[Matt(BCNV)]

When I took my wing in for its last service the dealer put a set of Dunlops on my wing, I would have perfered the new stones , but here I am. my question is, are the Dunlops a safe tire?
I try to avoid the rain but I will ride in it, and when I do ride in it I don't "carve it up in the twisties" but from the way people talk about them , its like if you hit a patch of water or go around a turn in the rain the wing just slips out from under you . I can't imagine a tire that is actually "slippery" in the rain. I do however relize that some tires Grip better than others. Any thoughts??//


Thanks,
MattILRed2002 :wink:

Anybody want to buy a new set of Dunlops.....cheap!!

 

[Tater]

Matt,
My wing with lops slipped on a tar snake at 10mph when they had 300 miles on them. I was being very careful because of the rain and new bike. This may have been due to remaining lubricants/preservatives from manufacturing. The got better or I got careful. I do not know which.

I see a problem with the tread design on the rear. There is no center tread. This may explain the hydroplaning described by some. I have not heard of a mishap with these tires. I run them at 41psi.

I am currently waiting on my front Metz from Hal.

 

[MesquiteBob]

Had two sets of Dunlops before using Metzlers. Just for the record, almost any tire will squirm on tar snakes. I had a rear tire break traction near the cutoff to Hico heading towards US 67. I have no idea what caused it, but it was on cruise at the time - took it off cruise to make sure it wouldn't happen again. The road was slightly damp, maybe just enough to bring up the oil left on the road. I also didn't like the way the front end acted in wet weather. Just didn't seem stable to me. Now I don't think the Dunlops are a safety issue - I just like a little better footing in wet weather than the 'Lops were giving me - hence the Metzs.

 

[mybluewing]

I am on my 2nd set of Dunlops. I do think they are slippery in the rain and I have ridden on wet roads quite a lot. I will buy a different brand of tire next time.

 

[Mike L]

Well I heard the same thing about the lops, and they are somewhat more slippery than the others. But I was caught in a severe thunderstorm last year and they kept me up with no problems. I mean it was raining so hard I couldn't see 20ft. Of course you have to drive like the conditions permit also. A little common sense goes a long way. :yes2:

 

[roger/orangestreak]

tires

I have to add this, I dont care what brands of tire you have if its raining and you hit a tar snake its going to slip!!!!!!!!
roger/orangestreak

 

[MotorcycleBoy]

Re: tires

I have to add this, I dont care what brands of tire you have if its raining and you hit a tar snake its going to slip!!!!!!!!
roger/orangestreak

I installed electronic tar snake whistles on my wing and the tar snakes jump off the road before I get to them. Seriously, tar snakes are going to be slippery when wet or in very hot weather when dry, no matter what brand tire or tread design you run.

 

[Lucky Phil]

Don't you think that states' would add sand or grit to the tar so the tar snakes wouldn't be slippery?

 

[scarredpelt]

Don't you think that states' would add sand or grit to the tar so the tar snakes wouldn't be slippery?

Oh great! Now Phil wants to add a little more exfoliation to the road rash. :wink: :lol:

But seriously my friends, I have only had my lops spin under extreme power loads. Never in a turn (because I'm allergic to pain and therefore really careful) and not during stopping. The stones never offered any problems whatsoever beyond the cupping on the front.

 

[cycledude]

I have worn out 2 sets of Dunlops and they worked fine for me except when the road was wet, for me it was the front tire that seemed to slip too easilly in turns or on tar snakes whenever the road was wet. Now running Metzlers and am very impressed so far but only have 7000 miles on them.

 

[corbitt799]

I wore out my first set of Dunlops in a variety of conditions. In the rain, I found they would do everything I was willing to do (I try to be somewhat cautious when it's wet!). On the dry pavement, I found they would do more than the bike could - the tires had great traction at least to the point the frame drags and you can't lean any further. So I would say they are a "safe" tire. But, it doesn't mean there may not be "safer" tires out there! I would run the Dunlops till they're bare, evaluate them yourself, and then decide if you want to go with them for another round or switch to something else.

 

[drvr02silver]

You will hear all the plus and minuses on the Dunlops, I will only give you my experience with the tire. I live near the plant that makes the tire so before I bought them I called and talked to one of the engineers and what he said was, be sure you do a real good scuff in on the tire. I did that, nice warm day rode down the road swaying the bike back an forth in my lane for about 2 miles. Did about 1000 miles local riding, then did a 3 1/2 week cross country ride with all the normal weather, heat, cold, rain etc and the Lops performed without a problem. I run the front and rear at 41psi. I have about 10,000 miles on the tires and have no cupping and the wear is excellant. This is just my experience with the tire, and my opinion. As far as the tar snakes on the road, on a hot day you will slip on these with any tire including the ones on your cage. Just IMHO, and it's snowing again today BLAHHHHHHHH :sw1: :snow1: :flg:

 

[Lucky Phil]

When I installed the new Lops on my bike, I used a hard sanding block on all the riding surfaces to rough up the surfaces. I tried to used my DA sander, but it wouldn't sand the rubber.

 

[oldturtle]

Here we go again. There is more to safety than wet road traction. Load carrying capacity when overloaded and under pressured is also very important. Everyone says they always check air pressure but not true. Dunlop offered tire inspections at a Wingding and found that a significant number of riders were overloaded and under pressured.
Dunlops have the stiffest sidewalls and are tuff to mount. Comparing Dunlops to Bridgstones on the tire rack and the Dunlop is so much bigger it doesn't even look like the same size tire. With the excellent milage, the strong sidewall, and very good performance, I will run no other. And by the way, I have many cautious miles in the rain and have had no problems. I try to avoid tar snakes at speed.

 

[Neil-In-Tucson]

I've posted on this very subject a number of times - I won't run Dunlops on my '02 ever again. I've run 'Stones, 'Lops and Metz and the Dunlops are the scariest tire in wet conditions - regardless of tar snakes. I don't push hard and I've never been down, but the 'Lops scared me.

 

[Matt(BCNV)]

Thanks all.. I will keep them. If i feel funny or theey scare me its back to the bridgstones!!!

MattILRed2002 :wink: