Here's some New Kenda Tires!?!

[LeftCoast]

Until the Actual specs are posted for this tire …. I will reserve judgement ….. guessing about this or anything else is a big mistake …… Mike hyea:

But it's fun!:clap:

 

[HankD]

Yep, the bolded & underlined bit ^^ makes the Kenda Kanines an ILLEGAL fitting choice for our OE Spec 'J' Type CAR (& Spyder) rims, at least here in Australia anyway! :shocked:

Peter,

Using some research (done by you) previously on weight distribution, I think that a 2017 Spyder RTS with a normal load and a 175 lb rider (me) should weigh a total of about 1250 lbs. Using an estimate from your research of about 45% of that weight on the rear wheel, that puts the rear wheel load at about 560 lbs. With a second passenger, it would be up to 625 lbs on the rear tire. Given those (estimates).....what inflation pressure would you use for the Kenda Kanine rear tire given the specs I listed previously?

Thanks!

 

[Peter Aawen]

Bearing in mind that the ryder/pillion weight isn't all carried by the rear tire (because of the frame & suspension/swing arm/shock design, an increasing percentage of that weight, said % dependent upon the load on the rear frame, gets transferred forward & onto the front tires) so I'd be a little bit surprised if the rear of your Spyder actually got that high Hank. But IF the load on the rear tire is really that close to 300kgs, then given what we know so far, a rough 'educated guess' for your ideal pressure in that tire would be somewhere in the vicinity of 28-32 psi - BUT and please note well... that is pretty a rough guesstimate at this stage, because just like Mike said earlier, until the ACTUAL specs on these tires are made available, we really don't know enough about them yet.... :dontknow:

 

[HankD]

Bearing in mind that the ryder/pillion weight isn't all carried by the rear tire (because of the frame & suspension/swing arm/shock design, an increasing percentage of that weight, said % dependent upon the load on the rear frame, gets transferred forward & onto the front tires) so I'd be a little bit surprised if the rear of your Spyder actually got that high Hank. But IF the load on the rear tire is really that close to 300kgs, then given what we know so far, a rough 'educated guess' for your ideal pressure in that tire would be somewhere in the vicinity of 28-32 psi - BUT and please note well... that is pretty a rough guesstimate at this stage, because just like Mike said earlier, until the ACTUAL specs on these tires are made available, we really don't know enough about them yet.... :dontknow:

Understood, I'm just looking for a place to START the process. Can Am and Kenda have been ZERO help with this, and I need to tell the dealer/installer..."Fill it up to XX psi". 28-32 isn't that much different than the stock OEM Kenda recommendations in the Owners Manual, but even with the increased "max" psi rating of the new Kanine I would feel safer starting off with a pressure that won't blow my tire up on the 80mile trip home from the dealer. I'll start with 30 psi/single rider and see how it goes Thanks for the help.

PS. What "actual" specs are you looking for. Something that I didn't list on the sidewall markings?

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

This is all I know. Didn't have time to look any further.

View attachment 178349

These tires were discussed in another thread just about a week or 2 ago. Don't know offhand if there was different info in that thread or if most all the pertinent info is repeated below. Sorry, I'm too disinterested to bother to find the other thread!

 

[Peter Aawen]

There's a whole lot more info/specs from the manufacturer that we really need to know about how the tire is actually constructed & what is used in it, things including what denier cords/plies are being used, how the tread plies are applied, the thickness of the compound layers, and a heap of 'other stuff'..... things that both Kenda & BRP made really difficult to find out for the OE Spec Kendas! But we do KNOW that the OE Spec Kendas are so lightly constructed that they really NEED that 27-30 psi in them to support the loads imposed by our Spyders, and that even WITH that amount of air in there, the tread layers still 'balloon' out at speed so that grip & handling is compromised plus the tread rapidly wears in the middle couple of inches, cos that's all that's left touching the road..... :shocked:

And I suspect that given the ply details & load/pressure info we've already got on the Kenda Kanines, they too probably NEED that sort of pressure to work!! I also suspect that Kenda & BRP won't make finding the necessary info too easy, plus I suspect that the claims about providing better milage & handling than the passenger car alternatives (running at the appropriate pressure for the loading on them) are just marketing claims..... :dontknow:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

But we KNOW that the OE Spec Kendas are so lightly constructed that they really NEED that 27-30 psi in them to support the loads imposed by our Spyders, and that even WITH that amount of air in there, the tread layers still 'balloon' out at speed so that the tread rapidly wears in the middle couple of inches, cos that's all that's touching the road.

How much do you speculate the steel plies will mitigate that tendency? I think it should help.

 

[Peter Aawen]

It might IdahoMS, but until we can access all that other info, or SEE the empirical results of running them for some thousands of miles in actual use, then it's really all just speculation..... :dontknow:

 

[HankD]

Well, something changed because the max. psi at the same load increased 47% from 30 to 44 psi. The only choice I have with installers in my area is the new Kanines or the old spec Kenda's. I decided to at least give the new ones a shot. I only got about 9,000 miles on my OE rear tire before the center wore out, so I don't have much to lose.

 

[Gekko]

These tires were discussed in another thread just about a week or 2 ago. Don't know offhand if there was different info in that thread or if most all the pertinent info is repeated below. Sorry, I'm too disinterested to bother to find the other thread!

Here's that other thread; the first mention of the Kanine tire is in post #5. There's also some helpful info in post #41.

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Here's that other thread; the first mention of the Kanine tire is in post #5. There's also some helpful info in post #41.

My memory is shot! That thread was 2 months ago, not 2 weeks ago! :banghead:

 

[askitee]

From Kenda's website

https://powersports.kendatire.com/en-us/find-a-tire/motorcyclescooter/street/kanine/

 

[eddieshep999]

Let’s hope they don’t suffer from the problem BRP had when they used Kenda Softer compound tyres and Riders found they worn down within 5,000 miles

 

[ARtraveler]

Let’s hope they don’t suffer from the problem BRP had when they used Kenda Softer compound tyres and Riders found they worn down within 5,000 miles

I remember that from 2014 when I bought my new 2014 RT-S. I got 8,400 miles out of the soft compound on the rear tire.

 

[chris56]

not really a good tire .. in Europe it gets only a "C" label in the rain, maybe the built a special version now ??
its some years old, they have also this version for the Rykers (rear) ..

https://www.performanceplustire.com...59-2:yr:2015:so:prpop:ty:Tire:ma:kenda-tires/

 

[jcthorne]

I see two specifications on the Kanine side wall that concern me enough that they will NOT go on my bikes.

KENDA

Made In China

Far too much history of very poor quality. This could be the first truly great tire to come out of China and Kenda, but I am not gettting suckered into handing them money until its proven. That will take more years than I have left in riding. It took that many for them to develop the truly awful reputation they currently have. My bikes and my customers deserve better. Top tier, Made in USA tires. Chinese Kenda's need not apply.

 

[h0gr1der]

OK fellers, help me out. I went through this process and it seems to work (for me), but I'd like confirmation from the folks who actually are in the know. Determining inflation pressures from a blind start. I used the footprint test, tire pressure increase, and finally a tire pyrometer. I read many times the air supports the weight, not the tire. I take that to mean correct inflation pressure. Doing the footprint test first gets you in the ballpark, I.E. the range of pressures in which the total width of the tread is on the ground is the usable inflation pressures as determined by either wetting or chalking your tire and rolling it on smooth concrete and measuring the width of the footprint with the bike fully laden. Start high, lower the pressures and repeat until you have the max and min pressure that all the tread is on the ground. Ride hard for 1 hour and check pressures. 4 PSI or more means under-inflated, very little pressure increase means (possibly) over-inflated. Last ride hard and use a tire pyrometer to verify (quickly) the tire tread temperature is even all the way across. The range of proper pressures can be (for me) as low as 14 PSI front all the way up to close to 26 PSI front (car tires). Between those pressures my Spyder had all the tread down, and all the temperatures were even. I chose a lower pressure because comfort, and tires plump up when running. What do you guys think?

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OK fellers, help me out. I went through this process and it seems to work (for me), but I'd like confirmation from the folks who actually are in the know. Determining inflation pressures from a blind start. I used the footprint test, tire pressure increase, and finally a tire pyrometer. I read many times the air supports the weight, not the tire. I take that to mean correct inflation pressure. Doing the footprint test first gets you in the ballpark, I.E. the range of pressures in which the total width of the tread is on the ground is the usable inflation pressures as determined by either wetting or chalking your tire and rolling it on smooth concrete and measuring the width of the footprint with the bike fully laden. Start high, lower the pressures and repeat until you have the max and min pressure that all the tread is on the ground. Ride hard for 1 hour and check pressures. 4 PSI or more means under-inflated, very little pressure increase means (possibly) over-inflated. Last ride hard and use a tire pyrometer to verify (quickly) the tire tread temperature is even all the way across. The range of proper pressures can be (for me) as low as 14 PSI front all the way up to close to 26 PSI front (car tires). Between those pressures my Spyder had all the tread down, and all the temperatures were even. I chose a lower pressure because comfort, and tires plump up when running. What do you guys think?

Everything you have concerns about ( using auto tires ) has been pretty much determined and tested …. If you want to repeat everything - have fun .... I'm fairly confident if done correctly you will reach the same conclusions ….. IMHO if you aren't involved in Racing - Darn close is close enough …. you said " air supports the weight, not the tire " if you mean - tire as in sidewall construction, then I dis-agree …. It's a combination of both …. have fun, good luck ….me I'm going Skiing :yes::yes: …… Mike hyea:

 

[Peter Aawen]

If you're using the '4psi Rule', set your cold start pressure & ride for an hour, then check again. An increase of MORE than 4psi means your cold start pressure was too LOW; an increase of LESS than 4psi means your cold start pressure was too HIGH; so an increase of 4psi is the 'ideal' target to aim for. hyea:

But there are some things to remember - it's a 'Rule of Thumb', so it's not necessarily or specifically exact, but for most, it IS reliable, repeatable, and reasonably close for the majority of circumstances; a tire pressure gauge that's consistent is better than one that's questionably or occasionally exactly accurate; and adjusting your tire pressure is not the only way of getting closer to achieving the ideal 4psi increase - briefly, you could consider adjusting your avg speed just a little, that can make a big change in tire temps & therefore in tire pressure; cornering, braking, and generaly just ryding harder or gentler can do the same; reducing or increasing the load on the tire can make a significant difference; and ambient temps, road surface temps, & road conditions (wet, dry, or anywhere in between) can make a difference! So you don't need to become a slave to checking tire pressures, but if you do check them regularly for a few weeks initially, just to work out what YOUR ryding/driving does to your pressures, most will get pretty good at 'guesstimating' something pretty close to the pressure that'll give them that 'ideal 4psi increase' given what they are going to be doing today in today's conditions with today's load, and checking that you've got it fairly close to right every now & then is usually going to be enough. A TPMS can help make it easier to do that checking more often if you wish.

Just beware of getting too invested in keeping your tire pressures at exactly the 4psi above your cold start pressure - you're meant to be ryding safely & enjoyably, not sweating over getting your tire pressures exact for every circumstance &/or ryde!! Like Mike said above, there's been a lot of miles of testing & confirming, and many have done this often enough to confirm that for most running car tires as opposed to the OE Spec & differently constructed Kendas, there's just not that great a variation in the 'ideal pressure' from what's been recommended often, here & elsewhere. Still, even just checking your cold start pressures once a week and confirming that you're in the '4psi increase' ball-park once every half a dozen or even every dozen rydes is going to be much better than doing nothing, or just adhering to the (still better than nothing) tire placard 'one pressure fits all uses & circumstances' pressure, but if you do check for that 4psi increase about that regularly you'll probably see and feel the dividends in better ryde, handling, & tire wear, et al. Enjoy, but please, don't obsess!! :thumbup:

Ride More, Worry Less!

 

[HankD]

The above is very helpful to me. I will get the dealer to install the new rear Kenda Kanine and have them set it at 30 psi. I then drive about an hour home and recheck the tire pressure. Somewhere around 34 and I'm hopefully good, Lower than 34 and I adjust down in pressure a bit after the tire cools down, and higher than 34 and I add some air and repeat until I get it dialed in a bit. Then I forget about it for awhile and enjoy the bike.

Thanks!