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Being that I’m the resident off-road “soul rider” at Keefer inc. whenever something new for the off-road community comes to market I’m lucky enough to get the call and be able to put whatever it is to the test. I got an email early this year asking if I’d be willing to test Dunlop’s new AT 82 off-road tire at a Glen Helen SRA grand prix and I couldn’t reply fast enough. The plan was to have Dunlop mount the tires on the off-road bike of our choice and race the 45 minute GP to evaluate the performance of the new AT 82. The reason they opted to do the intro at an off-road race is that the SRA series at Glen Helen offers a variety of terrain in a somewhat controlled environment. I have been riding and racing the KX 450X a lot as of late so that’s what I chose to test the tires on, on top of being familiar with the bike, I had just raced it on Dunlop’s AT81 so what better way to see the changes back to back?
One of the things I love about testing for Kris is that unlike other publications I have been with in the past, Kris gives me free reign to speak my mind and be honest about how I really feel about the things I test. Sugar coating is not allowed at Keefer Inc., we are blue collar enthusiasts who know how expensive this sport is and will never tell our readers to buy something if we don’t believe in it ourselves. With that in mind I have to start this test off by saying that in my opinion Dunlop’s previous off-road tire offering of the AT81 wasn’t great in my opinion. I was racing off-road a lot when it was released and I never really cared for the traction (or lack thereof). The front tire had very little lean angle grip when it came to cornering, and the rear was not great for me when it came to lateral traction under braking or acceleration when turning, especially in flat corners. In addition to that the carcass seemed too stiff and it deflected when it impacted anything sharper than a rolling bump. Needless to say that when I got the email about the new AT 82 I was both excited and skeptical at the same time. I was excited because Dunlop was finally addressing the off-road market with a new offering, but skeptical because last time they released a new off-road tire it wasn’t very good and we were stuck with it for quite some time.
When I received the images of the AT 82 (I ran a 80/100-21 and a 120/90-18) I started feeling optimistic about the test and really looking forward to getting some time of the new rubber. The Bi-directional rear tire has a much more aggressive look and the knobs are slightly taller than the AT81. In the “soft” direction the AT82 has a scoop like shape on the acceleration side of the center lugs which obviously helps with acceleration traction. When mounted in the “hard” direction the center lugs are square shaped to allow for more surface area to bite the terrain. The rear tire also has Dunlop’s (PCBT) Progressive Cornering Block Technology which was designed to improve slide consistency. Also new with the new rear tire the construction was designed to better absorb bumps give the rider more comfort and increase rear end stability. The front tire was also an all new construction which was meant to lessen feedback in the handlebars while giving the rider more comfort and stability. The new pattern also includes (PCBT) which helps with traction while also contributing to the tires improved durability.
Before the race I went out for the site lap which gave me the chance to get an initial feel for the new tires before riding at a “race pace”. While accelerating up the infamous Glen Helen hills is when I first noticed the improved rear acceleration traction. I rode the rest of the site lap, went back to the truck, topped off my fuel and headed to the start line. As the green flag dropped I dumped the clutch and sped to the first turn right there with the back of the Vet Expert class. Into the second turn everyone pushed to the outside so I opted to take the only inside rut and was pleasantly surprised at how well the front and rear tire stuck without wanting to climb out of the rut. When we got onto the Glen Helen ridges everyone started to spread out slightly and we ended up in a single file line before heading down a steep hill back down onto the moto track. Going down that soft hill I felt that the rear tire was slightly lacking when it came to braking as it slid more than I expected. The sensation I had was that the rear tire no matter how I applied the brake didn’t slow down the bike as much as I thought it should. I’m not saying that it’s bad, just that I thought the braking traction could be slightly better. Throughout the first lap of the race I found myself trusting the front and rear tire more and more when it came to lean angle and throttle application. With the AT81 I didn’t even think about leaning the bike under acceleration unless there was something to bank off of which meant I was usually taking outsides. With the AT82 I now had the ability to take the inside line and fade out, or even start outside and cut down early. Some of the washes as well as the ridges during the race had large square edges form, which is one place I felt the AT82 fell slightly short. Again, this is not something that is tremendously bad but when hitting square edges at speed under acceleration, I felt that the carcass of the AT82 was slightly too soft (we ran both front/rear at 14PSI) which gave a sharp sensation almost like I blew through the tire and dinged the rim. I’m sure this can be slightly mitigated by adding a little more tire pressure but I didn’t try that as of yet to know how it would affect the tires performance in other areas. The softer carcass however made smaller slower rock gardens and acceleration bumps out of corners feel much better and had more comfort than the AT81.
I ended up finishing 20th overall and 11th in class which is about where I felt I should have been, but as my mom always says, If I had fun that’s all that matters. As I get older I have come to the realization that if I have fun and don’t crash, then it’s a great day and if I finish well that’s just a bonus. Something I have learned in life is that there is no such thing as a perfect product. There is no way that the tire can perform great, have amazing comfort and last forever. I feel like the AT82 does two of those things pretty well but one of them will have to be slightly sacrificed. The performance far exceeded my expectations when it came to grip (especially when compared to the AT81). It had really good comfort but longevity is where I will have to put it to the test. After racing on it for 45 minutes it was slightly more worn than I thought it would be, but to me that’s ok because I’d rather have a tire that worked really well but didn’t last quite as long as a tire that lasted forever. If you are like some people I know and have shied away from the Dunlop since the AT 81 was released, I definitely recommend you give the AT 82 a try because I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much better Dunlop’s off-road offering has improved. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me at @michael@keeferinctesting.com
Kris Keefer: I have also tried Dunlop’s new off-road offering (in a 120/90-19 and 80/100-21) and I am here to say, don’t just think because it’s labeled for off-road guys, it’s for them only. The front tire pattern is very similar to the MX3S and it feels close to the same minus the carcass feel. I do feel like the carcass is a little softer so I ran 14PSI with good results. I do think Dunlop did a much better job with their MX34 front tire but if you can’t find any MX3S tires then an 80/100-21 AT82 front would be very close. The bi-directional AT82 rear is also a nice hybrid for me as my favorite rear tire is a MX14. I love the MX14 in almost ALL areas except for hard packed conditions. However, with this bi-directional AT82 rear tire I can use a little bit of the scoop feature on acceleration without the lack of braking traction the MX14 can give me. The AT82 rear brakes much better than the MX14 but doesn’t quite grab like an MX14 in soft conditions. I know Michael said he didn’t like the braking as much, but I think this comes from him not ever trying a scoop tire. Coming from a scoop, the AT82 in the soft direction has more braking control than the MX14. I find that the AT82 in the “scoop” direction hates hard pack so if you are riding an intermediate track or trails with roots or snotty conditions, I preferred the rear AT82 tire in the other “non scooped” direction. I got more consistent forward acceleration traction and less side to side slip with it in the hard pack direction. I echo most of what Michael has said here in that these AT82s are much better than the AT81 offering. Better carcass feel, increased lean angle front grip and more forward bite from the rear tire as well. I don’t know how long they will last, stay tuned for that as we will have a podcast or an update here about longevity/durability in off-road conditions as well as moto -KK
Tire Weights:
80/100-21 8.3 pounds
120/90-18 11.35 pounds
120/90-19 12.35 pounds
