Yesterday I felt a day over forty. Today, I feel two days over forty. Wonder what I'll feel tomorrow...
Yesterday I felt a day over forty. Today, I feel two days over forty. Wonder what I'll feel tomorrow?
Member since:17.04.2004
Reviews:35
Members who trust:17
I've had D208s on two bikes, a HondaVTR1000F Firestorm and a Triumph T595 Daytona. Both had the standard D208, not the RR or the SP versions of the tyre.
The Honda came with the Dunlop as standard fitment from new in a 180 section, the Triumph had a 190 section put on briefly as an aftermarket supplied item. The Honda got through three and a half pairs, the Triumph just the one. Before anyone asks why I kept the standard ones there were two reasons, firstly the tyre shop recommended them for the VTR, secondly they never wore out as a pair, the front lasting about 1/3 longer than the rear. I only change brand as a pair and the front was always too good to just bin.
For me there are three categories of factors when judging a bike tyre:
------------------------ Cost ------------------------ The Dunlop has a bit of a split personality where cost is concenred. If you are buying one from a franchised dealer as a match for your original equipment tyres then they cost the earth. On the other hand if you buy from a discounter like mandp.com they can often be had for very reasonable prices.
Looking up the current costs on mandp shows... 160/60ZR17 is £85 180/55ZR17 is £88 190/50ZR17 is £92 200/50ZR17 is a whopping £185 !
MandP also do the D208s as pairs, the typical size of 120/60Zr17 front and 180/55ZR17 rear is £129 for the two, or a front icnluded for about £40 or so more than just the rear tyre.
Apart from the 200 tyre size these are middle of the road in costs for ZR rated tyres, the pairs are good value and are cheaper than average.
The softer compound RR version of the tyre is generally slightly more expensive, apart from an anomalous price of £119.99 for the 120/190 pairing.
They don't last well. On my Firestorm the most I managed was around 6000 km, or 3600 miles. That was on mixed riding , but included a lot of longer runs normally gentle on tyres. I even got down to the canvas a couple of times after long rides out... when there was tread on the thing befor leaving! To me this is an amazingly fast wear rate. Unusually the tyres also visibly wore on motorway trips... something most other tyres don't do.
They also wore unevenly on the Firestorm, the centreline wearing REALLY fast, and no - it's not because I ride like a geriatric. I can only conclude that the centreline is the same compound as the shoulders... and is unnecessarily soft!
The Triumph seemed to treat the tyres more gently despite higher weight and more power, however the trial was cut short through a non-repairable puncture after about 2000 miles. I got stung by a franchised dealer on this too... £155 for just the 190/50Zr17 rear!
Both wet and dry grip was very good, but not quite excellent. On the Firestorm the bike had a tendency to push through the front, the steering feeling vague at high speed. The same bike felt much more sure footed on Bridgestones and Michelins in the same sizes. The D208 rear was particularly difficult, perhaps too much so for the Dunlop front. Traction and braking grip were both faultless as far as the Firestorm was concerned.
Wet weather grip was not quite as good on either bike than with other comparable tyres. The tread pattern has large flat areas that just can't be good for water dispersal, and the firestorm aqua planed a couple of times.
Cheap, but not durable and mediocre to poor grip. There are better tyres on the market compared to any of the D208 range. I think they are a poor selection for standard fitment to many bikes, can't recommend them for any reason other than cheapness, and even then there are other choices. Buy a Bridgestone instead for aroud the same price, or pay more and get a Michelin with more grip and better durability. Metzelers and Pirelli also have better offerings.
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