#troysiahaan

Imagine doing what you do for a living and at the end of the day being thrilled you’re still alive. - Lee Johnston

No conversation around the Isle of Man TT is complete without talking about the very real possibility of death. More than any other competition in the world today, few, if any, are more dangerous than the Isle of Man TT. But ask anyone who competes in the legendary race (or has ever competed in it) and you’ll hear a general theme about why they do it: Passion. Love. Fulfillment.

When Dunlop released the Sportmax Q5, and its Q5S sister tire, I was skeptical. To get straight to the point, I wasn’t a big fan of the previous Q4 tire. Yes it warmed up quickly, but it also wore quickly and didn’t have enough edge grip to feel confident on the throttle on a powerful 1000cc-plus bike. Dunlop addressed a lot of the Q4’s shortcomings with the Q5, and after a day sampling the Q5 and Q5S, I came away impressed with the new tire. But that was just an initial impression. I was still skeptical about the tire over the long haul. How quickly does it wear? How does it behave once it’s worn? How much life can I really expect out of these tires? And are they really worth it?