Good (update: BAD!) news regarding the Dunlop kt576 250r front tire!!!

[Dammit!]

EDIT: Bad news on page 2. Sorry to get your hopes up.

I just got a call from Phil Waters at Goodyear after he received the most recent e-mail I sent in. At this time it's very likely this tire will be put back in production. They did not realize the demand until the supply was cut off so now it's a matter of basically cutting through the red tape and getting production going again. They're made in Japan and he said it will likely take at least 90 days for them to get going again but they're on it. The matching rear tires will likely continue to be produced as well although he said they have plenty of those in stock anyway.

Phil seemed like a very cool guy and he gave me his e-mail address and his cell phone number. I will not post it here because there doesn't seem to be any need to bug the poor guy to death. I think he "gets it". He said he'll get in touch with me as things progress.

Thanks to everybody that sent in an e-mail. A little concentrated effort can go a long way.

When they come back, make sure you buy a couple. I know I'll be slowly stocking up on them while I can.

[honda250sx]

EXCELLENTE!!!!

Good news. This was almost as bad as thinking the Cheng Shin C826 ice tires were no more. Not the case either.

[1BFC]

Nice work Bro! And good job to everyone that emailed and "did their part."

It's nice to have a good change of events every now and then

[chris200x]

Good! Now I got a reason to drink tonight! I'm glad it worked out for you guys. Did someone send the top brass that ebay link? just curious..

Good for those ebay vultures too! ...

[Macs]

I bet whoever won that tire on ebay feels like an idiot

[85200xrider]

haha i was thinkin the same thing barry..... looks like our emails paid off!!!!!

[Dammit!]

Did someone send the top brass that ebay link? just curious..

I did.

I got the automated response from my first e-mail, I then responded to that asking for an e-mail address for someone with decision making authority, I got a response to that e-mail today simply asking what I needed help with. I responded to that one with this monster.

Hi. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll try not to let this get too long winded but please bare with me.

I was writing in to open a line of communication regarding a recently discontinued tire. The Dunlop kt576. This tire is/was made for the 1985-1986 Honda ATC 250R three wheeler but also fit several other models.

What I'm trying to do is bring it to the attention of someone at Dunlop/Goodyear that discontinuing this tire is a mistake. It is by far the most desired front tire option for all of the Honda sport trikes and one of only three available options in a knobby tire in that size (not to mention the best of those three options by a mile). The only other options are Kenda's Front Max and a knobby tire by Cheng Shin. Other than those, utility quad tires are all that's available and none of them work well for three wheelers.

I've spoken with many dealers. ALL of whom would order more of this model if it were made available again. One single tire sold on ebay just last night for, get this, $372! I'm not kidding! Here is the link to the auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/85-86...Q5fAccessories

(I hope that works, you might have to copy and paste it)

If this doesn't prove how in demand this tire is, how about any of the multitudes of forum threads on the internet from people searching for them? Here's just one.

http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/s...ad.php?t=94760

There has to be a solution that works for everyone. A re-issue would be best but if that's not in the cards, would Dunlop be willing to sell the mold? I've spoken to a dealer that wants to buy it and have the tire made by another manufacturer. If that won't work, how about a one time group buy so only tires that are pre-sold get made? I'm sure I could arrange this to be done through a single dealer to make it simple for everyone. Like I said, there's a solution here where the customers get the product they need and your company makes money. That's what it's all about right?

If you could give me the name and mailing address for a person who has the ability to make a decision regarding this, I'd be happy to send my thoughts to him via regular US mail. Your company is in business to make money and there's absolutely a market for this tire.

Thank you once again for your time and please, do not just discount this message because it's a discontinued product. There have been similar situations where a discontinued tire has been re-issued due to popular demand and I think this case fits the profile.

Sincerely,

Doug Notter

P.S. I can also be reached by phone at ((edited)).

I got the call a couple hours after that.

We should do this more often.

[ceaserthethird]

YESSSSSSS !

I'll be buying 3-5 front's A-SAP !

[Dammit!]

How sure a thing is this? I'll wait to celebrate until I see them for sale again.

According to who I spoke with it sounded like a pretty sure thing. I wouldn't sell any extras you have or anything but I'm pretty optimistic at this point.

[Buster Brown]

I just want to personally thank and everyone else who took the time to help make this a likely possibility! I am so happy! That is such great news! Lets keep our fingers crossed.

[petesatc]

Nice Job buddy!!!!

[Orangecnty250r]

Pretty amazing!!!!! Is HOOSIER next?? I'd even settle for an uncut version I can take to someone to cut a vintage tread pattern in.

[ATV4life1]

Big thanks to Doug and everyone else who contributed to the thread about the KT576 tire and took the time to write Dunlop.

Well Done!!

[tri-Z ripper]

sounds pretty sweet to me

[KillerBox]

I sent my e-mail off for you all about 2 days ago. They responded today (03/11/09) with the following e-mail to me:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your Dunlop ATV tire
questions. Unfortunately, the Dunlop KT576 has been discontinued and is no
longer available. We're very sorry.

awittmeyer@dunloptire.com