I’ve just fitted Dunlop Sportsmart 2’s to my D675R in preparation for Scotland on Wednesday and managed around 120 miles on them so far. First impressions are obviously that there is loads of grip, there always is on new tyres and they ‘should’ always feel like they make a huge difference to handling, as generally your coming off old squared off tyres. I wanted to focus on the more specific things I have noticed and as a comparison to the Diablo SuperCorsa’s that the bike comes with. Front Tyre Profile – You will notice when you see the tyre that it has a really strange ‘balloon’ shape (and not because it’s over inflated hehe) , there is much less visible ‘edge’ before the side wall, also when riding the bike once the tyre had bedded in I noticed that the steering is ‘heavier’ than the Supercorsa SP. That sounds like a bad thing but actually I am getting less movement through the bars on the same roads and yet I am still getting a really positive turn in so I prefer this aspect. Rear Tyre Stiffness – I have noticed that the rear tyre is very ‘stiff’ with the effect being that it makes the rear suspension feel a little stiffer. I checked the tyre pressures and they were bang on so did some more miles and while there is great feel through the tyre, they are stiff! I spoke with my friend who works for a company who re-sell Dunlop and he knows the Dunlop guys really well and apparently it is a deliberate design of the tyre to allow them to run very low pressure (sub 20psi) on Track (I.E stiff side wall, less variation from pressure as the tyre heats up). Finally, I am really noticing how adjustable my Ohlins rear shock is, maybe because the tyre is stiff but I took 2 clicks of rebound off the rear shock and it made the bike feel like I had a flat tyre, so I put it back to standard (Sport) on Rebound, and left the Compression at -2 clicks from Sport (so 18 clicks out). Overall, I am very happy with the tyres and it was a close thing between them as Metzeler M7RR’s were £20 cheaper and get great reviews on here and in the press. I had used sportsmarts on my Ducati though so kind of went with what I know.
I've just bought a Sportsmart 2 120/70 R17 tire to replace my older Qualifier RR with the same size. To my big suprise and dissapointment the new tire is only 110 mm wide, yet the size marking on the sidewall states it should be 120. I attached a few photos of both my qualifier (which is in fact 123 mm wide) and the sportsmart 2 to show you the difference. Could you please measure your sportsmart 2 front tire if you have one with the same size for me? I'm curious whether it is normal or not... Thank you! Sportsmart 2 is only 110 mm fitted and inflated. Qualifier RR is a bit mor than 120 mm Side by side comparasion with Sportsmart 2 on the left
I really like the Sportsmart 2s. Interesting you say they feel stiffer. I noticed a big improvement in ride comfort over the supercorsas.
Maybe my supercorsa were just running low on pressure at the back, tbh once I knew I was going to change I didn't bother checking. I've just done 1100 miles to Scotland and back and even on wet roads I have tons of confidence, they just feel great and give loads of feedback! Really been happy with them as we have had to deal with all sorts of weather and they coped brilliantly
Nice to hear this Phil. I may need some tires soonish and these are on my list as they are different to what I'd usually have. Michelin or Metzeler
Yeah, give them a go, I've been really impressed with them on my Scotland trip. The Metz m7's were only £20 cheaper. I've never had Michelins so can't offer a comparison, I've kinda been put off pirelli though after I put a set of Diablo corsa's 3's on my last D675 and the front was wrecked after 3k miles!
These are nice to hear about from someone who has used them.in different weather's and on different roads. Gives a better idea on them, as I do ride in pretty much any type of weather so would need something that has a quick warm up time and good in the wet
I put Sportsmart 2's on my ST a few months back... I like 'em so far. Why I'm writing here, though... When I got them I emailed Dunlop to ask about pressures. The guy said that stuff about the NTEC technology allowing you to run really low pressures on track does not apply to the Sportsmart 2's, they don't use that tech. I've heard it said that was used as a bit of a marketing gimmick with the original Sportsmart, but it really only applies to the race(ier) tyres like the D212 GP Pro. Anyhoo, the pressures he recommended were 32F/28R (cold) for track days, aiming for 34F/32R hot. On the road I run them at 34F/38-40R and they feel good to me. My only comparison, though, is with Bridgestone S20's, which I believe are pretty stiff tyres. I'm not saying the Sportsmart 2's aren't necessarily a stiff tyre... Maybe that's just what I'm used to!
My front looks like it measures 112-113mm... That is measuring it as accurately as I can with a ruler, though! I did notice when it was fitted it looks a lot skinnier than the S20 it replaced...
Right... I reckon I know what's going on... Measure using a tape measure the actual 'tread' from edge to edge rather than the overall width of the tyre, because due to the weird front profile I mentioned I imagine the tyre is still 120mm between the two 'edge lines' just appears narrower because of the balloon profile, like this pic sort of shows
Phill and Mark, Thank you for your replies! Now I can rest assured that my tire is normal, still I have to get used to its look.
