Can-Am's position on tires

[Fatcycledaddy]

Which Kuhmo-- Was that the AST? Posts like yours are really helpful -- now I know what to watch for. Thanks. The good news is that in the last 5 years, I haven't ridden in the rain once...

Kumho Ecsta AST. Ran it with 20 PSI two up towing the trailer. Tire was wearing nice and even all the way across the tread. It was good in the rain the first years trip.
Unfortunately when we are on a trip, we do ride in the rain. Last trip to WV and VA it rained 4 out of 7 days.

[lvmyspyder]

Thank you for this post. It's one thing to look at a manufacture's web page and look at the tire ratings, but the real test is how do these things perform in the real world with real conditions.

[ChicagoSpyder]

with Peter.... currently the Best tire today is still the Vredestein Q-5 ( fronts 165/60-15 - rear 205/60 or 65 -15 ) ..... others are OK but stay away from the Kumho, quite a few folks here have re-ported they loose WET traction at about 12-15,000 mi. and even tho you may not ride much in the rain ..... that's when you really need traction ...... Mike

Overnighted in La Crosse, WI Saturday, yesterday morn was rain RT. 33 to La Valle great road and my 6000 mile Kenda wasn't up to the task tire spinning on soft third gear shifts, let's not talk about dead stops and all the great curves in Wildcat State Park. The last 30 miles Hustiford to West Bend WI was 54F and a cold ass rain, wanted to hammer it back but 45-60 was at the limit.

I was talking about changing the tires out last fall as they were already just about at the wear indicator, and after Saturday they were bald in the center, just junk.

If BuRP wasn't so greedy they would have just fit these Spyder's with a more common size tire from day one.

[pidjones]

Back when the GL1800 GoldWing was in development, Honda gave specs to Bridgestone and Dunlop to develop tires for it - sight unseen. This was told to us at a GoldWing rally by Dunlop engineers at a Q&A session. Now, Bridgestone and Dunlop have obtained test bikes since and developed several new tires for the GL1800 as well as Avon, Metzler, Continental and even (briefly) Shinko. If all of that development went into keeping GoldWingers happy, you would think that Kenda and others would "get with it".

[UtahPete]

It is not a technical issue, and the money aspect is secondary. It's a regulatory issue. Every tire manufactured for sale in the US must comply with the NHTSA regulations for vehicle tires. One of the requirements is the tire manufacturer cannot sell a tire for a particular use unless they have tested and certified it as suitable for that particular use, hence the letter P or LT, meaning Passenger vehicle or Light Truck in the tire designation. The words on the side of the Kenda do mean something. They mean the tire is designed and tested as suitable for use on a Can Am. Same with Slingshots. Suitable for use is why some tires are labeled "Not for highway use" or "Special Trailer".

It's a money issue in that I'll bet most tire companies do not see a sufficiently large market with Spyder owners to justify the cost of certifying their tires for Spyder use, so they don't market them. What we do not know is if there is in the archives of the major tire companies test data or engineering analysis that shows car tires really are not suited for light weight vehicles. Our experience shows CTs work very well, but none of us has the expertise or test data (not usage data) to unequivocally prove that CTs work great for Spyders. And for all we know BRP may have engineering or test data that shows CT are, or are not, ideal for Spyders. And you can be sure when the Spyder was initially being developed it was a lot easier to let Kenda tackle the engineering of tires than for BRP to do it. The big name tire companies probably wouldn't give BRP the time of day let alone seriously discuss providing tires.

[UtahPete]

Back when the GL1800 GoldWing was in development, Honda gave specs to Bridgestone and Dunlop to develop tires for it - sight unseen. This was told to us at a GoldWing rally by Dunlop engineers at a Q&A session. Now, Bridgestone and Dunlop have obtained test bikes since and developed several new tires for the GL1800 as well as Avon, Metzler, Continental and even (briefly) Shinko. If all of that development went into keeping GoldWingers happy, you would think that Kenda and others would "get with it".

You can't compare motorcycle tires with Spyder tires. Different altogether and economies of scale don't favor Spyder tires.

[askitee]

I understand that there is overwhelming support for the use of automotive tires on Spyders. What's less clear to me is why Can-Am is adamant about using only tires that they approve. I certainly can see the liability concerns of Can-Am in this matter, but if car tires improve handling and thus reduce risks, doesn't that also ease liability issues for Can-Am? What I really want to understand are the technical reasons Can-Am holds their position, since I've never seen them mentioned.

I've always thought it was purely BRP looking after the commercial relationship with Kenda. Spyders are a niche product, making the options for tyre selection limited. I was a staunch "never going to fit car tyres" until I rode another RT and could not believe the difference. Now I have them on all 3 corners and the experience below highlighted to me the benefits

I recently spent a few hours on a brand new RTL (used for Press rides) and you soon remember how bad the Kenda's are.

[bikerbillone]

I certainly don't understand the beginnings of the relationship between BRP and Kenda, but I would guess they had to put a brand name tire on the machine at thr original build and made the corporate decision from some BRP standard, they did that with Kenda for what ever reason, probably a $ thing, isn't it always? So from inception BRP has stuck with Kenda, a tire that most serious Canam ryders really dislike. So the Knines are now available, perhaps they are a better tire than the earlier Kenda's, we shall see. If a product gets a bad reputation, it's very difficult to overcome. I wonder how many Kenda's would sell if dealers were willing to mount a tire of owner's choice, hypothetical of course, 'cause that is not happening in my world. As a newbie, my choice will probably be the Federal Atimax on the front, but that's a decision I can make later.

[Mikey]

And the beat go's on!!!!

[jaherbst]

It is not a technical issue, and the money aspect is secondary. It's a regulatory issue. Every tire manufactured for sale in the US must comply with the NHTSA regulations for vehicle tires. One of the requirements is the tire manufacturer cannot sell a tire for a particular use unless they have tested and certified it as suitable for that particular use, hence the letter P or LT, meaning Passenger vehicle or Light Truck in the tire designation. The words on the side of the Kenda do mean something. They mean the tire is designed and tested as suitable for use on a Can Am. Same with Slingshots. Suitable for use is why some tires are labeled "Not for highway use" or "Special Trailer".

It's a money issue in that I'll bet most tire companies do not see a sufficiently large market with Spyder owners to justify the cost of certifying their tires for Spyder use, so they don't market them. What we do not know is if there is in the archives of the major tire companies test data or engineering analysis that shows car tires really are not suited for light weight vehicles. Our experience shows CTs work very well, but none of us has the expertise or test data (not usage data) to unequivocally prove that CTs work great for Spyders. And for all we know BRP may have engineering or test data that shows CT are, or are not, ideal for Spyders. And you can be sure when the Spyder was initially being developed it was a lot easier to let Kenda tackle the engineering of tires than for BRP to do it. The big name tire companies probably wouldn't give BRP the time of day let alone seriously discuss providing tires.

This is probably the best explanation I have read yet. I have always used Kendas and had very good service with them.

Jack

[Snoking1127]

I certainly don't understand the beginnings of the relationship between BRP and Kenda, but I would guess they had to put a brand name tire on the machine at thr original build and made the corporate decision from some BRP standard, they did that with Kenda for what ever reason, probably a $ thing, isn't it always? So from inception BRP has stuck with Kenda, a tire that most serious Canam ryders really dislike. So the Knines are now available, perhaps they are a better tire than the earlier Kenda's, we shall see. If a product gets a bad reputation, it's very difficult to overcome. I wonder how many Kenda's would sell if dealers were willing to mount a tire of owner's choice, hypothetical of course, 'cause that is not happening in my world. As a newbie, my choice will probably be the Federal Atimax on the front, but that's a decision I can make later.

Federal Atimax? Did you cross breed a new tire offering or do I have to worry about my Spyder RTL doing that? As I have the Federal Formoza AZ01s on the front and the General Atimax RT43 on the rear!

[bikerbillone]

OK, sounds good, thanks for the comment.

[Yebogogo64]

If you decide on mounting car tires, does that mean you have to go a non-BRP dealership to have them fitted?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

If you decide on mounting car tires, does that mean you have to go a non-BRP dealership to have them fitted?

Well it depends on the Dealer .... some will some won't .... Just ask them .... If you can remove the front wheels, bring them and your new tires to just about any place that works on tires .... they can mount and most likely balance them .... The rear is a bit more difficult to do, but there are lots of video's on HOW_TO ..... good luck /... Mike ........PS if you a recommendation on WHAT auto tires are best ... PM me .... Mike

[FlyBoy2121]

I Guys

Are there any who have fitted or installed Kenda KR20 Kanine tires, and what do you think?

FlyBoy2121

[Snoking1127]

If you decide on mounting car tires, does that mean you have to go a non-BRP dealership to have them fitted?

My closest dealer in Mesa, Az installed and balanced a General on my rear rim that I brought to them for 27 bucks and change. They also keep the old Kenda. I was a Happy Tryker! So I think it depends on the dealer. This dealer sells many more 2 and 4 wheel units than three wheel ones and seems less anal about the Spyders. They also did software update to my 2018 for free.