They definitely watch the bottom line on cost but if their motorcycles started killing people because they put 10 cent tires on it isn't really a good thing to have come to light. Bridgestones are a top of the line tire use on many high performance pieces so I don't see as where they skimped on quality here. Like I said before Suzuki put Dunlop Elite3's on their M109R's and were very reliable and very good performers, I can attest to that fact as I used to put them thru there paces on the twisty roads around me here in Michigan. The Stones are performing admirably on my new 6. I still say quality has a lot to do with their decision along with price.