Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 Score
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is a significant evolution in Dunlop’s sport tire lineage, successfully shedding the "stiff" reputation of its predecessors to become a top-tier contender in the hypersport segment. Tested on the torque-heavy Ducati Monster 1200, it proved to be a master of neutral handling and immediate confidence, earning a "Highly Recommended" rating.
The Good
- Neutral handling
- Good in wet and dry
The Bad
- Low mileage
- Missing some kind of feedback
- Caution on Bitumen patches!
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Grip Dry
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Grip Wet
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Warm-Up
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Handling
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Mileage
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Value for Money
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is the newest release in Dunlop’s sport lineup and is intended to be tailored precisely to the requirements of sporty street machines and their rider clientele. How the new Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 performs on country roads is what we found out for you on a Ducati Monster 1200.
Table of Contents
Application Area & Use Cases Dunlop Sportsmart MK4
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is a high‑performance tire developed specifically for sport‑oriented (street) riders and delivers convincing performance both on country roads and on the racetrack (max 25%). Thanks to its new rubber compound and optimized tread design, it offers excellent grip, precise handling, and high stability – even at high speeds and in extreme lean angles. The MK4 is versatile and suitable for a wide range of motorcycles, including supersport bikes, naked bikes, and sporty tourers. Whether on twisty country roads, during a sporty weekend trip, or on occasional tourist rides: the Sportsmart MK4 delivers consistent performance and confidence under a wide variety of conditions – and according to the manufacturer, combined with good durability.
Application area: 100% hypersport / 50% sport‑touring / 100% sport / 25% trackday
Tip: We recommend the Sportsmart MK4 primarily for very sporty country‑road use. Use on the racetrack is only advisable within the scope of tourist sessions (e.g., Hockenheimring, Nürburgring). For “real” trackday events, we recommend switching to other tires or slicks.
Innovations & Technology of the Dunlop Sportsmart MK4
With the Sportsmart MK4, Dunlop brings a motorcycle tire to the market that has been optimized primarily for sporty street use. The new model contains a whole range of technical advancements that provide the rider with more grip, higher safety, and more precise handling – even under demanding conditions.
The heart of the MK4 is a completely newly developed rubber compound that combines advanced polymers, high‑surface silica, and special resins. This combination ensures significantly better grip, especially on slippery surfaces, as well as extremely short warm‑up times – a decisive advantage in cool temperatures. According to Dunlop, the tire offers up to 20% more traction on slippery surfaces and 18% better grip on medium asphalt.
For even more neutral and precise turn‑in behavior, the tire contour was revised and the tread design optimized. With the so‑called Dynamic Front Formula (DFF) – a special tire shape for the front wheel – Dunlop achieves more stability, better handling, and more precise feedback. The Carcass Tension Control System has also been further developed. It adjusts carcass tension in targeted areas to maximize road contact and further improve handlebar feedback.
The tread itself has also been revised: increased tread depth and a new layout improve water drainage in wet conditions and enlarge the contact patch at high lean angles. This contributes to safety in the rain as well as sporty performance on dry roads. At the same time, the new structure ensures more even wear, increasing mileage under sporty use.
Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 Review
Enough theory. How the Sportsmart MK4 performed under all conditions on our Ducati Monster 1200 is what you will now find out in the detailed test report.
Grip on Dry Roads
The Sportsmart MK4 impresses with good thermal behavior. Both on cooler days and in high heat, the tire is almost immediately ready and does not require long warm‑up. It also maintains its temperature well and for a long time, making it the perfect companion for mixed street use.
Grip levels of the MK4 are high on both cool and warm days. The tire works well during acceleration and braking – the traction control of the Monster 1200 only had to intervene slightly during very spirited riding in deep lean angles, but generally remained inactive.
On very hot days (temperatures above 33°C), the Dunlop Sportsmart also behaves exemplary. The tire works from the first meter and rides almost the same as in all other temperature ranges. Even after extended use on the road, the tire does not break down and grip levels at the front and rear remain very high. Only during acceleration grip at the rear did we notice slight “smearing” after long sporty riding and extremely high temperatures – but this did not disturb riding and simply indicated the grip limit.
The MK4 behaves somewhat problematically on asphalt with bitumen patches. Here we experienced a few scary moments, especially at the front wheel. In lean angle, the Sportsmart MK4 tends to slide and drop slightly on bitumen and patchy asphalt.
Grip on Wet Roads
Wet grip of the MK4 is decent. Although this is a hypersport tire, it does not fail on damp roads. Within the limits of road traffic regulations, the MK4 can be ridden safely and briskly with plenty of confidence. Only the slick area on the rear‑tire shoulders requires caution, especially in standing water. In general, however, safe riding is possible under all circumstances.
Braking Characteristics
When braking, the new Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 behaves more than exemplary. It inspires a lot of confidence at the front wheel and convinces with a strong and secure braking feel. Braking grip is also very good; subjectively, the Sportsmart MK4 decelerates reliably on different road surfaces. During extremely hard braking, the front wheel “whines” slightly, but this has no effect on grip or stability.
Riding Comfort
The Sportsmart MK4 offers a high level of riding comfort. It has good self‑damping and smooths out sharp edges and bumps well. Overall, the tire feels planted and rolls cleanly and quietly. Although the MK4 is a true sport tire, it also performs well in touring mode when it comes to comfort.
Tire Wear
The Sportsmart MK4 is a durable hypersport tire that absolutely cannot be harmed even by long and sporty country‑road riding. Even on extremely hot summer days, the MK4 does not smear and absolutely does not tend to tear. The tire always convinces with a beautiful wear pattern – especially on cool days. Due to the very low abrasion, one could definitely attest a certain mileage to the newest generation of the Sportsmart – or so one might think – but more on that in the next paragraph.
Mileage
The mileage of the SportSmart MK4 is, in our view, unfortunately very two‑sided. While the front tire lasts quite well with around 4,763 km, the rear tire on the Monster 1200 practically melts away. Approximately 2,409 km are possible with the MK4 on the Monster in mixed use, which is, from our perspective, very low. This mileage is in the range of the Battlax RS‑11, which, however, plays in a different league in terms of grip and was ridden consistently sportier in our test on the significantly more powerful BMW S1000R.
On 600‑class motorcycles or bikes with significantly less torque or displacement, we can imagine that the rear tire could indeed last around 4,500–5,000 km.
Riding Stability / Cornering Stability
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 sits well in the corner and, despite high cornering stability, can be corrected easily at any time. The high level of stability in lean angle fits excellently with sporty machines and definitely benefits hang‑off riding. Only in lean angle on bitumen surfaces does the MK4 occasionally tend to drop in, causing a small scare. On clean asphalt, however, the tire can always be ridden 100% stable.
Agility / Turn‑in Behavior
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 skillfully combines agility with tracking stability. The tire also turns in very sharply and with great confidence, without ever feeling nervous. Overall, the MK4 performed excellently on the Monster 1200 in this category and provided a lot of riding enjoyment.
Uprighting Tendency
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is completely free of any uprighting tendency. This applies both when braking into the corner and when accelerating. Due to its absolutely neutral riding behavior, the MK4 can be guided wonderfully sportily through twisty terrain.
Tire Pressure
The tire pressure of the Sportsmart MK4 is specified for most motorcycles as 2.5 bar front and 2.9 bar rear. For the Ducati Monster, a value of 2.3 bar at the front axle and 2.5 bar at the rear is recommended. This tire pressure proved to be good in practice for us, although after some time we lowered the pressure by 0.1 bar per tire, which corresponds to the racetrack tire pressure of the Sportsmart MK3.
The reduced tire pressure also worked excellently on the Monster, especially at the rear. It felt like more temperature entered the tire, which is particularly beneficial on cooler days. At the front axle, we preferred the regular pressure of 2.3 bar.
- Sportsmart MK4 standard pressure: 2.3 bar front & 2.5 bar rear – Ducati Monster 1200 MY2015
- Racetrack pressure (based on MK3 data): 2.2 bar front & 2.4 bar rear
- Our tire‑pressure recommendation on the Ducati Monster 1200: 2.3 bar front & 2.2–2.4 bar rear
All tire‑pressure recommendations without guarantee. In case of doubt, always use the manufacturer’s recommended pressure!
Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 Experiences
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 was the biggest surprise of the 2025 season for us. We did not expect the MK4 to be this good. Even riders who have avoided Dunlop until now can safely choose the Sportsmart MK4. The tire is the embodiment of a modern street sport tire and convinces with balanced riding behavior, sporty qualities, and a high grip level. Wear is also impressive on the Sportsmart MK4 and is more than appropriate for a sport tire of this quality – at least at the front or on less powerful bikes.
We see the Sportsmart MK4 as suitable for extremely sporty street riding, hyper‑touring, and relaxed weekend rides alike. Since the tire convinced us completely from the very first meter and over thousands of kilometers afterwards, the Sportsmart MK4 receives our rating “Highly Recommended.”
Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 Available Sizes
The Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 is available in the following sizes – with one click on the respective size you go directly to our shop.
Front:
- 120/70‑17
Rear:
- 160/60‑17
- 180/55‑17
- 190/50‑17
- 190/55‑17
- 200/55‑17
Alternatives to the Dunlop Sportsmart MK4
The following alternatives to the Dunlop Sportsmart MK4 are currently available:
- Bridgestone Battlax S23
- Metzeler Sportec M9RR
- Metzeler Sportec 01
- Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV
- Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa
- Dunlop Sportsmart MK3 (predecessor)
