Dunlop Geomax MX52 Tire

What it is

• The MX52 is an all-around tire for medium to hard pack dirt.

Dunlop introduced the Geomax MX52 in the spring of 2014 along side the MX32.  Before this, the Geomax family consisted of three tires; the MX31, MX51 and MX71, providing a particular tire for each type of terrain. Today, Dunlop has two tires that will cover it all. The MX32 is designed for soft to medium terrain and the MX52 is designed for medium to hard terrain.

The newly designed front tire has staggered knobs, which is claimed to help absorb impacts. Additionally, the front tire is designed to only work in one direction for improved bite and corner tracking.

Dunlop also uses their patented block-within-a-block knobs, which was designed for more progressive cornering.  In short, this design is like placing a small knobby on top of an existing one, providing better traction by putting more pressure on the center of the knobby. The block-within-a-block design also raises the height of the knobby slightly.

How it works

• As I ride with the MX52’s and hit a corner, I immediately notice that the tire has a stiff side wall feel.

I am a motocrosser at heart and live by “jumps are for show, corners are for dough.”  To me, tires are the most important part of the bike set up.  The feel of the Dunlop MX52 tires in general are different than any other tire I’ve tried. Sure, the knobby patterns important, but for me the sidewall is everything. A stiff sidewall lets you corner so much harder. I like that because it is consistent and doesn't give you that flat tire feel where the tire wallows.  A stiff sidewall also prevents flats and lets me run a true 12 PSI or less air pressure in the tire. I can do this on the MX52.

With the directional front tire I notice very grippy feel.  When entering a corner, it doesn’t feel as though you are going to washout or pop out of a rut.  It has a consistency that I trust and it lets me know with a slight wash or tuck when I’m pushing too hard.  The tire also gives a nice stable feel whether you’re riding a four stroke or a two stroke. On the heavier four-strokes you have to carve the front end compared to the two-stroke where you can just throw it into the rut.  While using the front brake with the MX52 it doesn't throw any curve balls or unexpected moves, but it depends on your riding style.

The rear MX52 isn’t as picky about the dirt type as the front and can cross into softer dirt.  However, on hard pack the bite is as good as anything I have used that has any longevity to it. It spins up on the hard dirt like you would expect and allows a controlled slide feel when it finally lets go. The straight-line hook-up and braking does not have any standout issues, again feeling very consistent. If there was a place where you’d have to be careful is right after a track is watered, where going from dry to wet is slippery, unless the tire is brand new and still with a square edge. The MX52 works best for what it’s made for…intermediate to hard pack dirt.  A good example of this type of terrain would be Washougal or Milestone. It transfers over and works OK on softer ground but there it is missing performance compared to specific softer terrain tires.

The durability of the MX52 is great.  The knobbies on many tires break off or crack after a few rides, but the MX52 knobs seem to hold together longer and take a lot of abuse.  I’ve put a lot of laps on many different tires and this one seems to be one of the longer lasting ones.  In my world, that means a lot. The only bummer is that you can’t flip the front tire since it is directional.  I run my tires down to nearly bald, so I generally like to flip them to get more hours out of them. With these I’ll take the performance and live with less life. Whether I am riding moto, arenacross, woods, desert, etc. the MX52’s hold up and feel fantastic.  This is the tire that I run on my pit bikes, superminis and bigger bikes most of the time. The Dunlop MX52s always give a solid feel and are a big improvement from the previous Geomax family.

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