Whitewall tires like those offered by companies like Shinko were not the first thing that came to mind when I considered new tires for my 2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline. Normally I look for a black set that balances the line between cheap and reliable, but the whitewalls pulled me in like a tractor beam, so I thought I would give them a shot.

Most of the riding I do is cruising around rural roads in western Minnesota, and these new tires required a test that only our fair state could offer. Cold winters and hot summers are tough on our roads, creating plenty of bumps and potholes for riders to evade.

See Rider‘s North Central U.S. touring stories here. 

When the Shinko White Wall SR777 tires arrived, since it was my first time with whitewalls, it came as a shock to find that the white was actually a vibrant blue. Turns out the “blue” was a thin layer of soapy material that protects the whitewalls during shipping. My set was installed by Motoprimo Motorsports, and they cleaned the tires before installation. 

The install was just in time for a three-day, 1,000-mile ride up through the center of Minnesota, from Minneapolis to International Falls. Conditions included rain and mist, temperatures of 50-85 degrees, and even a few gravel farm roads. The tires delivered a comfortable ride and provided much-needed confidence that I didn’t know I was missing. Cornering felt smooth – as did swerving, especially when evading road obstructions and the occasional deer. The tires dealt with the distressed roads well, dampening the worst of the bumps and buckled asphalt. Wet roads did not have a negative effect on grip, though I didn’t feel the need to push that threshold too much.

When new, the white on the tires is bright, and it stayed that way for the duration of my trip, which was surprising considering the dust and debris that accumulated on them. Though the tires require a little more maintenance to keep clean, it is well worth it if you want your bike to stand out amongst the common rabble.  

See all of Rider‘s tire reviews here.

Shinko tires are designed in Japan, manufactured in South Korea, and distributed by Western Power Sports. Shinko constructs a range of street, off-road, dual-sport, and scooter tires. SR777 cruiser tires are available in White Wall and Black Wall versions in a wide range of sizes starting at $96.95 for front tires and $156.95 for rears.

They feature an aramid belt, and a Heavy Duty version with a reinforced carcass is also available. For riders who want a stylish, sturdy, and comfortable tire, they’re a good choice.

The Continental RoadAttack series are sport-touring tires that strike a balance between performance and longevity. They’re ideal for sport-tourers, standards, street-biased adventure bikes, and moderately powered sportbikes.

See all of Rider‘s tire reviews here

The Evolution of Continental RoadAttack Tires

With each generation from Continental, the carcass, compound, profile, and tread design have evolved. When the first RoadAttack debuted in 2005, it introduced Continental’s ZeroDegree belt, a continuous steel wire that runs radially around the tire carcass in the same direction as travel, which enhances stability.

In 2010, the RoadAttack 2 introduced TractionSkin, Continental’s proprietary “pre-scrubbed” tread surface that doesn’t require slippery mold-release agents and all but eliminates a break-in period for the tires. The RoadAttack 2 also featured MultiGrip, whereby a single compound is heat-cured in a progressive fashion to provide better wear in the center of the tire and more flex and better grip on the shoulders. MultiGrip provides a smooth transition between zones rather than the abrupt transition that can occur with multi-compound tires.

In 2013, the RoadAttack 2 Evo featured RainGrip, a high-silica compound designed to deliver optimal performance in wet conditions. Four years later, the new RoadAttack 3 came with EasyHandling, a specialized alignment between the contours of the front and rear tires said to result in neutral handling behavior, especially in hairpins and during slow cornering.

All these technologies go into the new RoadAttack 4, with the addition of Continental’s latest trick: GripLimitFeedback. The unique combination of the tire’s carcass construction and tread compound provides improved feedback to the rider when the tire approaches its traction limit.

The RoadAttack 4 features a new compound and an updated tread pattern that, according to Continental, boosts wet weather performance, offers faster warm-up times in cold and wet conditions, and provides dry grip on par with many sport tires.

A new silica-rich compound improves wet grip without sacrificing mileage, a new blend of resins makes the tire more sticky even when cold, and the entire rubber stew has been optimized for use with modern ABS and traction control systems. Continental describes the RoadAttack 4 as a “hyper-touring” tire intended for today’s 150-plus hp sport-tourers, adventure tourers, and sportbikes.

Where the Rubber Met the Road

To test some of those claims, Continental invited us to the BMW Performance Center in Greer, South Carolina, which is across the street from the factory where all BMW X-Series SUVs are built. The Performance Center offers automotive and motorcycle training, and the grounds include a closed-course circuit, a large skidpad, and various off-road obstacles and trails.

A wide range of BMW motorcycles were fitted with RoadAttack 4 tires. I saddled up on an F 900 R, which has an 853cc parallel-Twin that, based on our last test in 2020, makes 88 hp and 58 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheel.

Related: 2020 BMW F 900 R and F 900 XR | Road Test Review

BMW’s instructors started us off with some basic exercises, such as a slow ride using just the clutch to control speed, as well as fast and slow cone weaves. We moved on to swerving and braking exercises at speed, and I quickly gained an appreciation for the RoadAttack 4s’ grip and handling.

When we were instructed to accelerate from a dead stop to 30 mph, pass between two cones, and then close the throttle and apply maximum braking, the F 900 R came to a quick halt. When our target speed was increased to 50 mph, I neglected to stand on the rear pedal when I grabbed a handful of front brake lever. The F 900 R has ABS, but I was in Dynamic mode, which reduces intervention at the front wheel. The front tire provided reassuring grip as the back wheel raised up into a graceful, unintentional stoppie, the likes of which I’ll probably never replicate.

In the afternoon, we embarked on a spirited ride on cold, damp backroads, and we ended the day with a game of cat and mouse on the track, where we pushed the tires to their limits. Regardless of conditions, the RoadAttack 4s warmed up fast, provided confident handling on a variety of road surfaces, and clung tenaciously to the tarmac.

On Day 2, I selected an R 1250 RT for a longer test ride on some of the most serpentine roads in the southern Appalachians. At 615 lb, the RT outweighs the F 900 R by 144 lb, and its larger engine makes an additional 37 hp. The performance of the RoadAttack 4s was even more impressive on a larger bike that placed greater demands on the tires. We didn’t get a chance to test the RoadAttack 4s on wet roads, so we’ll order a set soon and report back.

Continental RoadAttack 4 tires are available in a variety of sizes, with 17-inch and 19-inch fronts, 17-inch rears, and a GT version for heavyweight bikes.

After purchasing Yokohama Tires in 1998, the Shinko Group built up an impressive tire portfolio for the motorcycle and scooter aftermarket. The Korean company now offers 64 distinct street, off-road, and track products in such disparate segments as dragracing and trials, touring and motocross, cruisers and enduro, sport- and adventure-touring, and more.

Shinko’s 003 Stealth Radial tires are go-fast street radials intended for contemporary sportbikes. They’re narrowly focused, with two 17-inch front sizes (120/70 and 120/60) available in either standard street and ultra-soft track compounds. The rear choices are a bit broader, with eight different sizes – six 17-inch sizes (three available in ultra-soft), 180/55ZR18, and 120/80-12 for minibikes. We fitted a pair of standard-compound Stealth Radials to a Yamaha FZ-09, a 120/70-ZR17 F003RR up front ($137.95 list price) and a 180/55-ZR17 R003RR in back ($201.95).

Related: 2017 Yamaha FZ-09 | First Ride Review

Inflated to Yamaha’s recommended pressures (36 psi front/42 psi rear cold, far above racetrack settings), the feel of the tires was immediately appealing, providing light, natural steering dynamics at all speeds (they’re rated to 168 mph). Initial turn-in response was quick, and the transition to full-lean linear was predictable and reassuring. The Stealths worked well together and complemented the FZ-09 chassis, just one of many similar models for which they were designed. At the pressures noted above, the ride quality was somewhat firm, suggesting a stiff sidewall befitting the needs and intent of a no-nonsense performance tire. 

On the subject of tire construction, the Stealths have nylon sidewall belts front and rear. Tread construction includes two nylon and two aramid belts up front and one nylon and three aramid belts in back to handle both weight and power. For our particular application, the tires’ load capacity is 520 lb front and 805 lb rear, giving a total allowable bike/rider/cargo weight of 1,325 lb – more than enough for even an FZ in serious sport-tour mode.

Read all of Rider‘s tire reviews here.

We threw miles at the Stealths in the city, on the freeway, and up and down snaky mountain roads. In aggregate, the tires encountered most everything that sport riders normally would – with the exception of rain (thanks for nothing, Mr. Drought). However, for this eventuality, the Stealths’ particular “slick/dimple” tread design incorporates multiple columns of short, mostly closed-ended drainage grooves. Positioned from the tire centers all the way to the edges, these small sipes provide maximum rubber footprint while still remaining DOT compliant – an ideal formula for high-performance road or track duty.

Overall, Shinko 003 Stealth Radials provide good sport performance at a reasonable price.

Touring tires for heavyweight bikes need to be made of tough stuff. They are expected to last a long time and perform well in hot, cold, wet, and dry conditions on all kinds of roads. Dunlop American Elite tires meet all these requirements and more. I’ve put more than 1,500 miles on them aboard my 2017 Road Glide Ultra since getting them spooned on by the good folks at Ventura Harley-Davidson, and I am very impressed. In fact, in over 48 years of riding motorcycles (don’t judge), these are the best road tires I’ve ever tried.

The American Elites provide excellent ride quality, the first line of defense against potholes, seams, and cracks in the neglected poured-concrete freeways and sunbaked highways where I live in California. For those of you who live in parts of the country with smoother roads, you’ll enjoy an even more comfortable, confidence-inspiring ride.

Related Story: Dunlop Mutant Tires tested on a Harley-Davidson Pan America

Stable and smooth on the highway, when the pavement starts to curve, the Dunlops exhibit neutral turn-in behavior and hold a steady line. When midcorner corrections are required, they respond with stability and excellent feedback. I rode in temperatures ranging from 55 to 113 degrees on roads with tar snakes, grooved pavement, and other irregularities, and the tires’ performance remained consistent and predictable. They were particularly quiet, with little change in road noise over varying surfaces.

From an aesthetic side, the American Elites are handsome-looking tires that have deep, rain-evacuating grooves. The front tire is made of a single compound while the rear uses Dunlop’s Multi Tread technology to provide durability in the center and reassuring grip on the shoulders. Dunlop claims the Elites offer more longevity, better stability, more wet grip, and greater bump compliance than Michelin Commander IIs. Based on my experience with both types of tires on my Ultra, I would agree.

These are premium tires that will enhance the enjoyment and safety of riding your American-made motorcycle. I give them an enthusiastic two thumbs up!

Dunlop American Elite tires are designed, tested, and manufactured in the United States. They are available in blackwall, narrow whitewall, and wide whitewall styles in a range of sizes for Harley-Davidson, Indian, and Victory models. Pricing ranges from $185.95 to $381.95 depending on size.

Mutant tires. Just the name makes you want to try them. But what exactly have they mutated from or to? According to Dunlop, the Mutant combines unique components to create a premium, versatile performance street tire. The ingredients in this rubber gumbo include a high silica ratio, rayon ply casing, Jointless Belt construction, Apex sidewall technology, 4 Seasons Technology, and Dunlop’s exclusive MT Multi-Tread compounding.

Dunlop says the lightweight radials provide high mileage, nimble handling, a compliant ride, and excellent grip in both dry and wet conditions. To test those claims, I had my local shop, Ventura Harley-Davidson, spoon a fresh set onto my Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250.

Read more of Rider‘s motorcycle tire reviews

Once on the road and scrubbed in, the Mutants provided good feedback on various road surfaces, with predictable, stable turn-in. Once pointed in the right direction, they held a steady line without any tendency to fall in or stand up.

The Mutant’s unique tread pattern looks almost like a dirt-track tire, but the tire is billed as a sport-touring tire that’s suitable for everything from big GT tourers to sportbikes to adventure bikes. I felt comfortable attacking paved roads at speed, even over those nasty tar snakes that are common on California’s backroads and get greasy on sunny days.

Though not intended for off-road use, I couldn’t help myself. The Mutants performed admirably on a few dirty, rocky roads I ventured down, but where they really shine is on backroads, where pavement can range from smooth to rough, wet to dry, clean to dirty.
I took my Mutant-shod Pan Am on a 2,000-mile trip to Oregon in April, where I encountered one of the worst snowstorms on record. While I wouldn’t recommend riding on sub-freezing roads with blowing snow, I felt reassured because the Mutants provided confident grip until conditions deteriorated beyond what I deemed as safe.

As far as longevity goes, I usually get about 5,322.8 miles (but who’s counting) out of a set of tires, changing them in pairs when either the front or rear wear bar begins to show. When new, the Mutants had 5/32 inch of tread depth up front and 9/32 inch of tread depth on the rear. After 3,000 miles, the tread depth was 3/32 inch for both front and rear. The Mutants are on track to hit the average mileage for my admittedly aggressive riding style.

Dunlop Mutant tires are available in multiple sizes to fit more than 250 motorcycle models, and MSRP ranges from $187.95-$290.95. For riders who enjoy riding on a wide variety of roads, they’re a solid choice.

For more information, see your dealer or visit dunlopmotorcycletires.com.

Constructing a motorcycle tire is complicated, but the important aspects for me are durability and handling. How long will it last, and how does it feel when cornering?

Nobody can say how long a tire will last, because that depends on how the rider uses the throttle, the type of bike, and the road conditions. I needed a new set of rubber for my Honda ST1100, and Avon Tyres offers two models appropriate for my use. Both Spirit and Storm radials are in their sport-touring lineup, with the Spirit being sportier and the Storm 3D X-M lasting longer. I opted for the X-M, with those two letters standing for eXtra-Miles.

The 3D means Avon uses a 3-dimensional system in the way the tread pattern is arranged, said to improve stability and grip and to squeeze out water more effectively when riding on a rainy day. Avon also uses SRS (Super Rich Silica) in the tread to enhance grip.

Read more of Rider‘s motorcycle tire reviews

The tires arrived wrapped in plastic, which I tore off and began looking at all the numbers and letters on the sidewalls. On the rear tire was writ: A-VBD (Advanced Variable Belt Density), meaning the wires which give the tire strength are closer together in the center of the tire, further apart on the sidewalls. This allows the footprint of the tire to expand as the bike leans into a curve. Stamped with a ZR rating, the Storm tires have a maximum speed capability that exceeds 149 mph.

Let’s get them on the wheels and try them out. Installation is handled by my local technician, Herb. Air hose on, 42 psi in the rear, 36 in the front, and I’m away on a 150-mile break-in ride. The next morning, I check the pressures, all is well, and then I’m off to the Big Sur highway, closed that day at a point halfway up the coast because of a minor landslide. That gives me 40 miles of trafficless curves.

Good grip, and pleasantly soft in the curves due to the malleable sidewalls, but certainly not too soft, and the ride is very comfortable. Good feel on the brakes, which are not ABS, with the tires gripping well when slowing fast. Over the next 1,000 miles I get some rain-riding in, and those 3D sipes do work well.

For a fun bit of history, the Avon India Rubber Co. Ltd. began in 1890 in the English town of Melksham, about100 miles west of London, with the Avon River flowing through. In 1997, Avon was bought by the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. of Findlay, Ohio. And in 2021, Cooper was bought by Goodyear. The mysteries of big business.

The front has an MSRP of $159.81, rear, $213.06, but there are always deals to be had out there.

For more information, see your dealer or visit avonmoto.com.

Michelin has been making motorcycle tires since 1892. For context, that’s 11 years longer than Harley-Davidson has been making motorcycles. Now, it is out with its latest tire range for sport-touring motorcycles: the Michelin Road 6.

The folks at Michelin explained that the Road 6, with 100% Silica Technology, continues to make incremental gains in both grip and durability – qualities that tend to oppose each other – while preserving performance and comfort. The resulting Road 6 offers the dry grip and handling of the previous-generation Road 5, but with improved wet grip, stability, and longevity.

For a seat-of-the-pants evaluation, Michelin supplied a set of Road 6s in the GT spec, which is reinforced for the added weight of heavier sport-tourers, to mount on my 2014 BMW R 1200 RT. When the tires arrived, I noticed they share the more rounded, less pointy profile I’ve come to expect from Michelin’s sport-touring tires. (I’ve run Pilot Roads, Pilot Road 2s, and Pilot Road 3s on my Honda ST1300, and Pilot Road 4 GTs on my RT.) The rounded profile means turn-in is linear, not abrupt, which helps deliver smooth, predictable transitions. That familiar characteristic inspires confidence in the bike’s handling and stability – especially on a big sport-tourer loaded with gear or a passenger – and it was immediately apparent with the new Road 6 GTs.

Check out more of Rider’s motorcycle tire reviews

Michelin invented dual-compound rubber for motorcycles. The latest evolution, called 2CT+ in Michelin-speak, is designed to enhance stability in strong acceleration, cornering, and heavy braking. The dual-compound construction has been standard on rear tires in the Road range, but with the Road 6, Michelin applies it to front tires too.

The Road 6 also features a new Michelin technology called Water Evergrip, a sipe design that allows the tires to evacuate water consistently, even as they wear. A cross-section shows each sipe starting narrow at the tread’s surface, then flaring inward. With normal wear, the sipe grows shallower but also wider. Michelin designed special 3-D, metal-printed molds to manufacture tires including these clever sipes. Combined with revised angles in their sister grooves, they help achieve a constant void ratio, so water evacuation capabilities remain constant regardless of lean angle.

To see for myself, I went riding in a downpour. On wet, curvy roads in my home region of western Massachusetts, my RT shod with Road 6 GTs felt planted across a wide range of speeds and during intentionally hard braking.

As the deluge continued, I stopped in a parking lot to get some photos. A man in an SUV pulled up.

“You OK?”

I’m fine, thanks.

“Why on earth are you out in this?”

I’m evaluating some new motorcycle tires that are designed to be better in wet conditions.

“That’s nuts. Go home!”

Thanks, I’m heading in that direction.

I was able to ride several hundred more miles on these tires before the publication deadline, though obviously it will take several thousand miles to report that they’re still as good in the wet as when new. That said, the new Water Evergrip technology is an innovative concept that takes some cool engineering to pull off.

As for tread life predictions, close to a quarter million miles in the saddle has taught me that tire life varies with the quality of road surfaces, how much weight a bike carries, how hard a rider accelerates, brakes, and turns, and no doubt other factors. Time and distance will tell.

The bottom line so far? I really like how these new Michelin Road 6 GT tires feel on my RT.

For more information, visit michelinman.com/motorcycle.

Adventure-touring tires are usually rated in terms of their ratio of intended use on-road and off-road. Many are 90/10 tires, designed for roughly 90% on-road use and 10% off-road use, such as Continental’s ContiTrailAttack 3. They have large tread blocks and look more like sport-touring tires than the aggressive knobbies on tires like Continental’s popular Twinduro TKC80, which is rated 40% road/60% off-road. Road-biased adventure tires are smoother and grippier on pavement and deliver higher mileage than knobbier tires, but knobbies provide more traction off-road.

Between the two options is Continental’s TKC 70, which is rated 80/20 road/off-road. After putting 3,500 miles on the 90/10 Michelin Scorcher Adventure tires that came on my Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special, I wanted something more aggressive for off-road riding. I opted for the TKC 70 front and rear-only TKC 70 Rocks, which is rated 60/40 road/off-road. With a little over 1,000 miles on the Continentals, they fit the bill.

Both tires feature zero-degree steel belt construction, which Continental says improves stability and comfort, and MultiGrip technology, which transitions from a harder, high-mileage center to a softer, grippier shoulder without the abrupt step from hard to soft with multi-compound tires. The TKC 70 front and TKC 70 Rocks rear have large tread lugs in the center that suppress the whirring road noise that can plague knobbier tires, and smaller lugs on the shoulder provide extra grip off-road.

Thanks to its prodigious power, the Pan America accelerates aggressively in sand and on dirt/gravel roads, and the Continentals dug in well, providing good grip in dry, low-traction conditions. Since it’s the dry season where I live in Southern California, I wasn’t able to test them in mud. But when contributor Arden Kysely tackled muddy trails in Colorado with TKC 70s on his BMW F 800 GS, he reported good performance.

On the highway, the TKC 70 and TKC 70 Rocks were quiet and composed with a little tendency to deflect in road grooves. On tight switchbacks and fast sweepers, the road-biased front and more aggressive rear paired well, offering predictable, stable handling all the way to the edge of the tread and minimal squirming on greasy tar snakes. The TKC 70 front felt especially compliant when navigating over sharp-edged features such as curbs and rocks embedded in the road surface. And even though I have pushed these tires hard, they are holding up well with minimal wear.

If you are looking for a solid tire pairing for your large adventure bike, the TKC 70 front and TKC 70 Rocks rear are worth considering. MSRP ranges from $148.50 to $243.50 for the TKC 70 front and from $259.10 to $314.80 for the TKC 70 Rocks rear.

For more information: See your dealer or visit continental-tires.com

I’ve worn out a lot of tires in the last 66 years of riding, and I have no real memory or record of what I used when and on what bike. I am sure I had a lot of Dunlops, as they have been around a long time. Back in the late 1880s, John Boyd Dunlop made the first practical pneumatic tire for bicycles, which were a lot more comfortable to ride than bikes with solid rubber tires. In 1901, he started the Dunlop Rubber Company, which now belongs to Sumitomo Rubber Industries. 

Dunlop describes these D404s as fitting “standard” motorcycles, and they don’t get much more standard than my 2006 Triumph T100 Bonneville. I call these tires universal-use, reasonably good at everything, from wet pavement to dirt roads. My Bonnie is pretty much an all-around, local-use machine, happy with doing errands or a 200-mile day. Around here we do have all sorts of roads, from smooth asphalt to pothole specials, and lots of good dirt roads, from Gillis Canyon to Cypress Mountain. 

I find the tread to be pleasingly chunky, and Dunlop says the design enhances wet grip and water evacuation. Since we are in a drought here in our part of California, I can’t attest to those functions. The off-set center groove is intended to improve straight-line stability, and I can’t fault that, as on some deserted back roads I just might exceed the speed limit. 

The carcass is a bias-ply design, which means that the fiber belts, or plies, go from side to side at an angle, hence a bias. About half the tire is made of rubber, both natural and synthetic, and the rest is mainly the fabric body plies that go between those wire bead bundles that keep the tire properly attached to the wheel. Dunlop says this compound will give excellent mileage; you are reading this report after a mere 800 miles, and I’ll let you know when I will need a new rear tire. 

Speaking of which, the official Triumph size for my ’06 rear wheel is 130/80-17, with that 80 being the aspect ratio. And just what is the aspect ratio? The height of the sidewall expressed as a percentage of the width of the tire. The closest the D404 comes is a 130/90-17, which means the tire will be a smidge taller. 

New tires are on, new inner tubes are in. Picked up the bike late in the afternoon, and after a relatively calm 40-mile break-in, went home and had a glass of wine. In the morning, I checked that the tires were at proper pressures, and then went with a friend to do a run over Rossi’s Driveway, as we call the eight miles of Route 229 going from Route 58 to Creston. Guilty fun, with just one car on the road, quickly dispatched. 

MSRP on these tires are $118.81 front, $132.01 rear, but if you shop around, you will pay less. 

For more information: visit dunlopmotorcycletires.com

“Twisty roads are life. Anything that happens before or after is just waiting.” Steve McQueen mighta said that, so I just went ahead and wrote it down for him. Kidding aside, my personal preferences run heavily toward sport riding, which begs this key question: Why spend thousands on your bike only to hamstring its performance by scrimping pennies on tires? Dumb, no?

Fortunately, dedicated sport-touring tires now abound and manufacturers keep expanding the performance envelope. Witness Dunlop’s all-new Sportmax Roadsmart (RS) IV, a tire it claims delivers best-in-class handling, grip and mileage with its MT Multi-Tread construction. Sounds too good to be true, but a leap forward from the RS III results from a completely new tread pattern, construction, compounds, profile and other improvements. Specifically, Dunlop claims the RS IV achieves 23% more mileage in the front and 26% more in the rear compared to the already-excellent RS III, which remains on sale to offer more choices to riders. That’s a huge jump.

Dunlop used in-house and independent testing on multiple bikes under controlled track conditions plus public road usage, and also charted out resulting improvements in dry pavement performance and wet-weather performance, which it shows in detail at Dunlop Motorcycle Tires. In the Gear section, we published a first-hand account with photos by avid motorcyclist Darrell Penning, who logged more than 10,000 miles on a set of RS IVs on his 2016 BMW R 1200 RS — after he got an average of nearly 7,800 miles out of nine consecutive sets of RS IIIs. (His odometer was up to 107,000 by the time he tried out the IVs.)

A fresh set of RS IVs were mounted on my personal bike/test mule, a Honda 919. I like the sporting bent of this 100-horsepower standard and its tire history has proved quite instructive. Prior to the RS IVs, I ran a set of Dunlop Q3s, dedicated sport rubber suitable for track days. The Q3s helped my 919 really come alive, especially on corner entry. RS IIIs have the same profile as Q3s, so imagine how shocked I was to learn Dunlop claims the RS IVs deliver 15% lighter steering upon turn-in and more linear response. I’m not sure how they came up with that 15% figure, but to my happy surprise RS IVs did indeed bestow even lighter and more nimble turn-in than the Q3s they replaced! That’s a big benefit I’ll enjoy, and certainly over more miles. At $181.08 for a 120-17 front and $240.69 for a 180-17 rear, MSRP for the RS IVs is $124 over the cost for matching RS IIIs. That’s maybe a penny or two per mile for handling enhancements I’ll enjoy every time I fire up my bike. And that’s a screamin’ deal. 

Visit Dunlop Motorcycle Tires for more information.

Dunlop Sportmax Roadsmart IV Tire Review Photo Gallery: