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Nankang XR611 Rear 225/50R15 - fitted to RTL

A

askitee

Member
Today was my 1st day with the Nankang XR-611. Some info that may be of use to someone.
Size
  • 225/50 R15.
Bike
  • 2017 RT Ltd with Kendas still on the front
Journey
  • 300km with a mixture of highways, freeways, and city roads.
  • No additional Cargo, just an afternoon ride.
  • Rear Suspension set on Minimum (factory shocks)
Occupants
  • Two Up (me 90kg, pillion 55 kg)
Speedometer accuracy
  • Speedo now reads 4% lower than actual speed, down from from 3% with the Arachnid
Pressure
  • 26 PSI down from 28 with the Arachnid
Ride
  • I expected the stiffer construction of the tyre and sidewall to create a harsher ride which in some ways it did, but the heavier un-sprung weight (the tyre itself weighs 9.5 Kg) seems to counteract this. Even my pillion (Wife) noted the ride felt firmer but not harsh.
Handling General
  • The tyre does not track the irregularities in the road like the Kenda or Arachnid
  • Accelerating out of corners with a patchwork surface where the Kenda or Arachnid rear tyre would step out and skittle across the imperfections has gone.
  • No additional over-steer was experienced, nor under-steer for that matter.
  • The tyre feels much more confident on the road at higher speeds up to 130km/hr, and the Spyder itself is more confidence inspiring with the tyre.
  • Sidewall roll - an improvement on the Arachnid gievn the lower pressure. The bike feels quite direct when swerving to miss objects on the road
  • ABS - the back wheel appears to be able to share more of the breaking power when Hard stopping. In the place I like to test my cars and bikes the Kenda and Arachnid would skid, this did not happen with the Nankang
  • Because I still have Kendas on the front I haven't measured any difference in stopping distance. I will get a stopping distance reading before sending them to their rightful home - the waste management facility.
Wet Weather
  • Not tested, will report later

I have tried to communicate the types of things I would report when testing tyres on two wheels to my sponsor. I look forward to seeing and reporting what the tyre is like in the wet with things like grip, aquaplaning, braking and anything else I find. Hope it helps in your choice of tyre
Disclaimer
  1. You might get very different results but, at least these can serve as a guide to your tyre selection.
  2. Coming off Kenda to the Arachnid felt a big improvement, so coming from the Arachnid to the Nankang seems ....... um .....um .... chalk vs cheese, poorly made beer vs masterfully crafted beer...
 
Oooh....

Thanks for the detailed information. :bowdown: And yet another tire to add to the list. Let us know how it works out down the road ....:thumbup:
 
I've heard the Vredestein is difficult to acquire 'down under' so maybe this will turn out to be a viable substitute for those folks.
 
Last night saw me able to test the Nankang in the wet. We are going thru one of our East Coast Low weather patterns which means cold wind and lots of rain.

Size
225/50 R15.

Bike
2017 RT Ltd with Kenda's still on the front

Journey
  • 170km with a mixture of Country back roads (read as "rough") and highways. I had traveled this road with a mixed group of Harley's, Adventure bikes, Triumph's and Classic Japanese Sports bikes in the same conditions during a day ride a few months ago and had a few "moments", this ride was a big contrast.
  • No additional Cargo, just a nice night ride.
  • Rear Suspension set on Maximum (factory shocks)


Occupants
One Up (me 90kg)

Pressure
26 PSI down from 28 with the Arachnid

Handling General
  • Aquaplaning - At times there were good volumes of water either flowing across the road, or laying in indentations on the road. While the fronts would aquaplane the Nankang did not. There were occasions where I would ready myself expecting the rear to "float away" but it didn't. This was good given that on some of the back roads the road surface was just a white lined black space in front and no way to determine where water was laying or flowing until you hear the sound of water spraying from the tyres.
  • Accelerating out of corners with a patchwork surface where the Kenda or Arachnid rear tyre would step out and skittle across the imperfections did not occur considering the conditions.
  • The RTL with the Nankang provides a high level of confidence in the wet, hard breaking saw the tyre contributing much more to stopping on the road at speeds up to 100km/hr in these conditions.
  • ABS - the front (Kenda's) loose grip far sooner than the rear in situations where the ABS cuts in, allowing the rear to be able to share more of the breaking power when Hard stopping.


Wet Weather
A massive improvement over the Arachnid, let alone the Kenda. The tyre just makes the RTL feel much more confident in dealing with poor conditions, and I found old habits of bracing myself in anticipation of a "underwear soiling moment" were unfounded.

The relationship between Nankang and Yokohama shows in the quality of this tyre, if only they made them for the front, don't worry though I am adding to my Xmas gift list letter to Santa as soon as I am done here.
 
Last edited:
I also have the Nankang XR611 on my RT Ltd here in the UK, and found great grip in wet and dry conditions. I also have Nankangs on the front. I have recently fitted a new XR611 on the rear to replace the worn out XR611 that had done only just under 10,000 British miles (are they still different in the US.). The wear was pretty even over the surface and I used only 18 psi. How did you decide on 26 psi.
 
Flier Tuck said:
I also have the Nankang XR611 on my RT Ltd here in the UK, and found great grip in wet and dry conditions. I also have Nankangs on the front. I have recently fitted a new XR611 on the rear to replace the worn out XR611 that had done only just under 10,000 British miles (are they still different in the US.). The wear was pretty even over the surface and I used only 18 psi. How did you decide on 26 psi.
Click to expand...

I can't speak to the Traction factor ….. however if you only 10,000 UK miles, that's not even as good as the original Kenda's …. My Michelin Hydro- Edge got 40,000 ( great traction US mi. ) before I considered swapping for a new tire …… Mike :ohyea:
 
BLUEKNIGHT911 said:
I can't speak to the Traction factor ….. however if you only 10,000 UK miles, that's not even as good as the original Kenda's …. My Michelin Hydro- Edge got 40,000 ( great traction US mi. ) before I considered swapping for a new tire …… Mike :ohyea:
Click to expand...
You're not familiar with UK roads, Kendas give about 8k here. But the low pressure would account for much of the low mileage.
 
PinkRosePetal said:
That'll be 'au contraire' I guess. But au contraire to what?
Click to expand...

Thank you for the spelling correction, ( I corrected my post to reflect this ), French is / was, not high on my list of things to accomplish ……. " au contraire" to just about everything you were saying about tires...…. Mike :ohyea:
 
I haven't been able to find any supplier for this size in the US. UK, yes. Down under, yes. US, no. Anyone have any info where to find that size in this country?:helpsmilie:
 
Flier Tuck said:
I also have the Nankang XR611 on my RT Ltd here in the UK, and found great grip in wet and dry conditions. I also have Nankangs on the front. I have recently fitted a new XR611 on the rear to replace the worn out XR611 that had done only just under 10,000 British miles (are they still different in the US.). The wear was pretty even over the surface and I used only 18 psi. How did you decide on 26 psi.
Click to expand...

Hi Flier Tuck,

It was originally just a starting point, but has worked so well so far that I haven't moved off 26psi. I was looking for a balance between sway from sidewall flex vs not having the rear end jar me each time it encountered a pothole.

When I get to do a dry long distance run one up, I'll provide another report for those interested.

I haven't tried with my 622 trailer either yet, that happens in October.
 
Baron14y said:
Looked up the website. In the 225/50 size, they only show 16", 17", & 18" rims.
Click to expand...

Contact them via one of their contact channels and ask them why aren't they available in the USA. Ask others who may be interested to do the same, you just might find they bring some in to see how they trade.

Because I work for myself I do this often when a product isn't available her in Australia, 8 out of 10 times they say no, but its worth a try.
 
I've had time to test the Nankang in the dry and on long journeys. Sorry for those waiting..

Size
225/50 R15.

Bike
2017 RT Ltd with Kenda's still on the front

Occupants
One Up (me 90kg) and at times two up ( wife 60kg)

Pressure
26 PSI down from 28 with the Arachnid

Handling General
The tyre has been excellent in all situations. The increased grip and stability certainly make a difference to the way the bike handles in the rear end, plus overall.
I had the bike in for a service and rode home on a 160km stretch of road favored by the boy racers (hot mix winding road) . The tyre seems to allow the rear end to contribute more to hard braking and is more stable accelerating out of corners something that would see the rear chatter and step out.

One very interesting thing - the drive belt harmonics have changed too. On the freeway my RTL would vibrate at around 118 to 125km/hr and I'd increase the rear ride height to lessen it. The vibration at those speeds and above has now almost gone - I can only assume that the poor quality Kenda's/Arachnids contribute more to the rear end vibration than I 1st thought. Picture in your own mind the swing arm bouncing in response to a slightly out of round tyre, this being transmitted through to the drive belt which is longer than some Hawaiian highways and it starts to make sense.
 
G'day Askitee

Good review of the Nankang, thanks

Seeing the rear Kendra on my 14RT (10K km) is down to the wear marks, I decided that the Nankang will be good for me.

Not available till the end of November. Bugger.

Off to a rally in 10 days and looking like I will be coming home on a slick.

As much as we need the rain up here in Qld, I don't look forward to coming home in the rain.

Cheers and beers
Frank
 
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