Newbie question about front tires.

[drhunt204]

I have been reading on this forum about different front tires for the Spyder RS. I have a new to me 2009 RS that will be needing new front tires soon. I have read about the different automobile tires people have been using to replace their originals. I'm a little nervous about changing from the recommended can am tires. Please indulge me a few questions. I live in a small town so I have to travel to get to a dealer. Do you just call a local tire shop and can they put the new car tires on my bike? Do I have to buy them and have the can am dealer put them on? And the question that will generate some different answers...What would you recommend for a good long lasting tire?

I don't ride hard or need high performance tires, I would like a set of tires that will last for a while and give me safe travel on normal conditions. This forum is a great way to share information from you wiser riders to a newbie! Thank you in advance for any answers you can provide to me.

 

[Chupaca]

Stick with them...

For all you read the Kendas on the front have worked well. I am on my second set having gotten 30,000 miles on the first set. Make sure you are gauging them correctly cause there are wear bars and rain bars. :lecturef_smilie:

look for that little triangle and the wear bars will be in the grooves straight across. If you are having uneven wear problems get her a laser alignment....

 

[Cruzr Joe]

22,600 on my Kendas on front and just replaced them Kendas.

Cruzr joe

 

[PistonBlown]

Agree with the others, the stock Kenda's will work just fine for the front. They last and perform well for normal use. Your can am dealer will be able to source and fit them for you which saves hassle as well.

Its just the rear where the stock Kenda is useless, combining poor performance with poor wear

 

[Peter Aawen]

I dunno that I'd agree with 'the Kenda's work & perform well for normal use up front'; I reckon you'd be much closer to correct if you said 'they only work OK up front'!! And if you seriously think the Kenda's work well, you should try swapping your tires & rims for a day or even just an hour's riding with someone who's already changed to a proper tire... it doesn't really matter which other tire you try, cos the difference between the Kenda's & pretty much any 'real' tire will be quite noticeable... :shocked:

Sure, the Kenda's work sorta OK up front & they can even last/wear for a reasonable amount of time/mileage up there cos there are 2 of them sharing the load; & despite what many say/feel about it, the front suspension & steering is a pretty smart & capable design that should let tires work & wear OK even with tires that are basically wheel barrow tires - which they are & they do!! But try fitting a properly constructed tire with sidewalls that have some degree of strength & pliable handling built in as well as a better tread compound & I've no doubt that you'll notice the difference immediately, just like you'd notice the difference between eating chalk or eating cheese!! This is highlighted on the rear where the stock tire also has to manage drive loads as well as cornering & a significant portion of the load carrying on just ONE tire, so the rear tires wear quicker! :thumbup:

If you are happy running Kenda's front & rear on your Spyder, then that's fine & more power to you, but don't kid yourself or anyone else that you are getting anywhere near the ride, handling, wear, or safety from them that you'd get from just about any other 'proper' automotive tire - IMO the Kenda's are lightly constructed crappy & over-priced wheel barrow tires & almost any automotive tire can do better on your Spyder in all respects, on the front AND the rear!!

 

[Bfromla]

I have been reading on this forum about different front tires for the Spyder RS. I have a new to me 2009 RS that will be needing new front tires soon. I have read about the different automobile tires people have been using to replace their originals. I'm a little nervous about changing from the recommended can am tires. Please indulge me a few questions. I live in a small town so I have to travel to get to a dealer. Do you just call a local tire shop and can they put the new car tires on my bike? Do I have to buy them and have the can am dealer put them on? And the question that will generate some different answers...What would you recommend for a good long lasting tire?

I don't ride hard or need high performance tires, I would like a set of tires that will last for a while and give me safe travel on normal conditions. This forum is a great way to share information from you wiser riders to a newbie! Thank you in advance for any answers you can provide to me.

.

:congrats::welcome:OEM tires work fine (on my 2set now)if you watch your tire pressure & keep aligned :firstplace: I see you in S.E. MO. swing on by Pittbulls in Springfield & you will be a step in right direction:clap: They can provide better details for the tire services they offer.
(or Spyder Pops in AR) I Know most dealers have problems installing tires not bought from them (liability crap) Good luck in your search

 

[PistonBlown]

I dunno that I'd agree with 'the Kenda's work & perform well for normal use up front'; I reckon you'd be much closer to correct if you said 'they only work OK up front'!! And if you seriously think the Kenda's work well, you should try swapping your tires & rims for a day or even just an hour's riding with someone who's already changed to a proper tire... it doesn't really matter which other tire you try, cos the difference between the Kenda's & pretty much any 'real' tire will be quite noticeable... :shocked:

Sure, the Kenda's work sorta OK up front & they can even last/wear for a reasonable amount of time/mileage up there cos there are 2 of them sharing the load; & despite what many say/feel about it, the front suspension & steering is a pretty smart & capable design that should let tires work & wear OK even with tires that are basically wheel barrow tires - which they are & they do!! But try fitting a properly constructed tire with sidewalls that have some degree of strength & pliable handling built in as well as a better tread compound & I've no doubt that you'll notice the difference immediately, just like you'd notice the difference between eating chalk or eating cheese!! This is highlighted on the rear where the stock tire also has to manage drive loads as well as cornering & a significant portion of the load carrying on just ONE tire, so the rear tires wear quicker! :thumbup:

If you are happy running Kenda's front & rear on your Spyder, then that's fine & more power to you, but don't kid yourself or anyone else that you are getting anywhere near the ride, handling, wear, or safety from them that you'd get from just about any other 'proper' automotive tire - IMO the Kenda's are lightly constructed crappy & over-priced wheel barrow tires & almost any automotive tire can do better on your Spyder in all respects, on the front AND the rear!!

No I'm not happy with Kenda's up front which is why I've changed to something better.

However the original poster said "I don't ride hard or need high performance tires, I would like a set of tires that will last for a while and give me safe travel on normal conditions". Kenda on the front do meet those requirements as they do the job and seem to last.

In my case I do ride hard and do need performance tires. I Found after changing over to using Toyo T1R's on the back the Kenda's on the front couldn't cope with the extra grip that tire provided at the back on tight corners and so would slide a lot. Almost all the riding here is twisty roads so it's really important to get the right tires for that.

I had difficulties finding a good alternative for the front that offered more grip but still had soft side walls. I did try one good quality make but found the side walls were too stiff making the front juddery on uneven roads (got a lot of those as well following the 2011 earthquakes). The ones I've got on now seem good though I've only done 2,500km so far and I'm not found the optimum tire pressures yet. There actually a cheaper make of tire this time around but still offer more grip than the Kenda's.

I've only seen RT riders post about front tire makes and they tend to be more concerned about wear than performance, what tires are you using on the front and what pressure are you running them with?

 

[drhunt204]

Thanks for the help with my question.

I appreciate the posts on front tires. I have a little over 10K miles on my 2009 RS and I have uneven wear on the front tires. There is more wear on the inside rims than the outside. I had the Spyder undergo an alignment about 2 weeks ago but I will be looking at changing out the tires in the near future. I want to be safe and not stranded on the roadside.

I know the misalignment is why I will be needing to upgrade my front tires but I hope the alignment will fix any future uneven tread wear. I was unsure of what I should expect on the millage of Kendas vs some of the automobile tires that others have advocated to use. Your posts have helped with the expected millage on the Kaendas.