A note on tire compounds.

[flaggerphil]

When the new OEM tires that wore out so quickly... doesn't it make you wonder why they are going back to the old compound ????????? If they were so safe... why change ????? ...kinda a little double talk I think

He told us exactly why they changed. Very straightforward. No double talk at all.

Or did you actually read it?

 

[BikerDoc]

You all complain about everything! Wow!! Like a room full of senior citizens and children!

Softer compound tires grip better and provide superior performance while sacrificing tread life. They are not "substandard" or "low quality". Many performance nuts pay MORE for softer compound performance tires because grip is more important than tread life.

:yes::agree:

 

[ThreeWheels]

Too many posts to read all of the comments.
Nevertheless, I'll chime in with my own. I'm sure others have said this already.

I appreciate the fact that BRP is trying to improve the tires. I am pleased that they seem responsive to our needs.
However in my opinion, the best improvement would be to make the specifications more general, ie size and air pressure, and allow other manufacturers to supply tires to the Spyder.

That way, individuals could tailor the tires on their Spyders to match their own riding style.

 

[rnet]

If BRP would like to improve their rear tire, they would make it so it the tire wear would be even across the tire. Wear mileage would greatly improve with a better designed tire. This is why using car tires gives you better results without sacrificing traction.

 

[PMK]

As some here have already noticed, BRP has brought back the rear tire compound for the Spyder RT from 2012 and prior. Since this June, any rear tire ordered will last longer (at the expense of some high-speed performance) than the pre-May '14 tire that generated certain longevity concerns.

Note that the pre-May '14 2014 tire is not defective - the compound used was softer so it was considered a higher-performing tire, but it did not achieve the same mileage as previous (and the previous and now current) tire compound.

A production change took place in June. All Spyders produced from that date ship have a rear tire with the longer lasting compound. Although we saw many benefits from the newer, softer tire compound, we heard the concerns folks about longevity and decided to revert back to the previous one.

Are both tire compounds available from BRP dealers or has Kenda stopped producing the softer tire.

Thanks
Paul

 

[MouthPiece]

I don't mean to get on any one person or any single post. I'm just throwing my thoughts into the ring along with everyone else's. This pie is much bigger than we may realize.

Race car tires cost hundreds of dollars each and don't even get to the end of a 500 mile race. If money were no object I'm sure BRP could come up with a tire that would get both more miles and better traction. There are quite a few parameters that BRP is trying to maximize. It appears that they are genuinely TRYING to align their priorities with ours. But you know that even we don't agree among ourselves. Take just the subject of oil, for example.

Believe me, it can be a very tough, if not near impossible task.

Some manufacturers would never post on any forum like this. I know that all of us appreciate BRP's involvement here. My concern is if we beat them up for trying, they may quit. None of us want that.

I, for one, very much appreciate that BRP makes meaningful posts here on Spyderlovers. We are free to complain when we need to. And we can also say thank you when we get a positive response from the manufacturer.

I have been somewhat surprised at all the discussions on the longevity of the rear tires. Over 35 years of 2 wheel riding i never got 10k out of a rear tire. The lowest mileage was on soft compound tires for my Suzuki Katana 1100, perhaps 4k, but oh boy would that thing stick.

Now I have an RT, along with a ST1100, and for the RT I would prefer the harder compound but I do like Hayfield's comment about offering a performance tire vs a touring tire. I'll be 'sticking' with the Kendas. I do thoroughly enjoy other peoples perspectives though.

Voices of reason!!!! Thank you BRP.

​Chris (There are others too. Just chose these two.)

 

[billrob71]

The ole tire discussion

Thanks for the info Steve.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shelbydave]

I don't think I was complaining . . . just stating that I think BRP should offer both types of tires and let the owner decide which tire is a better suited for that particular owner's riding profile, rather than making one choice for us all . . .

What you said makes sense, and from Kenda's standpoint, it should be possible. I noticed that the tread pattern on the '14s were different than on my '12, so use the newer mold for the softer material, and the older mold for the harder material. Now you have 2 tires that you can visibly see the difference, one for touring, and one for performance.

 

[Orange Spyder Man]

He told us exactly why they changed. Very straightforward. No double talk at all.

Or did you actually read it?

Yep I read it.. but I don't buy their excuse... a $160 2 ply tire ? and it won't last 10K miles... I did not buy a race bike...I bought a RT... so I don't need a race tire..... my GoldWing's tires lasted a lot longer... so don't tell me no one can build a better tire..... & I for one won't buy another Kenda, .. there are other better choices..

 

[Bob Denman]

So why buy the Kenda when you can get a better tire for a lot less money?

There are a couple of reasons that could come into play...
1. You have a dealer who won't slap anything but a Kenda on the bike...
2. You're worried about insurance companies denying claims if your tires don't carry the "Approved for Motorcycle use" stamp of approval.

Run what your conscience allows... :thumbup:

 

[Jeffsm69]

Simple answer

Don't use Kendra tires, I never go back to using the stock tires, the mileage is terrible on both compounds, I just use the Kumho Ecsta AST and for $81 with free shipping, it's a much better tire and the handling is a lot better than anything Kendra makes, don't believe all the hype about it not being a motorcycle tire. I currently only have 3,600 miles on my Kendra and it's already down to the rain wear bars, never got better than 5,000 miles out of one and I don't use my bike as a touring model

 

[FullCircle]

I've been riding for 40 yrs and I've never got over 15,000 miles out of any tire on any bike. I could get 12 to 14 on touring bikes and that was the best I could get. I just put tires on my Victory and those only had a little over 9,000 miles on them and they were wore out! I would like to get 15,000 but if I can get 10,000 and have good all around performance I would be happy.
I'm glad to see BRP is listening to our concerns and trying to address those issues. They won't be able to please everyone but at least they're trying.

 

[MRH]

Whenever I see a rare instance of BRP stepping in an making a statement, I tend to wonder why we don't hear more from them. Clearly, there are many posts where an "official" response would be of help.

Then, I read through what some people have to say here, and I completely understand. Saying just about anything doesn't open up a discussion, it opens up the gates of attack.

This statement was so sensible - they made a decision to offer performance over longevity, and found that most people preferred longevity. They opted to give us what we said we wanted, instead of what they thought would be considered an improvement. I'm betting there were a few disappointed engineers as well, but they intelligently responded to US and OUR complaints.

The problem is, we make speaking up a NO WIN situation for them. They are destined to be attacked no matter what they say, so I imagine they have decided to say as little as possible. What, in my view, could be an intelligent conversation, or even debate, about the merits of one type of tire over the other, ends up subjecting them to demands of replacement tires and complaints about all of the tires. They would have to be stupid to get into a conversation about why they use the brand they do, which is a conversation I think we'd all like to have with them, because if they were open and honest about it they would have so much more to loose than to gain. And that's on us, not them.

I run a small business, just a few full time and a few part time team members. I just create photographs, that's all. It is difficult to explain just how complex it is to get that done right, and to deliver great product on time. In some cases, I use the best vendors I can find, but in other instances simply "good" vendors are enough. The thing is, we may say we are willing to pay for what we want, but most of the time we are looking for the best overall value and if it costs too much we won't buy it. All too often my company doesn't get the quality we had expected, and then we have to be responsible and spend money when our vendors missed the mark. Sometimes, we miss the mark as well, but I've learned to be very careful to which clients I can be completely open with, because some are just looking for a reason to say "ah-ha - I got you" and look to put blame on me when I'm really working as hard as I can to deliver to them.

If we want to see more BRP threads, or see more BRP responses, then we need to adjust our approach. We also have to remember that our freedom of speech is accompanied the freedom not to speak. The more we treat BRP as a partner, the more I think they will be here to communicate with us.

Most of us are over or approaching 50, but we're acting like a bunch of entitled millennials.

 

[jcthorne]

Don't use Kendra tires, I never go back to using the stock tires, the mileage is terrible on both compounds, I just use the Kumho Ecsta AST and for $81 with free shipping, it's a much better tire and the handling is a lot better than anything Kendra makes, don't believe all the hype about it not being a motorcycle tire. I currently only have 3,600 miles on my Kendra and it's already down to the rain wear bars, never got better than 5,000 miles out of one and I don't use my bike as a touring model

Nice wheels on the bike in your sig. Just thought you should know they are mounted backwards in that pic. IE the left wheel is shown on the right side. The blade wheels are directional and specific right and left hand wheels are in the set.

 

[BajaRon]

Whenever I see a rare instance of BRP stepping in an making a statement, I tend to wonder why we don't hear more from them. Clearly, there are many posts where an "official" response would be of help.

Then, I read through what some people have to say here, and I completely understand. Saying just about anything doesn't open up a discussion, it opens up the gates of attack.

This statement was so sensible - they made a decision to offer performance over longevity, and found that most people preferred longevity. They opted to give us what we said we wanted, instead of what they thought would be considered an improvement. I'm betting there were a few disappointed engineers as well, but they intelligently responded to US and OUR complaints.

The problem is, we make speaking up a NO WIN situation for them. They are destined to be attacked no matter what they say, so I imagine they have decided to say as little as possible. What, in my view, could be an intelligent conversation, or even debate, about the merits of one type of tire over the other, ends up subjecting them to demands of replacement tires and complaints about all of the tires. They would have to be stupid to get into a conversation about why they use the brand they do, which is a conversation I think we'd all like to have with them, because if they were open and honest about it they would have so much more to loose than to gain. And that's on us, not them.

I run a small business, just a few full time and a few part time team members. I just create photographs, that's all. It is difficult to explain just how complex it is to get that done right, and to deliver great product on time. In some cases, I use the best vendors I can find, but in other instances simply "good" vendors are enough. The thing is, we may say we are willing to pay for what we want, but most of the time we are looking for the best overall value and if it costs too much we won't buy it. All too often my company doesn't get the quality we had expected, and then we have to be responsible and spend money when our vendors missed the mark. Sometimes, we miss the mark as well, but I've learned to be very careful to which clients I can be completely open with, because some are just looking for a reason to say "ah-ha - I got you" and look to put blame on me when I'm really working as hard as I can to deliver to them.

If we want to see more BRP threads, or see more BRP responses, then we need to adjust our approach. We also have to remember that our freedom of speech is accompanied the freedom not to speak. The more we treat BRP as a partner, the more I think they will be here to communicate with us.

Most of us are over or approaching 50, but we're acting like a bunch of entitled millennials.

Well said! Working together towards a common goal always beats fighting over differences.

 

[flaggerphil]

Yep I read it.. but I don't buy their excuse... a $160 2 ply tire ? and it won't last 10K miles... I did not buy a race bike...I bought a RT... so I don't need a race tire..... my GoldWing's tires lasted a lot longer... so don't tell me no one can build a better tire..... & I for one won't buy another Kenda, .. there are other better choices..

Who said no one can build a better tire? And I don't think anyone expected you to go out and buy another Kenda. There ARE better choices. And what does your Goldwing have to do with anything?

BRP pretty much straightforwardly said that they thought people would want a tire that had better grip but didn't last as long. They were wrong (which they admitted) so they went back to a tire that lasted longer but didn't have as much grip. Just like most riders wanted.

What more do you want them to do?

 

[GunDoctor]

BRP didn't come back after the first comment. I wouldn't either. Like Black Friday at Target...

 

[PW2013STL]

I've been riding for 40 yrs and I've never got over 15,000 miles out of any tire on any bike. I could get 12 to 14 on touring bikes and that was the best I could get. I just put tires on my Victory and those only had a little over 9,000 miles on them and they were wore out! I would like to get 15,000 but if I can get 10,000 and have good all around performance I would be happy.
I'm glad to see BRP is listening to our concerns and trying to address those issues. They won't be able to please everyone but at least they're trying.

Try Dunlop American Elite tires. I had those on my 11 Harley Road Glide and were good for 20,000 to 22,000 miles and they handle very well. They are a dual compound tire with high milage centers and grippy compound for the sides.

You will be impressed.

 

[bruiser]

Wow! Another thread headed to the

I agree with others. Steve is giving us info on how BRP is correcting a problem. Good grief. Some complain when they don't respond. Then complain when they do.

 

[DrewNJ]

Yep I read it.. but I don't buy their excuse... a $160 2 ply tire ? and it won't last 10K miles... I did not buy a race bike...I bought a RT... so I don't need a race tire..... my GoldWing's tires lasted a lot longer... so don't tell me no one can build a better tire..... & I for one won't buy another Kenda, .. there are other better choices..

A real good friend of mine just spent over $2300 for tires for his Vette. This was at about 15k miles. He got 50k+ on his tires for his truck. Should he complain and demand better, longer life tires from Goodyear or from his dealer?

Personally, I don't care how long a tire lasts....as long as it sticks and keeps me safe!