I did get an email response from Mitas; it was much like the one that EricV received. Since the email did ask for feedback, I responded. This is the response I gave to Mitas:
Miodrag Ristić
Sales Manager
Mitas Motorcycle Tires and Tubes
Sir:
Thank you for your prompt response to my email.
I can appreciate your company’s intent to produce a better tire; innovation is the soul of profitability. Your new design is intended to please the riders of large size adventure style bikes, and my opinion as one of the riders of such a bike is that the new version of the E07 that you’ve produced is not the tire that many of us who valued the old version wanted.
My contention is that, by enhancing the other characteristics of your tire at the expense of its longevity, you’ve produced a tire that is basically like many other adventure oriented tires currently on the market. It’s better than some, and not as good as others. The incredible longevity of the old E07 was a huge factor in my choosing it, and many riders in the adventure bike community feel the same. The longevity was a quality that made your tire stand out from all the other tires in the pack. It’s not that you’ve produced a bad tire; only that you’ve removed the one feature that made so many of us choose it over a TKC80, or a Battlax 41, or a Shinko 705, or any one of the other numerous tires marketed to our segment of motorcyclists.
Many of us in the adventure bike community log many, many miles on our bikes. It’s not unusual for me to put 15,000 miles (24,000 kilometers) on my bike in a year, and I’m by no means exceptional among adventure bike riders. Your tire and the Heidenau K60 Scout were the two giants in the field as far as many long distance riders were concerned. After much research, I chose your E07, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was a phenomenal tire that provided all the necessary road and off pavement manners, plus it could be relied on for a trip across the US and back without stopping for a tire change. Had you not changed its design, I would have continued with your E07 for the forseeable future. By removing that longevity, you’ve removed the E07 as the “go-to” tire for me, and for many others.
Once again, I ask that you reconsider ceasing production of the E07 in the big adventure bike sizes.
I'm well aware that this will have no effect on Mitas' decision, but sometimes you just have to scream at the hurricane.