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As with most T riders that I have learned from, the OEM Dunlop D206 rear tire wore out long before the front tire. When mine did, I not only talked to a lot of the T riders on this forum, I also talked to Valk owners and Goldwing owners to see which tires they liked. At that time, the most popular were the Metzlers and the Avons. I decided to go with the valk sized Avon Venom R. When it came time to replace the front tire, Dunlop had come out with the Elite 3. They were being raved about, so I decided to give them a try. Now that I have some miles racked up on them I thought that I should report on them.

The Avon has 13,000 miles on it and the Dunlop about 8,000. The both tires have performed flawlessly as far as comfort and control. Due to their tread patterns, both tires have a bit of noise concern; not loud, but definately audible. You don't here anything while riding in a stright line; however, when you are turning or changing lanes, they let you know that they are there. I have two things that concern me about the Dunlop Elite 3: 1) It appears to be wearing faster than the original Dunlop. I find that very disappointing. 2) The Dunlop has had a leakage problem that I noticed within two weeks of purchase. Not a serious leak, more of an air loss, but consistant. I am very good about checking air pressure. I'm willing to bet you that my T has never gone two weeks during riding season without the tire pressure being checked. Every time I checked the Dunlop, it had lost at least 5-6 lbs. After a month of having to air up the front tire before rides, I took it back to the dealer and had him submerge it in water. I had him remove the tire and check to make sure the wheel was clean. We found no obvious problem with the wheel or tire. (He wanted me to put a sealant inside the tire, but I never have or ever will do that.) I have simply tollerated the slow leak and checked the pressure at least twice a month. (Conversely, the Avon holds pressure as well as any tire I have ever had.)

Bottom line for my report......Come time to replace the Dunlop Elite 3, I'm doing so with an Avon Venom R.