KH16 Kuhmo in 175/55-15 just rode. WOW

[SAMBILLIE]

KH16 Kuhmo in 175/55-15. First impressions
1. Bought off amazon, had installed by a local motorcycle shop. Asked for pressure of 22. They had no problem mounting. I have not had any issue with rubbing.(morning very cold pressure was 21.2, warmest after riding was 22.8, but physics of gas expansion is beyond todays topic)

2. Had six 10-15 mile rides on rural roads, twistys: GRIPS the road LIKE GLUE. Zero wind effect. No sway in cross winds or cupped roads. Need less throttle on twistys(i like the whip effect of accerating through turns, and had to dial it back as the tires did the heavy work.)

3. Went out yesterday for a long ride on route 80 in nj. Plenty of large truckasaurous as usual. First half of ride was 15-20 mile winds. Would normally be swaying uncomfortably and would slow to 55 at most. With new tires found myself passing trucks and in the low 80's with a solid car like grip, no sway and no added vibration. On way back however, wind gusts were in the 35mph range. I had to slow down and work, but still felt in control. With the stock Kendra's i would not have been able to ride at all.
4. The dreaded 73mph belt vibration/grinding. We are have our own little manuevers to minimize the vibration inherent to these machines(acceleration/deceleration rates, different gears etc) i found with these new tires the vibration was still there(always felt more like a grinding to me) and is helped with the same manuevers. However, THE INTENSITY OF THE VIBRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MUTED.( bajaron did help some in past)

as a newby to riding with 11000 miles on my first of any kind bike a 2015RT i would say BY FAR THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT UPGRADE/MODIFICATION FOR ME.(and trust me, i have most of them except the laser alignment for which im praying the folks over at netzley get healthy soon(for them not for selfish reasons)

[Peter Aawen]

Glad you enjoyed it all. Good tires make a fantastic difference, don't they!! :thumbup:

[PW2013STL]

I agree - the best handling bang per buck there is :firstplace:

Since I went from 18# to 20# no more rubbing for me :yes:

[SPYD3R]

i installed the KUMHO's at all 3 corners of my RS back in 2009, and i put well over 40,000 miles on them... 2 out back, and 1 set up front.... and i'll say like you, "the best upgrade" is what they are...
now on my F3, i have the KUMHO out back and HANKOOK up front, and i find the HANKOOK are even better than the KUMHO's.... i just hope they give me as much mileage as the KUMHO's did....
great choice, keep us posted...
Dan p
SPYD3R

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

KH16 Kuhmo in 175/55-15. First impressions
1. Bought off amazon, had installed by a local motorcycle shop. Asked for pressure of 22. They had no problem mounting. I have not had any issue with rubbing.(morning very cold pressure was 21.2, warmest after riding was 22.8, but physics of gas expansion is beyond todays topic)

2. Had six 10-15 mile rides on rural roads, twistys: GRIPS the road LIKE GLUE. Zero wind effect. No sway in cross winds or cupped roads. Need less throttle on twistys(i like the whip effect of accerating through turns, and had to dial it back as the tires did the heavy work.)

3. Went out yesterday for a long ride on route 80 in nj. Plenty of large truckasaurous as usual. First half of ride was 15-20 mile winds. Would normally be swaying uncomfortably and would slow to 55 at most. With new tires found myself passing trucks and in the low 80's with a solid car like grip, no sway and no added vibration. On way back however, wind gusts were in the 35mph range. I had to slow down and work, but still felt in control. With the stock Kendra's i would not have been able to ride at all.
4. The dreaded 73mph belt vibration/grinding. We are have our own little manuevers to minimize the vibration inherent to these machines(acceleration/deceleration rates, different gears etc) i found with these new tires the vibration was still there(always felt more like a grinding to me) and is helped with the same manuevers. However, THE INTENSITY OF THE VIBRATION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MUTED.( bajaron did help some in past)

as a newby to riding with 11000 miles on my first of any kind bike a 2015RT i would say BY FAR THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT UPGRADE/MODIFICATION FOR ME.(and trust me, i have most of them except the laser alignment for which im praying the folks over at netzley get healthy soon(for them not for selfish reasons)


I also use Kumho KH16's. I had them put on May5th and now have over 40,000 miles on the pair. Getting near replacement but should last the year.
Good tires, will buy again. Mine are 155-60-15

Buckeye Chuck

[AeroPilot]

She has 20,000 on them and they still have about 3 mm over the wearbars. I have two more to put on my RT when I get around to it sometime before next summer. They seem to have the ride and wear characteristics that we like. :thumbup:

[southjerseyrider]

What are the trade offs moving from OEM tire to this Kuhmo? The advantages look good, are there any disadvantages we should be aware of?

Thanks
Ed

[SAMBILLIE]

So far none for me. Tire is wider, no rubbing. Had out after roads were salted for a small snow yesterday (smart right?). Drove well. The only real issue is getting someone to mount them. Try a local motorcycle dealer if you have no other options.




What are the trade offs moving from OEM tire to this Kuhmo? The advantages look good, are there any disadvantages we should be aware of?

Thanks
Ed

[AeroPilot]

What are the trade offs moving from OEM tire to this Kuhmo? The advantages look good, are there any disadvantages we should be aware of?

Thanks
Ed

and you may tend to push your limits in the twisties? :yes:I don't have Jimmy Johnsons talent or perception of grip and handling, but my wife likes them, so just like I followed her to three wheels, I'm all in for running these tires. I know she tends to run a little faster than me now (with my OEM Kendas) so maybe its a way for me to keep up!

[blanmgr]

I agree - the best handling bang per buck there is :firstplace:

Since I went from 18# to 20# no more rubbing for me :yes:

What do you mean you went from 18# to 20#?

What size tires are you running and will they work on my RTS 2015? I only had 15,000 and my tires were just about bald when I replaced them (OEM) a month ago on just 18 months on them.

LV

[PW2013STL]

What do you mean you went from 18# to 20#?

What size tires are you running and will they work on my RTS 2015? I only had 15,000 and my tires were just about bald when I replaced them (OEM) a month ago on just 18 months on them.

LV

What I mean is that I started off by running 18 pounds of presser in the front tires, but started to get rubbing on the lower inside fender-more so on the right side. By increasing the pressue to 20 ponds the rubbing stopped.

Size is 175/55R-15 and yes they will work on yours.

[Olddude39]

i installed the KUMHO's at all 3 corners of my RS back in 2009, and i put well over 40,000 miles on them... 2 out back, and 1 set up front.... and i'll say like you, "the best upgrade" is what they are...
now on my F3, i have the KUMHO out back and HANKOOK up front, and i find the HANKOOK are even better than the KUMHO's.... i just hope they give me as much mileage as the KUMHO's did....
great choice, keep us posted...
Dan p
SPYD3R

Glad to hear you like the Hankooks. Was wondering if I had made a mistake. Haven't put them on yet as the Kenda's on the front are doing pretty well at 9k miles.I chose the Hankooks over the Kumho's just because I like the tread pattern better. I feel better about the choice now after reading your post. Thanks

[Peteoz]

Glad to hear you like the Hankooks. Was wondering if I had made a mistake. Haven't put them on yet as the Kenda's on the front are doing pretty well at 9k miles.I chose the Hankooks over the Kumho's just because I like the tread pattern better. I feel better about the choice now after reading your post. Thanks

Mind you, in the 6 years that have passed since this thread was last active, the Hankooks you have bought are most likely completely different models, Olddude ;) :thumbup:

Pete