OEM tires

[hellridgeryder]

I have a 2012 RTL with 13000 miles and original Kenda tires. The front tires are still good but I probably should replace the rear tire before my next trip. I would like to replace with Kenda OEM tires but have read posts on the forum about wear and quality issues. Is there any way to tell if the tires from my dealer are from a batch that seem to be giving trouble. Is BRP still using Kendas as original equipment?

 

[Bob Denman]

Yup; they still use Kenda...
Quiz your dealer about making sure that you get a tire from the latest batch. If you've gone 13,000 on the OEM tires; there's little reason to change. :thumbup:

 

[SPYD3R]

3 TIRES

THERE ARE ONLY 3 TIRES I WOULD USE ON MY SPYD3RS....
KUMHO, KUMHO and then there is KUMHO....
mho, the best one is the KUMHO AST....
Dan P
SPYD3R F3-S

 

[Bob Denman]

Dan,
I also like the tires from Kumho. :thumbup:
But there are a lot of dealers out there who won't mount a non-oem tire...

 

[SPYD3R]

ISSUE

Dan,
I also like the tires from Kumho. :thumbup:
But there are a lot of dealers out there who won't mount a non-oem tire...

MY DEALER HAS NO ISSUES WITH MOUNTING ANOTHER BRAND OF TIRE ON A SPYD3R.....
I'M SURE IF PEOPLE WERE TO DO A SEARCH, THEY ALSO WOULD FIND A DEALER THAT WILL MOUNT THEM...
ACTUALLY, TO BE RESTRICTED TO ONE BRAND ONLY WOULD VIOLATE THE 'TAFF-HARTLEY' LAW.... AND WE DON'T WANNA DO THAT...
CAN'T WAIT FOR THE 'KENDAS' ON MY F3 TO BURN UP.... I'M GOING KUMHO ALL 3 POINTS....
DAN P
SPYD3R F3-S

 

[finless]

I got good life out of my Kenda stock tire on my 2011 RTS but in my opinion for this ride.... It CAN be better!

I replaced it at 12,900 but I could have gotten 14K out of it maybe more. It just was getting too bald in the middle for my liking.

However with that said...... I decided to go to a car tire that came recommended to me by folks I trust.
That is the Yokohama S Drive tire.

I now have over 500 miles (I know that's not a lot) but I am seriously loving this tire!

1) It's not a cheap ass 2 ply like the Kenda that costs as much as a high end tire!
Seriously that Kenda is just too damn over priced from dealers for what that tire is!
2) In my opinion it sticks better to the road than my stock Kenda did.
3) It's just a better tire!

And yes, a dealer may not install a non-OEM tire. Some will, some won't! Some will if you sign a release of liability.

In the end, I won't be going back to such a cheap 2 ply tire. When my fronts wear out, I will also find an alternative.

Bob

 

[Dan McNally]

Supposedly, the OEM rear tires that had the extreme wear issue are history . . . read this post on the subject from BRPCare http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?74147-A-note-on-tire-compounds

Since tires have the week and year they are manufactured embossed on the sidewall, you should be easily able to determine if a new OEM tire was made after the switch back to the old compound.

In some states, dealers are prohibited by law from installing a non-motorcycle tire on a vehicle classified as a motorcycle.

 

[hellridgeryder]

Thanks for the information. It was just what I needed.

 

[Chupaca]

Die hard...

I am the odd man out. I got over 22,000 miles on my rear tire on a 2012 RS ryden agressively. Replaced it with the same Kenda and now at over 25,000 miles looks great and the fronts are starting to get close to limit (3-4000 left). As long as you have the pre 2014 or 2015 production you should be fine. But then all the car tire users are getting better result. May be an RT thing or an east coast west coast road construction/weather thing...:dontknow:

 

[PistonBlown]

I am the odd man out. I got over 22,000 miles on my rear tire on a 2012 RS ryden agressively. Replaced it with the same Kenda and now at over 25,000 miles looks great and the fronts are starting to get close to limit (3-4000 left). As long as you have the pre 2014 or 2015 production you should be fine. But then all the car tire users are getting better result. May be an RT thing or an east coast west coast road construction/weather thing...:dontknow:

I on the other hand got 9500km (6000 miles) out of the Kenda's on the back until I switched to another make

I wonder if you're right about the differences in road surface. Roads here have a rough stone chip surface which has plenty of grip but probably wears a soft compound tyre quickly.

 

[Chupaca]

Starting to get convinced...

I on the other hand got 9500km (6000 miles) out of the Kenda's on the back until I switched to another make

I wonder if you're right about the differences in road surface. Roads here have a rough stone chip surface which has plenty of grip but probably wears a soft compound tyre quickly.

Between the road surfaces and the extreem weather changes I believe the tires take a beating. Road surfaces after the thaw get pretty rough as well, potholes and all. But I'm not crazy about the stiffer car tires with more plys. I'll stick with them till they fail me....hyea:

 

[randyandsandy74]

I just put a set (front and back) on our 2012 RT limited. I put on General Altimax RT. They are running smooth as silk so far, I only have about a hundred miles on them so far though.

 

[Ronbo]

Tires

I am the odd man out. I got over 22,000 miles on my rear tire on a 2012 RS ryden agressively. Replaced it with the same Kenda and now at over 25,000 miles looks great and the fronts are starting to get close to limit (3-4000 left). As long as you have the pre 2014 or 2015 production you should be fine. But then all the car tire users are getting better result. May be an RT thing or an east coast west coast road construction/weather thing...:dontknow:

I also kinda like the kenda's

Ron

 

[Kraut]

I just put a set (front and back) on our 2012 RT limited. I put on General Altimax RT. They are running smooth as silk so far, I only have about a hundred miles on them so far though.

I switched to the General Altimax all the way around also. Have a little over 650 miles and really like the handling. Time and miles will tell the story.
-And oh by the way, the price was much better! :clap:hyea:

 

[2dogs]

Rear tire

Maybe R&D took this onto consideration and if most :spyder2: riders ride like I think they do and the way I do, we take up our lane by generally riding in the middle of it. That puts the rear tire on the pavement least used by other traffic and not as smooth as the usual wagon tracks made by cars. Then again, that's the same place where all the oil lands that drips off the running gear of cars and trucks. So I'm thinking there maybe several conditions coming into play when trying to figure out tire mileage and performance. I apologize if I'm over making this observation. :dontknow:

 

[Highwayman2013]

I've got Altimax HP's on the front and a Michelin on the back. Rides good, handles good, wears good.

 

[doug1950]

THERE ARE ONLY 3 TIRES I WOULD USE ON MY SPYD3RS....
KUMHO, KUMHO and then there is KUMHO....
mho, the best one is the KUMHO AST....
Dan P
SPYD3R F3-S

I would have too say KUMHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO:yes:

 

[Bob Denman]

I also kinda like the kenda's

Ron

Ron... Are you sure that it's not, "Kenda like the kinda's"?

 

[Orange Spyder Man]

I would NOT put Kenda tires on my wheelbarrow or lawnmower... much less on a vehicle that travels down the highway at 70MPH...

osm

 

[Bob Denman]

I would NOT put Kenda tires on my wheelbarrow or lawnmower... much less on a vehicle that travels down the highway at 70MPH...

This is a tough call... while the rear tires do wear out quicker than I had hoped; the fronts just seem to "Keep on Truckin'..."
While the rear OEMs did lose traction as they lost tread; they did behave better than the Falken that I tried...
As it wore; it got REALLY nasty on wet roads.
The Kendas seem to be a pretty "safe" choice, that'll do what is needed. There are probably other choices out there that are better.