We’ve compiled a list of each major tire manufacturer’s dirt bike offerings to provide a comprehensive guide to dirt bike tires. This week, we’re looking at Dunlop’s off-road motorcycle tire selection.
Dunlop was founded in 1889 by John Boyd Dunlop in Birmingham England. In 1997, Dunlop was jointly owned by Sumitomo and Goodyear. The partnership began to fray and in 2014, the joint venture was dissolved, with the two parent companies agreed to share the Dunlop brand, with each company claiming a different market. For North America, Goodyear controls Dunlop tires for non-Japanese cars while Sumitomo controls Dunlop tires for Japanese cars and motorcycles.
In the U.S., Dunlop tires are a popular choice for off-road and motocross racers. Several Dunlop tires offer the company’s unique block-in-a-block design, which adds a second, smaller block inside a larger one for more progressive cornering action.
Dunlop Geomax MX12
The MX12 replaces the Geomax MX11 as Dunlop’s soft-terrain motocross tire. Developed from AMA pro racing and Dunlop’s European MXGP programs, the MX12 is designed to provide optimum traction in a broad range of sandy or muddy conditions.
The rear tire has a wide V-shaped center block that acts like a smaller version of the paddles on more dedicated sand tires. The block angle offers a balance of traction on straights and and acceleration out of corners. Dunlop’s patented Progressive Cornering Block Design on the shoulder knobs provides progressive cornering action and helps with controlling slides.
Narrow tire profiles result in longer contact patches to better absorb bumps and improve steering in rutted conditions.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| MX12 Front | 80/100-21 |
| MX12 Rear | 100/90-19 |
| MX12 Rear | 110/90-19 |
Dunlop Geomax MX33
Dunlop’s Geomax MX3S has long been one of the most popular soft-to-intermediate tire options for both amateur and pro riders since 2014. According to Dunlop, more than 90% of riders that qualified in Supercross main events and 80% of the riders competing at the 2017 Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals ran on the MX3S. It’s a big deal, then, that Dunlop decided to replace the 3S with the new MX33 tire.
Described as Dunlop’s most technologically-advanced off-road tire, the MX33 has an aggressive look with more knobs on the shoulders and center of the tires, with varying heights and angles. For the first time, Dunlop introduced its block-in-a-block design on a front tire, with large diamond-shaped blocks that offer more surface area and different angles than rectangular-shaped blocks.
Both the front and rear MX33 tires have a taller, thinner apex to improve shock absorption and rigidity without adding more weight. The tire carcass is optimized to better distribute tension to absorb more shock while still offering enough flex when needed to smooth out ride characteristics and maintain a straighter line.
The MX33 uses a new rubber compound and adds a tie-bar design between knobs to improve overall durability without sacrificing grip.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| MX33 Front | 60/100-10 |
| MX33 Front | 60/100-12 |
| MX33 Front | 60/100-14 |
| MX33 Front | 70/100-17 |
| MX33 Front | 70/100-19 |
| MX33 Front | 80/100-21 |
| MX33 Rear | 70/100-10 |
| MX33 Rear | 80/100-12 |
| MX33 Rear | 90/100-14 |
| MX33 Rear | 90/100-16 |
| MX33 Rear | 100/100-18 |
| MX33 Rear | 110/100-18 |
| MX33 Rear | 120/90-18 |
| MX33 Rear | 100/90-19 |
| MX33 Rear | 110/90-19 |
| MX33 Rear | 120/80-19 |
| MX33 Rear | 120/90-19 |
Dunlop Geomax MX52
For intermediate-to-hard terrain, Dunlop offers the Geomax MX52. Derived from top-level AMA racing, the MX52 offers a block-in-a-block knob design for the rear tire, promising progressive cornering action and better slide control.
The MX52 offers a staggered pattern for the center blocks, spreading the tire load and helping impact damping and stability, especially on whoops and hard surface conditions.
A recessed carcass design improves knob durability while offering more flex.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| MX52 Front | 60/100-10 |
| MX52 Front | 60/100-12 |
| MX52 Front | 60/100-14 |
| MX52 Front | 70/100-17 |
| MX52 Front | 70/100-19 |
| MX52 Front | 80/100-21 |
| MX52 Front | 90/90-21 |
| MX52 Rear | 70/100-10 |
| MX52 Rear | 80/100-12 |
| MX52 Rear | 90/100-14 |
| MX52 Rear | 90/100-16 |
| MX52 Rear | 110/100-18 |
| MX52 Rear | 100/90-19 |
| MX52 Rear | 110/90-19 |
| MX52 Rear | 120/80-19 |
Dunlop D606
The Dunlop D606 is a street legal dual sport tire with bias towards off-road riding, making them a good choice for adventure bikes. A full-depth tread pattern offers traction for varying terrain from hard fire roads to soft trails. At the same time, the tread compound is engineered to offer good grip and wear for highway riding.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| D606 Front | 90/90-21 |
| D606 Rear | 130/90-17 |
| D606 Rear | 120/90-18 |
| D606 Rear | 130/90-18 |
Dunlop D908RR
The Dunlop D908RR is a DOT-approved street-legal enduro tire that can handle the needs of large-displacement adventure bikes but as well as rally raids and cross country races. Large, reinforced tread blocks provide traction and stability in various terrain while the open space around the shoulder area help with traction in sand and mud.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| D908 RR Front | 90/90-21 |
| D908 RR Rear | 140/80-18 |
Dunlop Geomax AT81/RC/EX Off-road
The Dunlop Geomax AT81 is designed for all-around off-road performance. The shoulder knobs have small grooves, making them more flexible, improving impact absorption without impacting strength. The large center knobs provide a bigger contact patch for increasing traction. Between the tread blocks, Dunlop’s “plush pad” recess design promises improved ride comfort and bump absorption.
The rear AT81 is also available in a reinforced construction (AT81 RC) version and the AT81 EX version for EnduroCross racing. The RC version uses four nylon plies instead of the regular two plies for a stiffer, tougher carcass. The AT81 EX rear tire uses a different, grippier compound to handle more extreme terrain conditions.
| Sizes | |
|---|---|
| AT81 Front | 80/100-21 |
| AT81 Front | 90/90-21 |
| AT81 Rear | 110/90-18 |
| AT81 Rear | 110/100-18 |
| AT81 Rear | 120/90-18 |
| AT81 RC Rear | 110/90-18 |
| AT81 RC Rear | 110/100-18 |
| AT81 RC Rear | 120/90-18 |
| AT81 RC Rear | 110/90-19 |
| AT81 EX Rear | 110/100-18 |
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