Rear Kenda OEM Tire Mileage Concern.

[MeudtPG]

How can BRP keep using these (possibly unsafe) Kenda tires? They act like they are dragster tires expanding in the middle and wearing out.
It appears they may be to thin to keep the whole tread on the road at highway speeds. Kinda concerned.
This KENDA rear only lasted 7618 miles with the correct 28PSI tire pressure at all times!!
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 2.jpg
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 3.jpg

[Wmoater]

Put car tire on and all fixed. You got the norm as in mileage for those tires. My new car tire has 18000 miles now, and looks better than those do at 5000. Just switch and don’t look back or remember. I Understand your complaint, but it won’t make a difference to BRP.

[CloverHillCrawler]

It seems that BRP doesn't care about initial performance quality while charging performance quality pricing. But that is our own fault as Spyder owners for not holding them accountable. It's only the true enthusiast that buys in and says take my money please! Then spends the time to fix the issues with the product straight off the production line.

If it was not for the sponsors on this forum or the people like us enthusiast that take the time to see these issues and develop solutions we would be stuck with a very substandard product that would be dead buy now along with few of us that drive them. And I am very grateful for that time they take to help us out.

We need to as owners get loud with BRP. I for one gave the BRP guys on the on-road tour an earful of complaints as well as suggestions concerning dealerships and care of our products at them. I for one was ignored by the dealership that can-am suggested I go buy from, so I had to seek out a new dealership to buy from and even though they were good on the sale the service department was not good at all. I made the suggestion of having regional BRP owned service centers not only for Spyder's but other BRP products ( I own jet skis as well as thinking about the new switch jet pontoon boat.), hopefully someone will listen as even with all of the quirks that we as lovers take care of on own we still need the touch of expert hands at times and this could be the place that does it.

[JayBros]

Until the lawyers can be convinced that automobile tires on Spyders are perfectly safe BRP is going to continue to equip them with s**t sneakers.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Until the lawyers can be convinced that automobile tires on Spyders are perfectly safe BRP is going to continue to equip them with s**t sneakers.

I've posted this many times ..... Harley Davidson has NO problems selling their Trikes with Auto tires on them.....maybe they have better lawyers .................Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

How can BRP keep using these (possibly unsafe) Kenda tires? They act like they are dragster tires expanding in the middle and wearing out.
It appears they may be to thin to keep the whole tread on the road at highway speeds. Kinda concerned.
This KENDA rear only lasted 7618 miles with the correct 28PSI tire pressure at all times!!
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 2.jpg
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 3.jpg

Before BRP even made a ( saleable ) Spyder they had serious money problems ( the Romney's has a hugh investment interest in BRP ) .... So KENDA got a sweetheart deal ... ( only Can-Am dealers can get them that's why they are soooooooooo expensive ) ..... From what I've learned they Spyder Kenda's are made to the lowest D.O.T standard, that's why it has " for Special motorcycle use only " embossed on the sidewall .... Even the SMART car is too heavy for theis tire ..... good luck .... Mike

[Navydad]

I imagine Kenda is the only company willing to invest in manufacturing a tire that has such low volume sales. When you compare Spyders to most other vehicles you find they are a very small peice of the pie. Research, tooling, and manufacturing costs just aren't worth it for most tire companies. I know Kenda is the only game in town if you want Spyder specific tires and I don't expect that to change in the future. I purchased all three auto tires for less than the dealer wanted to sell and install just the rear Kenda. Local tire shop mounted and balanced the fronts for $30 and I did the rear myself and am now riding a much improved and safer machine. As I've said before; I wouldn't PUSH a motorcycle with a Kenda tire on it.

[2dogs]

It seems that BRP doesn't care ....

That's right, they don't.

[BajaRon]

How can BRP keep using these (possibly unsafe) Kenda tires? They act like they are dragster tires expanding in the middle and wearing out.
It appears they may be to thin to keep the whole tread on the road at highway speeds. Kinda concerned.
This KENDA rear only lasted 7618 miles with the correct 28PSI tire pressure at all times!!
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 2.jpg
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 3.jpg

I guess I'd be shocked, if I had not seen 1,000 others just like this.

It is what it is, and BRP will be who they are. Much better off just taking your money and moving to a better tire. Trying to fix BRP is not a viable enterprise.

[MeudtPG]

Update:
I replaced the worn out Kenda with this new - VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 - 205/60R15 tire. it took .8 oz to balance.
NEW VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 205 60R15.jpg
The BRP Kenda took over 3 oz to balance!
Today I put 240 miles on this new VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 tire riding 2-up with 18 psi staring cold and my Spyder rode great. It was fairly warm today.
FOBO Bike 2 after riding 240 miles.jpg

[Deanna777]

How can BRP keep using these (possibly unsafe) Kenda tires? They act like they are dragster tires expanding in the middle and wearing out.
It appears they may be to thin to keep the whole tread on the road at highway speeds. Kinda concerned.
This KENDA rear only lasted 7618 miles with the correct 28PSI tire pressure at all times!!
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 2.jpg
Only 7618 miles on Kenda OEM 3.jpg

I had OEM tire on my 2014 RTS-SE6 it had 5,824 miles on it. I ran the OEM tire @ 28PSI.



So I replaced it with my current tire which is a General Altimax RT43 tire. I'm on my 2nd General Altimax tire. My spyder currently has 29,000 mile on it.

Deanna

[2dogs]

..... So I replaced it with my current tire which is a General Altimax RT43 tire. I'm on my 2nd General Altimax tire. My spyder currently has 29,000 mile on it. .....

My 1st OEM rear tire changed at 7000 miles. The 3rd rear tire was installed at 25,665 miles by the dealership's service department and it was a General Altimax. I'm at approximately 50k miles now and will need a 4th rear tire within the next couple thousand miles. I'd also installed Doc's belt tensioner with the 3rd rear tire change. That's about 25k miles on that tensioner and I think I was pushing its usefulness. So just to save labor, I zip-tied it up and off the belt. I was wondering which would go first, the tire or tensioner. I think I'll just toss the tensioner and get a new tire and be done with it.

[ThreeWheels]

How can BRP keep using these (possibly unsafe) Kenda tires? They act like they are dragster tires expanding in the middle and wearing out.
It appears they may be to thin to keep the whole tread on the road at highway speeds. Kinda concerned.
This KENDA rear only lasted 7618 miles with the correct 28PSI tire pressure at all times!!

Based on the quantity of your posts, I'm guessing you're not a high mileage rider (yet).
The issue of the Kenda OEM rear tire has been reviewed extensively.
It appears that BRP specified a better gripping, fairly soft carcass and compound for the tire to get a motorcycle rating on the tire.
Nevertheless, the rim design will take a standard car tire. Many, including myself, have switched over with no adverse affect.
I've got about 10,000 miles on my car tires and they still look brand new.
I think the general consensus is that the OEM front tires are acceptable, but should be switched to car tires once they wear out at around 25,000 miles.
The rear tire is just crap, and goes at 8,000 miles or less.
Kenda has come out with a new line of tires for the Spyder, the Kenda Kanines. Early reports indicate the new tires handle well enough, but I haven't seen anything yet on service mileage reported by people who've installed them.

These are the tires I have on my Spyder:
Kumho Solus KH16 Front Tires 175/55/15
Cooper Mastercraft LSR Grand Touring rear 215/60/15

Good luck. Keep us posted so we know how you made out.

As always, my free advice comes with a double your money back guarantee.

[Mikey]

Update:
I replaced the worn out Kenda with this new - VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 - 205/60R15 tire. it took .8 oz to balance.
NEW VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 205 60R15.jpg
The BRP Kenda took over 3 oz to balance!
Today I put 240 miles on this new VREDESTEIN Quatrac 5 tire riding 2-up with 18 psi staring cold and my Spyder rode great. It was fairly warm today.
FOBO Bike 2 after riding 240 miles.jpg

Oh, Blueknight will pat you on the head for that choice!!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Oh, Blueknight will pat you on the head for that choice!!

Thanks Mikey ... as a trained accident investigator I learned a lot about tires, I love Spyders and the folks who drive them .... I try and keep abreast of what's available in the tire world and recommend tires I feel are superior ( especially in the Wet ) .... The Q-5 Was a great tire, but Vredestein has re-placed it with an up-dated model the " QUATRAC " ( without the "5" ). It's new so real world testing is sparse at this time .... considering Vredestein's excellent record for producing out-standing tires I fully expect this to also be one of the great ones ...... (How'd I do Peter ) ...... Mike

[Deanna777]

My 1st OEM rear tire changed at 7000 miles. The 3rd rear tire was installed at 25,665 miles by the dealership's service department and it was a General Altimax. I'm at approximately 50k miles now and will need a 4th rear tire within the next couple thousand miles. I'd also installed Doc's belt tensioner with the 3rd rear tire change. That's about 25k miles on that tensioner and I think I was pushing its usefulness. So just to save labor, I zip-tied it up and off the belt. I was wondering which would go first, the tire or tensioner. I think I'll just toss the tensioner and get a new tire and be done with it.

2dogs,

Good luck!

How is the belt guard on your spyder?

What year is your spyder?

I still have my belt guard on my spyder.

Deanna

[2dogs]

2dogs,

Good luck!

How is the belt guard on your spyder?

What year is your spyder?

I still have my belt guard on my spyder.

Deanna

2014 RTS-SE6 Cognac (Ever seen one of those? HA). My OEM belt guard is in good shape, however, I installed an additional aftermarket aluminum lower belt guard for extra belt protection.

[RayBJ]

I dumped all 3 Kendas at 1000 miles because THEY DON'T STICK! Replaced with the Q5s. At 14000, my rear tire was into the wear marks and I replaced it with a General RT43. Fronts still look like they have another 10k left.

In fairness, every bike I've bought new since 2008 came with s**t rubber and 'adequate' suspenders. So that puts BRP in the same ilk as Triumph, Kawasaki, Aprilia IMHO.

[Deanna777]

2014 RTS-SE6 Cognac (Ever seen one of those? HA). My OEM belt guard is in good shape, however, I installed an additional aftermarket aluminum lower belt guard for extra belt protection.

HI, 2dogs,

What year is your spyder?

I have a 2014 RTS-SE6 cognac spyder( I have seen a few of them, ).

Good luck with the aftermarket aluminum lower belt guard.

Deanna

[Deanna777]

I dumped all 3 Kendas at 1000 miles because THEY DON'T STICK! Replaced with the Q5s. At 14000, my rear tire was into the wear marks and I replaced it with a General RT43. Fronts still look like they have another 10k left.

In fairness, every bike I've bought new since 2008 came with s**t rubber and 'adequate' suspenders. So that puts BRP in the same ilk as Triumph, Kawasaki, Aprilia IMHO.

I replaced the OEM tires on the front @ 12,807 miles. I went with the Continental Contiprocontact's size: 165/60R-15 in 6/24/2016. Mileage on the Continental Contiprocontact's is: 16,316.


Total mileage on the spyder is 29,123 as of 9/19/21.

I ride solo.

Deanna

[Mikey]

Thanks Mikey ... as a trained accident investigator I learned a lot about tires, I love Spyders and the folks who drive them .... I try and keep abreast of what's available in the tire world and recommend tires I feel are superior ( especially in the Wet ) .... The Q-5 Was a great tire, but Vredestein has re-placed it with an up-dated model the " QUATRAC " ( without the "5" ). It's new so real world testing is sparse at this time .... considering Vredestein's excellent record for producing out-standing tires I fully expect this to also be one of the great ones ...... (How'd I do Peter ) ...... Mike

When I need one next time it will be that or the Ultamax for sure!!!!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

When I need one next time it will be that or the Ultamax for sure!!!!

" Ultamax " ???? - typo ???? ....I'm not familiar with this tire ..... Mike

[2dogs]

When I need one next time it will be that or the Ultamax for sure!!!!

Yea BK, it's the new improved version of the Altimax. Excellent choice! We know what he means.

[spyderdave]

I just got a new Altimax to replace the factory Kenda (at 7,300 miles) on the rear of my 2020 RTL. From the inside it appears to have a reinforcing belt down the center of the tire; I hope this will prevent the donut wear effect that my kenda had. The kenda's seem like crummy tires; I put 16" Federal AZ01's on the front last winter and don't regret it.

[2dogs]

I just got a new Altimax to replace the factory Kenda (at 7,300 miles) on the rear of my 2020 RTL. From the inside it appears to have a reinforcing belt down the center of the tire; I hope this will prevent the donut wear effect that my kenda had. The kenda's seem like crummy tires; I put 16" Federal AZ01's on the front last winter and don't regret it.

What PSI are you running?