Honda Goldwing Dunlop Tire Shortage
November 29, 2006 | No Comments | Uncategorized
I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know when I say there is a shortage of Dunlop tires for the Honda Goldwing. Goodyear Dunlop, the manufacturer of the Dunlop Elite III for the Honda Goldwing, is currently dealing with a labor strike which began on October 5, 2006. The thing is, this shortage started in early 2006. So what is really going on?
I have been selling tires at Chrome World for a long time and I have seen tire shortages before. Most of the shortages of the past were simply caused by our suppliers underestimating the number of tires they were going to sell. The suppliers periodically place bulk orders with Goodyear Dunlop. They expect that the bulk order will cover demand for the tire for a certain period of time, usually four to six months. When sales exceed expectations the suppliers may run out of tires until the next scheduled bulk order arrives. For the most part the shortages were usually resolved by our suppliers within a month or two.
The current shortage; however, is very different. This time the shortage is due to Goodyear Dunlop’s inability to fill the bulk orders of our suppliers. The result has been a nationwide shortage of Dunlop tires that has persisted since early 2006. I have spent most of this year trying to get the facts behind the shortage so I could tell you what to expect when you need tires for your Goldwing. I have asked a lot of questions but I have not been given a definitive answer. However, stepping back and considering all of the information I have received paints a fairly clear and simple picture.
Goodyear Dunlop has received a large order from Harley Davidson to produce Harley Davidson’s OEM tires. Although I don’t know the size of the order it’s not hard to believe it is substantial. In a news interview one striking Goodyear worker said his greatest concern about the strike was that they might lose the Harley Davidson order. Now consider that nearly every Dunlop motorcycle tire is made at the Goodyear Dunlop Tonawanda facility near Buffalo New York. This means that the production capacity of motorcycle tires is limited to the production capacity of this one plant. Due in part to the Harley Davidson order, that capacity appears to have been exceeded. Guess where Goodyear Dunlop decided to make production sacrifices.
In a recent conference call with one of our major tire suppliers Goodyear Dunlop made known their supply priorities. They stated that their first priority was to supply the major motorcycle manufacturers with OE tires for new bikes. After meeting that obligation they will fill orders for the aftermarket suppliers.
The bottom line here is that Dunlop Elite IIIs are not likely to be readily available anytime in the next nine months and probably only then if Goodyear Dunlop commits additional production capacity to motorcycle tires. The ongoing strike can only make matters worse.
So what should you do? Get a set of tires on order. Now. Even if you don’t need them right away. Don’t wait until that first warm sunny day in the spring when you and everybody else will be trying to find tires. While the Dunlop Elite IIIs continue to trickle in from our suppliers we can not keep up with demand. If you have to have Dunlop Elite IIIs plan to be on the waiting list for a while. Although Dunlop is our top selling tire we have had excellent feedback on Metzler and Avon tires for the Goldwing. Bridgestone has also brought a new tire to the Goldwing table; however, the jury is still out on whether it will perform better than its Honda OEM predecessor. All of these tires are in short supply mainly due to the increased demand due to the Dunlop shortage; however, backorders have been short lived.
Check www.chromeworld.com for updates to the Dunlop tire shortage issue.
