- Based on the tread pattern of Dunlop’s popular D908RR tyre.
- Designed to reduce rolling noise while offering grip on and off road.
- Tech taken from Dunlop’s road tyres to work with big capcity Adv machines.
Distributor: Ficeda | Tester: Paul | Price: from $274.90 | Check It: www.ficeda.co.nz
With three days of adventure riding combined with probably 1000km of road kilometres, we put the all-new Dunlop Trailmax Raid tyres through a decent test. And they proved that Dunlop has joined the premium ADV tyre club.
Earlier this year, Yamaha NZ invited me to ride a Ténéré World Raid on their 3-day adventure ride which ran through the East Cape of the North Island. With Yamaha NZ having a close relationship with the importer of Dunlop tyres into NZ, I was asked what rubber I’d like put onto the World Raid before I picked it up. So, after a bit of research (i.e. a quick Google), I made the call for a set of 60/40 (off-road/road) hoops that were released by Dunlop last year. With a decent amount of road kilometres to do to get from Hamilton down to the start of the ride in Havelock North, I figured rubber that wouldn’t destroy itself when being pushed on tarseal was the sensible choice, although arriving at the first morning of the ride to see every other bike furnished with full-on knobblies got me wondering whether I’d been that smart.
New But Familiar
If you’ve had anything to do with Dunlops, then you’ll probably recognise the tread pattern, and that’s because it’s based on their popular D908RR tyre. But while that was a great tyre, the new Trailmax Raids have been fully pimped for adventure riding, with the tread pattern the only similarity between the two.
That great tread pattern has been modified to reduce rolling noise (and they’ve done a great job here, as I can attest to not much noise after 1000km on the road) while improving road grip without sacrificing off-road performance. Wet weather traction has also been beefed up, with silica added to the compound, while the make-up of the tyre itself has taken lots of tech from Dunlop’s road offerings like a carcass tension control system and jointless belt construction so the hoops can handle the power and weight of bigger, modern adventure bikes.
Serious Work
Heading from Hamilton to Havelock North was going to be the first real test of the Trailmax tyres as I was not only fully-loaded but also in a hurry, so I wasn’t hanging around on the Ténéré. And even though the road was dry, the hot weather made sure there were plenty of patches where traction was low, yet the Dunlops didn’t miss a step. With no traction control to catch slides on the Yamaha, it wasn’t as if the bike was disguising any loss of traction, and I was really surprised at how well these supposedly off-road leaning tyres were able to hold on while I merrily carved through corners at almost boot-scraping lean angles. They simply got on the with the job, and did it quietly.
But what about off-road? As I mentioned, the rest of the contingent of Yamaha riders looked like they were about to tackle a full-on motocross with their spikey hoops, so maybe this was where the Trailmax would come unstuck. I was certainly hoping not…
With a lot of gravel roads over the three days, the real standout for me was the Dunlop front tyre – it simply gave so much grip and confidence on loose surfaces, which is what you need to be able to push along at decent speed. The Dunlop gave me the confidence to trust the front heading into turns and then concentrate on using the rear to steer, sliding the rear Trailmax and driving out the other side. It was a great set-up and perfectly suited to fast riding on gravel terrain.
Heading into the hills overlooking the Mahia Peninsular and the farm tracks and trails again proved no problem to the Dunlops, even with the often loose and rocky terrain. It was the front once again which was the standout, while the rear just got on the job with providing traction, although it was hard to tell whether it was the linear power delivery of the Yamaha or the new tread pattern that allowed the rear to hook up. Almost everywhere, the Dunlops kept me moving forward and shiny side up. The only time they failed me was when I took a wrong turn on a wet, grassy hill and needed to back up then pull away, which saw me unceremoniously dumped on the floor as the rear went sideways as soon as I added some power. But all the MX tyre boys were saying they struggled too, so maybe it wasn’t so much of a tyre thing but simply that there was no grip…
Heading home, the Dunlops again showed their versatility by simply getting on with the job of offering me grip as I rode home at my regular pace, not slightly slower due to the bike wearing off-road rubber. And that’s where the Trailmax really shine – they are as versatile as the adventure bike that they’re fitted to. With the tyres often the limiting factor for adventure riding, the Trailmax seem to have hit the sweet spot of dual-purpose ability.
