Dunlop Road Smart Wear

[KingBiscuit]

Hello all you Road Smart guys,

 

I put a set of Dunlop Road Smarts on the R1150RT about 2K miles ago. I run pressure of 36 front, 40 rear. I was inspecting them this morning and there is a noticeable "ridge" around the center of the tire. Front is a lot more clearly defined than the rear. I know the center is harder than the sides but I'd think the tire would wear fairly evenly.

 

 

Anyone else with Road Smarts notice this wear pattern?

 

I have a buddy with an ST1300. He put Road Smarts on his bike about the same time I did. I asked if he noticed any wear like this. He said that he had not noticed it, but on the ST1300 forum, there were major complaints about the wear on these tires...similar to my situation and wearing out at fairly low mileage. ST 1300 calls 42 lbs pressure both front and rear.

 

Thanks,

Dan

[smiller]

The sides wearing out before the center is normal for a front tire (opposite of the rear.) All my front tires (regardless of brand) have done that including my front RoadSmart, but the wear seems consistent with mileage. At least the RoadSmart is wearing both sides equally, something I can't say for other tires I have used.

[Bud]

 

This is my front with 3K miles

 

[cwillson]

Hello all you Road Smart guys,

 

I put a set of Dunlop Road Smarts on the R1150RT about 2K miles ago. I run pressure of 36 front, 40 rear. I was inspecting them this morning and there is a noticeable "ridge" around the center of the tire. Front is a lot more clearly defined than the rear. I know the center is harder than the sides but I'd think the tire would wear fairly evenly.

 

 

Anyone else with Road Smarts notice this wear pattern?

 

Dan

 

What you describe is quite apparent on my R1200RT at 7,000 KM. I still love the tires, tho.

 

Craig

[AdventurePoser]

Hello all you Road Smart guys,

 

I put a set of Dunlop Road Smarts on the R1150RT about 2K miles ago. I run pressure of 36 front, 40 rear. I was inspecting them this morning and there is a noticeable "ridge" around the center of the tire. Front is a lot more clearly defined than the rear. I know the center is harder than the sides but I'd think the tire would wear fairly evenly.

 

 

Anyone else with Road Smarts notice this wear pattern?

 

I have a buddy with an ST1300. He put Road Smarts on his bike about the same time I did. I asked if he noticed any wear like this. He said that he had not noticed it, but on the ST1300 forum, there were major complaints about the wear on these tires...similar to my situation and wearing out at fairly low mileage. ST 1300 calls 42 lbs pressure both front and rear.

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

I am on my second set of RoadSmarts. I believe they are keepers. Very sticky, yet great mileage. An added bonus is that they do not howl, nor do they track rain grooves on the local freeways.

 

Since much of our riding is two up, I run 40/42.

 

Great tires!

 

Steve

[motoguy128]

2000 seems a little early. I ride mostly 2-up on straight roads and have minimal ridges if any on my PR2's after almost 3000 miles.

[KingBiscuit]

That pic is pretty much exactly what I'm seeing, mine isn't as bad yet, but will get there I'm sure.

 

Most of my riding is curvy roads, that might account for some of it.

 

Thanks for the info...I'll keep riding them and see what happens.

 

Dan

[dba]

I commented on the Roadsmart noise issue as I don't seem to have noticed a difference between them and the Z6 tires.

 

I run my tires at 38/42 and have been treated to great mileage with 4k so far. I haven't noticed any odd wear pattern.

[blkvelvt]

Hello all you Road Smart guys,

 

I put a set of Dunlop Road Smarts on the R1150RT about 2K miles ago. I run pressure of 36 front, 40 rear. I was inspecting them this morning and there is a noticeable "ridge" around the center of the tire. Front is a lot more clearly defined than the rear. I know the center is harder than the sides but I'd think the tire would wear fairly evenly.

 

 

Anyone else with Road Smarts notice this wear pattern?

 

I have a buddy with an ST1300. He put Road Smarts on his bike about the same time I did. I asked if he noticed any wear like this. He said that he had not noticed it, but on the ST1300 forum, there were major complaints about the wear on these tires...similar to my situation and wearing out at fairly low mileage. ST 1300 calls 42 lbs pressure both front and rear.

 

Thanks,

Dan

 

My front tire just did the same thing. Honestly, I thought I had an oil leak. I started to get a smell of something burning, like an oil leak. I looked at the engine area and noticed my headers pipes were peppered with tiny black debris.(Micro-sized Carbon Particles in their advertisment?) Then I noticed the wear on my tire. Not good. It's now shaped like a flat bottomed "V" cross section. The tire has a transitional ridge off center. My praise for these tires have switched like a Presidential candidate. I liked them very much at first. The rear is still wearing great, but I won't install another front tire. I do not like the wear pattern. Yes, I'll get a lot more miles on the tire but the price is rider uncertainty when cornering. This tire went away quickly. At 2,000 miles, I liked it. At 2,500 miles, very impressed. At 3,000 miles, very uncomfortable and I feel the difference in the handling. Looks like I'll be doing a front tire change sooner than I expected.

[GregB]

I believe that only the rear is dual compound. That means the sides of the front are not softer than the center.

 

I am wearing the front a bit more in the center, which makes them a bit more evenly worn that previous fronts that wore out about 30-40 degrees off center. Maybe I use the brakes alot more than you do?

 

Other possibility is that they work much better on the R1200RT than on a R1150RT. I am thrilled with these tires!

[outpost22]

I believe that only the rear is dual compound. That means the sides of the front are not softer than the center.

 

I believe you are right. That is why I put a Roadsmart on the rear and an ME 880 on the front. We'll see how it works out in the long run.

[harpoon47]

I'm on my 3rd set of RoadSmarts on my '04 RT. I run 36 front, 42 rear pressure, one up. I haven't seen any ridge wear on any front tire I've had at that low mileage. I may get a ridge on the left side of the tire at about 5-6 k mi. Altering the tire pressure a couple of pounds for ~ 1k mi. will smooth it out some.

 

 

 

[RamblinBoy]

I loved the Roadsmarts when I bought them, but have real issues with the wear pattern. My tires, front and rear, look like they have been beveled. It is very noticeable and affects transition. They have not cupped, just beveled. I'm thinking of going a different route with the next tire purchase.

[Albert]

I'm on my 3d set of Roadsmarts and have been happy with the longevity. I haven't been crazy about the wear pattern on the rear as higher mileages add up. My hope was that I'd get even wear due to the dual compound (as was said only on the rear). What I've found is the rear flats out in the center although there's still lots of tread left. I like the handling and the longevity but the end of the tire's life seems unusable due to the wear pattern. I have a new set of PR2's waiting for when these go. We'll see . . . .