dunlop d606, suvs

[Chris Krok]

If you want a good laugh about "poseur" SUVs, check out http://poseur.4x4.org/index.html They even have a rendering of the "prototype" Kenworth Pilgrimage. As for the D606 tire, I haven't tried them myself, but they were recently reviewed in Dirt Rider magazine. One reviewer was Damon Powell, in charge of Team Dual Dogs, a SoCal dual-sport organization. No comments on on-road traction/noise, but he found that the "offroad traction was much better than any other high-life DOT tire" he had tested. He felt that they were equals in the dirt to non-DOT knobbies. His lasted for about 1600 offroad miles, and it sounds like he rides hard (KTM 620 R/XC). The magazine team also decided to use it on their test Husaberg 501 in the Vegas-Reno race. With a heavy-duty tube they suffered no flats, and in 530 race miles, never considered replacing the tire. (They were expecting a tire change with the stock Michelins.) They also tried it on a Pennsylvania dual sport ride (DR435S), and said they were only aware they were running a DOT tire when the terrain was damp clay with rocks or roots underneath. They DID test it on pavement as well, and said that "traction was all you could expect from a tire with radically blocky knobs." Of course, since our listers run the tire on our bike, I'm happier listening to their opinions. Which sound good! I'll have to try one of these next. Chris -- Dr. J. Christopher Krok Project Engineer, Adaptive Wall Wind Tunnel Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories, California Institute of Technology MS 205-45 Phone: 626.395.4794 Pasadena, CA 91125 Fax: 626.449.2677