Dunlop's New Street-Legal K180 Tire Brings Flat-Track Rubber To The Street

If you've been to one of the wild and woolly flat-track races that seem to be popping up all over the country these days, chances are you've seen Dunlop's new K180 tire at full slide. And we'll give the company credit for responding to the trend: with a bunch of manufacturers releasing various street tracker and scrambler models, coupled with the growth of the custom and vintage bike scene, and yes, hooligan racing, the timing was ripe for the introduction of the K180 to the US market. In fact, Dunlop gave attendees a preview at the recent 10th anniversary Born-Free show, with a display tent that included the new street-legal K180 dirt track tire.

If it looks like a flat-track, tire that's because Dunlop says the K180 was inspired by the American Flat Track race series, which explains the classic and aggressive look. The K180 is P speed rated for speeds up to 93 mph and looks to be about perfect for vintage flat-track racing, or for flat-track riders on off-road 450s who can fit the K180 3.00-21 size to their stock wheel. We're guessing the tire will also be popular for riders building custom bikes with a street-legal flat-track vibe. And what's really cool is that the K180 is also the original equipment tire on the newly popular Suzuki VanVan 200.