unlop’s Elite Series touring tires are well known to Gold Wing riders. Since way back with the GL1100, and continuing right through to the GL1500s, Dunlop Elites have been the tires of choice. They wear great, ride great and they handle great. And then along comes the new and sportier GL1800, a Gold Wing that carves the corners and does it on radials. All of a sudden the game changed, and radial Gold Wing tires just weren’t getting the mileage Wing riders were used to.
     The brand-new Dunlop Elite 3 Radial, scheduled for a late-November/early-December release, is the superior Dunlop Elite tire Gold Wing riders were waiting for. This tire has been designed, developed and extensively tested with the Gold Wing GL1800 as the target application. First of all, the wear factor is way up. Once again Gold Wing riders can expect great, even-wearing tires for more useful mileage. Besides putting all that back into the picture, the Elite 3 is much better in the wet than other tire choices for the GL1800, and these new Dunlops handle great too.
     The Elite 3 accomplishes this through the way Dunlop has redistributed the grooves in the tire’s tread pattern and re-designed the overall profile. The shape and position of the tread elements allow the tire to effectively channel water, without wearing unevenly. The shape and configuration of the Elite 3’s tread grooves are more in line with current Dunlop sportbike technology, too. They’re curved to follow the driving forces on the tire, both straight-up and leaned over. The profile is more like a modern radial’s, and all of that adds up to improved handling, a steady and confident ride, inspired cornering stability and reduced tread “squirm.”
     Obviously, Dunlop engineers took their time to get this tire right. About 1 1/2 years were spent developing the Elite 3 for the GL1800. Engineers from Dunlop’s Buffalo Technical Center and motorcycle test riders from Dunlop’s Huntsville Proving Grounds logged hundreds of hours on GL1800’s in testing, and even tested the tire using their racing-vehicle technology, with all the equipment and instrumentation that involves. It’s the first time ever this technology has been applied to a touring bike tire, and the Elite 3 proves it was well worth it. This is the tire GL1800 riders have been waiting for, and the wait is over. Check with your Parts Unlimited rep for exact delivery dates.