VOL. 53 ISSUE 24 JUNE 21, 2016 P21
DUNLOP INTRODUCES NEW ADV
AND TOURING TIRES
D
unlop recently introduced its
new Trailsmart tire, spe-
cifically designed for one of the
fastest-growing segments in mo-
torcycling, the adventure (ADV)
market, which is basically made
up of on/off-road bikes like
KTM's 1290 Super Adventure,
BMW's R 1200 GS, and Honda's
new CRF1000L Africa Twin.
The Trailsmart tire, however, is
focused more for the pavement
than dirt, since most ADV bikes
see more action on the street
than they do on the dirt. The
Trailsmart tire features Dunlop's
new XGT Cross Groove tread
pattern. Dunlop says that the in-
tersecting tread grooves rapidly
evacuate water in wet condi-
tions, and help find traction
off-road. The grooves also aid in
bump absorption, which helps
the tires roll over small obstacles
for greater off-road traction.
The interaction and orienta-
tion of the Cross Groove tread
pattern also has significant
advantages on the street. The
pattern provides a large footprint
and equalizes pressure distribu-
tion across the tire, improving
mileage and handling while pro-
moting more even wear. Tread
block rib angles help optimize
block stiffness to reduce tire
squirm and heat buildup through
friction, thus reducing wear
around the tread block edges.
Like Dunlop's high-per-
formance Sportmax tires,
Trailsmart also employs Joint-
less Band (JLB) rear-tire con-
struction. JLB uses a continu-
ously wound belt around the tire
that helps maintain a consistent
contact patch and reduces
distortion and excessive heat
buildup, contributing to an en-
hanced highway ride and higher
mileage.
The Trailsmart also employs a
new silica-fortified tread com-
pound that enhances traction in
wet and dry conditions, pro-
motes quick warm-up on cool
days, and helps reduce rolling
resistance for better mileage.
The Trailsmart tire comes in
a variety of sizes for 19- and 21-
inch front wheels, and 17- and
18-inch rear wheels.
Dunlop also introduced the
all-new Elite 4 tire, designed
purely for street touring. It
features similar technology
as the Trailsmart tire, includ-
ing Multi-Tread technology. It's
available in both bias and radial
construction to fit a wide variety
of touring motorcycles, new and
old. The Elite 4, Dunlop says,
offers improved handling, lower
road noise, more even wear and
higher wear mileage. Dunlop
claims mileage has been in-
creased by five percent over the
company's previous E3 Multi-
Tread tire. CN
(Left) Dunlop's new Trailsmart tire is designed for big-bike adventure riding,
but leans mostly toward the street. (Right) The Elite 4 is Dunlop's new rub-
ber for street touring. Its main selling point? Longer wear, more mileage.
