Menus
- Sport and adventure tire test on and off-road
- The successor tire of the Trailmax TR91
- Sport on the menu
- A virtuoso in the rain
- The TRES Smart Trail
- Track test
- All in roundness
- Stable
- Trailsmart dimension table
- Recommended price table incl.
- Front tire
- Rear tire
Sport and adventure tire test on and off-road
The successor tire of the Trailmax TR91
In a category in constant turmoil, the tires must evolve to get in tune with the new motorcycles. It is with this in mind that Dunlop has completely overhauled its TR 91 to create the Trailsmart.
Almost 40 years separate the frail 500 XT and the KTM 1290 Adventure. Almost 40 years and also 130 horsepower, an increase of 500%! At the same time, the torque has been multiplied by about 3 and the weight by a coefficient of 2 if we refer to the heavyweights of the category. In short, in this context, the trail tire only has to behave well and especially to evolve to last. At 5 years old, the TR 91 did not exist with strong load and speed indices, nor in the latest dimensions developed for the water-powered BMW GS and the KTM Adventure (120/70 X 19 and 170/60 ZR 17 ). Rather than modifying it to adapt it to this new situation, Dunlop has completely renewed his foal, keeping him the same starting spirit.
Comparative performance of TR91 and Trailsmart
Sport on the menu
The TR 91 was not, the most enduring in the category. His thing was more sport, grip, handling, lap times in the rain and a bit of off-road. To each his own. The very wide range of uses, specific to this type of machine, makes it impossible to satisfy all uses perfectly. For very big rollers, 100% bitumen, other products are available in the range, in particular the Roadsmart II which exists today in 19 front and from 150 rear. Like what trail does not necessarily mean trail tire and all the more so when you only go very occasionally in sand and dust.
For Dunlop, the goal of this overhaul was to improve longevity and stability at high speeds, in the face of the potential of these new TGVs (High Speed Trails). To achieve this, the technicians slightly modified the design, reducing the notching rate.
Thus, the pavers are larger and therefore more rigid, with a collateral advantage: the less there are grooves, the more rubber there is and therefore the less it wears out quickly.
Second axis of work, to limit irregular wear, the edge of the pavers has been slightly rounded, which reduces the impact during rotation and limits local pressures synonymous with wear. We can clearly see in the drawing, the reduction of the red and orange zones, strongly constrained, between the TR 91 on the left and the Trailsmart on the right.
A virtuoso in the rain
However, by reducing the hacking rate, we are not playing in favor of water evacuation and behavior on wet roads, domain or remember, the TR 91 was playing very well. It is by changing the shape of the notches that the water drainage has been improved. The creation of a greater draft angle flushes outwards, thus maintaining excellent efficiency in the wet.
Sectional view of the grooves: the TR 91
Sectional view of the grooves: the Trail Smart
The TRES Smart Trail
Finally, despite this drop in the notching rate, the Trailsmart must keep a relative efficiency without bitumen, even if we know that we do not rarely venture into the mud with motorcycles that sometimes exceed 250 kg.
Track test
To validate his point, Dunlop took us on a very varied course, mixing bumpy departmental roads, perfectly paved national roads and stony tracks. Since the manufacturer’s goal was to offer new dimensions, we opted for a BMW 1200 GS Adventure as the test machine. A challenge since with its full load it exceeds 270 kg and I barely touch the ground with my tiptoes. As much to say, on the small narrow paths…. I do not lead off !!!
But quickly the very directive front reassures, even on braking and I have fun accelerating copiously to make the rear skid. The big pachyderm is ultimately more docile than he looks. The BM’s excellent suspensions do filter shocks well, but the tire looks quite comfortable. After this track session, we come back to small roads, where we reactivate the ABS that the "Enduro" mode had deactivated at the rear.
All in roundness
Despite the pounds, the R 1200 GS Adventure is a manoeuvrable motorcycle and with the Trailsmart it stays that way. It swings easily from one curve to the next, without being sluggish and without a discontinuity in the angle grip. The new profile, which gives more surface on the angle, especially at the front, (see graphic) further increases the confidence that the BMW Telelever naturally gives. Besides, you can really feel the front axle, which is not easy with this suspension. This is a sign of good feedback from the tire.
Then the horizon widens and so does the radius of the turns. We take care of the trajectories, we take nice angles thanks to the very generous ground clearance of the GS and the confidence is always there. The bike sits well. Tires inflated to 3 and 3.3 kg, according to the indicator on the instrument panel, do not kneel. They handle bumps well.
To make them drop, you need a dirty bitumen and put big ladles of gas at the exit of the curve. Otherwise, an experienced pilot who seeks efficiency will not experience this type of avatar. There is only at the end of the course, in Estepona, on roundabouts as shiny as a bar of soap that it gently picks up, gradually and always from behind.
Stable
Now available in a homologated version up to 270 km / h, the Trailsmart has been tested "full ball" on the Spanish track of Idiada (the Hispanic UTAC) with a KTM 1290…. We contented ourselves with a peak at 190, to see imperial stability and course holding.
No problem either on very heavy braking, it stays perfectly in line. So without fail? Not far, looking well and doing a few kilometers on a bumpy road with an F 700 GS, much less well suspended, we are more shaken and stalls are more frequent in bumps. But it is difficult to distinguish between what comes down to the tire and the quality of the suspensions. There remains longevity. It was the Achilles heel of the TR 91. Dunlop reports 14% progress under identical conditions. It’s better, but we’re officially in the lower end of the category. So modest is the manufacturer compared to other brands that advertise marketing longevities never achieved in practice? Verdict via the Repaire tire comparison test in the coming months. To go up a notch, it would have been necessary to switch to dual-compound perhaps? It was not on the program. But even in spite of that, the people of Montluçon were very brilliant on this occasion and the Trailsmart marks a successful tire in clear evolution compared to its predecessor. !
Strong points
- Trust
- Roundness
- Stability
- Made in France
Weak points
- Longevity in progress but not yet at the level of the best
- Wet performance not verified.
Trailsmart dimension table
|
Dimension |
Speed |
Charged |
TL / TT |
Availablity |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Before |
19 |
100/90 – 19 |
H |
57H |
TL / TT |
March |
|
|
110/80 R 19 |
V |
59V |
TL / TT |
February |
|||
|
120/70 R 19 |
V |
60V |
TL / TT |
February |
New Sun. |
||
|
120/70 ZR 19 |
W |
60W |
TL / TT |
February |
New Sun |
||
|
21 |
90/90 – 21 |
H |
54H |
TL / TT |
March |
||
|
V |
54V |
TL / TT |
March |
||||
|
Back |
17 |
120/90 – 17 |
S |
64S |
TL / TT |
March |
|
|
130/80 – 17 |
S |
65S |
TL / TT |
May |
|||
|
130/80 R 17 |
H |
65H |
TL / TT |
March |
|||
|
140/80 R 17 |
H |
69H |
TL / TT |
February |
|||
|
150/70 R 17 |
V |
69V |
TL / TT |
February |
|||
|
170/60 R 17 |
V |
72V |
TL / TT |
February |
New Sun |
||
|
170/60 ZR 17 |
W |
72W |
TL / TT |
February |
New Sun |
||
|
18 |
150/70 R 18 |
V |
70V |
TL / TT |
February |
Recommended price table incl.
Note that the same tire is suitable for mounting with or without a tube.
FRONT / REAR RIM DIMENSIONS SPEC IC / IV TT / TL FIRST FIT CODE REMARKS RATE EN
€ H.T. / P. V. C. / € incl.tax **
Front tire
- 19 100/90 – 19 57H: 89 euros
- 110/80 R 19 59V: 108 euros
- 120/70 ZR 19 60W: 129 euros
- 120/70 R 19 60V: 118 euros
- 90/90 – 21 54H: 81 euros
- 90/90 – 21 54V: 88 euros
Rear tire
- 17 120/90 – 17 64S: 100 euros
- 130/80 – 17 65S: 111 euros
- 130/80 R 17 65H: 119 euros
- 140/80 R 17 69H: 124 euros
- 150/70 R 17 69V: 126 euros
- 170/60 R 17 72V: 132 euros
- 170/60 ZR 17 72W: 141euros
- 18 150/70 R 18 69V: 132 euros
Related articles
-
3.5 seconds faster *! * Than the Pilot Power 3 tire according to Michelin There will be a before and an after announces David Jean, the sales manager,…
-
Hypersport radial tire test at the Abu Dhabi F1 circuit Faster and further For the presentation of its new hypersport road tire, Bridgestone had put the…
-
Metzeler Sportec M9 RR tire test
Sporty road tire The top of the pure road range in terms of sales and performance, the M7 RR tire is almost a monument as it is crowned with victories in…
-
Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22 motorcycle tire test
The street racing tire according to Bridgestone The successor of the S21, the new hypersport road tire from Bridgestone is called S22. We discovered him…
-
The fifth element in 3D version A scent of competition for the tire of Clermont, which succeeds the Pilot Road 4 The Road5 is the brand new Michelin tire…
-
Tire test: the Sportsmart2 goes into fourth gear
The spearhead of the Dunlop hypersport range, Sportsmart is handing over to Sportsmart2 after 3 years of a brilliant career. It was at the factory, but…
-
Metzeler Roadtec Z8 M / O tire test
The first Metzeler bigomme Born 2 years ago, the Roadtec Z8 is being upgraded under the impetus…. competition ! To explain the details to us and make us…
-
The sport / hypersport tire that wants to reconcile road, track and longevity Dunlop made a strong comeback to the top of the road market in 2007 with…
-
Bridgestone S20 hypersport tire test
Sport according to Bridgestone. Just a year after the arrival of a BT 16 Pro which performs particularly well on wet roads, Bridgestone is driving the…
-
A test on the road, in the paths and especially in the mud of the Conti off / road enduro tire Original equipment from the BMW R1200 GS Adventure, the F…