Dunlop Elite 3 Touring Bike Tires

Radial Tire Review

Posted by Brad

Dunlop Elite 3 Touring Bike Tires It's not roadkill, but certainly a carcass meant to lay upon the road-rubber side down. This is Dunlop's latest entry for heavy touring bikes. A radial designed to handle weight up to 992 pounds for the rear tire, 937 pounds for the front, and a speed rating of "H" which translates as up to 130mph.

The groove pattern of the tread was designed to cut through water while maintaining superior traction and handling. As well, the rubber compound is intended to help stick in the turns while providing the longevity generally sought in a touring tire. Dunlop claims a "sport-derived profile" for these tires, said to improve quickness of handling and give a sure-footed feel.

As with most motorcycle tires the retail listing is high, but a quick search on the web can reduce that price to almost half.

An interesting twist from conventional wisdom regarding tire traction: sport tires, those soft gooey corner-huggers, are generally wider-but this isn't what makes them hold the road. According to the Second Law of Friction, "Friction is independent of the contact area," which brings us back to the First Law of Friction, "The friction between two surfaces is proportional to the force pressing one to the other." If this is Greek to you, the final explanation is that sport tires are made wider because the rubber is softer, and the slightly larger surface area hitting the pavement (contact patch) spreads out the weight/friction, thus causing less wear on the tire.

In even more words, a narrow sport tire with the same rubber compound would wear out much faster; while this also accounts for touring tires being narrower but composed of a harder rubber compound. This just scratches the surface, or, kicks a tire, as it were--tons of information available on this subject.