Dunlop Tire Checks Serve Touring Riders







One of the folks your Wing World editors like to run into on the show floor at the annual Dealer Expo trade show in Indianapolis each February is Mike Manning, product manager for motorcycle tires from Dunlop Tire Corporation. When we met Mike at the Dunlop display, we chatted about how Dunlop’s D250 radial tires for the GL1800 have been received by Gold Wing owners, especially since they are now original equipment fitment on new GL1800s. “Overall,” Mike said, “we’re hearing from customers and dealers that the D250s are delivering the dependable handling, comfort and long mileage they’ve been seeking for their GL1800s’ tires. The D250 radial’s rubber compound technology is giving somewhere between 12,000 to 15,000 miles for most owners, of course depending on owner care, inflation and driving style.” Mike reaffirmed Dunlop’s concern that Wing World continue to preach the gospel regarding proper tire care and inflation, especially for the GL1800’s tires. “We can’t stress enough the importance of reminding people that with the riding season coming on, they themselves really need to look after their tires. By regularly checking your tires for visual clues of problems, and by methodically checking your tires’ air pressure to be sure they’re properly inflated, you can be sure you’ll get the most mileage, performance and comfort from your tires.” Manning continued, “For the GL1800 equipped with D250s, Dunlop recommends 38 pounds per square inch (psi) inflation pressure front and 41 psi for the rear for either solo or two-up touring.” (Recommended inflation pressures for other Gold Wing models and other tires are listed in the 2003 Gold Book on pages II-6 and II-7.) Dunlop has attended major rallies like Americade and Wing Ding for 20 years. They perform rally tire checks both as an educational service to the customer and to gather real-world information about tread wear, rain performance, and the percentages of bikes that are overloaded or operating with under-inflated tires. The combination of overloading and underinflation is a hazardous one. Despite constant efforts to educate riders, Dunlop’s tire checks continue to show many riders are oblivious to the hazards. “As a group, touring motorcyclists are more inclined to overload their motorcycles and ride with under-inflated tires than riders of sport bikes or cruisers.” For example, at a recent touring rally, Dunlop checked over 300 bikes. Based on visual inspection and tread depth measurements, some of the bikes checked should have had new tires before they got to the rally. Some riders were amazed to learn they had nails or cuts in their tires, or that their tires were badly cupped or were worn thin. The Dunlop examiners revealed that more than 10 percent of the bikes they weighed were overloaded and nearly 60 percent were under-inflated including 77 out of 129 GL1500s and 13 out of 22 GL1800s. As we talked, Mike shared another bit of maintenance that is little understood. Owners should also check the condition of their tires’ valve stems and be sure the original Gold Wing GL1500 and GL1800 valve stem clips are properly installed. “Whenever tires are replaced, the installer should replace the valve stems with the proper 90-degree bent valve stems and he should restore Honda’s valve stem clips securely to their place. These clips are there for a good reason—they prevent the valve stems from being overflexed when using an air hose. Maybe these clips seem like a small detail, but they’re there for your protection. They shouldn’t be discarded or improperly installed.” Manning says the first line of defense against poor tire performance is the owner. “In my view,” he says, “the owner has a responsibility to him or herself, to the bike’s passenger and everyone else on the road to be sure the bike’s tires are ready for each day’s ride.” The Dunlop tire check and bike weighing crew will be at Americade, Honda Hoot and Wing Ding again this year. Don’t miss the free opportunity to have the experts from Dunlop check your tires.