PAGE 119
FALL 2018 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 03
graded on a curve
PRODUCT REVIEWS
PHOTO BY KEVIN WING
Dunlop Elite 4 Tires
ACCORDING TO DUNLOP , the Elite 4 is for riders who like to cover miles . It ’ s designed to cover as much as 15,000-18,000 miles on everything from open highway to twisting back roads , in fair weather or foul . And , with sizes ranging from 15- to 21-inch diameters and a mix of radial and bias-ply designs , they ’ re made to fit just about any tourer , cruiser or standard out there .
Dunlop claims this latest iteration of the Elite series provides longer wear , excellent cornering stability and outstanding wet weather grip — the kind of overall performance the traveling rider is looking for . I set out to challenge those claims by fitting a fresh set of E4s to my Indian Chieftain ( previously fitted with Elite 3s ), and giving them a workout on a mix of high-speed interstates , stop-and-go traffic , sweeping back roads and patchedpavement farm roads , in temperatures from freezing to 80 degrees .
The 850-pound , high-torque Indian really puts a set of tires to the test when pushed through corners . Tires designed for high mileage often disappoint in the twisties , but the E4s were tremendously stable and provided excellent grip , even when powering hard out of corners . Dunlop ’ s Multi-Tread ( MT ) rear tire surely contributes to that performance , thanks to a special lateral-grip compound on the shoulders of the tire and a longwearing compound in the middle . The transition across compounds is seamless and wear thus far is even across the tread . The tires tracked surprisingly well on rough and patched pavement as well , handling imperfections , longitudinal ridges and pavement cracks without drama .