Its weird innit, Cos I had em and thought they were sh1t! Tried different pressures and all sorts to no avail. Slipped everywhere, front tyre gave me no confidence what so ever. Felt wooden and dead. Awful in the wet. I got better feel from Racetec in the wet than sportsmarts! I suppose they were ok in the dry, on warm ish days. Changed for a set of 2CT power pures and OMG, I got my bike back. Never ever have I NOT got on with a pair of tyres in 25 yrs of riding bikes.:frown: Guess Im just not a Dunlop man.
Really tempted to get a set, but after a disastrous outing a while ago with a set of Bridgestones that never seemed to grip, i'm a little paranoid about going away from the Supercorsas, as i know they work well. However, i've mullered my front Supercorsa in 1200 miles, so something a little more durable would be nice! What are the Sportsmarts like in terms of feedback on the road?
Diablo Rosso for me. Don't notice any less grip than the supercorsa but get about 3.5k out of the rear before it really squares off badly. My last Supercorsa front went off big time after a tour in France/Spain. It was great for about 1400 miles then it turned rock hard and developed a pee sized blister. From that point on it felt like riding on solid rubber tyres and scared the hell out of me. Have heard good things about the dunlops but i'm comfortable with the Rosso so am reluctant to change without being able to try them first.
Im sure the Sportsmarts are good. Lots of people rave about em, they just didnt work out for me. I have always used Racetecs or Supercorsas on track and fast road riding and get on with them very well. Better on track days as they come into their own then. I had good results with 2ct Mich on the road. When I tried the 2ct power pures I was amazed how light they felt and really get on with them. Will try em on track soon see how they feel.
Really surprised at that DC. I had SportSmarts now on 2 bikes and although I'm not the fastest rider they have given me complete confidence in the dry and wet. 2 track days on them and they were fantastic. If I was a dry only rider I'd go with the Racetec or SuperCorsa but I wouldn't feel comfortable riding on the real wet days. I use my bike to commute so needed tyres that will suit the British weather.
In the DD race championship they use Dunlops for both wet and dry conditions and no tyre warmers allowed. They warm up quickly and stick like ..... to a blanket. and grip very well in the wet. I rate Dunlops 100% :smile:
I've gt sportsmarts on my 848 and do like them. 4500 miles and still looking good on the rear. The front has stepped though. Any idea what could of caused this? Matt
The first question I would ask is what pressures are you running? The next question is what suspension set up you have?
Same here mate. The Sportsmarts were fitted to my Gsxr1000 2010 model. I got em cos I commute and heard they were great. Just didnt get on with em I guess. Like I stated, they were ok in the dry but no better then a Bt016 for feel. Front gave no confidence in damp or wet conditions. The rear would break free/slip in cold conditions. Tried higher and lower pressures. Even started mucking about with my susp settings to try and gel with them. Was glad when the rear was fecked. Gave the front tyre to my mate. ( He gets on with them very well.) Id never had so much of a problem with tyres before. Perhaps they were a duff set? Tried ther 2ct power pures and instantly clicked with em ( Always got on with the 2ct pilot powers as well.) and have happily commuted on slime infested salty roads this winter and was riding like a loon once more. One thing ive noticed though, the Sportsmarts gave much better milage then the power pures.
Interesting comment. As a late returner to biking, I have had a lot to catch up on over the last two years, after a long break. I guess then I haven't pushed 'em as far as you may have. Will see how they go, as I do more. Have had Supercorsas and 2CTs on other machines and no problems, nor would I expect to. Steve
my sportsmart front has stepped too, usually have about 30 psi, and weigh about 13st. i'm thinking diablo rosso corsa's next.
I am thinking of them next too. Not sure why its stepped as from what I've been told the pressures are ok. Rear is fine though,loadsof life still in it after about 4.5K. Matt
I've got Sportsmarts on my Multistrada 1200. I wouldn't have chosen them after a Roadsmart rear only lasted 1800 miles but they were supplied FOC by Dunlop to replace a bad set of Qualifier 2's (see my "Don't trust manufacturer's sizings" thread). They have worked well on the road and very well on cool and sometimes damp track days. The big surprise is that they are lasting very well. I keep very careful records of tyre wear and the front looks good for 6-7000 and the rear, amazingly, for around 4000. I'll probably stick with them. I actually sent back that Roadsmart but Dunlop haughtily replied that there was nothing wrong with it. That's probably why they've now brought out Roadsmart 2s!
I've got Sportsmarts on one bike and Pilot Pures on my Monster. The Sportsmarts are fantastic wet or dry. The Pures less so in the wet. Virtually the first time I used the Dunlops, it rained in Biblical proportions. A car in front hammered on the anchors for some reason and I nearly did a stoppie. Brilliant tyres. Re stepping, I've had that too and would think that low pressures and/or over exuberant use of the front brake would account for that. My only criticism of the tyre. The rear is lasting well tho, so I just replaced the front. I'd normally replace two Pilot Pure rears to one PP front. They seem to wear the rear strangely.
