This Dunlop Roadsmart 2 is the successor to the original Roadsmart which is considered a staple of a sport touring tire. If you are looking at Roadsmart 2 it may be you are expecting something like Pirelli Angel or Michellin Pillot Road 3. What we can say for sure is that it has great improvements from Roadsmart 1 coming with better wet handling and all season capabilities.
They’ve taken a step forward. The tread pattern has been modified and you can see it is a little bit deeper and a little bit longer. It provides great wet weather channeling and grip. The next step ahead you’re going to see that’s difficult to realize with the naked eye is the compounds used. They are extra silica rich for getting better wet wether grip.
Another improvement in this tire is that Roadsmart 2 incorporates a new technology from Dunlop that actually allows the contact patch to be a bit more forgiving to the lean angle. This provides a little bit better grip in the corners based on the fact that the profile should mesh better with the street depending on the form of driving that you’re doing.
And the last factor you have to bear in mind is there’s multiple compounds in this tire. It has a harder material or a harder compound in the middle. It’s a little bit more soft going into the shoulder for more grip. However the beauty of that from the touring aspect of it, is that most of the time touring means long distance and long mileage situations for commuters excursions. Many riders have put lots of miles on their bikes. So the harder compound in the center of the tire offers you a little more of a possibility to get more lifetime out of this tire.