Dunlop Refines the Roadsmart IV Series

[darrell]

I had a chance to have a call with Dunlop Operations today so can answer a couple a questions.

All the Roadsmart IV tires brought in to the US from the plant in Japan are the GT version front and rear. This is indicated with an X on the sidewall of the tires. Dunlop did not see a reason to bring the lighter front tire in to the US because US market of heavier bikes vs Europe and to help dealers with reducing version inventory.

Goodyear has the Dunlop branding rights in Europe vs Sumitomo Rubber in the US. The Roadsmart III and IV tires in Europe are manufactured at the plant in France just as the Mutant tires in the US are from that plant.

I also reconfirmed tire inventory could be challenging in 2022. I just picked up a set of Roadsmart IV tires from my local dealer at a cheaper price including the 6.875% MN sales tax then Revzilla advertises on line.

I had a local MN shop (non BMW) tell me they expect they will raise their tire prices 20% or more in the next month due to their costs to buy tires.