unlop has just released a new one and it's definitely looking good. The D616 is an ultra-aggressive sportbike tire with a solid mission: This hybrid brings together three of Dunlop's already proven designs and technologies into a set of tires aimed straight at the sportbike riders who do it on the street. Exclusively. The D616 isn't some soft-compound track-day tire suitable only for the manicured surface of a racetrack. Uh uh, this one is built for the mean streets. It puts a premium on nimble handling; great steering response, all-over stability, a tenacious gripÐand fantastic wear characteristics on the kinds of surfaces normally encountered on public roads. The D616 is a high-performance tire with a compound that won't get chewed up and spit out on the highway. Underscoring all of that it comes with a no fooling, tough-guy look.
     The D616s are a serious set of street tires for some serious street riding. It's a lightweight set of tires, too. Dunlop targeted tire weight as a primary design goal, minimizing unsprung weight and maximizing handling. The D616 front's a low-profile, 70-Series tire incorporating Dunlop's Aramid Breaker Tread Reinforcement and radial casing, and the 55-Series rear features Dunlop's Jointless Band (JLB) construction and Carcass Tension Control System (CTCS). A lot of acronyms and technical terms there, but the result is enhanced steering response, enhanced cornering stability, greatly increased wear characteristics and excellent tire compliance in all situationsÐwheelies, stoppies, hard cornering, you name it.
     The D616's tread compound adds to all that, and it's a compound meant to stay around for a while. Realizing that existing sportbike tires with track pretensions generally use softer compounds not exactly in tune with everyday street riding (read: they wear out way too quickly), Dunlop addressed the situation straight on with a new compound specially formulated to deal with the high-abrasion use these tires will see on the street. The D616's compound retains the kind of superior grip you'd expect in a sport tire, and it's a cool running tire to boot, further increasing the wear resistance. This street-savvy compound provides a nice level of protection against cuts and abrasions, too, a welcome addition to any street tire.
     And the D616's tread pattern and overall look puts a big exclamation point on all of that. This is one tough-looking set of tires, definitely at home on a street-borne sportbike. Patterned after the highly successful Dunlop KR188/KR288 wet roadracing design, the D616's tread uses lots of prominent grooves to really clear away any water. The tread pattern is almost a direct adaptation of those racing patterns, suitably tweaked by Dunlop to excel on the street over a wide variety of surfaces and conditions, wet or dry. Dunlop spent plenty of time testing and refining the D616s at both its own Huntsville, Alabama, development center and then under the harshest, high-temperature conditions at the GM Proving Grounds in sun-scorched Arizona. Wet or dry, hot or cool, the D616s came through. Came through looking good, too. The appearance of these tires makes a big statement; their performance backs it up.
     The Dunlop D616, already OE on the new Buell Ulysses model, is currently offered in two sizes. There's a 120/70ZR17 front and a 180/55ZR17 rear. You know the riders looking for tires like this. So does Dunlop. The high-performance super-street D616s are available now and Parts Unlimited has them. Call your rep today.

Dunlop's new D616s are aggressive sportbike tires built for serious street performance and durability. These lightweight tires are made to withstand high-abrasion and excel in both wet and dry and hot and cool conditions. The D616s look great and perform even better!