Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III
Dunlop has unveiled a revised edition of its popular Sportmax Roadsmart—meet the Sportmax Roadsmart III, which was designed for more longevity. We’re looking forward to see how these compare to the previous Roadsmart II tires, which we reviewed on a Kawasaki Ninja 1000. Following is the official Dunlop press release.
Utilizing new ideas and proven concepts, Dunlop’s Sportmax Roadsmart III redefines the Sport Touring tire category by reinventing long-haul tire performance.
Some tires boast big mileage claims, but in reality tire performance falls off significantly with wear. Grip, ride compliance and other qualities diminish as the tire wears, and the ride experience just isn’t much fun long before the tire is worn out. That’s what makes the Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III revolutionary.
Not only did Dunlop engineers achieve higher performance over the life of the tire, but they managed to increase mileage as well. Independent testing on a 2016 BMW R1200RT yielded more than 12,000 miles on the Dunlop Roadsmart 3, 3,000 miles more than the Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT.*
More impressive, tests comparing the handling of the Roadsmart III to Michelin Pilot Road 4 tires with 3,000 miles on each of them show the Roadsmart III has a significant performance advantage in numerous categories, including wet and dry grip, steering response and compliance. The Roadsmart III maintains its performance advantage over its long lifespan.**
The overall construction of the Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III achieves consistency in very specific areas, and is designed to work on everything from middle-weight sport bikes for riders looking for more mileage, to big powerful performance touring machines.
While some high-mileage tires may start out with light, linear steering and stability under braking, they become heavier steering, less linear and less trustworthy as the miles roll up and the tire profile changes with wear. Additionally, compliance often suffers dramatically as some tires wear—not the Roadsmart 3. Engineers placed a priority on even wear to maintain light steering, consistent braking and handling, and excellent ride quality over the long life of the tires.
Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart III Sport Tire Features:
• Dunlop’s exclusive MT Multi-Tread® design binds a high-mileage compound to the center, and high adhesion compound to the lateral flanks for high cornering grip.
• New front and rear tire compounds enhance wear resistance, and include an innovative resin that increases wet grip.
• Rear tire profile is designed to increase the footprint and improve mileage.
• Optimized construction for high mileage and wet performance.
• New sidewall construction helps to provide superior shock absorption for reduced rider fatigue.
• Innovative new cross groove tread pattern achieves better drainage in the wet for more grip.
Dunlop’s Sportmax Roadsmart III offers riders an option they’ve never had before: A high-mileage, high-performance tire that stays closer to peak performance over its lifespan than any other tire on the market. Think about that: Less Wear means more performance for more of the tire’s lifespan; More Where means more mileage than the competition, and the ability to ride thousands more miles on a set of Roadsmart III tires.
Greater performance over more miles, and greater mileage than any of the competition: The Roadsmart III just opened the door for serious riders to go farther than ever before without compromising performance. Welcome to the new definition of Performance Touring.
For additional information, visit Dunlop Motorcycle Tires.
*As compared to the Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT tire in sizes 120/70ZR17 and 180/55ZR17 on a 2016 BMW R1200RT in independent test performed by Texas Test Fleet, Inc. Mileage results may vary. ** Based on internal testing at Dunlop’s Huntsville Proving Grounds, May 2015, on a 2015 BMW R1200RT on used 120/70ZR17 and 180/55ZR17 size. Actual performance results may vary.