Rear Tire on the RT-S

[Kelly1952]

Approx. how many miles should the factory rear tire on a 2014 RT-S last?

[2Paw]

I got 8500 on mine but have seen others say they have gotten as much as 12000 on theirs, so maybe somewhere in between would be a safe bet.

[bzbaeren]

I have 11,500 and I think that replacement within 2,000 is probably going to happen.

[Kelly1952]

I got 8500 on mine but have seen others say they have gotten as much as 12000 on theirs, so maybe somewhere in between would be a safe bet.

Well, guess I don't feel to bad about 12,000 miles!!! BUT, bought our RT-S SE6 July 18,2014, at that rate (7 months), it is gonna be expensive on tires!!!!!

[Chupaca]

sorry it is so hard to predict the range with all the variables out there. The 14's had a compound change which has tossed everyone for a loop. So on the basis of that the range is 5,000 (new compound since changed) to the 22,000 I got so can confirm. But rough guesstamate 10 to12,000 RT east coast....

[Highwayman2013]

TIRE THREAD! There are options to the Kendas.

[Cruzr Joe]

2014 RT-S barely made it to 5,000 miles before i changed it

Cruzr joe

[Pennyrick]

Well, guess I don't feel to bad about 12,000 miles!!! BUT, bought our RT-S SE6 July 18,2014, at that rate (7 months), it is gonna be expensive on tires!!!!!

Have you driven two wheelers before? I never got much more than 5-7,000 miles on any bike I have owned, so getting 10,000 out of a Spyder rear is moving up to me.

The compound used is much softer than car tires. (except for Vettes and Jags)

[Orange Spyder Man]

I took off the OEM "kenda" off my 2014 RT when my Spyder had less than 300 miles.. I don't like sub-standard 2-ply tires on my ride !

osm

[ARtraveler]

Lots of possibilities here because of the variables.

BRP went to a softer compound on the early 2014's. Many were getting around 5,000 miles if they were lucky. I got 8,900 miles before I changed mine out. I seem to be one of the high mileage rear tire persons.

The replacement tire I got was supposed to be from the "old" compound. We will see how that goes this season.

That said, all my prior 's got 13K to 15K on the rear tires. The 2011 has 16K but is going to get a new tire when I bring it in for service once we get it going for spring.

I am not an aggressive driver so I am guessing that contributes to what I have been experiencing.

That brings up the "complaint" issues which have been discussed.

I cannot use other brands because my dealer will not install them. I do not have the mechanical ability to change out my own rear tires.

The cost is another factor. $180 or so for the rear tire, plus the labor to change it out, makes it easily a $300 job every time I need a new rear tire.

[MikeinGA]

Have you driven two wheelers before? I never got much more than 5-7,000 miles on any bike I have owned, so getting 10,000 out of a Spyder rear is moving up to me.

The compound used is much softer than car tires. (except for Vettes and Jags)

The same with me on two wheelers. The biggest problem with the RT's is that their heaver than the RS's and use the same rubber compound. My friend of mine has a 2011 RT LTD and got about over 15,000 on his rear tire and has over 23,000 on the fronts. I check his rear tire for correct alignment when he comes over to my garage to change his oil. While he changes his oil and the wear pattern of his front tires. To get good mileage on a Spyder tire, the front and rear must be have the correct alignment. You also better gas mileage, and better handling. That's IMHO.

Mike

PS I had a 1965 Jag XKE in 1968 and was lucky to get 15,000 miles, but that car drove like it was glued to the road.

[JayBros]

If you notice in the 2014 RT parts manual the part number for the rear tire, 705501604, is listed as not available but the one for the 2015 RTs, the harder compound #705501464, is available at the same price as the soft compound. I hope to have at least 5,000 left on my original tire before replacement. At that time the issue will be whether to try the harder compound or go to a Kumho Ecsta AST. At that time I will be interested to hear about traction experience with the Kumho as well as how new 2015 owners are doing on the harder compound.

[Highwayman2013]

I can only give my experience with the old tire on our 2012. Pretty much shot after the 2013 season with 8700 miles on it. Put on a 215/60/15 Michelin Primacy on the rear. It is primarily ridden by my wife but I also ride it when allowed. The first thing I noticed was a smoother ride, possibly from the taller sidewall as we are running the air pressure at 28 psi as we did with the Kenda tire. Wet traction seems to be about the same and my wife reports she can tell no difference from one tire to the other. I think it handles fine and am not afraid to push it in the corners. The bike has been laser aligned and new front tires have been fitted (185/65/14 General Altima's) after the front Kendas started to wobble and it could not be balanced out at 14,000 miles. Just checked the Michelin and it has 7/32 tread left at 8300 miles on it or 17,000 on the bike. The best part is the speedo is within 1 mph of the GPS. Hope this helps.

[Flamewinger]

I am in the process of replacing my tire right now. Just over 10k on the OEM. I checked with the only dealer that we have and they will not install anything other than a Kenda OEM. So I'm doing it myself. Putting Kuhmo on. I asked if I could get the harder compound and was told "You get what we have or get from BRP". If its the newer tire then your lucky otherwise if they have any soft ones in stock, thats what you'll get. My Goldwing got 16-21K miles, and is a true motorcycle tire, I expect the same out of the fat tire we have.