I've needed to put new tires on the bike....so this month I finally got to it. I had been pushing the miles out of the PR's and had been waiting for a front PR2....and waiting, and waiting. I had a bit of good rubber left on the front and went ahead and put the new PR2 down on the back wheel. I liked it a lot. I was hoping for the front PR2's to be available when the front finally gave up the ghost...but it was not to be the case. Last week I put one of the new Dunlop "Road Smarts" on the front...just to check them out. I know that front/rear tires are supposed to work together...i.e. tread design moves water together; shape of the F/R tires are made to work in concert...etc. But what the heck....
So...I put over 1300 miles on this combo over the past four days in the Texas Hill Country. Here's what I think so far.
The Dunlop rolls fine but you can feel the tire roll in the handle bar. Nothing bad...smooth but grainy (best word I can think of) feel in the bar.
I scrubbed this tire in and with two perfect and two not so perfect days put it to the test.
I've never pushed harder in the corners. This front tire allowed a controlled roll into the corner and held fast all the way. The tire appears to be "rounder" than the PR's or PR2's.
The tire seemed less "bouncy" (than the PRs)....it stuck to the road better in bumps/dips...expecially when I was loaded during the travel to and from Dallas. It might have stiffer side walls....or it might just work better with my Sonic Springs.
One day, I did the 20 or so miles of gravel and construction on FM 337. This tire did a LOT better in the gravel than the PR's. I was surprised. I liked my PR's (three sets now)...and still do like them....but the Road Smart did a lot better job in the gravel..loose and hard packed. I was able to ride though all of that mess with a very secure feel in the bike. Don't get me wrong....I'm not headed for every fire road in North America.
The final two days of riding were in damp foggy weather. The roadway was slick and I modified my plans to do more sight seeing than corner hugging. The Road Smart felt very sticky on the wet, slick roads.
I have no idea about what kind of milage I'll get out of this tire....and I can't anticipate other problems or issues that might come up. I know a lot of folks have had really bad luck with the older version of Dunlops touring tire. I'm hoping this tire will keep working well through it's life. The Road Smart front and PR2 rear seem to work together fine.
The only negative is in the grainy feel in the handle bars. I always use ear plugs so I can't comment on volume levels while underway. I would bet it's louder than the PR's, based on the feel in the handle bar.
I like it a lot so far. I'll post up more after I get more miles on these combo.
Forest
So...I put over 1300 miles on this combo over the past four days in the Texas Hill Country. Here's what I think so far.
The Dunlop rolls fine but you can feel the tire roll in the handle bar. Nothing bad...smooth but grainy (best word I can think of) feel in the bar.
I scrubbed this tire in and with two perfect and two not so perfect days put it to the test.
I've never pushed harder in the corners. This front tire allowed a controlled roll into the corner and held fast all the way. The tire appears to be "rounder" than the PR's or PR2's.
The tire seemed less "bouncy" (than the PRs)....it stuck to the road better in bumps/dips...expecially when I was loaded during the travel to and from Dallas. It might have stiffer side walls....or it might just work better with my Sonic Springs.
One day, I did the 20 or so miles of gravel and construction on FM 337. This tire did a LOT better in the gravel than the PR's. I was surprised. I liked my PR's (three sets now)...and still do like them....but the Road Smart did a lot better job in the gravel..loose and hard packed. I was able to ride though all of that mess with a very secure feel in the bike. Don't get me wrong....I'm not headed for every fire road in North America.
The final two days of riding were in damp foggy weather. The roadway was slick and I modified my plans to do more sight seeing than corner hugging. The Road Smart felt very sticky on the wet, slick roads.
I have no idea about what kind of milage I'll get out of this tire....and I can't anticipate other problems or issues that might come up. I know a lot of folks have had really bad luck with the older version of Dunlops touring tire. I'm hoping this tire will keep working well through it's life. The Road Smart front and PR2 rear seem to work together fine.
The only negative is in the grainy feel in the handle bars. I always use ear plugs so I can't comment on volume levels while underway. I would bet it's louder than the PR's, based on the feel in the handle bar.
I like it a lot so far. I'll post up more after I get more miles on these combo.
Forest
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