Kumho Ecsta AST

[AMTJIM]

I have seen a few types, one that comes to mind was simply a ball and circular level sight glass. The wheel/tire was like a non-rotating top, place weight were needed to get the bubble in the center.

This is just for info purposes....Harbor Freight sells a wheel balancer for around $ 50.....a lot of mtc. shops buy and use them because of they way they work....it's a stand with a threaded rod on ball bearings you put the tire/wheel on the rod then place two large rubber cones on the rod and thread them tight to the wheel hub...now you spin the wheel and balance it....they say it will work with a tire that's up to 15 inches wide and will fit ay hub diameter.....i'm not suggesting you buy one....but you can look at it....harbor freight.com, it's interesting......Mike....:thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

if the outside edges were still good, then you had the tire over-inflated.

Not necessarily so on the thin-ply Kenda. A lot of high speed riding will do it, too, as the tread distorts at speed.

 

[bikeguy]

No necessarily so on the thin-ply Kenda. A lot of high speed riding will do it, too, as the tread distorts at speed.

I agree with Scotty, but in my case, high speed riding is mostly about 70 MPH. The Kenda tire definitely grows and distorts at speed. I will admit that I had to determine just what the top speed of the Spyder RT was (some urges don't completely diminish with advancing years : P ) but the majority of my mileage was spent within the speed limits.

Cotton

 

[aka1004]

I bought kumho for the price but it felt a little more slippery than kenda, especially when tires are cold.
I got falken 512 all around now and feel like they are better than kumho but would prefer something stickier but choices are limited for front. I got 4000 miles on front and they look almost new and no funky wear like kenda and rear has 3000 but much more wear, typical.
I got 6000, 8000 Miles on kenda than 9000,11000 on kumho and 10000 on first falken 512 in rear.

 

[NancysToy]

I agree with Scotty, but in my case, high speed riding is mostly about 70 MPH. The Kenda tire definitely grows and distorts at speed. I will admit that I had to determine just what the top speed of the Spyder RT was (some urges don't completely diminish with advancing years : P ) but the majority of my mileage was spent within the speed limits.

Cotton

I probably should have said expressway riding. "High speed" means different things to different people. The Kenda seems to round the tread off at superhighway speeds. The previously flat tread is still pretty flat, but thw center of the wide tire grows enough to wear more quickly than the outside edges.

 

[Bob Denman]

So if it's overinflated OR underinflated... it'll wear the center tread section out first! :shocked: :gaah:

 

[Sarge707]

I probably should have said expressway riding. "High speed" means different things to different people. The Kenda seems to round the tread off at superhighway speeds. The previously flat tread is still pretty flat, but thw center of the wide tire grows enough to wear more quickly than the outside edges.

I,m gonna have close to 18,000 when I put on the New Tire? The wear in the middle gets me because the edges have about 10,000 more miles.

Scotty. Would you use a Kuhmo or Faulken on the rear IF your warranty was Done?
You don,t have to answer that, but I value your Experience!

 

[NancysToy]

I,m gonna have close to 18,000 when I put on the New Tire? The wear in the middle gets me because the edges have about 10,000 more miles.

Scotty. Would you use a Kuhmo or Faulken on the rear IF your warranty was Done?
You don,t have to answer that, but I value your Experience!

I would use another Kenda, especially if I got 18K out of the previous one. The increased wear in the center doesn't bother me. Motorcycle tires do the same, last half as long as the Spyder tire, and cost more. I am satisfied.

 

[Sarge707]

I would use another Kenda, especially if I got 18K out of the previous one. The increased wear in the center doesn't bother me. Motorcycle tires do the same, last half as long as the Spyder tire, and cost more. I am satisfied.

You know your right!
I have read every thread on Kuhmo and Rear tires over the last couple of days and being that more than HALF my riding is burning around Narrow, Bumpy, Treelined, back roads I,m gonna be smart and pay the $70 extra for the Kenda which spread over about 2 years riding is $35 a year and is Probably good life insurance in my case!nojoke



Others may have varying uses and opiniuns!:roflblack:

 

[bikeguy]

You know your right!
I have read every thread on Kuhmo and Rear tires over the last couple of days and being that more than HALF my riding is burning around Narrow, Bumpy, Treelined, back roads I,m gonna be smart and pay the $70 extra for the Kenda which spread over about 2 years riding is $35 a year and is Probably good life insurance in my case!nojoke



Others may have varying uses and opiniuns!:roflblack:

As Scotty said, if I could get 18,000 miles out of a Kenda I probably would never have considered going with something else. We'll see how many miles the Kumho winds up getting. Actually, in my location there was very little difference between the price of a Kenda and a Kumho Ecsta. The dealer quoted me a price of $94.00 for a Kenda and the Kumho was $86 and change at a local dealer. The real money saving comes in installing the tire yourself. When I had the dealer install a Kenda, the total bill came to $418.00. I bought a Kumho for $86.00, had it mounted and balanced for $25.00 (overcharged, by the way), and removed and replaced the rear wheel myself. Total cost $111.00. Taking my time, being very careful because I had never done it before, it took me less than 2 hours to remove and replace the rear wheel. And 2 hours will sound like an eternity to the real mechanics on the board, like Scotty and Lamonster.

Cotton

 

[Sarge707]

As Scotty said, if I could get 18,000 miles out of a Kenda I probably would never have considered going with something else. We'll see how many miles the Kumho winds up getting. Actually, in my location there was very little difference between the price of a Kenda and a Kumho Ecsta. The dealer quoted me a price of $94.00 for a Kenda and the Kumho was $86 and change at a local dealer. The real money saving comes in installing the tire yourself. When I had the dealer install a Kenda, the total bill came to $418.00. I bought a Kumho for $86.00, had it mounted and balanced for $25.00 (overcharged, by the way), and removed and replaced the rear wheel myself. Total cost $111.00. Taking my time, being very careful because I had never done it before, it took me less than 2 hours to remove and replace the rear wheel. And 2 hours will sound like an eternity to the real mechanics on the board, like Scotty and Lamonster.

Cotton

I plan on removing and installing the wheel myself also because it can take me All afternoon for all I care because I,m saving $ and learning another aspect of the spyder.
I think I,m hard on front tires because I just changed mine at 17,000 miles while many seem to run they well into the 20,000 Plus range?
:dontknow:

 

[bikeguy]

I plan on removing and installing the wheel myself also because it can take me All afternoon for all I care because I,m saving $ and learning another aspect of the spyder.
I think I,m hard on front tires because I just changed mine at 17,000 miles while many seem to run they well into the 20,000 Plus range?
:dontknow:

You've probably seen this tip on here before but in case you haven't. Remove the lower shock mounting bolt and let the swingarm drop down to remove the rear wheel without changing the settings on the belt tensioners. Replace the rear wheel, put the swingarm back in place, and replace the lower shock mounting bolt without ever touching the belt tensioners. Nothing has changed as far as belt adjustment or tension is concerned, so belt tension will be good to go without having to re-adjust it.

Cotton

 

[NancysToy]

You've probably seen this tip on here before but in case you haven't. Remove the lower shock mounting bolt and let the swingarm drop down to remove the rear wheel without changing the settings on the belt tensioners. Replace the rear wheel, put the swingarm back in place, and replace the lower shock mounting bolt without ever touching the belt tensioners. Nothing has changed as far as belt adjustment or tension is concerned, so belt tension will be good to go without having to re-adjust it.

Cotton

For the RTS/LTD be sure to disconnect the ACS sensor, or you can damage the link.

 

[Sarge707]

You've probably seen this tip on here before but in case you haven't. Remove the lower shock mounting bolt and let the swingarm drop down to remove the rear wheel without changing the settings on the belt tensioners. Replace the rear wheel, put the swingarm back in place, and replace the lower shock mounting bolt without ever touching the belt tensioners. Nothing has changed as far as belt adjustment or tension is concerned, so belt tension will be good to go without having to re-adjust it.

Cotton

Thanks, Been watching the video,s over and over and have Online Manual.(Which I won,t follow in this case:roflblack:.)
BUT, Today I noticed the lower Left side plastic belt guard looks quite hard to remove because of 10mm nuts in behind the frame?
Do you have to remove that Left lower belt guard?:dontknow:

 

[AMTJIM]

I googled the tire size and found it for $66 and up, local dealer wanted $170 for a Kenda.

 

[MarkLawson]

Looked at the Kuhmo on www.tirerack.com and saw that it had very low traction ratings. Went with the Michelin Hydroedge instead.

 

[bikeguy]

Thanks, Been watching the video,s over and over and have Online Manual.(Which I won,t follow in this case:roflblack:.)
BUT, Today I noticed the lower Left side plastic belt guard looks quite hard to remove because of 10mm nuts in behind the frame?
Do you have to remove that Left lower belt guard?:dontknow:

On my base RT, you do not have to remove the belt guard. I can't say for sure on an RS. And Scotty's right about disconnecting the ACS sensor on the RTS or LTD. AMTJIM, I could have bought a Kumho at a discount tire store or on line for less than $86.00 but my neighbor is a small tire dealer in our small town and there's no way he can match the larger dealer's prices. I'm willing to pay a few more dollars to support local businesses, not to mention a good neighbor. If I lived in a larger city, I probably wouldn't feel that way but in small towns local businesses and good neighbors are both worth trying to keep.

Cotton

 

[rnet]

Looked at the Kuhmo on www.tirerack.com and saw that it had very low traction ratings. Went with the Michelin Hydroedge instead.

The Michelin and the Kuhmo both have an A rating for traction. Kuhmo also has a higher speed rating, but if you want even better tires, both the Toyo and the Falken have AA ratings and the Toyo has a V speed rating even seth can't reach. I have all but the michelin sitting in the shop.

 

[MarkLawson]

The Michelin and the Kuhmo both have an A rating for traction. Kuhmo also has a higher speed rating, but if you want even better tires, both the Toyo and the Falken have AA ratings and the Toyo has a V speed rating even seth can't reach. I have all but the michelin sitting in the shop.

Sorry, my error. It wasn't the traction rating that was low, it was the reviewers rating.

 

[AMTJIM]

AMTJIM, I could have bought a Kumho at a discount tire store or on line for less than $86.00 but my neighbor is a small tire dealer in our small town and there's no way he can match the larger dealer's prices. I'm willing to pay a few more dollars to support local businesses, not to mention a good neighbor. If I lived in a larger city, I probably wouldn't feel that way but in small towns local businesses and good neighbors are both worth trying to keep.

Cotton

But you wouldn't help a small town Can-Am dealer and let them install it, you guys sound mad about some of this stuff.