Elite 4 Discontinued

[GrandpaDenny]

Hi guys. Dunlop has discontinued the Elite 4. I managed to scrape one up after much searching. Almost as difficult as finding size 15 shoes!

[cushman eagle]

That is a surprise ,as it has only been out a couple years
I have been pleased with both of mine.but have not had them on long enough to find the life of them.

[GrandpaDenny]

Yeah, with no warning and no replacement. The dealer I spoke with said that the E4s have been out for five years. I didn't know that; I'd gotten the impression (from you guys, of course) that it had only recently come out. I've been reading a few forums, and apparently as well as the E4s work on our VXIIs, the Gold Wing crowd hate them. Could be because of the different size? Most of the complaints from them seem to be because of the centerline groove - wandering on rain grooves and bridge grates. Hell, I've never ridden a bike that didn't follow rain grooves and wander on bridge grates, regardless of the brand of tire. So... <shrug> I don't know. But, as in most things, they don't all agree - some love them, some hate them. They don't speak too highly of the mileage on them, either. Could be because the modern Gold Wing is, what, 200 pounds heavier than a VXII?

So, the E4 came out while the E3 was still available, from what I gather (partially since some E3s are still available). The E4 was discontinued without a replacement. The dealer suggested the American Elite, or Michelins, or Metzgers, or Continentals all for the same price since he didn't have the E4 in stock after I'd ordered it. I told him I'd call him back after doing some research (as in asking you guys); he called me back five minutes later saying he found one at his brick-and-mortar store and it was on the way.

So, the new E4 front tire is to arrive Wednesday. Thursday I plan to drop Gertrude off at the shop and get the front tire replaced, the speedometer receiver replaced (new one is on the way), the front wheel bearings and steering stem checked and serviced if necessary, and the fork and shock oil changed.

[Steverides5]

On my 93 Electra Glide I ran Dunlop 505 I think for many years. The last pair was E4 and found they wore out quicker than the 505. Got a big flat spot on rear. The last set my local multi dealer only had Michelin Commanders. I am using Commanders on my 1700 now and find them to give good mileage but at the price of road feel that isn't as good as the Metzler 888 I had on the 1700 previously.

[VoyKimmer]

Yes Dunlop is out. When looking for a new front tire for my 96 due to not my front E3 not being worn out but because it was so hard hitting a big bump cracked my front fender. I could not find anything from Dunlop that would fit except the American elite and the 404. When calling Dunlop they recommended the 404. I told them our voyager history on the 404 was not good. They said they never heard of such a thing and was very rude. I was leaning towards the pirelli’s and called there tech support. I wasn’t impressed with who I talked to so I went with
Gene’s suggestion on the Avon Cobra Chrome and I’m glad I got it. Nice tire. I will not buy another Dunlop Tire.

[HMB Don]

After I read this I emailed Dunlop and got a prompt reply.
The reply was they have discontinued manufacturing E-4 is sizes that weren't selling. The Voyager 12 tire sizes fell into those sizes.

A short review of the E-4. I had one mounted on a 2007 Gold Wing trike. After 17,000 miles it still has a little more than 3/32 tread depth in the center. This is the only tire I haven't had to replace between 10,000 and 12,000 miles. Not because of wear but because they get flat in the middle and become hard to steer. I have thrown out many tires with 5/32s left in the center.

[GrandpaDenny]

Gertrude has her new E4 on the front. Matched set of new E4s front and rear now. I get what you mean about the E3 being hard - sheesh I thought I was going to lose my teeth on a few bumps with the old front tire! With the new tire, and 8 lbs. air in the front fork, WOW she rides and handles MUCH nicer. Like a totally different bike. Wheel bearings and steering stem both checked out A-OK.

On the other hand, the speedo receiver is good, and the cable and speedo itself are good. So, the problem must be in the gear ass'y.

[Neal]

If I remember right they had the E4's available for about 3 years before we could get the 15 inch.

[bikerking.biz]

Hey guys, I placed a call to Dunlop about a couple days ago, and they tell me the Elite 4 is still a current model, but is on back order. While there is Elite 4's still in stock for several sizes (at least on my site under the M/C Parts & Accessories/Tires/Street Bike/Dunlop), there is none currently listed for the 130/90B16 which is what we use for the Voyager XII's front wheel in either the Elite 3 or 4. Dunlop told me that they are to go into production again in about the middle of March, and should begin to arrive most places by the start of April or a little after. Let's hope. I need one too!

[GrandpaDenny]

That's good news, Thanks

[HMB Don]

Hate to tell the bad news but the E4 that they're going to produce will not be in Voyager 1200 sizes. They didn't sell enough E4 tires for the 1200

Big bummer

[bikerking.biz]

Apparently the Dunlop rep that I talked to didn't know that. There is more than the Voyager 1200's I've been told that the 16inch front E4's fit, so I may have to call again, and see just what the hek is up with these. Thanks Don.

[HMB Don]

I got the same reply, man was I happy. I then asked if that included the tire sizes for the Voyager 12. That was when he gave me the sad news.

Now I've been using the American Elite for 150,000 miles. Yes these are very stiff tires, but that's what makes them so good for heavy bikes like the Kawasaki Voyagers.

What to do if your motorcycle rides to stiff? First use lighter weight fork oil (ATF) on my 1200 I used Amsoil 10#. On my 1700, i use Amsoil 5#. You can also experiment with less volume of oil in the forks. Less air in the forks if still using the stock fork springs. Last lower the tire pressure a little. These are all the very inexpensive tips.

The best tip is install the Race Tech front springs and Modulator.

[bikerking.biz]

Finally, after several days working with my supplier and Dunlop, I was able to confirm the following information:

The Dunlop Elite 4 for the rear tire of Voyager XII's in size 150/90B 15 have, in fact, been totally discontinued. You may find a few dealers or others who have some of these in stock previous to the discontinuance. My suppliers are indicating there is none available from them.

The Dunlop Elite 4 for the FRONT of the Voyager XII's in size 130/90B 16 is however still available on a made to order basis from distributors. Currently, Dunlop themselves are set to make more of those because some distributors have ordered them. They should be available starting around April 1 or thereafter from major suppliers.

With that said, although my supplier's site does not currently show the 130/90B 16 on their site as available, I have worked with them to find approximately 8 of these tires available that can be ordered through the link below. There were 9 tires, but I ordered one myself

So if anyone is wanting one of these tires now, and don't want to wait until later in the year, I would suggest ordering real soon before these few are gone and you will have to wait. Before you order, make sure cookies are enabled on your computer, and if you have any software that disables cookies or tracking, to disable these features temporarily so the order can be tracked correctly. The tires can be ordered through this link: https://shrsl.com/25k70

If you do order one (or more) of these tires, I ask that you PM me with your order date, and amount ordered, so I can confirm correct tracking on these orders. Hope this helps those (like me) who want these tires as they do work great for the Voyager XII's!

P.S. I will hold off for a few days before announcing the availability of these tires on my Facebook page (and website) to give anyone first chance here to get theirs. Thanks!

[GrandpaDenny]

I see the E4s are still listed on Amazon, but substantially higher in price. About $160 for the front, almost $200 for the rear. I guess there's still a few hanging on out there somewhere.

[GrandpaDenny]

FYI Dennis Kirk has six 130/90-16 Elite 4 front tires in stock. No rear tires. $147.88 that's a great price.