VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P99
knew it, I was dragging metal. The
level of grip on pavement, even wet
pavement, is beyond anything I've
ever experienced from a 40/60 tire.
Astonished at the level of grip on
pavement, I headed off-road, thinking
to myself that if these tires perform
anywhere near as good off the road
as they do on, I've just found my
new BFFL. Pushing through deep
sand and mud was a breeze, and the
Raid provided enough traction for
on-demand wheelies without spin-
ning the rear wheel. The front does
seem to slide on initial entry into
corners—however, it quickly recovers
and tracks better the more lean angle
that's applied. Braking into turns was
comfortable and predictable, and
the bike remained stable throughout
hard acceleration, even while drifting
the rear both into and out of corners.
Since we're talking about drifting,
now would be a good time to break
the news to you that longevity is not in
your favor with these tires if you slide
the rear around a lot like I tend to do.
I don't run any rear traction control
when I'm off-road, and I have my on-
road setting such that the bike allows
for a slight rear-wheel slide coming
out of fast corners. This riding style
did not bode well for me in terms of
making the Trailmax Raids last. If your
riding style is like mine, then don't ex-
pect to get any more than about 3000
miles from the rear tire. If you ride
more conservatively, you'll likely get
as much as 5000—and you can always
run two rear tires to one front, which is
probably what I will do since the front
tire still had plenty of life left well after
the rear was screaming for mercy.
The Dunlop Trailmax Raid is truly
one of the best sets of tires that I've
LIST PRICE: Front $255.95 Rear $332.95 (for sizes tested)
WEBSITE: https://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com
ever run on the GS. If you ride off-road
enough to justify running a 40/60 tire,
then you owe it to yourself to give the
Raids a try. It'll be the most fun you've
ever had on a new set of tires.
Keith Dowdle
•OUTSTANDING OFF-ROAD GRIP
•STABLE AND PREDICTABLE
HANDLING
•UNBELIEVABLE ON-ROAD
PERFORMANCE
•OUTSTANDING OFF-ROAD GRIP
•REAR WEARS FAST IF YOU
RIDE AGGRESSIVE
RAID
noise initially. While not nearly as loud
as some tires that I've tested, it was
noticeable at first but got better as
the sharp edges wore off. After about
100 miles or so, the noise was almost
completely gone.
As I headed out to the forest on
very twisty tarmac, I pushed harder
and harder, trying to find the slipping
point for the Trailmax Raid. As with
most big-block tires, I always use an
extra level of caution on the pavement
until I feel that initial slip—after that
point, I know how the tire will behave
when it slides on the pavement, and
I can carry on. But oddly enough, the
harder I pushed, the more grip the
Raids seemed to have, and before I
