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KR448 & KR449 USA Made N-Tec Slicks:
• triple tread; super grip on the sides, cool running center 
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Tec Info: N-Tec construction (New Technology) is Dunlop’s very best construction road racing tire. The KR449 rear tire features a nylon carcass overlaid with two nylon breaker belts and a continuously wound, aramid-fiber tread belt for cooler-running, excellent straight-line stability and virtually no circumferential tire growth. Dunlop’s N-Tec steel bead and its high-modulus bead apex combine to offer improved feel for the rider as the tire nears its cornering limit, producing the “predictability” that has become a signature characteristic of Dunlop road racing tires.
The multi-compound KR448 rear tread is an ingenious design that results in the first production racing tire to utilize seven tread zones: a high-modulus traction compound in the center and two lateral grip sections on each side, both separated by a triangular support region—all extruded as a one-piece unit. Sharing the spotlight with the KR449 rear is the KR448 front tire. Dunlop’s multi-compound front utilizes radial construction and features two nylon carcass plies and two aramid cut-breaker carcass belts. A thin, high-modulus carcass compound is layered under these belts to minimize and distribute the forces transmitted from the aramid belts to the carcass plies under hard braking. The KR448 front tire also combines Dunlop’s N-Tec steel bead and unique bead apex design to further stabilize handling at full lean. |
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Construction: Dunlop’s N-TEC construction first appeared on early rear-tire prototypes late in the 2003 AMA pro season. Improvements continued throughout 2005 and 2006, and by the beginning of 2007 Dunlop was providing N-TEC tires to all of its supported factory and satellite teams, as well as privateer riders. Success was pervasive and Dunlop dominated the podiums and collected all four titles that year. 2008 was another stellar season, and the company’s record of achievement played a significant role in the selection of Dunlop as the sole tire supplier for AMA Pro Racing in 2009 and beyond. The development of the first N-TEC—a rear design—was one of the most complex motorcycle projects ever undertaken by Dunlop. Producing a continuously wound, multi-compound tire that delivered consistently fast laps was a major undertaking. Radial construction provided excellent straight-line stability and eliminated circumferential tire growth, which allowed the tire to run cooler. The challenge was to engineer sidewall stiffness to produce consistent feedback or “feeling” for the rider as the bike transitioned from upright to full lean and back again. Numerous carcass materials were evaluated both for riding feel and for their resistance to heat and stress. The engineers settled on a nylon carcass overlaid with two nylon breaker belts and a continuously wound JLB, aramid-fiber tread belt. IN 2011 Dunlop started development on the KR448 and KR449 USA made N-Tec Slicks and won the WERA Endurance Championship (Promptly winning every race of the series, except 1 due to a motor issue). Quality: No Dunlop tire enters the paddock or the marketplace without substantial testing, and the KR448 & KR449 ares no exception. Developed primarily by racers, including Ben Bostron, Roger Hayden, Sean Dwyer, Santiago Villa, Tim Bemisderfer, Billy Etheridge, Mark Junge, Brian Stokes, Eric Wood, Jeff Wood, Larry Pegram, along with countless other racers. |
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