Dunlop Sportmax Q2

Dunlop Sportmax Q2

CW EVALUATION

Qualifier updated and improved

IS IT TIME TO UPGRADE THE RUBBER on your late-model sportbike? Dunlop, the spec-tire supplier for AMA Pro roadracing, has replaced its best-selling DOT-approved radial, the Sportmax Qualifier, with a new, more aggressive design called the Sportmax Q2. We were invited to Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Pahrump, Nevada, to sample the Q2.

Before the Q2’s ontrack trial by fire, Dunlop schooled us on the MultiTread technology now used throughout its streettire line. This dual compounding speeds warmup, enhances lateral grip and improves tread life.

Engineers also covered Intuitive Response Profile. Currently only used in the Q2 rear, IRP is said to deliver linear steering response regardless of the camber or shape of the corner, or the speed at which the rider negotiates the turn. A larger contact patch and better pressure distribution at deep lean angles is also claimed. The rear tire further features a stiffer version of Dunlop’s continuously wound, jointlessband, aramid-belt construction.

For the launch, Dunlop provided Honda CBRIOOORRs and Suzuki GSXR 1000s fitted with Q2s. Most trackday sessions are usually 20 minutes in length, so we rode hard for a bit longer-25 minutes at a stretch. Associate Editor Mark Cernicky praised the Q2’s braking and cornering stability, particularly when tempting the limits of traction entering the right-hand Turn 3 hairpin.

By mid-afternoon, ambient temperatures had exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Running recommended cold street pressures of 34 psi front and 36 psi rear, the tires, the rear in particular, were beginning to overheat, resulting in a “greasy” feeling toward the end of the sessions. Dunlop lowered the hot pressures to 36 psi front and rear, and rear traction and corner-exit speeds improved noticeably. Even so, given the Openclass power on tap, solid drives out of corners still required smooth application of the throttle.

Compared to the original Qualifier, the Q2 is said to offer a 15-percent improvement in drive grip and traction, a 5-percent bump in steering response and a 25-percent leap in cornering stability. Based on our one-day experience at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, we have no reason to doubt those claims.

DETAILS

Dunlop Tires

P.O. Box 1109

Buffalo, NY 14240

800/845-8378

www.dunlopmotorcycle.com

Price.. .$490

Ups

Excellent braking and cornering

stability

Predictable on-the-limit traction

Two front and six rear sizes to fit

most late-model sportbikes with

17-inch wheels

Downs

Must learn to love your air-pressure

gauge

Retail prices for rear tires vary by

nearly $100

Need to order more knee sliders