from just the one rear.

The Roadsmart I thought would do a LOT more than the RR's, but the first one struggled to 4k, the second one was looking good for the same mileage when I sold the bike - almost worn at 3.5k.

Compared to the Bridgestone 014's they are amazing, more grip and well over double the mileage, compared to the track orientated tyres they do not look as brilliant, but I noticed no difference in grip on the road and they felt mega planted at all times in all conditions.

As far as I am concerned if they grip a hell of a lot better than the alternatives and last a 1000 miles less that is OK - how much does a slide down the road cost?

They are also cheaper than most DP tyres so maybe the cost per mile is similar anyway.

 

[sven]

5k from a rear road tyre seems pretty good to me, especially for superior handling and feedback

I've just changed the first rear Conti Trail Attack on my GS at 6K miles with the same as there was plenty of life left in the front, but half of this mileage was on tour in the Alps. Grippy Scottish tarmac would have severly reduced this as I've gone through Tourances on my Craponord in well under 4k miles including 1200miles in the Highlands.

I rarely got much more than 3k miles from a sports touring rear on my VFR's or K1200S and somethimes less than 2k miles for sporty rubber

 

[red line]

has anyone tried roadsmarts and conti road attacks?

 

[roddy]

I thought that these puppies were the ultimate road tyre, combining great performance plus long tyre life.

5k from a rear on a GS is hardly exceptional. I regularly get more than that from a rear Battlewing (and i aint no pussy when it comes to opening the throttle).

I was going to give the Roadsmarts a try next, but i dont think i'll bother now.

Agreed, I got more from the Battlewings too and looks like the same will be true with the Conti trail attacks I have on at the moment. I seem to remember, so I may be wrong, but when the Dunlop's first came out there was talk that it wasn't the centre tread that was a particularly hard compound, more the edges of the tyre were softer.

Having said that though, the Dunlop's were the best handling and grippy road tyre I have tried to date.

your not comparing like for like,

Roadsmart dedicated road tyre

Battlewings an Trail Attacks are combined trail/road tyre so they have a deeper tread to start with

I'd reckon 5k from a rear for big ol'bus like the GS to be respectable ?

 

[Yonkyo]

your not comparing like for like,

Roadsmart dedicated road tyre

Battlewings an Trail Attacks are combined trail/road tyre so they have a deeper tread to start with

I'd reckon 5k from a rear for big ol'bus like the GS to be respectable ?

IMHO i think these dedicated road tyres are a waste on the GS/GSA.
It would appear that all the current flavours of road/trail rubber seem to offer better mileage, plus more than enough lean angle and grip, to grind the pegs.
And you have the added benefit of a bit more grip if you leave the tarmac.
They are also cheaper to buy - £170ish for a pair of Battlewings.

OK maybe a road tyre can offer some improved wet performance. But how many heroes do we have here, that want to grind metal on wet roads.

BTW, anyone tried the new Dunlop Trailmax yet.

 

[Rasher]

BTW, anyone tried the new Dunlop Trailmax yet.

That would be my second choice based on what I have read, but someone at Dunlop told me:

Robert,

I know what you mean about keeping the 'look' of the bike, but if all of
your riding is done on the road forget image and go for the RoadSmarts. No
question. They really do improve the GS's chassis performance.

When you think about it, a tyre is a compromise. It's not a word we like in
the tyre industry but that is essentially what a tyre is.

If you want off-road potential with a more rugged tread design then on-road
performance will suffer a little.

As if by chance, Ian Jubb has just reported in this week's MCN on the
RoadSmarts I supplied for his GS:
"Finally with some free time I can now try out the new Dunlop RoadSmart
tyres. In the first 500 miles of use they have turned the GS into a much
more usable road bike. I've been bowled over by the improvements that two
bits of rubber have made. The bike actually turns, drops into corners with
far less effort and seems to wallow less when going through them."

However, if you want to keep the image we have just launched our
replacement for the D607, the Trailmax TR91. You can find information here:
http://www.dunlopmotorcycle.eu/dunlop_euen/mc/tyres/on_off_road/Trailmax_TR91.jsp

This is the state-of the-art on/off-road tyre of the moment and it benefits
from some of the technologies used in the RoadSmart. If was adventuring in
Morocco or in eastern Europe I'd have these fitted without question. They
really do have off-road ability and yet are very good on the road as well,
wet or dry.

However, in the areas of dry road grip, wet road grip, on-road handling
response and tread life, the RoadSmart will win every time. Not by much in
grip and handling, but it will win. In mileage, as you have experienced,
RoadSmart is very durable and will out-last TR91. But having said that, of
the on/off-road tyres, TR91 is one of the longest-lasting, it just won't
last as long as RoadSmart

All the best

Bryn Phillips
Product Support Manager, Motorcycle
Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd

 

[Martyn H]

has anyone tried roadsmarts and conti road attacks?

Yep - great tyres both, but I've got my RT on Road Attack 2's, & I really rate them - thus far.

 

[Martyn H]

That would be my second choice based on what I have read, but someone at Dunlop told me:

I've known Bryn for more than a few years now; he knows tyres, & I've always found him to be honest & subjective; sums it up nicely.

 

[Bones]

Thanks, be looking to fit some to mine next month.

Does the profile look better, I know many of the dual sport tyres look like they can be ridden off the edge of the tread, hoping these will be good for silly lean angles well beyond my talent / bravery.

The profile is rounder than the Battlewings and other dual use tyres so the bike 'drops' into bends much more easily. Motorway stability seems uneffected. When temperatures pick up silly lean angles will be easy. I am already having to move feet back on the pegs to prevent clipping them on the road in the twisties.

 

[mr_magicfingers]

I switched to roadsmarts for the winter, I wanted something that had better wet weather grip and I've been very surprised at how good they are.

I always remember something one of the police instructors who worked at the same Star Rider center years ago, 'you have as much grip in the wet as you THINK you do in the dry'. That seems to be about right.

 

[Deleted account 211025001]

IMHO i think these dedicated road tyres are a waste on the GS/GSA.
It would appear that all the current flavours of road/trail rubber seem to offer better mileage, plus more than enough lean angle and grip, to grind the pegs.
And you have the added benefit of a bit more grip if you leave the tarmac.
They are also cheaper to buy - £170ish for a pair of Battlewings.

OK maybe a road tyre can offer some improved wet performance. But how many heroes do we have here, that want to grind metal on wet roads.

..................

But that's just it isn't it; you're emphasis is on mileage, another person's is on outright grip, another's on price and another's on handling, and others on a combination of all of those.......................

FWIW I don't think a 'proper' road tyre is wasted on a GS. It's not just about being a 'hero' leaning over further and faster but far more about feel, handling and out right stability.

Having tried most sorts of tyres on mine I have found dual sports perfectly adequete. They are, however, purely cosmetic when it comes to off-road performance. If you think they are going to give you more grip off road than a pure road tyre then you are in for a bit of a shock.

Pure road tyres offer better feel, turn-in and much better stability/feel at high speed.

My fav tyres so far are the Avon Azaro/ST combo and you can easily pick them up for £170 a pair. They suit the GS perfectly

Having said that I'm still on a pair of bearly legal, squared off Heidi's at the moment and, whilst the handling is quite 'interesting' I don't find myself riding any differently/slower than if I was on my favourite Avons

Andres