troop
Well-known member
I'm surprised by the 2.5# difference on the front tires.
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Do we owe Kenda an apology?
- Thread starter Cobwebs
- Start date
I'm surprised by the 2.5# difference on the front tires.
BajaRon
Well-known member
I was as well. So I weighed them twice to be sure.
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RayBJ
Well-known member
What's the point of this discussion?:banghead: We choose the products we like for whatever reasons. If Kendas light your fire, enjoy. But why try to convince the rest of us to agree with whatever 'logic' 
you dream up.
Personally, I switched out the Kendas very soon after finding they didn't handle well with my style of riding. You do you and please stop 'selling'.
ray:
you dream up. Personally, I switched out the Kendas very soon after finding they didn't handle well with my style of riding. You do you and please stop 'selling'.
ray:mandytuning
New member
Pretty sure kenda designed the tire by brp specs and needs. Thats why you can't find a specific replacement.kenda QC is another conversation.
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
" sure, we get a few complaints about Kenda tires " ...... A few ?????? .... There has been NO other tire, that has registered as many complaints by members here - not even close .....Mike :thumbup:
Cobwebs
New member
It's almost a religion here to bash them though Mike, so the numbers of bashers don't reflect the reality. No one posts "I've had zero trouble with anything on my bike", but it is far and away the case. Just makes boring discussion so they don't bother.
Yes, there's a few with genuine problems, but lots that don't qualify because they've simply replaced tyres because it's the accepted thing to do.
There's never any follow up with simple checks, like was the balance dot mounted in the correct position, were the balance weights placed correctly from factory, was the wheel alignment confirmed (a big one), did you examine the interior of the tyre at removal or just leave it at the shop for disposal, what was the manufacture date stamp, etc. For such a big perceived problem there's never any follow up reported here, because the majority just seem to follow orders because they heard it on here, toss them out, then say how great the newly fitted and balanced tyres feel.:banghead:
Well, it might be boring, but me and every Spyder owner I've had anything to do with have had zero issues with Kendas. Not one puncture, no shakes, no one's thrown away perfectly good tyres, or wished they had tyres that produced miracle mileage.
You've seen the reaction this thread has produced by the negativity directed at a different outcome as though there's one solution only.
Last count about 300,000 Kenda shod Spyders have hit the road from new, then add on that many and more probably replaced with same, and you've got half a million uses and yet if there's been 50 genuine "ok it's a money back refund cases" on here over the years you're talking .01% failure rate. Nothing.
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ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
For any that missed it, give post #14 a read.
And remember, there are three sides to every story. :yes:
And remember, there are three sides to every story. :yes:
Snoking1127
Well-known member
I would note that my Federal Formoza's were not balanced as Discount Tire did not have a cone that fix the Spyder wheel, AND they ran/run(now back in use) smooth as can be. The OEM Kenda's had a ton of weights on one and about a half ton on the other. Fast forward to my newer Spyder and the original owner had problems with one of OEM Kenda and dealer install two new tires. I bought it and the left front tire was screwed up. Boeing and Kenda have quality control issues.
Cobwebs
New member
Did you verify that the factory balance was correct or just assume it was the tyres?
Snoking1127
Well-known member
I put my set of Centramatic Wheel Balancers on it and watched the rim appearing to run very true, then saw oscillations in the edge of the tread while driving 60-65 mph. Enough proof to me that the tire is screwed up, as the other front tire was running smoothly.
I did my up grades incrementally on the first Spyder:
Sway bar
Federal Formoza tires
Shock pre-load adjusters
Vredestein tires on PPA wheels
Each step was an improvement.
The newer Spyder came with Elka shocks. After replacing the 2013 RS blade wheels and Kenda tires with the OEM chrome wheels from the other Spyder that have the Federal Formoza's it was running smoothly on the road. I then installed the Bajaron sway bar and switch the PPA wheels and Vredestein tires onto it as pictured in sig line, and it is a beast in the twisties. It drives absolutely straight and true on the freeway now, and it does not get pushed around by semi-truck wakes. I am a cruise control rider that just rests my hands on the handlebars, and this machine is a dream to drive the way it is setup.
So that is how they will remain for now. The Asphalt Grey one will be my winter ride in Arizona, and I will fly back from Washington and ride the Champagne one to Washington as my summer ride. The KRX will commute with me back and forth. Photo is at Wells, Nv last spring heading North, and about halfway on the 1488 mile commute.
Attachments
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ThreeWheels
Active member
Do we owe Kenda an apology?
Not hardly.
Not hardly.
bigbadbrucie
New member
I sure don't. The thought never crossed my mind!
pegasus1300
Well-known member
I don't owe them anything. I paid for the tires when I bought the machine, I used them up which did not take long on the rear. The fronts lasted long but I always felt like they were going to roll under in a hard corner and that was why I replaced them before they were worn out. I replaced them with the cheapest tire I could find and they were still better. My neighbor has a 2010 RT that he has ridden over 15,000 miles on the rear tire pulling a trailer, two up. I was amazed but it does happen. I have read of a few others doing that as well. Most times the rear is gone in under 10,000 mi. That is unacceptable. To me they looked at the milage touring motorcycles were getting on their tires and designed a rear tire that would get a similar milage. They succeeded.
Peacekeeper6
Member
My cars either wear Michelins/Continentals/Pirellis.
Can't wait to replace my OEM Kendas with any offerings from these brands ........ if they make them.
Can't wait to replace my OEM Kendas with any offerings from these brands ........ if they make them.
Cobwebs
New member
Are you sure the cornering was tyres not suspension?
Cobwebs
New member
Probably not. Semi slicks may give you the compound your chasing if your going for performance tyres but few and far between in the correct size otherwise it's Kendas or rock hard car tyres that everyone recommends here.
ARtraveler
R.I.P. Dwayne
We are now kind of going round and round with the same subject matter.
Anyone with anything new, or should we go to sleep? :bowdown:
Anyone with anything new, or should we go to sleep? :bowdown:
BajaRon
Well-known member
How many car tires have you run on your Spyder?
Cobwebs
New member
Enough to know that if I want to ride sedately down a straight flat highway loaded to the gills with passenger, saddle bags full, and possibly towing a trailer, I might come somewhere close (well not very) to the intended load capacity stamped on the sidewall and the performance characteristics that go with the compromised tyre selection I'd made. Counting pennies is not a reason I would entertain either.
I'm happy to replace Kendas when they hit the wear bars and if there's a deeper section of tread left on the edge of the rear so what, sheesh round here it does everyone's head in cause it's different to what they're used to. OOh they're crap, yet not one post about a reply from asking Kenda why they wear like that. It's automatic, oh they balloon out cause they're made in China or Vietnam, let's use something else, but we won't ever admit we're compromising cause then we are going to look dumb replacing one problem with another.
Yeah a few might be out of round or whatever, those that aren't where's the problem?
Just for interests sake I quizzed an AI bot as to the percentage of tyres that have manufacturing defects and the answer was 1-2%.
Asked it is Kenda a quality brand. Yes.
I've had an Avon tyre for my Harley develop a circumferal (is that a word) split in the rubber at about half life. Expensive supposed top of the range tyre.
Wife's Mustang, Pirelli P Zero's cracking at base of tread blocks. 500 bucks a piece.
Brand means nothing.
The base we have here would be so small as to not show up defects in the car tyres that have been fitted and followed up on. What if next week there's 10 guys start bitchin about their car tyres spearing them off the road in the wet and how useless they are what's the general consensus then?
Yes, we have people here with extensive tyre knowledge, doesn't mean there's a tyre that meets all the criteria Spyders require.
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I wasn't going to contribute to this thread at all, as I have a fairly strong suspicion that even if I posted serious comments others would simply try to drag it into **** stirring and arguments, maybe even cause some of them to push the boundaries of the Rules here & possibly result in some being banned for suckering others into arguments/breaking the rules; but also to a fair degree because I've said very close to everything I feel the need to say on this subject more than once in the past, so I won't go thru it all again - you can search 'tires' plus my username/posts for it if you want to find it, then spend a couple of weeks reading. 
However, this vid that I've linked below juuust might help those of you who aren't aware of what actually goes on in the industry understand a little more about the priorities of car/tire manufacturers and if/why it might not be such a smart idea to blindly select the OE tire as your replacements once the original tires are worn out or prove unsuitable for YOUR needs/wants (something that is implicity allowed in most countries of the World, and also something that OEM Manufacturers are expressly not permitted by law to 'force' upon owners in some countries too! :shocked: ) Sure, the vid is about car tires fitted onto an EV, but then, our Spyders ARE UNDENIABLY running on car tires, and there are many parallels to be drawn with our situation from this vid - so please, check it out, especially the bit from around 48 seconds in thru to about 1 minute 35 seconds where he talks about one of the most significant reasons behind vehicle manufacturers specifying a particular tire as an OE Tire; and while you do that, just bear in mind that this vid is talking about a car company and a tire manufacturer where the manufacturers of each have worked closely together and put in a LOT of time, money, and effort into developing the absolute best tire/vehicle match they possibly can, something that clearly (to most anyway ) has not been the case with BRP & Kenda tires. Here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7dtd9cNQ8
And while you're there, consider that pretty much ALL of the testing for Spyders, and the development of the Safety Suite they run, affectionately called 'the Nanny', was not done on the OEM Spec Kendas, they only came along for the production models - pretty much all the prior testing and development work was done on bog standard, off the shelf car tires! Tires which, just like all of the other car tires out there, might have a MAXIMUM LOAD/MAXIMUM COLD PRESSURE specification printed on their sidewalls that should never be exceeded, but just like pretty much all other pneumatic tires, they DO NOT HAVE A MINIMUM LOAD/MINIMUM COLD PRESSURE specification there!! This is because, by International Agreements, Standards, and Regulations about tires, if these tires are going to be used on the road, they MUST be capable of working safely at less than the maximum levels of both, with the basic 'tenet' applicable to running at less than either being "lower the load, lower the pressure"; OR alternatively, "lower the maximum pressure, lower the maximum load!" And do watch thru to the end if the vid too, there's something worthwhile there too! :thumbup:
Just Sayin' :cheers:
However, this vid that I've linked below juuust might help those of you who aren't aware of what actually goes on in the industry understand a little more about the priorities of car/tire manufacturers and if/why it might not be such a smart idea to blindly select the OE tire as your replacements once the original tires are worn out or prove unsuitable for YOUR needs/wants (something that is implicity allowed in most countries of the World, and also something that OEM Manufacturers are expressly not permitted by law to 'force' upon owners in some countries too! :shocked: ) Sure, the vid is about car tires fitted onto an EV, but then, our Spyders ARE UNDENIABLY running on car tires, and there are many parallels to be drawn with our situation from this vid - so please, check it out, especially the bit from around 48 seconds in thru to about 1 minute 35 seconds where he talks about one of the most significant reasons behind vehicle manufacturers specifying a particular tire as an OE Tire; and while you do that, just bear in mind that this vid is talking about a car company and a tire manufacturer where the manufacturers of each have worked closely together and put in a LOT of time, money, and effort into developing the absolute best tire/vehicle match they possibly can, something that clearly (to most anyway
) has not been the case with BRP & Kenda tires. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yi7dtd9cNQ8
And while you're there, consider that pretty much ALL of the testing for Spyders, and the development of the Safety Suite they run, affectionately called 'the Nanny', was not done on the OEM Spec Kendas, they only came along for the production models - pretty much all the prior testing and development work was done on bog standard, off the shelf car tires! Tires which, just like all of the other car tires out there, might have a MAXIMUM LOAD/MAXIMUM COLD PRESSURE specification printed on their sidewalls that should never be exceeded, but just like pretty much all other pneumatic tires, they DO NOT HAVE A MINIMUM LOAD/MINIMUM COLD PRESSURE specification there!! This is because, by International Agreements, Standards, and Regulations about tires, if these tires are going to be used on the road, they MUST be capable of working safely at less than the maximum levels of both, with the basic 'tenet' applicable to running at less than either being "lower the load, lower the pressure"; OR alternatively, "lower the maximum pressure, lower the maximum load!" And do watch thru to the end if the vid too, there's something worthwhile there too! :thumbup:
Just Sayin' :cheers:
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