Foul Weather Tire Review

Dunlop 616 Review

I decided to purchase a tire dedicated for winter riding. I rode over 12,000 miles this year so it seems that the three or four months that it is cold, wet, and snowy would be a great chance to burn through some tires designed for that purpose. I needed a tire that would have a wide tread groove, be a softer than normal tire for coping with the cold Ohio roads this winter, and still have decent manners at a buck twenty five if I get the inclination to do so. There are only a few options for tires in this class and the two leaders which offered tires for my sport bike were the Dunlop 616’s and the Pirelli Scorpions. After reading some reviews and doing a bit of homework it appears that the Pirelli had the better road manners while the Dunlop was queen of the dirt, wet and grim. For those that know me well the Dunlop 616 is an obvious choice since I live life by the Eskimo adage of, “there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.” This adage may not always apply especially when speaking of icy roads and two wheels but I figure people get the picture. The tires were only available in a couple common sizes but lucky for me 120/70/17 and 180/55/17 we both in stock at Iron Pony and were installed in a few hours wait. Lucky for me the fair weather I rolled into Iron Pony with had passed and the heavy fall rain came to test these new rubbers. The tires I took off the bike were Michelin Pilot Road’s. They were a fine tire and gave me no trouble even in the rain but within a few moments on my new Dunlop’s I was sold. These tires shed water like it is their job, and it is. In 400 miles and many more rain storms I have been pleasantly surprised at the stopping ability, fast cornering, and 80mph lane changes during rain without unpredictability. I have even taken these on a little gravel and dirt roads just to see what they are able to do and I have yet to push them further than they wanted to go from 140mph fly bys, dirt fire roads, and panic braking at 80mph through standing water on the interstate. I cannot recommend the way that I ride to anyone out there but I will say if you do ride like me there is no way to keep safer than a nice sticky set of Dunlop 616’s. I should also enter a small disclaimer that you should obey all traffic laws when operating a motorcycle on public roads and that I do not perform any “sketchy” maneuvers with my lady friend passenger on the back for anyone one who may worry for her safety. I will have more follow up as the weather gets worse and the tires see more miles.

What is your favorite tire for foul weather? How late into the year do you stay on the bike? Any special equipment that helps you to cope with poor weather conditions?