Dunlop Roadsmart II

Dustin

Moderator
Received my new tires today. It'll be a while before I will mount them but I thought I'd make a thread now.

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They are pretty heavy and a very stiff carcass. Should be good for a big fat VFR.

The rear tire has surprisingly deep grooves, much more than I was expecting. I guess this should yield good life because look how much rubber there is before the wear bar.

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I took some tread depth measurements at new and will continue taking them as I hit some mileage milestones

Front: 10 mm
Rear: 13 mm
 
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I have a brand new set sitting in the shed too! Still life left in the mounted ones at 14,000 kms. I think they will be good for 4-5,000 more kms. I'll change them out before heading to the Grand Canyon. Mailed in my $50.00 rebate for the new tires today as well.
 
I installed a pair last year. The rubber was noticeably stiffer than stock which I thought were stickier. The RS IIs will last longer, but IMO did not like giving up 10% in handling. One thousand miles later I have acclimated and they are fine. Just be aware the early miles will handle differently.
 
The RS IIs are on! I won't say much until I get a couple hundred miles on them :) That new tire feeling is pretty dramatic, my bike feels light as a feather
 
So I did my usual ride up to Squamish today to check out the RS IIs. This is definitely a great tire; even straight out the gate they inspire confidence. I've only got around 200 km on them at the moment so I'll wait a little longer before giving a more comprehensive review.

The front profile appears to be steeper than the T30s so the bike feels more agile and takes a lot less effort on the bars to start the turn. The bike feels like it dropped a bunch of weight so it will be interesting to see if it's any easier to ride when loaded 2up, I should imagine so.
 
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My RS 2's will be coming off tomorrow. Still life left in them but not enough for a 8,000 km trip! These tires have 15,862 kms on them. Mostly flat prairie riding. :(

Very happy with these tires and a new set of the same tires will be going on.



 
how do they compare to PR4's? i've been getting between 9-12k miles on PR4's and they handle even up to a medium track pace well. however, they're not cheap, nor happy getting hot.
 
I've not seen a lot of comparisons to the PR4. There have been a few shootouts with the PR3, though. From what I read, the RS IIs are a good tire for sport riding but not quite on the same level of 'sport' as the Angel GT or the Conti Road Attack 2 EVO. FWIW
 
It rained last night on my way home from work. After 8 weeks without a drop of rain, the roads were very greasy -- perfect opportunity to try the wet weather performance of the RS IIs! I made the 35 minute commute without crashing so I guess that is a win for the Roadsmarts!
 
It rained last night on my way home from work. After 8 weeks without a drop of rain, the roads were very greasy -- perfect opportunity to try the wet weather performance of the RS IIs! I made the 35 minute commute without crashing so I guess that is a win for the Roadsmarts!

Im glad you made it home safe Dustin !
Did you feel safe with the Roadsmarts on in the rain ?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Im glad you made it home safe Dustin !
Did you feel safe with the Roadsmarts on in the rain ?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Considering the conditions, they felt quite good. I had a good idea of what the bike was doing beneath me the whole time and I have definitely ridden in those conditions before on tires that inspired much less confidence.

Hopefully we get some more rain and I can really give them a good test on clean, wet roads rather than riding on an oil slick. :)
 
8000 km / 5000 miles on my RSIIs now; how about an update?

Overall, these are excellent sport touring tires, no doubt. I have found no real weakness with them, although I haven't really done my usual wet weather riding yet since it's been so dry. I did go through a couple storms on this trip but it's not enough to really give a wet grip verdict. :)

So I think these are an excellent all-around tire and it's a great fit for the VFR especially. Despite being heavy and very stiff to the hand, on the bike, they feel very agile. Bump absorption is excellent and they ride very smoothly. Compared to the Bridgestone T30, these have a more 'plush' feel and aren't so 'crashy' or harsh over bumps. Steering is still very easy even after being worn down a fair bit.

Dry grip & feel is excellent and very confidence inspiring. I think I push on the front tire a fair bit and I would prefer a bit more feel from that end but it's really a non-issue. There is certainly no shortage of grip for someone at my level.

Now, wear. I will make some tread depth measurements tomorrow to compare to the ones I made when new. The tires wear very well with no 'cupping' like I have seen from the Bridgestone BT-023 and T30 or the Michelin Pilot Road 3s I have used before.

They visually look like they'll last a long time! I have no idea how long but here are some photos:

Rear centre


Rear side


Rear side closer


Front centre


Front side


Front side closer


Hope that's helpful!
 
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That pretty good wear for that many km/miles.

I agree. If they continue to wear at the same rate, that's going to be quite impressive.

There was noticeable wear on the rear when I got through Nevada and Utah. I spent a fair bit of time up past 100 mph in Nevada and a few long full throttle runs.
 
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