MAY 2016

coNteNts4 DUNlop INtroDUcEs thE All-NEw ElItE 4

16 MotoAMErIcA UpDAtE: thE rEstArt

38 lAst to fIrst

40 DUNGEY GEts It DoNE

56 hoolIGANs

66 thE orIGINAl toN-Up tIrE

68 strANG, rUssEll lEAD GNcc sErIEs

72 sIDEwAYs

80 DUNlop ExtENDs thE lEGENDArY sportMAx fAMIlY wIth thE Gpr-300

86 stEEl  BENt cUstoMs

94 UpcoMING  EVENts

Dunlop Download magazine is published for Dunlop Motorcycle Tires by Vreeke & Associates. www.vreeke.com @RideDunlop

2 3

ON THE COVER: Dunlop’s all-new Elite 4 can getyou across the country six timesbefore it needs replacement. And itprovides great handling and fitsmore than 200 different bikes.Photo: Matty Fran

RYANDUNGEY

DuNlop INtRoDucesthe All-New elIte 4

4 5

There are only three things you really need to know about the all-new Dunlop Elite 4: mileage mileage, and

more mileage.

Featuring Dunlop’s MT Multi-Tread™ rear tire technology, the Elite® 4 (E4) is offered in a broad size range that

fits a huge variety of new and existing motorcycle models. In many cases, riders will be able to fit E4s to their

machines and double the mileage compared to the single-compound tires they previously had to choose from.

theRe ARe oNlY thRee thINgs You ReAllY

NeeD to kNow About the All-New DuNlop

elIte 4: mIleAge, mIleAge AND moRe mIleAge.

6 7

wIth the All-New elIte 4, You coulD

cRoss the couNtRY sIx tImes befoRe

NeeDINg to ReplAce YouR tIRes.*

*Test performed in March 2016 with 130/70R18 and 180/60R16 Dunlop Elite 4 tires on a 2007 modelHonda® Gold Wing® GL1800. Mileage results may vary depending on riding style and road conditions.

8 9

THE TREAD IS DESIGNED FOREVEN WEAR ACROSS THE SURFACE

SPECIALLY ENGINEERED TO LIMIT ROADNOISE FOR A QUIETER RIDE

BRAND NEW TREAD PATTERN PROVIDESOUTSTANDING GRIP IN WET AND DRY CONDITIONS

INNOVATIVE TREAD DEPTH INDICATORSIN THE CENTER OF THE TREAD

bRAND New tReAD DesIgN

1110

multI-tReAD techNologY

mIleAge AND hANDlINg

A LONGER-WEARING COMPOUND INTHE CENTER OF THE TREAD FOR

LONGER TREAD LIFE.

SPECIAL LATERAL COMPOUNDSALONG THE OUTSIDE EDGES OF

THE TREAD FOR ENHANCEDCORNERING GRIP.

MULTI-TREAD GIVES RIDERS OUTSTANDINGMILEAGE WITHOUT SACRIFICING HANDLING.

A COMPLETELY NEW TREAD PATTERN INCORPORATES MULTI-TREADTECHNOLOGY INTO ALL REAR TIRES IN THE LINE.

1312

DuNlop eNgINeeReD A tIRe thAt woRks AcRoss A

veRY bRoAD cRoss-sectIoN of motoRcYcles.

14

ELITE 4 BIAS FRONT

Size Speed Index

130/90B16 73H

130/70-18 63H

100/90-19 57H

110/90-19 62H

80/90-21 48H

ELITE 4 BIAS REAR

Size Speed Index

170/80B15 77H

150/80B16 77H

160/80B16 80H

ELITE 4 RADIAL FRONT

Size Speed Index

130/70R18 63H

ELITE 4 RADIAL REAR

Size Speed Index

180/60R16 80H

15

1716

the RestARtmotoAmeRIcA upDAte

1918

Toni Elias knows a thing or two about restarting. And we’re not

talking about a red-flagged race. In his career, the Spanish

rider who once won a MotoGP race was the toast of the town;

he beat none other than Valentino Rossi in a MotoGP race and

was a front-runner and podium finisher in the top level of

motorcycle racing, all this in 2006.

After breaking his leg badly, Elias left the MotoGP class and

landed in the then new Moto2 championship. In Moto2 he was

almost mystically successful, winning the inaugural

championship in 2010. In 2011, he was ushered back into

MotoGP on a Honda but found none of his previous success.

From there he bounced from Moto2 to MotoGP to World

Superbike championship racing. 

Elias has always liked the U.S. He’s done some Superprestigio

racing in the States and generally enjoys his time here. 

Thus when American rider Jake Lewis was injured in a

preseason dirt bike training crash, Yoshimura Suzuki had to

start looking for a replacement for at least a few rounds and

they soon found their man. Suzuki and Yoshimura liked what

they saw in Elias; there’s not a lot of riders in the world who

have on their resume “defeated Valentino Rossi in MotoGP.”

So they suited him up as a temporary replacement to Lewis

and set sail for Austin, Texas, and the opening round of the

MotoAmerica Superbike championship.

There, an amazing thing happened. In the first race on

Saturday at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Suzuki’s Roger

Lee Hayden had blasted to a four-second lead when red flags

flew and stopped the race. 

In the restarted race, Elias simply split. Gone—as in a 1.7

second lead at the finish line. He’d won the first MotoAmerica

Superbike race he entered. Ironically, a restart signaled the

restart of his winning ways.

And he got better on Sunday. He won again, and went from

being an unknown in America to some calling him the new

king of MotoAmerica Superbike racing. 

“I’m not the king,” Elias said, “just winning some races. At

the beginning of the race, I was a little bit worried. I didn’t

have a great feeling, but we start, I try to stay behind Roger

and Cameron Beaubier. Finally, I found myself again and

try to go away but was impossible. Roger was there all

the time.”

After a short break, Elias and the Yoshimura crew realigned at

Road Atlanta. Lewis remained a reluctant couch surfer waiting

for his injured shoulder to heal, so Elias was up again. He had

ridden COTA previously as a GP rider, but Atlanta? This was a

track he’d only seen in photos before he walked through the

paddock gates.

That fact didn’t matter much. He qualified second, earning a

front row start. He ran fourth in the race. Then Josh Hayes

made a slight error trying to pass Beaubier for the lead on lap

13, and both riders tumbled into the gravel outside of the

final corner. 

Elias avoided the carnage, staying on the gas hard enough to

stay with teammate Hayden and then passed him a few laps

from the end. Elias was three for three in his MotoAmerica debut.

The fairy tale ended in race two when Elias crashed out

of contention.

Beaubier took the win in race two and garnered desperately

needed points in his quest to defend his number-one plate.

With all the crashes and Elias’ surprise attack, the

championship is nothing close to the pundits’ predictions.

Hayden leads the championship, showing why cooler heads

often prevail, while Beaubier must claw his way back from

seventh in the title chase.

toNIElIAs

20 21

RogeR leehAYDEN

22

JoshhAYEs

23

2524

gARRettGErloff

Garrett Gerloff came into the 2016 season with a new level of mental focus, and it

shows. He’s won every Supersport race this year. At COTA, he took the pole by over a

second, then pounded the opposition to win both races by more than 10 seconds each.

2726

bobbYfoNGclAuDIocortI

JoshhErrIN

2928

3130

bRYceprINcE

bRANDoNpAAsch

3332

3534

cAmeRoNBEAUBIEr

Bryce Prince

Travis Wyman

Dakota Mamola

JC Camacho

Connor Blevins

Andy DiBrino

Gage McAllister

Xavier Zayat

Deion Campbell

Michael Gilbert

Brandon Paasch

Anthony Mazziotto III

Brandon Altmeyer

Jody Barry

Jackson Blackmon

Benjamin Smith

Josh Serne

Alejandro Gutierrez

Ian Champness

Brett Voorhees

Josh Herrin

Bobby Fong

Claudio Corti

Taylor Knapp

Danny Eslick

Hayden Gillim

Sheridan Morais

David Anthony

Max Flinders

Geoff May

supeRstock 1000

supeRstock 600

supeRspoRt

ktm Rc 390 cup

Garrett Gerloff

Valentin Debise

JD Beach

Joe Roberts

Cameron Petersen

Benny Solis

Travis Wyman

Dakota Mamola

Christian Crosslin

3736

3938

PHOTOS: FOCUS POLLUTION

lAst to

fIRstAn extraordinary thing happened at the recent

Spanish GP. After Moto3 rider Brad Binder was

sent to the back of the grid for a technical

infraction during qualifying, he passed the entire

field to take the win by an unbelievable 3.4

seconds. Despite all Moto3 machines being as

equal as the spec rules can possibly make them,

Binder passed all 34 riders as if he were in a

completely different class. More impressive, the

South African had never won a Moto3 race before.

He now leads the championship chase.

40 41

RYANDUNGEY

DuNgeYgets It DoNe

42

RYANDUNGEY

43

Yet many people seemed to forget this fact going into the 15th

round of the 2016 series, held for the first time ever at Gillette

Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. In the minds of

many, Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey seemed to be the

shoo-in to claim the number-one plate early at Foxborough.

Extensive behind-the-scenes coverage aired during the

television broadcast set up what seemed to be the sure-bet

coronation. But RCH Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s/Suzuki

Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen didn’t think so. And he spoiled

the celebration plans laid out by many as he hammered

out a decisive race win in Round 15, delaying the celebrations

by KTM and the legions of Dungey fans for at least one

more week.

It’s easy to forgive all those who assumed Dungey would put

away this championship so early in the season. He has been

the dominant rider all season long, winning eight races to

amass a commanding 48-point lead over Roczen. All RD had

to do was place among the top four riders and finish ahead

of Roczen in Foxborough to wrap up his second consecutive

championship, making it a total of three titles.

Dungey had crossed the finish line ahead of Roczen in the

four previous races, making Foxborough look like a done

deal. But perhaps that was all the extra incentive the

German rider needed; as the race flagged off he quickly

passed Dungey, who had grabbed the holeshot, on the very

first lap and was never seriously challenged for the rest of

the race. And that was in spite of tricky, deteriorating

conditions that saw deep ruts form all around the track.

In fact, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac earned the

runner-up spot, while Dungey had to work hard to fend

off Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Jason Anderson to

make it onto the podium. With that, Dungey extended his

record-setting streak to 31 consecutive podiums, a

stellar accomplishment.

But for at least one more week, Dungey, his team, and his

many followers had to postpone their championship

celebrations. Holding a 43-point advantage, Dungey headed

to New York determined to lock up the title. There Roczen

dominated again, and Dungey finished fourth to lock up the

championship. Though his fourth-place finish ended his

remarkable streak of 31 consecutive podium finishes, it also

locked-up his third Supercross title.

Meanwhile, the battle for the 250SX East and West

Championships saw even hotter competition. At any given

race, there was no telling who would take the win. It all came

down to the muddy final in Las Vegas, where Team Dunlop

alumni Joey Savatgy did what he had to do to try and take

the West title away from Cooper Webb. Riding with a wrist

broken only a few weeks earlier, Webb struggled deep in the

field. He managed to finish eleventh, holding onto his

number plate by a single point over Savatgy. Malcolm

Stewart finished third to wrap up the East championship.

though DuNgeY’s fouRth-plAce fINIsh

eNDeD hIs RemARkAble stReAk of 31

coNsecutIve poDIum fINIshes, It Also

lockeD up hIs thIRD supeRcRoss tItle.

44 45

keNrocZEN

46 47

mAlcolmstEwArt

48

JeRemYMArtIN

49

chRIstIANcrAIG

JoeYsAVAtGY

50

coopeRwEBB

51

52

elItoMAc

53

54

JAsoNANDErsoN

55

56 57

hoolIgANsWho knew that a series of mainly run-

what-ya-brung motorcycle races could

garner such attention among the hipsters

of Austin, Texas, but once again the Super

Hooligan series attracted diverse and

enthusiastic participants at this year’s

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) event.

The first race, run on a short, ad hoc dirt

track in downtown Austin in conjunction

with Roland Sands Design and the

Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, drew a

variety of machines and spawned a

lot of fun.

The main event, which took place during

the AMA Pro National race on the half-

mile at COTA and was viewed by most of

the MotoGP paddock, was a more serious

affair featuring among others Joe Kopp,

the legendary David Aldana, former Grand

Prix racer Jamie Robinson and Sands

himself, who rode one of his custom

Indian Scout scramblers as did Kopp

and Aldana.

Kopp won the race, Shaun Guardado

nabbed third, Robinson came in eighth

and Aldana ended up crashing out. And

Sands’ ability to ride fast on just about

anything was proven once again when the

former AMA 250 Grand Prix Champion

finished second.

58 59

60 61

62 63

RolAND sANDs JoINeD foRces wIth INDIAN to buIlD A seRIes of

scout scRAmbleRs thAt hAve beeN IN the hANDs of vARIous

RIDeRs IN the hoolIgAN seRIes. the bIkes ARe All subtlY DIffeReNt

AND exceptIoNAllY cool. bIg pRops to INDIAN foR the vIsIoN to

tuRN sANDs AND hIs RsD cRew loose AND foR suppoRtINg the

populAR gRAssRoots-DRIveN hoolIgAN seRIes.AMA FLAT TRACK RACERS COMPETE ON DUNLOP’S DT3 DIRT TRACK TIRE,THE SAME TIRE AVAILABLE TO ALL FLAT TRACK RACERS. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.

64 65

the oRIgINAltoN-up tIRe

The mods and the rockers and café racers of the 1960s and 1970s huddled in the streets

of London, talking bikes and rock and roll. Chances are good a lot of them rolled on

Dunlop tires. Made just up the road in Dunlop’s Birmingham, UK, factory, the TT100 was

the tire of choice back in the day, and for café purists, it still is today.

Dunlop’s TT100 tire was born with another name. But when Malcolm Uphill broke the 100-

mph-lap barrier on a production bike, a Triumph Thruxton, at the Isle of Man TT in 1969,

Dunlop commemorated the first ton-up lap around the island by renaming the rear tire Mr.

Uphill relied on for his historic record—it became the TT100.

If you are looking for the original, the Dunlop TT100 is it.

66 67

mAlcolmUphIll

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE TT100

68 69

stRANg,Russell leADgNcc seRIesThe 2016 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series, an AMA National Championship, is all knotted

up at the top of the standings with Josh Strang and Kailub Russell tied for the points lead after four

rounds. Both riders have two wins, a second and third, with Strang dominating the first two rounds and

Russell dominating the last two rounds.

Strang got off to a fast start on his Dunlop-supported Rockstar Energy Factory Husqvarna; winning the

first two rounds, despite getting a off to a late start with his preparations.

“I was coming into the first round in Florida a little underprepared,” said Strang. “We had some bad

weather; and then with the new bike, and I went home to Australia, I just kind of left it pretty late to get

ready to start racing. But I feel like that’s good because I think we’ve still got more improvements to

make, so it’s definitely good to feel like I started not at 100%.” kAIlubrUssEll

70 71

JoshstrANG

Russell, on the other hand, struggled a bit during the first

round in Florida, where he finished third. Then in Georgia he

bobbled while leading and handed the win to Strang. After the

race, Russell was unable to make the podium celebration due

to dehydration.

“The season started off rough, but the championship chase

still isn’t over and I’ve still got my eyes on it,” said the Dunlop-

backed FMF/KTM Russell. “[In Florida], it just took me a while

to get going but I rode well at the end of the race and I felt

good.” In Georgia, the heat just got to Russell.

Ryan Sipes didn’t exactly get off to the start he was hoping for

in 2016, however the Coastal Racing/Rockstar/Husqvarna

rider is gaining ground on the competition and just barely

missed the podium at rounds three and four at Steele Creek in

North Carolina and at the Big Buck GNCC in South Carolina.

Overall StandingS after fOur rOundS

1. Kailub Russell (106)

2. Josh Strang (106)

3. Chris Bach (71)

4. Ryan Sipes (66)

5. Trevor Bollinger (62)

6. Daniel Milner (61)

7. Grant Baylor (50)

8. Steward Baylor Jr. (46)

9. Jordan Ashburn (41)

10. Craig Delong (38)

72 73

sIDewAYs

74 75

First, there’s the opening round at Daytona where hard-core

race fans fill the stands. Next comes the Circuit of the

Americas (COTA) event where the bulk of the audience is

made up of the MotoGP paddock—managers, technicians,

racers—who know a thing or two about racing. If you’re racing

the flat track at COTA, you know you’re racing in front of the

most experienced eyeballs on the planet.

The 2016 flat track season kicked off at Daytona with a

double-header. The short-track races featured the country’s

top riders on 450cc machines, and the opener saw tight and

wild racing with familiar names at the front. In the first race,

Sammy Halbert took the lead on the second lap and never

looked back. The hard scrapping went on throughout the field,

with Brandon Robinson grabbing second ahead of Brad Baker,

defending champ Jared Mees and Bryan Smith.

The next night, Jake Johnson took his first win in four years

ahead of Kenny Coolbeth Jr., Halbert, Baker and defending

MotoAmerica 600 road racing champ JD Beach, who

posted the fastest qualifying time of the night. Mees struggled

to a ninth-place finish, not doing his championship hopes

any good.

Mees avenged his Daytona results by topping the Harley-

Davidson Lone Star Half-Mile at COTA after early leader Baker

dropped out with technical difficulties on lap seven. Then

came a red-flag restart that turned the race into a final five-lap

dash, which Mees won ahead of Robert Pearson (his best

career finish), Halbert and Stevie Bonsey. Daytona flat track

winner Jake Johnson rounded out the top five. The COTA win

launched Mees into third in points, 10 behind championship

leader Halbert.

the 2016 AmA pRo flAt tRAck seAsoN puts bAck-to-

bAck RouNDs IN fRoNt of the most expeRIeNceD

AuDIeNces oN the cIRcuIt.

sAmmYhAlBErt

JAkeJohNsoN

76 77

JAReDMEEs

78 79

DAltoNGAUthIEr

DuNlop exteNDsthe legeNDARYspoRtmAx fAmIlYwIth the gpR-300A hIgh-peRfoRmANce RADIAl foR smAll-DIsplAcemeNt stReet bIkes

80 81

82 83

The proliferation of small-displacement sport bikes in recent years from Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, KTM and

Zero led to Dunlop’s development of the all-new Sportmax GPR-300. A performance radial that allows riders with

bias tires to upgrade to a premium performance tire, the GPR-300 follows in the footsteps of Dunlop’s Sportmax

family, sharing technology and that unique “feel” that sets Dunlop sport tires apart from the competition.

Offering excellent grip in wet and dry conditions, light steering and excellent bump compliance, the GPR-300

also offers extended mileage for commuting and long trips. Available in sizes to fit all the popular small-

displacement sport bikes, the GPR-300 lets riders get the most out of their machines.

the gpR-300 Is A peRfoRmANce RADIAl thAt

Allows RIDeRs wIth bIAs tIRes to upgRADe

to A pRemIum peRfoRmANce tIRe.

84 85

PHOTO: SCHEDL R.

the gpR-300 lets RIDeRs get the

most out of theIR mAchINes.

SPORTMAX GPR-300 FRONTSize Speed Index110/70R17 54H

SPORTMAX GPR-300 REARSize Speed Index140/70R17 66H150/60R17 66H

GPR-300

86 87

Everybody comes from somewhere. In Michael Mundy’s case, he parked a

successful real estate career in Florida to pursue his passion: building

something with his hands.

Mundy is at the forefront of the café racer/bobber movement that has

captivated so many riders and builders today. Many of his creations are

built around Honda twins and fours of the ’60s and ’70s. He started with a

pair of CB/CL350s, which together with the other Honda 350 variants

topped 600,000 in sales. The bikes were reputedly bulletproof and revved

to an astonishing 10,000 rpm, which makes them favorites among shade-

tree and professional builders alike today. We caught up with Mundy

recently to find out how he got where he is.

steel beNtcustomsmIchAel muNDY JoINs the RANks of buIlDeRs

tRue to the fuNDAmeNtAlIst IDeAl.

8988

dd: How long have you been riding?

MM: Since I was 14. My parents allowed my brother and me

to have a motorcycle when we were old enough to drive but

not a car. My mom said, “You can kill yourself, but you can’t

kill your friends.”  

ever do any racing?

No. Unless you mean BMX racing, then yes.  

What did you do for a living before starting your

company?  

I worked as a real estate broker before opening up my own

firm and still hold my broker’s license.  

When and why did you start building?

I started building decades ago on my own personal bikes.

We’ve been going to Daytona Beach for Bike Week and

Biketoberfest since the late ’90s. I started because I just

wanted to create something with my hands.

When did you start your company?  

I started Steel Bent Customs in 2011. I purchased two Honda

CB/CL350s for $700, then turned them into café racers and

sold both. Then I bought a CB550 and started building it. The

company was born.

What is your build philosophy?

I look for a line on the bike, its backbone or flow. Often I wait

till the inspiration hits me or spend some time just staring at

the bike on the lift to help get the creative juices flowing.  

anybody you look up to and why?

I’ve always admired Falcon Motorcycles, Ian Barry’s work. He

is a true artist by crafting the machines that create his art.

do you have a favorite build?

One of mine? They all have their place, but the 1971 Honda

CB450 bobber “Seven 1” that is traveling with Dunlop to all

the races and shows has been with me since the beginning

and I’ll never part with her.   

I stARteD buIlDINg DecADes Ago oN mY owN

peRsoNAl bIkes. we’ve beeN goINg to DAYtoNA

beAch foR bIke week AND bIketobeRfest sINce

the lAte ’90s. I stARteD becAuse I Just wANteD

to cReAte somethINg wIth mY hANDs.

90 91

92 93

©2016 Dunlop • P. O. Box 1109, Buffalo, New York 14240-1109 • 1-800-845-8378 • dunlopmotorcycletires.com

upcomINg eveNtsMay 13-15

MotoAmerica round 4

Virginia International raceway

Danville, VA

May 14-15

GNcc round 6

lawrence county recreational park

springville, IN

May 14

AMA flat track round 4

turf paradise

phoenix, AZ

May 21

AMA flat track round 5

cal Expo fairgrounds

sacramento, cA

May 21

lucas oil pro Motocross round 1

hangtown Motocross classic

sacramento, cA

May 28

lucas oil pro Motocross round 2

Glen helen raceway

san Bernardino, cA

May 28-29

GNcc round 7

sunday creek raceway

Millfield, oh

May 29

AMA flat track round 6

Illinois state fairgrounds

springfield, Il

June 2-5

x Games

circuit of the Americas

Austin, tx

June 3-5

MotoAmerica round 5

road America

Elkhart lake, wI

June 4

lucas oil pro Motocross round 3

thunder Valley Motocross park

lakewood, co

June 10-12

MotoAmerica round 6

Barber Motorsports park

Birmingham, Al

June 11-12

GNcc round 8

seneca highland

odessa, NY

June 18

lucas oil pro Motocross round 4

high point raceway

Mt. Morris, pA

June 18

AMA flat track round 7

remington park

oklahoma city, oK

June 23-25

MotoAmerica round 7

Utah Motorsports campus

tooele, Ut