ChromeWorld Motorcycle Parts and Accessories Blog

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the manufacturer of Dunlop Elite tires for the Honda Goldwing, and the United Steel Workers union have tentatively agreed to a new contract. The union workers are expected back to work on January 2, 2007, and Goodyear Dunlop expects to be back up and running shortly thereafter. This is certainly good news for the entire motorcycle industry. The real question for Goldwing owners is how will this affect the aftermarket tire supply?

I have covered this issue at length in previous posts so I won’t do so again here. The bottom line is that there was a substantial shortage of aftermarket Dunlop tires for the Honda Goldwing before the strike started. The strike only made matters worse. Now that the strike is over there is going to be a period time during which Dunlop plays catch up. After that we are right back where we started. Unless Dunlop commits additional resources to producing aftermarket tires for the Goldwing then the shortage is going to continue.

I continue to advise Chrome World customers to buy tires sooner rather than later. Spring is only three months away. Once the spring rush starts I believe we will again see extended back orders.

I will be meeting with all of the major tire manufacturers in February as we place our orders for the year. I should have a better handle on where we stand then and I will be sure to pass that information along to you.

As promised, here is the latest information I have concerning the Honda Goldwing tires made by Dunlop and the Dunlop worker’s strike. This information was provided by Dunlop to one of our Dunlop Gold Wing tire suppliers during a conference call. My supplier, in turn, passed the information along to me.

As of December 11, 2006, the negotiations between management and workers were at an impasse. The strike will be 90 days old on January 3, 2007. Meanwhile, Dunlop has been hiring replacement workers and expects to be at full capacity within 60 days. So far the strike has mainly affected supply of Dunlop Elite III’s, Dunlop 402 cruiser tires, and Dunlop Qualifiers. Dunlop is trying to bring in some Qualifiers from France; however, the supply is slow and the quantities fall short of demand.

Although Dunlop believes they will be at full capacity in 60 days that does not mean that the tire shortage will instantly end. First of all, Dunlop has made it very clear that the motorcycle after-market supply is very low on their list of supply priorities. Number one on that list is the automobile market. Once the automotive market demand is satisfied Dunlop will turn to the power sports market. Even then they are going to concentrate on original equipment production for Harley and Honda. Once they satisfy demand from the OEs they will go to work on the after-market supply.

So what does this all mean to you and me? Well, Dunlop says that once they start running at full capacity it will take them at least 6 months to catch up with demand for the power sports after-market. Using Dunlop’s best case scenario, we are looking at August of 2007 before we see a readily available supply of Dunlop Elite III’s for the Goldwing . Personally, I’m taking Dunlop’s predictions with a grain of salt. As I stated in my earlier post on this subject, the shortage of tires started well in advance of the strike. I would be completely surprised, albeit pleasantly, if I see Dunlop supply satisfy demand before this time next year.

The situation at Chrome World is this. Demand for tires is falling off as we head into the winter. That is good if you are thinking about buying tires. As I write this we are fully stocked on Avon and Metzler tires. However, we are currently back ordered on the Bridgestone and Dunlop tires. If you consider that Dunlop’s share of the Goldwing market exceeded the market share of all other brands of tires combined, you can see that Avon, Bridgestone, and Metzler have done a relatively good job trying to meet the increased demand caused by the shortage of Dunlop tires. The question is can they stay ahead of demand next spring as we move back into the riding season? I think it is more likely we will see a repeat of this year’s shortages and back orders.

I am advising all of my customers to buy a set of tires now. Get them on order, especially if you must have Dunlop’s. We fill back orders in the order in which they are received. If the tires you order come in earlier than you expect and you don’t need them yet, just store them in a dry place until you do need them. If you wait until spring, when everyone and their brother is looking to buy tires, I can’t promise you that you will get a set of tires before the tires you are riding on are dangerously low on tread.

I’ll post additional updates as I get additional information.

When I think back over my twelve years of selling Goldwing accessories at Chrome World Motorcycle Accessories, there are only a handful of accessories that made me say “wow”. LED lighting did, it’s just cool. The Bike Butler drink holder did, it just does it all. Gerbing heated clothing did. I still kick myself thinking about all those days I rode in the cold, my chest muscles so tight it’s a wonder I didn’t crack a rib, and all the while trying to convince myself “this isn’t so bad, I’m a man, I can deal with it”. Then one trip with a borrowed Gerbing jacket liner and I knew I would never again ride without it. I also better understood my wife’s smile when I pulled out the old “I’m a man” card. Maybe I’ll start stopping and asking for directions…maybe.

My wife doesn’t think I’m very creative either. She is probably right about that also. According to her the only thing creative about me is what I do to get out of yard work. Anyway, I tend to like what I like and I tend to stick with it. If she would let me, you would find me in boots, jeans, and a comfortable (read old) shirt everywhere I go. Alas, she doesn’t let me. That is probably for the best. But when it comes to my Goldwing I’m the same way. I like some tasteful chrome in the right places. I like the comfort and convenience items like the Bike Butler and Kuryakyn’s highway boards and floorboards. I particularly like driving lights and accessories with LED lights. All of my Goldwings over the years have been decked out basically the same way. So it will probably come as a shock to my wife, and anyone else who knows me, when I tell you about the latest Goldwing accessory that makes me say “wow”.

Chrome World has just started carrying a large selection of color matched Goldwing accessories for the GL1800. These accessories are the same as many of the chrome accessories I sell except they are painted in GL1800 OEM colors. I have sold a few color matched items in the past but they never seemed to catch on. What is different this time is the large variety of items available. This allows you, and me, to be creative. Yes, I said creative. Alert the media. Call an ambulance for my wife.

The first time I saw color changes was at a large Gold Wing dealer in North Carolina. The dealer had mixed body panels from a yellow and a black Goldwing. The result was two very neat looking bikes, both of which reminded me of large bumble bees. The dealer had also swapped panels between a black and an orange Gold Wing. These bikes screamed Baltimore Orioles and I really liked the way they looked. The problem was you would have to buy the bike that way and most dealers were not willing, or did not have the inventory, to create the look you wanted.

With color matched accessories that is no longer a problem. You can add as little or as much color as you want, where you want. You can use one, two, three, or more, colors. You are really only limited by your imagination and the colors available which, by the way, is all of the GL1800 stock colors. You can match your school colors; favorite sports team colors, or just go for a look you like. Imagine mixing colors and then complimenting them with pin striping, maybe even a team or club logo. Maybe add some matching LED lights. How about a red, white, and blue, patriotic themed Goldwing. WOW. My Goldwing may be undergoing some changes soon. I can’t wait to see what you really creative folks come up with.

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.