Dunlop Roadsmart III weave

[Smallville]

Recently installed a Dunlop Roadsmart III. After installation, I have noticed a weave. Best described as the feeling when the bike wants to follow groves in the pavement. Happens in a wide range of speed.
Happens on all types of pavement.
I reseated the front axle.
Checked balance of front wheel/tire. Checked front wheel bearings.
Checked rear tire for abnormal wear. Checked rear swing arm for lateral play.
I have adjusted air pressure between 36-42.
I have adjusted the rear shock preload up and down.
The problem persists and was not there with the worn front E3 that was replaced.
the rear is a Roadsmart III with 1k miles.
I’m down to believing that the front tire is bad or that it does not work for my setup.
Anyone have any other ideas before I replace the front tire again?

 

[SMSW]

Sounds to me like you checked all the boxes. I'd bet @Igofar would have you loosen and retorque the triple clamp bolts. Just a swag, but what else is left?

 

[Kevcules]

If the issue wasnt there before you replaced the tire and you tightened the front forks properly, then the tire is suspect. Maybe it’s defective, or just the nature of the beast.

 

[Igofar]

Do I hear the white courtesy phone ringing?

 

[Sidekick]

Recently installed a Dunlop Roadsmart III. After installation, I have noticed a weave. Best described as the feeling when the bike wants to follow groves in the pavement. Happens in a wide range of speed.
Happens on all types of pavement.
I reseated the front axle.
Checked balance of front wheel/tire. Checked front wheel bearings.
Checked rear tire for abnormal wear. Checked rear swing arm for lateral play.
I have adjusted air pressure between 36-42.
I have adjusted the rear shock preload up and down.
The problem persists and was not there with the worn front E3 that was replaced.
the rear is a Roadsmart III with 1k miles.
I’m down to believing that the front tire is bad or that it does not work for my setup.
Anyone have any other ideas before I replace the front tire again?

Just to add my 2 cents on the topic...
I mounted not long ago a Dunlop Roadsmart III on the front of my ST and I have exactly the same story to tell.
I tried everything like you did and wasted a nice ride, it was a very frustrating experience.
At the end and out of options, I returned the tire to Amazon and replaced the Dunlop with a Shinko (half the price) and the problem was 100% solved.
No more Dunlop for me...

 

[hondawayne]

My RS III's work fine...

 

[Smallville]

From what I have experienced and what I have read, Dunlop quality can range wildly. I had a wobble issue with one on a Goldwing. Dunlop sent a replacement and fixed that problem. I have contacted Dunlop for this issue and after answering several questions over email, they have stopped responding.

 

[Igofar]

Call me tomorrow, there are still a few things you should check before blaming the tire.

 

[Chris09]

I've got Dunlops on my 09 VStar 1100, original tires, I know, I know, but the bike only has 5k, I don't take the bike up over 110k/70 mph, different story I suppose but, bike handles like a dream.

 

[Chris09]

Not that I doubt your experience

 

[NobodySpecial]

I have had tire issues with many brands. I had an especially bad Shinko Verge 011, but many people run them without issues. On this bike, I have had many sets of Pirelli Angel GT, one set of Continental RoadAttack III, and I'm currently running Dunlop Roadsmart III's. In terms of wear, I'm most happy - so far - with the Dunlops. This will be the first time I've ever worn out a front tire before the rear, and the front tire looks fantastic (other than worn) - no meaningful cupping or other issues. To be fair, I cannot do a before-and-after comparison because I also replaced and significantly upgraded the suspension (front and rear) immediately before mounting the Dunlops. I may try the Continentals again, but I wasn't happy at the end of their life. The Pirellis also started to underperform at the end of their life. The Dunlops are almost done and I don't know if you could tell by how they ride alone the difference between new (but broken in) and now. - I'm happy with them and plan to repurchase (although I haven't decided what to replace them with, another Roadsmart III or perhaps a Roadsmart IV).

I personally would not write off the tire _brand_ because of an issue like this, if it is indeed a tire issue. With the Shinko issue I had, I was able to observe an obvious out-of-round situation which meant I was 100% confident in the diagnosis. I have also had issues that I believed were caused by the tire but were - in fact - merely coincidental with the removal and remounting of the wheel.

[Edit: I re-read your post and observed that you've already checked the tire pressure. Feel free to ignore this paragraph.]
My advice is to check the tire pressure; I have found the Roadsmart III to be more sensitive to tire pressure than most. Too high of a pressure and it feels very skittish. I run 41 PSI. On my other bike, a smaller and lighter bike that takes the same tires, I have to run 36-38 PSI or it's super skittish. Same exact tire! In all cases, as I said, I'm very happy once I got things sorted out.

Finally, I found they took a few heat cycles to really break in. Or perhaps it's distance?

No matter what, this community is full of great people that offer fantastic advice and I'm sure that you'll find a resolution. I recommend reaching out to Larry, but be ready with a notepad and pen!

 

[bstig60]

I have a road smart 3 on the front with about 12000 miles on it, no sign of any issues with it. The rear is road smart 2 with about the same mileage, I will be replacing the rear soon with a road smart 3. I am very happy with them due to wear and handling and will replace the front with another 3 when the time comes.

 

[Beeflips]

I just put a set of RoadsmartIII's on my bike front and back, have about 500 miles on them and it tracks really nice, no problems here.