Rubber reconnaissance!

[mstella101]

I've searched til I'm blurry eyed and still not sure what front tire to get for my 2013St-S- I'm putting it up on General Discussion cause so many owners do own or have owned an St-S. I needed them at the end of last season but I figured I'd wait- my fronts have about 19,500 on them. they are original Kenda's. The back has been changed to a yokahama S- very happy with that one. The tires that have been stated in past forums are hard to come by and there are quit a few different size recommendations. Whats a man to do? Do I bite the bullet and get the oem Kendas or ?? Any help will be greatly appreciated. :bowdown: thanks, Mat

 

[Chupaca]

Bite the Bullet....

I got better that 30,000 on the oem Kenda tires up front. That is a good run for any brand so if you can't decide go with the Kendas. On my second set and they perform well. Most will admit they are good up front but it is not the best Idea to vary brands front to rear. :dontknow:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

KENDA VS. CAR TIRES

Kenda's are a poor excuse for a tire because they are inferior to any car tire made ..... However they will get you by IF YOU HAVE PERFECT - ALIGNMENT ....... or go on E-bay and look for Formoza AZ01 in 165/55-15 ( or 14 inch if the 13 sts has that on the front )..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Peter Aawen]

The BEST thing about running Kendas up front is that they are a crap tire & they probably won't last as long as just about anything else will, which basically means 'anything better' is likely to last longer & work better while doing it? :shocked:

Yeah, I know that because the front end of our Spyders is so light that even if you do run crap tires like the Kendas & you pay reasonable attention to getting their pressures & the wheel alignment right, they'll give you a reasonable life & possibly even reasonable performance :dontknow: but that's only IF you were lucky enough to get a pair of Kendas that weren't so crap in the first place that they could never be balanced or they vibrated all the time cos they were out of round &/or delaminating from the start... but that doesn't really mean a heap except that you were lucky in that one, they still are CRAP tires!! :lecturef_smilie:

Apologies for the excessive use of the word 'better', but when something is crap, everything is 'better'! Just about ANY car tire in a similar size with the same or higher load & speed ratings will perform better, last better, grip better, ride better, sound better, & even feel better; & that 'better' only gets 'even better' if you pay attention to running the right pressures & getting the wheel alignment right!! (Pretty much every other car tire out there is constructed better/stronger & capable of carrying/withstanding greater loads & stresses, so they don't need as much air in them to carry the light loads imposed by our Spyders - in fact, they usually need somewhat less pressure in them in order to let the stronger/heavier constructed tire reach sufficient operating temp to let the tread grip better & also flex enough to provide optimal wet & dry road grip!) So why would you keep on accepting the most mediocre tire you could possibly find to fit just because it might manage to give you a 'sorta orright' life, ride, & handling?? Especially since it's so bloody easy to get something (anything!) that will do all that a lot better, if not a HELLUVA lot better, is more readily available, does EVERYTHING a tire needs to do better, lasts longer, & is often cheaper into the bargain?!? :gaah:

Soo, you can choose just about any car tire that takes your fancy & has at least the same load & speed ratings (probably be hard to get anything with lower ratings!! ) and you can even go a little bigger in width or profile, but probably not more than a single step up in both width & profile at the same time. If you want to remove any doubts you might have, just check around & see what others are running successfully & take your pick; Mike's option is probably one of the better options - at least that way, if someone is already running them in a given size (width & profile for the make & tread pattern) then you'll know they fit!! But it really won't matter much, if they go on & they aren't Kendas, the odds are massively in your favour that they'll do everything better than the Kendas - and if they don't do that at your first try, then check the pressures you are running for the load they are carrying, chances are that you got that wrong & getting it right will mean they WILL out perform the Kendas in all respects except mediocrity... still, that isn't really gonna be too hard!

 

[mstella101]

info!

THANKS for the help-great specific info! I gotta get this done this week so I can head down to Spyderfest next week. Gene and Peter- gotta a feeling you guys may not be there, but Blueknight if you're there would love to say thanks in person.

 

[Bob Denman]

Once you find the right tires for the front of your bike: let us know which ones you bought! :thumbup:
Happy Shopping!

 

[jcthorne]

Since you like the Yokohama on the rear, suggest running the Yoko fronts as well.

Yokohama Avid S34FA 175/55-15 is the perfect fit. We stock these for our local customers. Lots of miles of smiles from them. Great tires that balance with very little weight.

 

[Easy Rider]

Yokohama Avid S34FA 175/55-15 is the perfect fit. We stock these for our local customers. Lots of miles of smiles from them.

I wonder if part of what they like is the tread pattern......WITHOUT those two deep grooves running right down the middle ??

My previous two wheel experience taught me to NEVER get a tire like that for the front of a bike......so I wonder if it might contribute to the "quickness" of the steering on the Spyders ??

If so I might be tempted to try and negotiate a different set of fronts when I finally decide on my new ride.

 

[Bob Denman]

Your Spyder doesn't handle anything like a bike... :dontknow:
I'm guessing that the big center grooves do a lot to move water out from under the tread; when the going gets a bit... nautical!

 

[Easy Rider]

Your Spyder doesn't handle anything like a bike... :dontknow:

I am sure that is mostly true however I have seen comments about it being somewhat "unsettling" when going over bridge grates or grooved pavement and if that is true the center grooves can have a BIG impact on that.

As far as water shedding, I don't ride in heavy rain.......EVER. And other tread styles should do an adequate job in light rain at reasonable speeds.

P.S. I don't actually have a Spyder yet. Going to the dealer again today.

 

[Bob Denman]

P.S. I don't actually have a Spyder yet. Going to the dealer again today.

Happy Shopping! :thumbup: