Who is running DUNLOP 160/80B-16 ELITE 3?
Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 6
From: Mayfield Ohio
The old sert may have a place in tuning contances for you to adjust for your tire size. It may only be in the TTS
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 233
Likes: 0
From: Upstate New York
I don't even know what TTS means, but I'm not buying another software program even if it's made by the same people who made the SERT. I actually thinking of selling or trading the bike in and keeping the next one stock.
I'm running one on my bike now. It's been on for a little over 2,000 miles now. No problems whatsoever. As I mentioned in another post. ABS works fine. And now my speedometer is actually right!
As measured by speed radar, not GPS. Handling is great! Traction is great! No moe wiggles or squirming from the back! I was totally blown away when I rode over a steel grate bridge last week and had no instability at all. I had so much with the stock 402 that I wouldn't go over 35 mph on one of these bridges for fear of losing it. I could blast right over one now without giving it a second thought!
I'm totally sold on this size and model tire. It does cost more than an oem replacement. But it's worth every penny. Plus it has a higher load rating.
As measured by speed radar, not GPS. Handling is great! Traction is great! No moe wiggles or squirming from the back! I was totally blown away when I rode over a steel grate bridge last week and had no instability at all. I had so much with the stock 402 that I wouldn't go over 35 mph on one of these bridges for fear of losing it. I could blast right over one now without giving it a second thought! I'm totally sold on this size and model tire. It does cost more than an oem replacement. But it's worth every penny. Plus it has a higher load rating.
Road Master
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 827
Likes: 1
From: Covington, Ga.
Here is an excerpt from my experience with the E3's posted on another site.
--------
Feb 27, 09
Similar to others, I am also aware of the new broom sweeps good syndrome. I was highly guarded about this syndrome, so have waited till I had at least a few hundred miles on the new rubber before making judgment.
It is important to understand that riding style has as much to do as anything, so heres mine:
07 Ultra stock bike. I ride two-up a lot. Generally 2/3 of the time, my wife is with me, and we like to ride. Not hard on the throttle too often, but like to yank it back from time to time. All types of roads, but as I live in Metro Atlanta, there is significant interstate use. That said, I hate the local interstates (or rather the idiots that inhabit them) so try to avoid them when able in preference of two lane country roads. We often travel to the mountains in search of lazy twisty roads that we can act like tourists on. Its not a squid bike, nor do we ride it like one. Conversely its not a winger, and we dont ride that that either. A happy compromise.
In short, I now ride the bike that I paid for. What a difference. This bike now rides and handles like one expects a high end touring machine to perform.
As others have described, the stock Dunlop 402 was harsh, hard, and transmitted every single road imperfection directly to the grips. Tar snakes, running cracks, gouges in the asphalt, bridge joints, and any other then perfect new roads were terrible. At times the pucker factor from seeing and trying to navigate a snake or gouge at 70+ mph is pegging the needle. Mind you, I ride in Metro Atlanta, where such road hazards breed like so many cockroaches. Like many others, I just thought that this performance and feel was normal for this bike.
Turning was another matter as well. Twisty, turny roads, while fun, were a source for some apprehension as the bike just did not feel like it was into the exercise. Yeah, it would lean in, fight me through the turn, and eventually comply with my commands, but the bike definitely didnt seem to like it. If riding the twisties with a group, I usually ended up in the back or holding up riders behind me because my bike just wasnt in the moment.
Ok..Install the E3s. New bike. At first I put it up to new rubber. After putting on about 300 miles, I now am convinced that these tires are better than a pocket on a shirt. To be fair, I rode on many different surfaces. I rode interstate, city streets, country roads, 4 lane, construction zones, and concrete. The only thing Ive not been able to test is rain performance, but tomorrow is supposed to bring a small monsoon, so I may brave the elements to do some wet performance evaluation.
All I can say is WOW. I actually aimed at tar snakes, grooves, gouges, paving transitions and just about any other hazard that my old 402s would beg me to stay away from. Result? Smooth as glass. It is important though to recognize that these tires are not spongy, unresponsive, or void of road feel; Quite the opposite in fact. I still feel the road as I should, but all the imperfections are effortlessly absorbed, leaving me with a performance feel, telling me exactly what the road is doing. Its really hard to put a good description on unless you have spent some time in a performance vehicle. It is the feeling that you just intuitively know is the right feel.
Tight, supple, sublime.
As far as cornering goes, I can add only good things. The bike now leans in with authority, responding favorably to my input, and leaving me with a feeling of total confidence. The old 402s were sketchy, jumpy, and caused tension in me and ultimately the ride. The E3s are smooth as glass, tight and confident through some aggressive action. As an aside, the question begging right now is how many guys are installing $400.00+ aftermarket frame stiffener systems to fix a $225.00 crappy tire problem ??? Things that make you go hmmm
There is an access road near me that parallels the interstate. At one end, the road makes a flat 90* turn and is rated at about 20 mph. It starts from an intersection, goes a couple hundred yards, starts the turn, and into a straightway over a mile long. A perfect setup to test acceleration and turning. I left the intersection as I always have, snicked the bike into second twist the throttle and leaned in ..hard .. twisting the right grip with equal authority. 3rd leantwistlean--scrape--4th -- lean--scrapetwistlean5th straighten it up..
The bike stuck like it was on rails. Never wiggled, wandered, blipped. Nothing. Like liquid acceleration and performance.
Now for the best part.. As I ride two-up very often, the enhanced feel and security that the bike now offers is going to be even better for the wife. Since the wreck, she is sometimes nervous about the way the bike feels and handles and sometimes does not enjoy the ride as much as I would like her to. With these new tires and the seemingly magic change that has occurred, I can tell you that shell not have that concern anymore.
For anyone who is thinking about a tire change for your touring machine.. You simply will NOT go wrong with the Dunlop E3.
I cant speak to other tires except the 402 junk that is oem. Im sure that there are others who love their choice. But for me, the search seems over.
Happy riding!
Cujo
---------
Mar 3, 2009
Rain report on the E3, as promised.
This past Saturday I had opportunity to go to our regular Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry breakfast in Athens, Ga. About 40 miles one way for me. The forecast called for 40ish temps, rising to the high 50's later in the day. Heavy rain expected, severe at times in some areas, tapering off by noon.
Sounds like a GREAT day to check the wet abilities.
With the rain pounding away and the sun not yet over the horizon, I layered on the warmies and the rain gear. Mrs Cujo laughed out loud at my invite to ride, sipped her coffee and called me names that challenged my sanity and intelligence. Being a typical man, I mumbled something about wanting to ride solo today anyway, and saddled up.
50 feet into the ride, I knew this might suck. The bottom fell out of the clouds and visibility dropped to marginal. Later info would prove to show that we received several inches of rain in under an hour. I also found Mrs. Cujo to be relatively unimpressed with having to dig an emergency diversion ditch in the yard (in her jammies and boots) to stop the flooding of the crawlspace under the house Cosmic revenge..? Who can say?
I digress..
The tires. Yes, the tires.
In an absolute deluge, in terrible riding conditions, lightning, wind, and thunder, they handled like a dream. (no need to comment on Mrs. Cujos alarmingly accurate statements of judgment here ) I hit ponding in the roadway (not aiming) long runs of standing water in the low tracks, rain grooves, and other typical wet road conditions. As far as I could feel and perceive, there was not one single loss of traction or control. Speeds varied from dead crawl to 40+ mph on two lane state highway blacktop. As I moved farther north, the rain tapered to a dull roar and I found that regular highway speeds of about 55-60+ mph felt very stable on a split 4 lane.
After breakfast, the rain had subsided quite a bit and we went across town to the local Harley shop. While not doing any hard riding at all, but not clamped up tight in fear of the road, I did find the bike to be stable and sure footed. Far better than the 402s ever felt in the rain. This helped my comfort level no doubt and made the ride more enjoyable.
E3s win again..
Hope this helps !
----
May 28, 09
I have accumulated almost 4000 miles since installing these tires this spring. All types of roads, solo and 2-up. From the road jungle of metro Atlanta, to the mountains of north Ga, Tn, and NC.
I continue to be thoroughly impressed with them.
Visible wear is almost nil, though I have not measured with a gauge. I suspect that I'll get far more miles than the old 402's and even if the miles are the same, the ride is far superior and therefore worth every extra penny.
Hope this helps ..
Cujo
--------
Feb 27, 09
Similar to others, I am also aware of the new broom sweeps good syndrome. I was highly guarded about this syndrome, so have waited till I had at least a few hundred miles on the new rubber before making judgment.
It is important to understand that riding style has as much to do as anything, so heres mine:
07 Ultra stock bike. I ride two-up a lot. Generally 2/3 of the time, my wife is with me, and we like to ride. Not hard on the throttle too often, but like to yank it back from time to time. All types of roads, but as I live in Metro Atlanta, there is significant interstate use. That said, I hate the local interstates (or rather the idiots that inhabit them) so try to avoid them when able in preference of two lane country roads. We often travel to the mountains in search of lazy twisty roads that we can act like tourists on. Its not a squid bike, nor do we ride it like one. Conversely its not a winger, and we dont ride that that either. A happy compromise.
In short, I now ride the bike that I paid for. What a difference. This bike now rides and handles like one expects a high end touring machine to perform.
As others have described, the stock Dunlop 402 was harsh, hard, and transmitted every single road imperfection directly to the grips. Tar snakes, running cracks, gouges in the asphalt, bridge joints, and any other then perfect new roads were terrible. At times the pucker factor from seeing and trying to navigate a snake or gouge at 70+ mph is pegging the needle. Mind you, I ride in Metro Atlanta, where such road hazards breed like so many cockroaches. Like many others, I just thought that this performance and feel was normal for this bike.
Turning was another matter as well. Twisty, turny roads, while fun, were a source for some apprehension as the bike just did not feel like it was into the exercise. Yeah, it would lean in, fight me through the turn, and eventually comply with my commands, but the bike definitely didnt seem to like it. If riding the twisties with a group, I usually ended up in the back or holding up riders behind me because my bike just wasnt in the moment.
Ok..Install the E3s. New bike. At first I put it up to new rubber. After putting on about 300 miles, I now am convinced that these tires are better than a pocket on a shirt. To be fair, I rode on many different surfaces. I rode interstate, city streets, country roads, 4 lane, construction zones, and concrete. The only thing Ive not been able to test is rain performance, but tomorrow is supposed to bring a small monsoon, so I may brave the elements to do some wet performance evaluation.
All I can say is WOW. I actually aimed at tar snakes, grooves, gouges, paving transitions and just about any other hazard that my old 402s would beg me to stay away from. Result? Smooth as glass. It is important though to recognize that these tires are not spongy, unresponsive, or void of road feel; Quite the opposite in fact. I still feel the road as I should, but all the imperfections are effortlessly absorbed, leaving me with a performance feel, telling me exactly what the road is doing. Its really hard to put a good description on unless you have spent some time in a performance vehicle. It is the feeling that you just intuitively know is the right feel.
Tight, supple, sublime.
As far as cornering goes, I can add only good things. The bike now leans in with authority, responding favorably to my input, and leaving me with a feeling of total confidence. The old 402s were sketchy, jumpy, and caused tension in me and ultimately the ride. The E3s are smooth as glass, tight and confident through some aggressive action. As an aside, the question begging right now is how many guys are installing $400.00+ aftermarket frame stiffener systems to fix a $225.00 crappy tire problem ??? Things that make you go hmmm
There is an access road near me that parallels the interstate. At one end, the road makes a flat 90* turn and is rated at about 20 mph. It starts from an intersection, goes a couple hundred yards, starts the turn, and into a straightway over a mile long. A perfect setup to test acceleration and turning. I left the intersection as I always have, snicked the bike into second twist the throttle and leaned in ..hard .. twisting the right grip with equal authority. 3rd leantwistlean--scrape--4th -- lean--scrapetwistlean5th straighten it up..
The bike stuck like it was on rails. Never wiggled, wandered, blipped. Nothing. Like liquid acceleration and performance.
Now for the best part.. As I ride two-up very often, the enhanced feel and security that the bike now offers is going to be even better for the wife. Since the wreck, she is sometimes nervous about the way the bike feels and handles and sometimes does not enjoy the ride as much as I would like her to. With these new tires and the seemingly magic change that has occurred, I can tell you that shell not have that concern anymore.
For anyone who is thinking about a tire change for your touring machine.. You simply will NOT go wrong with the Dunlop E3.
I cant speak to other tires except the 402 junk that is oem. Im sure that there are others who love their choice. But for me, the search seems over.
Happy riding!
Cujo
---------
Mar 3, 2009
Rain report on the E3, as promised.
This past Saturday I had opportunity to go to our regular Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry breakfast in Athens, Ga. About 40 miles one way for me. The forecast called for 40ish temps, rising to the high 50's later in the day. Heavy rain expected, severe at times in some areas, tapering off by noon.
Sounds like a GREAT day to check the wet abilities.
With the rain pounding away and the sun not yet over the horizon, I layered on the warmies and the rain gear. Mrs Cujo laughed out loud at my invite to ride, sipped her coffee and called me names that challenged my sanity and intelligence. Being a typical man, I mumbled something about wanting to ride solo today anyway, and saddled up.
50 feet into the ride, I knew this might suck. The bottom fell out of the clouds and visibility dropped to marginal. Later info would prove to show that we received several inches of rain in under an hour. I also found Mrs. Cujo to be relatively unimpressed with having to dig an emergency diversion ditch in the yard (in her jammies and boots) to stop the flooding of the crawlspace under the house Cosmic revenge..? Who can say?
I digress..
The tires. Yes, the tires.
In an absolute deluge, in terrible riding conditions, lightning, wind, and thunder, they handled like a dream. (no need to comment on Mrs. Cujos alarmingly accurate statements of judgment here ) I hit ponding in the roadway (not aiming) long runs of standing water in the low tracks, rain grooves, and other typical wet road conditions. As far as I could feel and perceive, there was not one single loss of traction or control. Speeds varied from dead crawl to 40+ mph on two lane state highway blacktop. As I moved farther north, the rain tapered to a dull roar and I found that regular highway speeds of about 55-60+ mph felt very stable on a split 4 lane.
After breakfast, the rain had subsided quite a bit and we went across town to the local Harley shop. While not doing any hard riding at all, but not clamped up tight in fear of the road, I did find the bike to be stable and sure footed. Far better than the 402s ever felt in the rain. This helped my comfort level no doubt and made the ride more enjoyable.
E3s win again..
Hope this helps !
----
May 28, 09
I have accumulated almost 4000 miles since installing these tires this spring. All types of roads, solo and 2-up. From the road jungle of metro Atlanta, to the mountains of north Ga, Tn, and NC.
I continue to be thoroughly impressed with them.
Visible wear is almost nil, though I have not measured with a gauge. I suspect that I'll get far more miles than the old 402's and even if the miles are the same, the ride is far superior and therefore worth every extra penny.
Hope this helps ..
Cujo
Club Member
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 145,895
Likes: 821
From: 40 miles Northeast of Indy..
the Elite 3 in 160/80b/16 is 5/8''taller and 1/16 narrower, that the 401-150/80b/16.. 1/32 more tread. and 231#'s more load carrying ability.
www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 10,449
Likes: 46
From: Roswell, GA
According to the data on the Dennis Kirk website, the Dunlop 160/80/16 is basically .5" wider and taller than the Elite 3 MU90B-16, and has 1/32" less tread depth (10/32 v. 11/32).
I used the stock OEM spec Dunlops front and rear for 50K miles and changed to the rear Elite 3 recently primarily to see what kind of mileage it provides compared to the Dunlop 402 MU85B-16.
I used the stock OEM spec Dunlops front and rear for 50K miles and changed to the rear Elite 3 recently primarily to see what kind of mileage it provides compared to the Dunlop 402 MU85B-16.
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 743
Likes: 0
From: Morris, Il
Here is an excerpt from my experience with the E3's posted on another site.
--------
Feb 27, 09
Similar to others, I am also aware of the new broom sweeps good syndrome. I was highly guarded about this syndrome, so have waited till I had at least a few hundred miles on the new rubber before making judgment.
It is important to understand that riding style has as much to do as anything, so heres mine:
07 Ultra stock bike. I ride two-up a lot. Generally 2/3 of the time, my wife is with me, and we like to ride. Not hard on the throttle too often, but like to yank it back from time to time. All types of roads, but as I live in Metro Atlanta, there is significant interstate use. That said, I hate the local interstates (or rather the idiots that inhabit them) so try to avoid them when able in preference of two lane country roads. We often travel to the mountains in search of lazy twisty roads that we can act like tourists on. Its not a squid bike, nor do we ride it like one. Conversely its not a winger, and we dont ride that that either. A happy compromise.
In short, I now ride the bike that I paid for. What a difference. This bike now rides and handles like one expects a high end touring machine to perform.
As others have described, the stock Dunlop 402 was harsh, hard, and transmitted every single road imperfection directly to the grips. Tar snakes, running cracks, gouges in the asphalt, bridge joints, and any other then perfect new roads were terrible. At times the pucker factor from seeing and trying to navigate a snake or gouge at 70+ mph is pegging the needle. Mind you, I ride in Metro Atlanta, where such road hazards breed like so many cockroaches. Like many others, I just thought that this performance and feel was normal for this bike.
Turning was another matter as well. Twisty, turny roads, while fun, were a source for some apprehension as the bike just did not feel like it was into the exercise. Yeah, it would lean in, fight me through the turn, and eventually comply with my commands, but the bike definitely didnt seem to like it. If riding the twisties with a group, I usually ended up in the back or holding up riders behind me because my bike just wasnt in the moment.
Ok..Install the E3s. New bike. At first I put it up to new rubber. After putting on about 300 miles, I now am convinced that these tires are better than a pocket on a shirt. To be fair, I rode on many different surfaces. I rode interstate, city streets, country roads, 4 lane, construction zones, and concrete. The only thing Ive not been able to test is rain performance, but tomorrow is supposed to bring a small monsoon, so I may brave the elements to do some wet performance evaluation.
All I can say is WOW. I actually aimed at tar snakes, grooves, gouges, paving transitions and just about any other hazard that my old 402s would beg me to stay away from. Result? Smooth as glass. It is important though to recognize that these tires are not spongy, unresponsive, or void of road feel; Quite the opposite in fact. I still feel the road as I should, but all the imperfections are effortlessly absorbed, leaving me with a performance feel, telling me exactly what the road is doing. Its really hard to put a good description on unless you have spent some time in a performance vehicle. It is the feeling that you just intuitively know is the right feel.
Tight, supple, sublime.
As far as cornering goes, I can add only good things. The bike now leans in with authority, responding favorably to my input, and leaving me with a feeling of total confidence. The old 402s were sketchy, jumpy, and caused tension in me and ultimately the ride. The E3s are smooth as glass, tight and confident through some aggressive action. As an aside, the question begging right now is how many guys are installing $400.00+ aftermarket frame stiffener systems to fix a $225.00 crappy tire problem ??? Things that make you go hmmm
There is an access road near me that parallels the interstate. At one end, the road makes a flat 90* turn and is rated at about 20 mph. It starts from an intersection, goes a couple hundred yards, starts the turn, and into a straightway over a mile long. A perfect setup to test acceleration and turning. I left the intersection as I always have, snicked the bike into second twist the throttle and leaned in ..hard .. twisting the right grip with equal authority. 3rd leantwistlean--scrape--4th -- lean--scrapetwistlean5th straighten it up..
The bike stuck like it was on rails. Never wiggled, wandered, blipped. Nothing. Like liquid acceleration and performance.
Now for the best part.. As I ride two-up very often, the enhanced feel and security that the bike now offers is going to be even better for the wife. Since the wreck, she is sometimes nervous about the way the bike feels and handles and sometimes does not enjoy the ride as much as I would like her to. With these new tires and the seemingly magic change that has occurred, I can tell you that shell not have that concern anymore.
For anyone who is thinking about a tire change for your touring machine.. You simply will NOT go wrong with the Dunlop E3.
I cant speak to other tires except the 402 junk that is oem. Im sure that there are others who love their choice. But for me, the search seems over.
Happy riding!
Cujo
---------
Mar 3, 2009
Rain report on the E3, as promised.
This past Saturday I had opportunity to go to our regular Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry breakfast in Athens, Ga. About 40 miles one way for me. The forecast called for 40ish temps, rising to the high 50's later in the day. Heavy rain expected, severe at times in some areas, tapering off by noon.
Sounds like a GREAT day to check the wet abilities.
With the rain pounding away and the sun not yet over the horizon, I layered on the warmies and the rain gear. Mrs Cujo laughed out loud at my invite to ride, sipped her coffee and called me names that challenged my sanity and intelligence. Being a typical man, I mumbled something about wanting to ride solo today anyway, and saddled up.
50 feet into the ride, I knew this might suck. The bottom fell out of the clouds and visibility dropped to marginal. Later info would prove to show that we received several inches of rain in under an hour. I also found Mrs. Cujo to be relatively unimpressed with having to dig an emergency diversion ditch in the yard (in her jammies and boots) to stop the flooding of the crawlspace under the house Cosmic revenge..? Who can say?
I digress..
The tires. Yes, the tires.
In an absolute deluge, in terrible riding conditions, lightning, wind, and thunder, they handled like a dream. (no need to comment on Mrs. Cujos alarmingly accurate statements of judgment here ) I hit ponding in the roadway (not aiming) long runs of standing water in the low tracks, rain grooves, and other typical wet road conditions. As far as I could feel and perceive, there was not one single loss of traction or control. Speeds varied from dead crawl to 40+ mph on two lane state highway blacktop. As I moved farther north, the rain tapered to a dull roar and I found that regular highway speeds of about 55-60+ mph felt very stable on a split 4 lane.
After breakfast, the rain had subsided quite a bit and we went across town to the local Harley shop. While not doing any hard riding at all, but not clamped up tight in fear of the road, I did find the bike to be stable and sure footed. Far better than the 402s ever felt in the rain. This helped my comfort level no doubt and made the ride more enjoyable.
E3s win again..
Hope this helps !
----
May 28, 09
I have accumulated almost 4000 miles since installing these tires this spring. All types of roads, solo and 2-up. From the road jungle of metro Atlanta, to the mountains of north Ga, Tn, and NC.
I continue to be thoroughly impressed with them.
Visible wear is almost nil, though I have not measured with a gauge. I suspect that I'll get far more miles than the old 402's and even if the miles are the same, the ride is far superior and therefore worth every extra penny.
Hope this helps ..
Cujo
--------
Feb 27, 09
Similar to others, I am also aware of the new broom sweeps good syndrome. I was highly guarded about this syndrome, so have waited till I had at least a few hundred miles on the new rubber before making judgment.
It is important to understand that riding style has as much to do as anything, so heres mine:
07 Ultra stock bike. I ride two-up a lot. Generally 2/3 of the time, my wife is with me, and we like to ride. Not hard on the throttle too often, but like to yank it back from time to time. All types of roads, but as I live in Metro Atlanta, there is significant interstate use. That said, I hate the local interstates (or rather the idiots that inhabit them) so try to avoid them when able in preference of two lane country roads. We often travel to the mountains in search of lazy twisty roads that we can act like tourists on. Its not a squid bike, nor do we ride it like one. Conversely its not a winger, and we dont ride that that either. A happy compromise.
In short, I now ride the bike that I paid for. What a difference. This bike now rides and handles like one expects a high end touring machine to perform.
As others have described, the stock Dunlop 402 was harsh, hard, and transmitted every single road imperfection directly to the grips. Tar snakes, running cracks, gouges in the asphalt, bridge joints, and any other then perfect new roads were terrible. At times the pucker factor from seeing and trying to navigate a snake or gouge at 70+ mph is pegging the needle. Mind you, I ride in Metro Atlanta, where such road hazards breed like so many cockroaches. Like many others, I just thought that this performance and feel was normal for this bike.
Turning was another matter as well. Twisty, turny roads, while fun, were a source for some apprehension as the bike just did not feel like it was into the exercise. Yeah, it would lean in, fight me through the turn, and eventually comply with my commands, but the bike definitely didnt seem to like it. If riding the twisties with a group, I usually ended up in the back or holding up riders behind me because my bike just wasnt in the moment.
Ok..Install the E3s. New bike. At first I put it up to new rubber. After putting on about 300 miles, I now am convinced that these tires are better than a pocket on a shirt. To be fair, I rode on many different surfaces. I rode interstate, city streets, country roads, 4 lane, construction zones, and concrete. The only thing Ive not been able to test is rain performance, but tomorrow is supposed to bring a small monsoon, so I may brave the elements to do some wet performance evaluation.
All I can say is WOW. I actually aimed at tar snakes, grooves, gouges, paving transitions and just about any other hazard that my old 402s would beg me to stay away from. Result? Smooth as glass. It is important though to recognize that these tires are not spongy, unresponsive, or void of road feel; Quite the opposite in fact. I still feel the road as I should, but all the imperfections are effortlessly absorbed, leaving me with a performance feel, telling me exactly what the road is doing. Its really hard to put a good description on unless you have spent some time in a performance vehicle. It is the feeling that you just intuitively know is the right feel.
Tight, supple, sublime.
As far as cornering goes, I can add only good things. The bike now leans in with authority, responding favorably to my input, and leaving me with a feeling of total confidence. The old 402s were sketchy, jumpy, and caused tension in me and ultimately the ride. The E3s are smooth as glass, tight and confident through some aggressive action. As an aside, the question begging right now is how many guys are installing $400.00+ aftermarket frame stiffener systems to fix a $225.00 crappy tire problem ??? Things that make you go hmmm
There is an access road near me that parallels the interstate. At one end, the road makes a flat 90* turn and is rated at about 20 mph. It starts from an intersection, goes a couple hundred yards, starts the turn, and into a straightway over a mile long. A perfect setup to test acceleration and turning. I left the intersection as I always have, snicked the bike into second twist the throttle and leaned in ..hard .. twisting the right grip with equal authority. 3rd leantwistlean--scrape--4th -- lean--scrapetwistlean5th straighten it up..
The bike stuck like it was on rails. Never wiggled, wandered, blipped. Nothing. Like liquid acceleration and performance.
Now for the best part.. As I ride two-up very often, the enhanced feel and security that the bike now offers is going to be even better for the wife. Since the wreck, she is sometimes nervous about the way the bike feels and handles and sometimes does not enjoy the ride as much as I would like her to. With these new tires and the seemingly magic change that has occurred, I can tell you that shell not have that concern anymore.
For anyone who is thinking about a tire change for your touring machine.. You simply will NOT go wrong with the Dunlop E3.
I cant speak to other tires except the 402 junk that is oem. Im sure that there are others who love their choice. But for me, the search seems over.
Happy riding!
Cujo
---------
Mar 3, 2009
Rain report on the E3, as promised.
This past Saturday I had opportunity to go to our regular Black Sheep Motorcycle Ministry breakfast in Athens, Ga. About 40 miles one way for me. The forecast called for 40ish temps, rising to the high 50's later in the day. Heavy rain expected, severe at times in some areas, tapering off by noon.
Sounds like a GREAT day to check the wet abilities.
With the rain pounding away and the sun not yet over the horizon, I layered on the warmies and the rain gear. Mrs Cujo laughed out loud at my invite to ride, sipped her coffee and called me names that challenged my sanity and intelligence. Being a typical man, I mumbled something about wanting to ride solo today anyway, and saddled up.
50 feet into the ride, I knew this might suck. The bottom fell out of the clouds and visibility dropped to marginal. Later info would prove to show that we received several inches of rain in under an hour. I also found Mrs. Cujo to be relatively unimpressed with having to dig an emergency diversion ditch in the yard (in her jammies and boots) to stop the flooding of the crawlspace under the house Cosmic revenge..? Who can say?
I digress..
The tires. Yes, the tires.
In an absolute deluge, in terrible riding conditions, lightning, wind, and thunder, they handled like a dream. (no need to comment on Mrs. Cujos alarmingly accurate statements of judgment here ) I hit ponding in the roadway (not aiming) long runs of standing water in the low tracks, rain grooves, and other typical wet road conditions. As far as I could feel and perceive, there was not one single loss of traction or control. Speeds varied from dead crawl to 40+ mph on two lane state highway blacktop. As I moved farther north, the rain tapered to a dull roar and I found that regular highway speeds of about 55-60+ mph felt very stable on a split 4 lane.
After breakfast, the rain had subsided quite a bit and we went across town to the local Harley shop. While not doing any hard riding at all, but not clamped up tight in fear of the road, I did find the bike to be stable and sure footed. Far better than the 402s ever felt in the rain. This helped my comfort level no doubt and made the ride more enjoyable.
E3s win again..
Hope this helps !
----
May 28, 09
I have accumulated almost 4000 miles since installing these tires this spring. All types of roads, solo and 2-up. From the road jungle of metro Atlanta, to the mountains of north Ga, Tn, and NC.
I continue to be thoroughly impressed with them.
Visible wear is almost nil, though I have not measured with a gauge. I suspect that I'll get far more miles than the old 402's and even if the miles are the same, the ride is far superior and therefore worth every extra penny.
Hope this helps ..
Cujo
Thank
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