Dunlop US and UK

Has probably been talked about before but I missed it. So back in the day you use to be able to get 195 65 rears and 125 80 fronts they came from the UK. At some point we switched to american made Dunlops and they were not good when they first came out... even still today I feel they are sub par compared to the old UK stuff.

Also looked online at the UK stuff and they have the 195 65 still and now a 205 70 rear. Also they have a D212 and a D213 which the old D211 was amazing I bet the new tires are even better. Then you have the US DOT which hasn't been updated ever......As a company why does dunlop let different countries develop and use there own version? Why doesnt the US make the same tires as the UK? Or why is that knowledge shared? No other tire manufacturer does this that I am aware of correct me if I am wrong.

 

Back when they stopped bringing in the U.K. stuff all together I was told the reason buffalo can’t mimic the U.K. tire is because of certain chemicals they can use in the U.K. that we can’t use here. How much of that was fact vs fiction I don’t know.

I was also told the U.K. plant closed and that those tires are being made at other plants over seas, also not sure if that was fact or fiction. I do know the price was a major concern, I seem to remember those tires nudging $600 for a set before they stopped bringing them in.

 

Yep, I deal with that sometimes at work.

There are some things we use that I have to specific “order from USA only, do not substitute” (and sometimes I have to do the same, specifying UK).

Different countries have different regulations for what chemicals they are allowed to use, and it makes a big difference.

Where it gets difficult is that the products will be made by the same vendor, have the same part number, come in the same packaging, and even look the same. But depending on where they are from, they will perform drastically different.

 

In the chemical biz it's not uncommon for chemical
resins and additives to differ by region/country. And if the volume isn't high enough it's not worth shipping those from region to region. So you can have differences in formulas and performance for the 'same' product.

 

A few years ago that was the case, but Dunlop has ramped up their R&D and testing in the US quite a bit in the last couple years. The only major gripe I recall coming in these last two years was from the Yosh team when they switched the spec rear slick from 200/55 to 200/60 and they were having geometry pains making the bikes turn on it.

The DOTs haven't seen as much development from the GP-A Pros I think in part because they started allowing 600 Supersport to start using slicks. I found the 180/60 Dunlop rear slick that is spec in 600 to be quite good.

 

I did not like the 200/60 it made me switch to Preilli and I havent looked back. The 180 /60 is a great tire I used it on my SV and loved it. The other big 3 all ship from over seas to here and there tire prices are fair. I just dont get why dunlop doesnt do that.

 

Thanks Mr. Heisenberg.

 

FWIW (and I'm a good bit slower than when I was running the D's UK's) but IMHO the Michelin slicks I jumped on last year have a very similar feel to what those D's used to have. It's the first set of tires I've been on since those UK's where I feel like I just "cant crash it".

*knocks on wood*

 

Because none of the other big 3 are designed and manufactured in the US, so they don't have that option. If you have local R&D and manufacturing in country it doesn't make financial/logistical sense to import them from the UK, especially if the quality of the product isn't wildly different. As mentioned, 10 years ago there was a noticeable difference in quality between the US and UK product. Tires like so many other things (brake pads for instance) are a personal choice that some people find a wide variation in. Some people swear by this vendor or that vendor. Some want a softer carcass, others want a stiffer one.....but at the end of the day you could take a pro and blindly put him on a bike that had any brand of tire and they'd blow your door off just the same.

 

Track Wagon, these questions have been discussed on BBS threads for at least the last 8 years. But if you want some input from someone that actually worked in the industry I could provide some logic and insight.

But as this is a brand D thread I wanted to ask first so I don't offend all of the arm chair tire expert/engineers that frequent the BBS

 

is it because the UK has 40% more rabid sportbike fans??? lol. Didn't Taylor Knapp win some races on a Dunlop street tire??

 

I miss the kr825 Everytime I look at my racebike.. That tire was phenomenal. But no more.... It too had that "it just can't be crashed feeling. Just when you thought you couldn't get the thing further over, you'd be pinching your toes between the peg and the ground.

 

Some shyt shouldn’t be discuss so as not to create bad ju-ju

 

Really? This is the beeb and the entire country is on some sort of modified shelter in place. All beeb lurkers have been placed on high alert. Prepare for the fall out with whatever you post. Now carry-on!

 

We used to practice on the 17” tires and then use the 16.5” ama branded tires for the endurance race and I hated how they felt compared to the 17”’s

 

The new Conti are tested here in Uvalde, Texas as well as the EU.

 

I want to hear it !

 

Italian tires may be a bit harder to get for a while.....anything from The Boot may be a little scarce for a bit until they come out of quarrantine and can go back to work.

 

Made in Germany.

 

Well there's no major brand m/c tire factories in Italy that I can think of so I think we're good