Want to get new front tires, not sure what to get? 2021 RTL

[Peter Aawen]

And I won't have to mess with my fenders on the 2012? I think they're a 14" tire.

You won't be fitting 175/55R15's tho, will you Mikey?? :dontknow:

If you do, then you probably will need to do something to the fenders.

But that's not so likely if you fit something like 175/55R14's instead of the OEM 165/65R14's :thumbup:

 

[vito1943]

I've still got the stock Kendas on my 2021 RT with almost 9,000 miles. No problems, no wandering, no excessive vibration and almost no sign of wear on any of the tires. When I do need to replace any of the tires I would not have a concern about getting the same Kendas that I have right now.

 

[bigbadbrucie]

I've still got the stock Kendas on my 2021 RT with almost 9,000 miles. No problems, no wandering, no excessive vibration and almost no sign of wear on any of the tires. When I do need to replace any of the tires I would not have a concern about getting the same Kendas that I have right now.

That is much the way I first felt. The OEM Kendas (all three) were great. Then when I replaced them with the same.....oops. They were terrible. Now have Vredesteins on front and General Altimax on the rear. Great, smooth ride!

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

And I won't have to mess with my fenders on the 2012? I think they're a 14" tire.

I apologize for the wrong info :banghead: .... ( NEVER ASSUME ) but I did, follow Peter's advice .... Vredestein also has a good selection of ...14 inch size .... one of the few who do ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[fredgal]

That is much the way I first felt. The OEM Kendas (all three) were great. Then when I replaced them with the same.....oops. They were terrible. Now have Vredesteins on front and General Altimax on the rear. Great, smooth ride!

You got that right, people that still have the Kenda's don't know what they're missing... out on mine again yesterday. Smooth as silk. ****-eaten-grin. Love this thing.

 

[fredgal]

forgot to mention...my mirrors dont vibrate with new tires, oem tires made them shake alot....... just like the handlebars did..:chat:

 

[Jambo Creek]

I just put Vredrestein 175/55-15 front tires and a General Altimax RT43 215/60-15 on the rear of a 2022 Sea2Sky. My dealer told me the fronts didn’t have enough clearance and would rub a wiring clip on the fenders. In addition, the drive belt was being pushed to the outside of the rear sprocket. When I took it back to them, they said the wheel was flexing on turns and pushing against the belt. They increased the psi from 18 to 25, but the movement persists. The dealer said these problems were the reason they didn’t like mounting car tires. I’ve had this size Altimax tires on three different bikes without any issues, so I don’t know what’s going on. Anybody have an explanation?

 

[Peter Aawen]

I just put Vredrestein 175/55-15 front tires and a General Altimax RT43 215/60-15 on the rear of a 2022 Sea2Sky. My dealer told me the fronts didn’t have enough clearance and would rub a wiring clip on the fenders. In addition, the drive belt was being pushed to the outside of the rear sprocket. When I took it back to them, they said the wheel was flexing on turns and pushing against the belt. They increased the psi from 18 to 25, but the movement persists. The dealer said these problems were the reason they didn’t like mounting car tires. I’ve had this size Altimax tires on three different bikes without any issues, so I don’t know what’s going on. Anybody have an explanation?

The first bold bit I've highlighted in the quote is only because whoever did the pre-delivery on that Spyder didn't put the wiring clip in the right place! It's a fairly simple matter to take the wheel off; move the wiring &/or clip so that it's NOT anywhere it can ever be rubbed or damaged by the wheel, ie, put it where it should have been in the first place; refit the wheel onto the Spyder. And btw, any tire tech worth spit would check for things like this AND FIX THEM as a matter of 'proper practice' whenever re-installing a new tire on any vehicle! And just while you've got the wheel off again to sort this, cos the bod doing the job on your Spyder obviously WASN'T worth spit so probably didn't do this either ... you might also want to check that the hex heads of the screws that hold the fenders onto their support arms aren't sticking out into the wheel space too much - many of us running 175's have found that it's often a good idea to swap those hex head screws that have 10-12mm tall heads out & replace them with pan head screws that only have 5-6mm tall heads so that there's no chance they'll ever contact the tire sidewalls either. :thumbup:

The second bold bit, that's just crap!! How can fitting a NARROWER tire on the same OEM rim make the NARROWER tire rub on the belt when the WIDER OEM tire didn't?? :gaah: Besides, even if it is the tire that's the issue (which I don't believe at all in the first place - it's far more likely they just didn't align the NARROWER wheel assembly that you've chosen to use properly when they re-installed it!! ) then they've just made things WORSE, not better, by increasing the tire pressure!! :banghead: The higher the pressure in the tire, the further around the wheel the tire deflection will be carried as you corner; so if the tire is actually contacting the belt on turns at all, then you need to REDUCE the pressure in it so that the twisting forces transferred from the tread & the road contact patch into the carcass of the tire won't travel/be transferred so far up the casing & sidewalls as that section lifts off the ground once the tire rotates on...

Basically, the most critical things all these comments from them should be telling you is that this dealer/tech/whoever is full of it & likely just doesn't know what they're on about beyond pushing the corporate rubbish they're told to, so they're saying whatever bunf comes to mind in order to blame YOU for choosing to run better quality/safer tires rather than admitting their inadequacies in that:

1. They haven't done their job properly in the first place, and ensured there's nothing projecting into the wheel well area that shouldn't be when they refitted the wheel onto the hub; and

2. They haven't done their job properly and made sure that they've aligned the belt correctly when re-installing the rear wheel, cos if they HAD, then your tire wouldn't be ABLE to contact the belt regardless, just like they don't on the hundreds of other Spyders out in the real World that are already running these tires &/or any other non-'OEM Kenda' car tires without any belt contact issues, or any other issues for that matter!! And btw, their comment re not liking to fit car tires raises another point which just confirms even more so/yet again that they've got little idea of what they're on about - cos the OEM Kendas ARE CAR TIRES, just very lightly constructed car tires with less quality control & a far worse reputation than just about anything else out there, but they're still Car Tires nonetheless! :banghead:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The first bold bit I've highlighted in the quote is only because whoever did the pre-delivery on that Spyder didn't put the wiring clip in the right place! It's a fairly simple matter to take the wheel off; move the wiring &/or clip so that it's NOT anywhere it can ever be rubbed or damaged by the wheel, ie, put it where it should have been in the first place; refit the wheel onto the Spyder. And btw, any tire tech worth spit would check for things like this AND FIX THEM as a matter of 'proper practice' whenever re-installing a new tire on any vehicle! And just while you've got the wheel off again to sort this, cos the bod doing the job on your Spyder obviously WASN'T worth spit so probably didn't do this either ... you might also want to check that the hex heads of the screws that hold the fenders onto their support arms aren't sticking out into the wheel space too much - many of us running 175's have found that it's often a good idea to swap those hex head screws that have 10-12mm tall heads out & replace them with pan head screws that only have 5-6mm tall heads so that there's no chance they'll ever contact the tire sidewalls either. :thumbup:

The second bold bit, that's just crap!! How can fitting a NARROWER tire on the same OEM rim make the NARROWER tire rub on the belt when the WIDER OEM tire didn't?? :gaah: Besides, even if it is the tire that's the issue (which I don't believe at all in the first place - it's far more likely they just didn't align the NARROWER wheel assembly that you've chosen to use properly when they re-installed it!! ) then they've just made things WORSE, not better, by increasing the tire pressure!! :banghead: The higher the pressure in the tire, the further around the wheel the tire deflection will be carried as you corner; so if the tire is actually contacting the belt on turns at all, then you need to REDUCE the pressure in it so that the twisting forces transferred from the tread & the road contact patch into the carcass of the tire won't travel/be transferred so far up the casing & sidewalls as that section lifts off the ground once the tire rotates on...

Basically, the most critical things all these comments from them should be telling you is that this dealer/tech/whoever is full of it & likely just doesn't know what they're on about beyond pushing the corporate rubbish they're told to, so they're saying whatever bunf comes to mind in order to blame YOU for choosing to run better quality/safer tires rather than admitting their inadequacies in that:

1. They haven't done their job properly in the first place, and ensured there's nothing projecting into the wheel well area that shouldn't be when they refitted the wheel onto the hub; and

2. They haven't done their job properly and made sure that they've aligned the belt correctly when re-installing the rear wheel, cos if they HAD, then your tire wouldn't be ABLE to contact the belt regardless, just like they don't on the hundreds of other Spyders out in the real World that are already running these tires &/or any other non-'OEM Kenda' car tires without any belt contact issues, or any other issues for that matter!! And btw, their comment re not liking to fit car tires raises another point which just confirms even more so/yet again that they've got little idea of what they're on about - cos the OEM Kendas ARE CAR TIRES, just very lightly constructed car tires with less quality control & a far worse reputation than just about anything else out there, but they're still Car Tires nonetheless! :banghead:

:agree: with Peter 200% also ...Find another dealer .....JMHO ....Mike :thumbup:

 

[K80Shooter]

I agree with Peter. The problem that you now have is to convince the dealer that "THEY" screwed up, which is unlikely that they will admit it.

If they had done the rear correctly then there would not be a problem. As for the front, do as Peter said above.

 

[baxter]

Road conditions vary from road to road ,mile to mile and can be transferred from the road all he way to the handlebars. With Spyders, one has three different road surfaces transferring up into the bike unlike a two wheeler following over the same surface. When a rider go from riding a two wheeler for years, to a three wheeler, well, the ride feeling gets allot different until one gets readjusted.

 

[shakin_jake]

Thats the same way that I purchase shotguns. Once they are in the safe, I'm free and clear.

~~~going over the replies again, came across yours here shooter, just came into possession of a new RIA VR 80. Haven’t shot it yet. Want to take it down, clean it, lube, before the first shell flys


Best,


Jake
Reddick Fla.
It’s never too late to have a happy childhood

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Road conditions vary from road to road ,mile to mile and can be transferred from the road all he way to the handlebars. With Spyders, one has three different road surfaces transferring up into the bike unlike a two wheeler following over the same surface. When a rider go from riding a two wheeler for years, to a three wheeler, well, the ride feeling gets allot different until one gets readjusted.

You bring up an interesting point and I'd like to expand on it .... What you feel thru the handlebars can be very effected by the SURFACE ... TEXTURE .... some folks think there might be something wrong with the suspension because the FEEL changes. .... well this could be because of the road TEXTURE ..... JMHO >>>> Mike :thumbup:

 

[al0vely]

OK, I got my tires - 165/60R-15 VREDESTEIN QUATRAC from the Tire Rack and the date said 36th week of 2022. I removed the tires and took them to Discount tire. They mounted and balanced the new tires for $47 with tax. I am very happy with them, no more vibration after 65mph, had it up to 80mph and still very nice. There is no more tracking all over the road, it's very stable, and there's no pull to the right. This is what the Spyder should operate like when new. Very disappointed in BRP for installing junk tires.

So is pulling to the right the tires or alignment? Mine is pulling to the right when I brake and I assumed alignment and have an appointment in a couple of days for an alignment. Riding on the highway with hands off the handlebars it drifts slowly to the right.

 

[al0vely]

went for another ride yesterday , these tires are awesome.. really amazed at the differance these tires made..... worth every penny and then some.. :cheers:

Careful now with all those miles … you will exceed the 2500 you racked up in the last 2+ years on your old tires. :roflblack:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

So is pulling to the right the tires or alignment? Mine is pulling to the right when I brake and I assumed alignment and have an appointment in a couple of days for an alignment. Riding on the highway with hands off the handlebars it drifts slowly to the right.

Unless the right side tire is extremely low PSI ... then it's alignment ....which doesn't usually ...just appear ..... when did this start .... Mike :thumbup:

 

[K80Shooter]

Unless the right side tire is extremely low PSI ... then it's alignment ....which doesn't usually ...just appear ..... when did this start .... Mike :thumbup:

:agree: Double check your air pressure in both front tires to make sure that they are the same.

Also have a look at the brake pads while you're at it and make sure that the right front is not getting hotter than the left side.

 

[T.P.]

So is pulling to the right the tires or alignment? Mine is pulling to the right when I brake and I assumed alignment and have an appointment in a couple of days for an alignment. Riding on the highway with hands off the handlebars it drifts slowly to the right.

OEM KENDA'S ?

https://ridermagazine.com/2018/04/30/how-crowned-roads-affect-motorcycle-handling/

T.P.

 

[fredgal]

Careful now with all those miles … you will exceed the 2500 you racked up in the last 2+ years on your old tires. :roflblack:

i ride less than 1000 miles a summer,, i ride in sneakers/shorts/tee shirt/no helmet, so if its not warm enough, i dont ride.. 16 miles to american legion, 16 miles back home.. lol..