what sizes will fit a 2014 RT rear wheel

[Andy Cserny]

The rear tire on my new 2014 wore well into the wear bars in the central part of the tire in 3800 miles, ridiculous! and I rode it fairly conservatively and didnt really look at tire wear not expectng to se any appreciable wear in such short mileage. Long story short, I want to replace with something other than the oem Kenda. Looked at the Kumho in the same size, then bought a Michelin 215/60/15 and will try that out. I was wondering if anyone has tried a 235/60/15 tire? From the looks of it, I wonder if a 235/60 would fit. I think the tire would fit the rim, but is there enough room under the fender and between the swingarm and the belt?
thanks
Andy

[willsharp62]

I too saw premature tire wear on the rear tire of my 2014 RTS. Apparently, Kenda thinks we are all idiots and changed the compound of their tires so they would wear out quickly. They now tell us they have changed the compound back and we should get more miles. Unfortunately, I am of the opinion that Kenda should have been doing the right thing from the beginning instead of seeing if they could get us to buy more tires. So I will buy no more Kenda tires. The problem is there is only one other manufacturer who makes a 225/50/15. I just replaced my rear tire with the Kumho and am anxious to see what kind of miles I get out of it. Another option is to use a different size tire so you can buy a different brand. My research has concluded that there is a different size which is so close it will not change your speedometer or have clearance issues. The rear can be replaced with a 205/55/15 and the front with a 155/60/15. These sizes are available in several different brands. Go on line and use a tire size calculator to compare the factory tire size with the above mentioned sizes and it will give you the exact differences between the two.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Andy, I think the issue is going to be the swing arm not fender clearance !!!!............and IMHO the 215 is perfect, the TREAD is smaller by 3/32 inch , your Spyder will never know the difference and neither would you if you didn't know you put it on......................just sayin , Mike

[Chupaca]

Would stay with the smaller rather than larger tire. Unfortunately Kenda and or brp miscalculated the effect of the new engine and transmissions on the rear tire. Maybe they expected the ryders to change their ryding style nevertheless have seen the error of their ways and reverted to the older compound. Seems they could have given a premature wear credit but thats just an opinion. I have had great results with the kendas and wilk stick with them till I don't...

[SPYD3R]

Andy;
i'm on my 2nd KUMHO on my RS... the KENDA died at about 5,000 miles, and i replace it with a KUMHO and got just over 25,000 miles out of that one...
if you, or anyone else, has an issue with getting the KUMHO AST 225/50-R15, go on the internet and GOOGLE KUMHO and contact them with your concern... i did, and i received a nice reply from them... they manufacture this particular tire in Georgia, so it should be available most everywhere and all the time....
Dan P
Easley, SC
SPYD3R

[KX5062]

As mentioned in other tire threads, the rear is a 7" rim, which according to many is too narrow a rim for that width of rear tire. My web research seems to confirm this theory, and a 15" tire with a 7" width should not be run with that wide of a tire. This could contribute to the premature wear. I'd be curious as to the reasoning BRP selected that particular size tire.

[Highwayman2013]

The best thing about the 215/60/15 tire is putting the speedometer almost right on with the gps. We have almost 8,000 miles on the Michelin on ours with no problems.

[rays hell]

Maxxis makes a good looking 40,000 mile tire. [225/50/15] same size, and can be purchased from on line tires .com for 75.20
My 13 RTS has 10k on it and needs changing before summer gets here.
Has anyone tried it?
Oh and its V rated 149 mph

[jimnsusie]

It is amazing that so many riders have had to replace tires with so few miles on them. I guess I should keep a sharp eye on the wear on my tires on my 14 RT. Only have about 2,000 miles so far and can see no wear yet. Tires that are being replaced at less than 5,000 miles must start to show long before that. There are some good posts on here about what to look for and maybe buy.

[Andy Cserny]

Maxxis makes a good looking 40,000 mile tire. [225/50/15] same size, and can be purchased from on line tires .com for 75.20
My 13 RTS has 10k on it and needs changing before summer gets here.
Has anyone tried it?
Oh and its V rated 149 mph

Unfortunately Maxxis no longer imports that tire from China and has no plans to do so in the future according to an email I received from their engineering department a few days ago. I didnt save the email, but thats what they said, thats my story and Im stickin to it.
Andy

[Andy Cserny]

Andy, I think the issue is going to be the swing arm not fender clearance !!!!............and IMHO the 215 is perfect, the TREAD is smaller by 3/32 inch , your Spyder will never know the difference and neither would you if you didn't know you put it on......................just sayin , Mike

Hi Mike,
you are probably correct, but like the bank robber laying on the sidewalk said to Dirty Harry, " I just gotsta know" I will get one from a junkyard and see if it will fit under the bike. In the meantime I will run the Michelin 215/60
Andy
PS looking in the Green electronic shop manual, it calls for 165ftlbs of torque for the axle nut, WOW thats enough to pull the roots out of hell, surely that is a typo.

[Orange Spyder Man]

I took off the OEM Kenda off my 2014 when it had less than 500 miles... I WON'T EVER BUY ANOTHER KENDA.. 2 ply tires are for lawnmowers & wheelbarrows... not a motorcycle that goes down the highway at 70MPH.. IMHO Kendas are substandard junk...

osm

[Bob Denman]

I think that the overall height of the 235/60-15, would set you up for a lot of grumbling from Nanny...

[Highwayman2013]

Andy, I think the issue is going to be the swing arm not fender clearance !!!!............and IMHO the 215 is perfect, the TREAD is smaller by 3/32 inch , your Spyder will never know the difference and neither would you if you didn't know you put it on......................just sayin , Mike

Andy, I agree with Mike having used the 215/60/15 size it fits well, wears well, and makes the speedo close to right on. I can't say you won't get the bigger tire to work, just going by experience that the 215/60/15 works great with NO nanny or other problems.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I think that the overall height of the 235/60-15, would set you up for a lot of grumbling from Nanny...

Bob you know how I dis-like using Diameter as a measuring reference ( it's very imprecise compared to circumference )........and looking at this Chart the difference between the Diameter and Circumference is EXACTLY the same % wise .......I am not a math major ....However this doesn't seem correct............just sayin.....Mike

[AeroPilot]

Bob you know how I dis-like using Diameter as a measuring reference ( it's very imprecise compared to circumference )........and looking at this Chart the difference between the Diameter and Circumference is EXACTLY the same % wise .......I am not a math major ....However this doesn't seem correct............just sayin.....Mike

I first thought that too, but I was thinkin about the pi Dsquared which is the formula for area. The 9.4% difference is still a bunch and I can only guess what the computer will think about that. I have another Kumho 225 to go on after the one I have on now. May go for the 215 width next time in Michelin or whatever tread catches my eye. We are cruisers not canyon racers, so not so worried about performance tires, but just want good rain grooves and good wear characteristics.

[Andy Cserny]

I think that the overall height of the 235/60-15, would set you up for a lot of grumbling from Nanny...

I bow to superior experience and math. Having never had a run in with the Nanni I never considered her. I bought a Michelin Primacy MXV4 215/60R15 94H all season and will mount it and see how she goes. Surprisingly the overall width of the Mich 215 is minimally greater than the 225 Kenda, but the contact patch of the Kenda is about 3/4 inch greater, which makes me wonder if the fatter tire will be conducive to more lean and squirm upon hard cornering where did you find all the comparison data? I found some of it on tirerack.com
thanks for all the input
Andy

[Highwayman2013]

Andy, that is the exact tire and size I'm running and have felt no squirm or slip at all. My wife rides the spyder more than I do and says she can tell no difference from the Kenda. 8,000 miles and still wearing evenly.

[Highwayman2013]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424718180.362776.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1424718192.197259.jpg 215/60/15 Michelin Primacy with 8,000 miles on our 2012 Rt Limited. There are 8/32 of tread left.

[rays hell]

Unfortunately Maxxis no longer imports that tire from China and has no plans to do so in the future according to an email I received from their engineering department a few days ago. I didnt save the email, but thats what they said, thats my story and Im stickin to it.
Andy

I just ordered one from online tires.com
I saw them on Maxxis' website also.

[AeroPilot]

I first thought that too, but I was thinkin about the pi Dsquared which is the formula for area. The 9.4% difference is still a bunch and I can only guess what the computer will think about that. I have another Kumho 225 to go on after the one I have on now. May go for the 215 width next time in Michelin or whatever tread catches my eye. We are cruisers not canyon racers, so not so worried about performance tires, but just want good rain grooves and good wear characteristics.

You guys were supposed to catch this. Or as the old pun went "pie are not squared; pie are round".

[Bob Denman]

Bob you know how I dis-like using Diameter as a measuring reference ( it's very imprecise compared to circumference )........and looking at this Chart the difference between the Diameter and Circumference is EXACTLY the same % wise .......I am not a math major ....However this doesn't seem correct............just sayin.....Mike

It makes perfect sense...
Circumference is Pi x Diameter...
a 9.4% change in wheel height, and no change to Pi (It is a constant), will always give you the same 9.4% change to circumference

[jcthorne]

Except tires are not round when sitting on the ground with weight. The contact patch is flat. You will note that tire specified rotations per mile do not match 5280ft divided by the circumference.

Also actual circumfrence of a given tire will not = nominal width * aspect ratio * 2 plus wheel diameter.

The size numbers are nominal tire sizes, not actual dimensions and they very brand to brand and for different lines within a brand.

[Bob Denman]

But it at least gives you a starting point!

[Richard Brown]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1424718180.362776.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1424718192.197259.jpg 215/60/15 Michelin Primacy with 8,000 miles on our 2012 Rt Limited. There are 8/32 of tread left.

Is there a Michelin tire for the front that works well?