Two Different Tires, Two Different Purposes
Dunlop announced that it’s introducing two new sets of tires. These tires are at different ends of the spectrum but both for adventure touring machines. The first is the Trailmax Mission. It’s designed for serious off-roading. The second is the SportSmart TT Trail. It’s a high-performance option for on-road rides and even track-day adventures.
Trailmax Mission
First up, the Trialmax Mission tires are designed to deliver solid off-road performance that matches some dedicated trail tires. However, Dunlop hasn’t left the pavement behind entirely. These tires are still a high-mileage tire.
In testing the tires delivered 12,800 kilometers (about 8,000 miles) on the pavement. This makes then perfect for the long haul adventure rider who likes to get his or her bike dirty. The tires feature Dunlop’s Staggered Step technology that gives the tire rigidity and lug stability and creates more biting edges. As the tire wears, the next biting edge “steps up” to provide grip.
The tire comes in 19-inch and 21-inch front sizes, and 17-inch and 18-inch rear sizes. They will fit bikes like Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom, BMW GS, KTM 1290 and 790 models, Yamaha Tenere, Triumph Tiger, and more.
SportSmart TT Trail
If you have an adventure bike but aren’t going to be doing any off-road riding or at least much riding at all, then you should Dunlop has created the SportSmart TT Trail tires. They’re optimized for street or track use. The SportSmart TT has proven to be a killer tire by many accounts already, but now adventure bike riders can enjoy this level of performance.
“Dunlop has brought something completely new to the market with SportSmart TT Trail,” said Dmitri Talboom, Dunlop Product Manager. “Today’s advanced adventure bikes are the Swiss army knife of motorcycles. Our four new tires allow riders to maximize the performance of their machines, whether they get their adrenaline pumping from track days, touring, or attacking the toughest terrain.”
It’s cool to see these new street tires for the segment. It’s an interesting move by Dunlop, and I’d love to have one of our reviewers check them out. You can check out both sets of tires here.