A note on tire compounds.

[Dan McNally]

I don't think I was complaining . . . just stating that I think BRP should offer both types of tires and let the owner decide which tire is a better suited for that particular owner's riding profile, rather than making one choice for us all . . .

[safecracker]

Steve, thank you for the heads up. I still will be putting on a car tire, though....h

[BajaRon]

I don't mean to get on any one person or any single post. I'm just throwing my thoughts into the ring along with everyone else's. This pie is much bigger than we may realize.

Race car tires cost hundreds of dollars each and don't even get to the end of a 500 mile race. If money were no object I'm sure BRP could come up with a tire that would get both more miles and better traction. There are quite a few parameters that BRP is trying to maximize. It appears that they are genuinely TRYING to align their priorities with ours. But you know that even we don't agree among ourselves. Take just the subject of oil, for example.

Believe me, it can be a very tough, if not near impossible task.

Some manufacturers would never post on any forum like this. I know that all of us appreciate BRP's involvement here. My concern is if we beat them up for trying, they may quit. None of us want that.

I, for one, very much appreciate that BRP makes meaningful posts here on Spyderlovers. We are free to complain when we need to. And we can also say thank you when we get a positive response from the manufacturer.

[Bob Denman]

Thanks, Ron...
But I like Canola oil...

[cuznjohn]

i have been thinking about this, and than that's when i get in trouble. after some thought i feel they don't need to replace the tires for us. if the tire was defective or unsafe i would demand a replacement. but being it is a safe tire and just has less tread life than i changed my mind about the whole issue. now if we could find a better griping tire with longer tread life that would be the tire they should supply when you buy a buy a bike or replace the tire you have.

well i did change my mind

[NovaSpyder]

I have been somewhat surprised at all the discussions on the longevity of the rear tires. Over 35 years of 2 wheel riding i never got 10k out of a rear tire. The lowest mileage was on soft compound tires for my Suzuki Katana 1100, perhaps 4k, but oh boy would that thing stick.

Now I have an RT, along with a ST1100, and for the RT I would prefer the harder compound but I do like Hayfield's comment about offering a performance tire vs a touring tire. I'll be 'sticking' with the Kendas. I do thoroughly enjoy other peoples perspectives though.

[Orange Spyder Man]

When the new OEM tires that wore out so quickly... doesn't it make you wonder why they are going back to the old compound ????????? If they were so safe... why change ????? ...kinda a little double talk I think

[OJ UK]

doesn't it make you wonder why they are going back to the old compound ?????????

Many Spyder owners complained that the later tyres didn't last as long as the original harder compound. No double talk!
Soft compounds give more grip than hard compounds but don't last for as many miles. So BRP have gone back to the old harder compound
as a response to all of the complaints. There was nothing wrong with the softer compound from a safety point of view but they
simply didn't last as long.

[adlereins]

How about the softer compound on the RS & ST and harder on the RT. . . . or would that make sense.
Allen B.

[DrewNJ]

How about the softer compound on the RS & ST and harder on the RT. . . . or would that make sense.
Allen B.

How about putting the RT on a diet so it doesn't wear tires out so fast?... [emoji12]

[BajaRon]

How about the softer compound on the RS & ST and harder on the RT. . . . or would that make sense.
Allen B.

Doing a bit of speculation my feeling is that with the greater low end torque with the 1330 ACE motor, BRP may have wanted to give that rear tire a bit more grip. You're getting a double whammy. Higher torque needs more traction. But at the same time higher torque is harder on a tire resulting in far less tire mileage.

Those who want their cake and eat it too are often disappointed.

[Chupaca]

glad you posted this info. I have had great results with Kenda and now understand this change...

[PW2013STL]

I am glad that BRP is listening to us and made the change, but I do find it interesting that when I changed out the softer more grippy stock rear tire for a harder 4 ply car tire (Kumho Ecsta AST) tire that the handling improved along with the milage (9000 miles and still looking good).
I do think that the Spyder being classified as a motorcycle hurts BRP ability to source tires since they have to put on motorcycle specified tires and there just not a lot of tire companies that will outlay the cash to build so few tires.

[pwilbarger]

I just traded in my '10 with a bald rear tire that was put on in Apr of '13. It only had 11k on it. The original factory tire it replaced had 14k and still had some tread life left but had a puncture. Is there a way to tell if the '14 RT-Ltd I just bought has the softer compound? Or do I just have to wait for it to wear out?


Spyder Phyl
2014 RT-Ltd, Cognac and Time Black 2010 RT-622 trailer.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dudley]

Thanks for the post. I will go back to the Kenda on my next tire change. It would also be nice to have another manufacturer qualified. It is tough to pay $179 for a two ply tire when you can get a 4 ply for under $90.

So why buy the Kenda when you can get a better tire for a lot less money? I haven't had an OEM tire on my 2010 RT which has 52,000 miles since I replaced it at 10,000 miles with a Kumho Ecsta and have been using Kumho ever since.. The Spyder has no idea what kind of tire I install and the way I drive I surely don't need a softer compound. But to each his own.

[flaggerphil]

When the new OEM tires that wore out so quickly... doesn't it make you wonder why they are going back to the old compound ????????? If they were so safe... why change ????? ...kinda a little double talk I think

He told us exactly why they changed. Very straightforward. No double talk at all.

Or did you actually read it?

[BikerDoc]

You all complain about everything! Wow!! Like a room full of senior citizens and children!

Softer compound tires grip better and provide superior performance while sacrificing tread life. They are not "substandard" or "low quality". Many performance nuts pay MORE for softer compound performance tires because grip is more important than tread life.

[ThreeWheels]

Too many posts to read all of the comments.
Nevertheless, I'll chime in with my own. I'm sure others have said this already.

I appreciate the fact that BRP is trying to improve the tires. I am pleased that they seem responsive to our needs.
However in my opinion, the best improvement would be to make the specifications more general, ie size and air pressure, and allow other manufacturers to supply tires to the Spyder.

That way, individuals could tailor the tires on their Spyders to match their own riding style.

[rnet]

If BRP would like to improve their rear tire, they would make it so it the tire wear would be even across the tire. Wear mileage would greatly improve with a better designed tire. This is why using car tires gives you better results without sacrificing traction.

[PMK]

As some here have already noticed, BRP has brought back the rear tire compound for the Spyder RT from 2012 and prior. Since this June, any rear tire ordered will last longer (at the expense of some high-speed performance) than the pre-May '14 tire that generated certain longevity concerns.

Note that the pre-May '14 2014 tire is not defective - the compound used was softer so it was considered a higher-performing tire, but it did not achieve the same mileage as previous (and the previous and now current) tire compound.

A production change took place in June. All Spyders produced from that date ship have a rear tire with the longer lasting compound. Although we saw many benefits from the newer, softer tire compound, we heard the concerns folks about longevity and decided to revert back to the previous one.

Are both tire compounds available from BRP dealers or has Kenda stopped producing the softer tire.

Thanks
Paul

[MouthPiece]

I don't mean to get on any one person or any single post. I'm just throwing my thoughts into the ring along with everyone else's. This pie is much bigger than we may realize.

Race car tires cost hundreds of dollars each and don't even get to the end of a 500 mile race. If money were no object I'm sure BRP could come up with a tire that would get both more miles and better traction. There are quite a few parameters that BRP is trying to maximize. It appears that they are genuinely TRYING to align their priorities with ours. But you know that even we don't agree among ourselves. Take just the subject of oil, for example.

Believe me, it can be a very tough, if not near impossible task.

Some manufacturers would never post on any forum like this. I know that all of us appreciate BRP's involvement here. My concern is if we beat them up for trying, they may quit. None of us want that.

I, for one, very much appreciate that BRP makes meaningful posts here on Spyderlovers. We are free to complain when we need to. And we can also say thank you when we get a positive response from the manufacturer.

I have been somewhat surprised at all the discussions on the longevity of the rear tires. Over 35 years of 2 wheel riding i never got 10k out of a rear tire. The lowest mileage was on soft compound tires for my Suzuki Katana 1100, perhaps 4k, but oh boy would that thing stick.

Now I have an RT, along with a ST1100, and for the RT I would prefer the harder compound but I do like Hayfield's comment about offering a performance tire vs a touring tire. I'll be 'sticking' with the Kendas. I do thoroughly enjoy other peoples perspectives though.

Voices of reason!!!! Thank you BRP.

​Chris (There are others too. Just chose these two.)

[billrob71]

The ole tire discussion

Thanks for the info Steve.


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[shelbydave]

I don't think I was complaining . . . just stating that I think BRP should offer both types of tires and let the owner decide which tire is a better suited for that particular owner's riding profile, rather than making one choice for us all . . .

What you said makes sense, and from Kenda's standpoint, it should be possible. I noticed that the tread pattern on the '14s were different than on my '12, so use the newer mold for the softer material, and the older mold for the harder material. Now you have 2 tires that you can visibly see the difference, one for touring, and one for performance.

[Orange Spyder Man]

He told us exactly why they changed. Very straightforward. No double talk at all.

Or did you actually read it?

Yep I read it.. but I don't buy their excuse... a $160 2 ply tire ? and it won't last 10K miles... I did not buy a race bike...I bought a RT... so I don't need a race tire..... my GoldWing's tires lasted a lot longer... so don't tell me no one can build a better tire..... & I for one won't buy another Kenda, .. there are other better choices..

[Bob Denman]

So why buy the Kenda when you can get a better tire for a lot less money?

There are a couple of reasons that could come into play...
1. You have a dealer who won't slap anything but a Kenda on the bike...
2. You're worried about insurance companies denying claims if your tires don't carry the "Approved for Motorcycle use" stamp of approval.

Run what your conscience allows...