Quick look: New Dunlop Geomax AT82 cross-country off-road tyre

Dunlop say the new Geomax AT82 is “the most versatile off-road race tire” they have ever developed, just like its super-popular predecessor, the new hoop is set to become a favourite for GNCC-style, cross country racing.

A “complete redesign inside and out” of Dunlop’s new AT82 promises improved overall handling, absorption of impacts from common off-road obstacles and dampening of harsh feelings frequently transmitted to the rider. What’s not to like about that list?

The details include an all-new Bi-Directional rear pattern centre ‘knob’ which has been developed to work best in both soft and hard terrain, simply by changing the mounted direction of the tyre on your rim.

Add to that Dunlop’s “Progressive Cornering Block Technology” (PCBT) and you’ll find a tyre more adaptable and adapted to mixed terrain and better at finding grip. The new tread pattern also promises greater support under braking forces and increased predictability under acceleration.

Categorised as a cross country tyre/tire, though the AT82 has a broad range of use it is developed primarily for GNCC-style racing – a fact that’s clearly evident from this video featuring two of the most successful and experienced riders in the GNCC series, Steward Baylor and Thad Duvall.

That’s all the good news, the bad news for anyone outside of North America, you’ll have to wait a little longer. The AT82 is a Dunlop North America developed product and at present isn’t available in other parts of the world including Europe (yet, it will come).

A quick search on https://www.dunlopmotorcycletires.com/tires/?action=find_tires also shows the new AT82 is not available for every bike either – we did a search for fitment on a KTM 300 EXC and 350 EXC-F, the two most common off-road motorcycles on the planet. In fact it looks like big bikes only at the moment.