My Ride with the Dunlop Q3S Tires
Alright, so let’s talk about tires. My old ones were pretty much shot, like, really squared off from all the straight-line riding I mostly do around town. I needed something new, and I kept hearing folks talk about the Dunlop Q3S. Sounded like a good mix, maybe a bit sporty, but still okay for the street. So, I decided to give ’em a shot.
Getting Them On
Ordering them was easy enough, just found them online. The real fun started when I took my wheels off the bike myself – always a bit of a job, wrestling with the axle nuts and lining everything up again. I hauled the wheels down to a local shop I trust. They know their stuff, didn’t scratch my rims, which is always a plus. Got the Q3S mounted and balanced. Seeing that fresh, deep tread pattern looked pretty cool, not gonna lie.
First Feel
Putting the wheels back on the bike, everything torqued up, I was eager to feel the difference. The first ride, just rolling out of the driveway, felt… different. Maybe a bit stiffer? Hard to say immediately. They definitely needed scrubbing in, felt a little slick like any new tire does. I took it super easy for the first 50 miles or so, gentle corners, no hard braking.
Breaking In and Street Riding
After about 100 miles, they started to feel much better. The slickness was gone, and I could feel the grip starting to come alive. Taking corners felt way more confident than my old worn-out tires. The bike just seemed to tip in easier, felt more planted once leaned over. Even just riding around town, the bike felt more responsive.
- Turn-in felt quicker.
- Mid-corner stability seemed really good.
- Just felt stickier, especially once they warmed up a bit.
Now, I don’t ride in the rain much if I can help it, so I can’t really say much about wet grip. These feel like dry weather tires mostly. On warm, dry pavement though, they felt great. Made my usual commute and weekend blasts a bit more fun.
How They’re Holding Up
So, the trade-off for all that grip? They don’t last forever. I’ve put maybe 2,500 miles on them now? The rear is definitely showing wear, starting to flatten out a bit in the center again because, well, most of my riding is upright commuting. The front looks better. I knew going in they wouldn’t be high-mileage tires, that’s just the nature of sportier rubber. If you want something that lasts 10,000 miles, this probably ain’t it. But for the grip you get, the wear seems kinda expected.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m pretty happy with the Dunlop Q3S experience. They definitely woke the bike up in the handling department. Made riding the twisty back roads much more enjoyable and gave me a lot more confidence leaning the bike over. Yeah, they wear kinda fast, especially the rear if you do a lot of highway or city miles. But the grip and feel were worth it for me this time around. Would I get them again? Maybe. Depends if I want more grip or more miles next time. But for what they are – a sporty street tire – they did the job well.
