/ Motorcycle Product Reviews / There are only three things you really need to know about the all-new Dunlop Elite 4, sayeth Dunlop: mileage, mileage, and more mileage. According to a test performed by an independent lab in March of 2016, with 130/70R18 and 180/60R16 Dunlop Elite 4 tires on a 2007 Honda Gold Wing, you could cross the U.S.A. six times before needing to replace your tires. Correct, up to 18,000 miles. That’s down to Dunlop’s MT Multi-Tread rear tire technology; the rear tire uses a tough, long-wearing compound in the center, and special lateral compounds along the outside edges of the tread for cornering grip. Dunlop says it’s the only true multi-tread design the cruiser and touring tire market, and gives riders the best of both worlds: outstanding mileage and handling. They also point out somewhat jokingly that, like Ford trucks, nine out of ten Honda Shadows are still on the road. Rather than focus on developing a tire solely for new machines, Dunlop went about it a different way than usual, using registration data to target the most popular models on the road today, and engineering a tire to work well across that very broad cross-section.

Tires can have a transformative effect on a motorcycle, says Dunlop. Older bikes rolling on older tire tech, with less braking and cornering grip and less compliance than modern tires, will be in for a treat. “The E4 gives new life to older bikes by taking all those evolutionary advancements to the next level with better mileage, more wet and dry grip, less road noise and improved ride compliance.” The Elite 4 will be offered in a plethora of sizes to fit nearly every motorcycle still rolling, some radial but mostly bias ply – but most riders will at least double their mileage compared to whatever tire they’ve been running. Unless it’s a car one. (The Dunlop people attend a lot of bike events, and have gone from being amazed to amused at the number of riders who think car tires are a good idea. They, naturally, think it’s a terrible one.) While Multi-Tread technology forms the central advantage of the Elite 4, other technologies round out the package. Dunlop’s continuously wound hexagonal bead construction – originally developed for Dunlop’s racing tires – stiffens the lower sidewall and is claimed to supply superior feel when cornering.

The tire’s aggressive new tread pattern is an outgrowth of the cosecant-curve design Dunlop first introduced in its DOT race tires, then carried into the Sportmax family. This new pattern features significant land area and long tread grooves that put more rubber on the ground for greater dry grip and mileage. These long grooves help evacuate water, contributing to greatly enhanced wet-weather performance compared to the Elite 3, which had been around since 2005. The new tread is also designed to provide even wear from center to shoulder for consistent handling as the miles add up. Also, Dunlop says, both front and rear patterns were designed to limit road noise for a quieter ride. The new pattern also includes innovative tread depth indicators incorporated into the tread pattern design that disappear when the tread depth reaches 1/32-inch of remaining tread – the legal limit – providing a clear visual indication when it’s time for a new tire. The design team, Dunlop says, targeted high mileage and balance, easy handling, excellent straight-line, braking and cornering stability in dry and wet conditions.

The Elite 4, it concludes, “sets a new standard for mileage and versatility in the Dunlop product line.” Furthermore, the tire was designed and engineered at Dunlop’s Buffalo, New York, headquarters, tested on the road and at the Dunlop Proving Grounds in Huntsville, Alabama – and 75% of the tires will be manufactured in Dunlop’s Buffalo plant. They’ll be available May 1.motorcycle front forks leaking Elite 4 Bias Frontmotorcycle boots brussels Elite 4 Bias Rearwhere to buy a motorcycle helmet gta 5 Elite 4 Radial Frontgivi top box luggage rack Elite 4 Radial Rear

Have about 5000 miles on the E4's. So far the only issue I've noticed is wet weather grip on the rear. When riding on Texas state hwy. near Kilgore rear slid a little in long fast sweeping section of road. It was at night had been raining for a while. Not sure if it was oily spot or a gust of wind that hit me at the same time, but whatever it was enough that I'm more cautious in the rain with them. Never had this issue with the E3's these replaced. Judging by tread depth will likely see somewhere between 15 and 20000 miles on them. The E3's got about 15000 when replaced and I ran the Bridgestones about 7500 miles when replaced. I just replaced my Elite 3 tires at 23,563 miles. This outstanding mileage was achieved by running 42-43 PSI in both tires and having Centramatics. The tires ran very smoothly and never cupped. I hope that the Elite 4's will give me similar results. My previous 2 sets of (other brand) tires were good tires overall but had to be replaced at 15-16K(even with the Centramatics).

The extra cost of the Elites is more than made up by the extra mileage. I put a set of E4's on my 2015 F6B just before a 6800 mile trip from Georgia to Deadwood SD and Cody Wy. The tires performed very well and handled the twisties as well as any tire I have ever had. As far as longevity is concerned, I now have 11600 miles on both tires and the front tire is fine but the rear is very near the wear bars and is not wearing evenly all the way around. At this point it breaks loose in a hard acceleration in a turn way sooner than it should. The E4's are good tires but I can't say that they are high mileage tires. The only tires I have ever gotten more than 12K miles on were the car tires I used to run on my full Goldwing's. If your looking for a high mileage tire these are not the ones. I have been and still am a Bridgestone fan, but I decided to try the E4's. Ordered the combo set and had them installed, along with Centra-Matic balancers, before we started on a series of trips we had planned: Orlando to New Orleans and Orlando to Key West.

After about 3K miles or so now I have no issues with the tires and they maintain air pressure well. I had tried E3's a couple of times previously and always had significant cupping on both tires that made the ride really rough. No such issues with the E4's yet! Lots of wet road riding here in Central Florida with no significant grip issues, except for those rubber lane markers and stop bars they use that get seriously slippery with the slightest bit of precipitation. I put a set of Elite 4's on my 2013 F6B and made it 500 miles on a 2000 mile trip to Deals Gap. On August 10th it was hot with temps in the upper 90's. My rear tire went down at MP 109 on 95 south in NC Had to get towed to the Honda Dealer in Garner NC which was about 40 miles. The dealer service people examined the tire with me and could find no evidence of a puncture. The tire was de-laminated on the inside and in every one of the large curfs of the tread there was an air leak. If these Elite 4"s can not handle the heat because of a structural defect I would like to know that.