Not so smart - Dunlop Roadsmart 3 - wobble inducing tyres

I have tried two sets of RoadSmart on my ST1300 and will never go with Dunlop again. They were the exact same models, but behaved very differently. On my first set I got 14,000 miles on the front with no real issues (some wobble at speeds higher than 90 mph), but the second set lasted only 8,700 miles on the front. I thought something was wrong with the bike - even at 30 mph the handlebar would shake violently. I limped home and put a Bridgestone on and problem was gone. The tread had some uneven wear that seems to have caused it. My conclusion: Dunlops are simply too inconsistent and life is too short for crappy tires. Both rear sets lasted about 7,000 miles but were so uncomfortable that I changed them before they were down to the thread mark. Horrible tires...

My best experience so far have been Pirelli Angel GT (rear).

I purchased a set of RS3 to try, I have had many Dunlop and Metzler tire on my bikes over the years, and the Avon Storms on my ST1100 now are the worse yet, but they were on the bike when I purchased so no telling if they have been rode with low pressure, over pressureized to seat, or just took a nasty pot hole hit,or just sat too long( there is some dry rot showing , but I know AVON storms to be a good tire. Either way I pretty sure any issue I might encounter Dunlop and bike bandit will make right. I will be doing fork oil , new bearing, new tires front and rear, balencing both.

I had the wobble on a new pair of Michelin Pilot Road. They were on the Michelin fitment list for the ST1300 when they were first marketed, I even contacted Michelin to confirm that they were suitable for the bike and on the information given, I went ahead and bought them.

I'd done a few hundred miles on them, non-motorway riding, but the first time on a motorway, I did an overtake and the bike wend into a high speed weave. I'd never been so frightened in my life!

I took a slow-ish ride home and the next day they went in the bin and Bridgestone 020F went on. Never had a problem since.

Michelin denied that there was a problem with the tyres, but very soon after, they were no longer on the fitment list.

I'd never risk putting a Michelin tyre on a bike again!

Okay I am somewhat confused here. This thread was started in June of 2016 and talks about the Dunlop Roadsmart III. Is this a different tire that the Dunlop SportMax Roadsmart III that was just release a month or so ago?

I ask becuase I was just getting a tire for the wife's bike and the guy where I bought was comparing the Roadsmart III against the T30 evo gt. I mentioned this forum thread and he said I must be mistaken as the Roadsmart III was just release. This was last week.

Update on the new Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart 3's I put on my GSX1250FA. Almost immediately after putting them on, I left for an extended ride around the USA. Over 7600 miles mostly with a full load, including my 2.5 ton lardass on them and they handled flawlessly, brilliantly even. Lots of riding in the rain, and they were rock-solid there too. Plenty of twisties in the Appalachians, including Tail of the Dragon and roads thereabouts; I've never ridden on a better-handling street tire. At the end of the trip they still look like they could do the same trip over again - a little flat in the center but still lots of meat.

I think I've found my permanent go-to tire for the FA. YMMV on the much heavier ST1300.

My first post! I know this thread is over a year old, but I thought I would throw in my current experience (as I just found this) with the RoadSmart3 tires on my VFR800 (tires have about 2,000 miles on them). Several months back I started noticing a wobble in the front end at higher speeds. I didn't recall it happening when the tires were first mounted, and it definitely was getting worse. The symptoms were the same as the original poster, higher speeds (70-80mph and up) and dirty air the front starts to wobble. I can be cruising at 70-80mph without a problem but come up behind a big truck or group of cars and the front of the bike starts to get unstable, feels just like you are wiggling the bars back and forth. Very unsettling, especially around a curve! I tried all the same changes, air pressure up/down, preload changes, shock change, ride height change, checked front and rear bearings, checked swingarm bushings. Nothing helped, except loosening the steering head bearings which helped a lot but the problem is still there. If I get out of the wind by laying on the tank while it's happening the wobble stops. Sit back up and it's back. So I contacted Dunlop and they offered to send me a new set of tires to try. Those are on the way and I will post when they have been installed. Has anyone ever solved this problem other than changing tire brands?

Jim

Unfortunately it's tough to blame tires for soley being responsible for the wobbles. Same tires might be fine on another ST, even THOSE PARTICULAR tires. So much comes into play, pressure, road surface, suspension settings/wear, riders weight, etc. And as usual it kind of turns into a tire mileage thread.

Did you also re-check the tire balancing?

Even if nicely balanced, using a tire balancer like Ride-On for instance may still help smooth the ride.

Some say your grip can also amplify the wobble. Gripping hard on one side only and very loose on the other has helped some at times.

Yes they were re-balanced twice. I'm not talking about smoothness, but change of direction unexpectedly. How tight holding the bars didn't make a difference. Previous tires were Dunlop RS2 (two sets) and got about 12K miles on each set with no problems. The feeling is more like riding over rain grooves where the front end is moving around and you are constantly correcting, but the back of the bike isn't wiggling.

MidLife said:

Did you also re-check the tire balancing?

Even if nicely balanced, using a tire balancer like Ride-On for instance may still help smooth the ride.

Some say your grip can also amplify the wobble. Gripping hard on one side only and very loose on the other has helped some at times.

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Tires arrived today, only 4 days since my conversation with Dunlop (including the weekend). I will post an update after I've tested them. Just as an FYI, the build date on the old set was front Dec 2016, and rear March 2017. New tires are front December 2017 and rear November 2017.

Jim

Got the new set of RS3 mounted and balanced. Initial impression is good. These new tires are very neutral in a corner, just like I remember with the first set when they were first mounted. First 2 corners I went around it was like a light bulb going off, now I remembered what I had liked about them! Somehow that stability and corner neutrality went away on the first set. I then went out on the freeway and rode behind some trucks in dirty air and the wobble is gone. This bike is strictly street riding, no track and no abuse, so I wouldn't think there would be any change in the tires over the course of using them. With the first set of RS3 I firmly believe that something changed in the tire during the 2,000 miles and 3 months I've had them on, either in the way the rubber compound aged or in the belts (although it shouldn't change). Now we will see what happens over the next 2,000 miles (hopefully nothing). I will post back in a few months, or if there are any drastic changes noticed.

Jim

I am absolutely loving my RS III's. I am having no head shake whatsoever and they handle like a dream. The previous worn out Battleaxe's would shake my handle bars violently if I let go of the bars around 30-50 mph. I haven't put that many miles on this tire so this is not an endorsement as to the possible mileage. Just a heads up to those that want a cheaper (and better alternative in my opinion) to the PR 4's.

FrogmanDave said:

I am absolutely loving my RS III's. I am having no head shake whatsoever and they handle like a dream. The previous worn out Battleaxe's would shake my handle bars violently if I let go of the bars around 30-50 mph. I haven't put that many miles on this tire so this is not an endorsement as to the possible mileage. Just a heads up to those that want a cheaper (and better alternative in my opinion) to the PR 4's.

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Glad you're liking your RS IIIs. Yes, there are alternatives to the PR 4s at a better price.
Not damning the PR 4s as they are a very good tire. First off, I'd recommend Shinko.
Have had excellent service from a number of them (Shinkos) YMMV.

fnmag said:

Glad you're liking your RS IIIs. Yes, there are alternatives to the PR 4s at a better price.
Not damning the PR 4s as they are a very good tire. First off, I'd recommend Shinko.
Have had excellent service from a number of them (Shinkos) YMMV.

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I cant say if tire manufacturers recommend a breakin period, but it sounds like a wise idea. About 12yrs ago I had a new set of Pilot Road ?s put on my FJ1200 at the Yamaha shop, the old school mechanic did a test drive and when he released the bike to me he said they may handle a little funny for 50 miles or so. Wow, an understatement, I felt like i had 1 over the legal limit for 50 miles, scary, and then wow all the sudden I was a superbike racer, and i never was one before, amazing. All new things should be respected as such, and given a bit of caution and time to ware in a bit with incremental demands.