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editors from Sport Rider Magazine got an early taste of the newest Dunlop
street-performance tires for their street/sport comparison test and they
were pretty enthusiastic in their response. "The Qualifiers scored
the highest average marks in all categories, and the highest SR Rating
in the test. Both riders appreciated the steering qualities offered by
the Dunlops...and overall traction was excellent at all lean angles.
This tire felt like it was putting down a big footprint, and feedback
was superb."-Sport Rider, Dec. 2005. High praise, especially
in a field filled with some pretty impressive rubber.But the fact that the Qualifier, Dunlop's newest sportbike tire, rose to the top shouldn't come as a surprise. Dunlop is a company long known for bringing its race-tire technology to the street and with the Qualifier that's exactly what they've done. The just-released Qualifier (or "Q") is a DOT-spec sportbike tire offering racetrack-level performance for the street. The Qualifier just might set the standard for a whole new era of ultra-high performance radial tires. There's plenty here to warrant that kind of talk. The Qualifier is a worthy successor to the Dunlop D208ZR. It elevates all aspects of hyper-performance while still maintaining the consistent, predictable all-weather handling of the D208ZR, one of the most popular sportbike tires sold in the U.S. The design goal for this new tire was to preserve as much race tire performance as possible in an all-weather street tire, to marry racetrack manners with on-road durability. Dunlop's Mick Jackson, Motorcycle Product Development Manager, summed it up saying "We set out to build a street tire out of a race tire." In every area that matters that's exactly what they've done. The Dunlop Qualifier has the optimum profiles and compounds for the job, profiles closely following those of the Sportmax GP and a compound that's a blend of three polymers reinforced with a high-surface-area carbon black. There's a proprietary resin in that compound mix, too, maximizing wet and dry grip and durability. The Qualifier's all-new tread pattern significantly increases the amount of land area for an appreciably bigger footprint both front and rear, and Dunlop's already proven Jointless Band (JLB) rear tire construction is here, as well. JLB features a continuously wound Aramid tread belt to assure consistent tire diameter and cooler tire temperatures in all operating conditions. What does all this mean? Dunlop's testing has shown that the Qualifier, when compared head-to-head with the D208ZR sportbike tire, delivers a marked improvement in side grip and lots more drive out of the corners. The Qualifier fronts require less steering effort, too, which means directional changes - turn-ins and transitions - can happen more quickly and more smoothly. And while the demonstrably stickier Qualifier heats up faster than the D208ZR, a good thing for street riding, this new tire carries no more carcass heat than the D208ZR. That means that with all it has going for it, and we're talking about a virtual race tire for the street, the Dunlop Qualifier should have a reasonable tread life, the equal to the D208ZR despite the Q's higher level of grip, traction and performance. Interesting, isn't it? Think some of your hyper-performance sportbike customers might want to take a try at this? The new Dunlop Qualifier will be available in January 2006 and the tires will be offered in front sizes 120/60ZR17, 120/70ZR17, 130/70R16 and rear sizes 160/60R17, 170/60R17, 180/55ZR17, 190/50ZR17 and 200/50ZR17. Parts Unlimited will have them all so call your rep today!  |
For more information see:
www.dunlopmotorcycle.com
