Spudda's Ongoing Dunlop RoadSmart 2 Review

[Spudda]

Let me start with a little history lesson ...
The first bike I had was a Yami Thundercat which I bought before i'd even passed my test
September 2004 it was written off when another bike 't-boned' me ... I was doing a sweeping right hander and the rider who was doing the opposing left hander, lost control of his bike and put it down leaving it to spin straight in to me.

Broken foot, chipped knee cap, 3 broken ribs, sprained wrist .... written off bike with a swing arm at 90', handlebars which had snapped passed its stop and hit the tank and a ripped off exhaust.

Needless to say I had ALL the gear on which all did as theyre designed to do .... the doctors told me that had i not had my boots on, then I wouldve lost my foot ... I'm never wearing anything else apart from Sidi's

Fast forward to April 2006 and I bought my Triumph Daytona 650 ..... as youll understand, my cornering confidence was non existent
First tyre change, I went for the Bridgestone BT016's which were shocking.
I then went for the Metzeler M5's which inspired me and the confidence came back over a period of time.

Following 2 front and 3 rear M5's I have now made the switch to the Dunlop RoadSmart 2's

Why ... well the reviews are excellent, a few on here have them, my mate who I trust works for the Dunlop Motorcycle Tyre Tech Team and they have reported an improvement in mileage.

Ok my riding style ... I am in no way fast, the TankSlap rideouts are ideal for me as everyone is sensible but if i had to go chasing, I havent got the confidence to keep up. However, these new RoadSmarts are certainly helping me and I feel Im improving with every ride. The M5's were good but these are excellent.
I want to do another trackday and im sure these would cope but I also want to ride over to see my folks in Felixstowe which one straight dual carriageway there and back and with the multicompounds and the reported improved mileage, these tyres are sure to work.

They warm up really quickly, they havent squirmed under acceleration and they feel planted on heavy braking.

I normally shy away from showing people my but believe me this is good for me
I feel I'm building up my confidence thanks to these following my pre-described coming together and I'll certainly have another set

Current mileage on these is around 150

[Blade]

Nice one Spudda mate They sound a good tyre and I m glad you are finding your confidence again .

I have definitely lost my confidence on a couple of occasions due to crashes (lost it, gained it and then lost it again, haha!!!) and TBH on reflection I would still say I'm not at my best but I m working my way back and that's all we can do, i.e keep trying to improve. I know in the past I have been over critical of my riding and then I have stopped enjoying things, so all I do now is I try and improve but make sure I m still having fun. If my faster days (and I say faster not fast) are behind me that's okay, I don't have an ego and I want to concentrate on enjoying my bike not trying to be the best/fastest person out there.

Glad the tyres are helping mate and for what its worth just keep enjoying your riding after all that's why we do it , so what if some other guy or gal is quicker, there's always someone quicker, thats just how it is

[Spudda]

My riding style has certainly improved .... the roll on Mid Corner which was lacking, is certainly more fun

[Blade]

My riding style has certainly improved .... the roll on Mid Corner which was lacking, is certainly more fun

Nice one Spudda keep enjoying things and getting better where and when possible, we can't rush these things, excuse the bun .

I m not on my bike at the moment as working nights but I know there are a few area's I need to improve on, one is body position which Daytonandy gave me some useful feedback on (cheers mate ) and the other is reading the road and corner entry i.e stop comfort braking so I plan to focus on these when I'm next on the bike.

[Bratty]

Glad your enjoying them mate, as you know I'm on my second pair on my bike and they deffo tick all the boxes for me, and glad to hear they've given you some confidence back in the twisties mate.

[Godzilla]

Good review Spudda, and glad your confidence is coming back.

So as not to derail thread starting another to look at a point you made.

[Kwacky]

Confidence is a fragile thing. If a change in tyres improves your riding then go for it.

I have to say I pay little attention to tyre reviews by bike journos. They're unlikely to slag off a set of rubber if they've been flown to spain for a few days. Real everyday user feedback is a lot more important.

[D6]

Nice review spudda, cheers.

I do admit I liked the roadsmarts I had on the Zx6r. Very good in the wet.

I need another tyre but only rear really. Do you think you can mix tyres as long as you stay with manufacturer? As it would be a lot cheaper than getting a pair.

Could I use roadsmart II's with my front qualifier?

[Perkles]

your confidence will come back with some sensible time in the saddle,i have had a 7 year lay off and im slowly getting back into it.
I had bt016s on my Ducati Monster and thought they were good but these latest tyres sound brilliant

[Spudda]

Do you think you can mix tyres as long as you stay with manufacturer? As it would be a lot cheaper than getting a pair.

Could I use roadsmart II's with my front qualifier?

My Dunlop tyre matey bloke is bound to be in the local watering hole tonight so I'll ask him

[Spudda]

I had bt016s on my Ducati Monster and thought they were good but these latest tyres sound brilliant

My Bro-In-Law has them on his GSXR750 and he doesnt have an issue with them ( he didnt last night anyway ) but I didnt like them and I'm sure Kwacky and Duke are put off by them

[Perkles]

I had bt016s on my Ducati Monster and thought they were good but these latest tyres sound brilliant

My Bro-In-Law has them on his GSXR750 and he doesnt have an issue with them ( he didnt last night anyway ) but I didnt like them and I'm sure Kwacky and Duke are put off by them

I did mallory on them and they stuck like poo to a blanket but I think once youve have a bad experience with a tyre it will put you right off for good

[Spudda]

Good review Spudda, and glad your confidence is coming back.

So as not to derail thread starting another to look at a point you made.

Thanks for the reply but theres no need ... its well documented and its in the past

[Kwacky]

My BT016s were the ones supplied with the bike. Despite what we're told I am convinced that OEM tyres with a bike are not the same as those you buy off the shelf.

[Spudda]

My BT016s were the ones supplied with the bike.

Same as the GSXR

[C00kiemonster]

My BT016s were the ones supplied with the bike. Despite what we're told I am convinced that OEM tyres with a bike are not the same as those you buy off the shelf.

Certainly I believe car ones are different. They were when I worked for a well known tyre manufacturer anyway..

[D6]

photo 1.JPG

I thought you had a bit bolt in the tyre at first when i saw this pic.

Hmm, wont let me quoe the pic????

The first picture anyway.

[D6]

Do you think you can mix tyres as long as you stay with manufacturer? As it would be a lot cheaper than getting a pair.

Could I use roadsmart II's with my front qualifier?

My Dunlop tyre matey bloke is bound to be in the local watering hole tonight so I'll ask him

Cheers matey

[Spudda]

photo 1.JPG

I thought you had a bit bolt in the tyre at first when i saw this pic.

Hmm, wont let me quoe the pic????

The first picture anyway.

thats one of my stabilizers

[Blade]

My BT016s were the ones supplied with the bike. Despite what we're told I am convinced that OEM tyres with a bike are not the same as those you buy off the shelf.

100% correct and had this confirmed by a Dunlop Technician at a bike event.

Its worth noting the Tyre Technician could also not understand why the bike manufacturers request a different compound or profile as 9 times out of 10 its worse than the Tyre manufacturers (the expert) stock item. The only reason he could offer is perhaps the bike manufacturer wanted more mileage from the tyre.