Tires... again - any feedback on Kumho Rear, Kenda Kanine Fronts?

[Peter Aawen]

OK, I just put Kumhos on the rear and I need some good news after all of the comments I have seen. What pressure do you recommend? I am currently running 20 lbs.
Leon

Unless you are REALLY HEAVY &/or you're always riding at or even beyond the Spyder's carrying capacity; or maybe riding in 100°F+ heat at Freeway Speeds all day; then I really doubt you'd ever need an a/mkt rear tire fitted to a Spyder to require as much as 20psi! :shocked:

For most people running any a/mkt tire that meets or exceeds the OEM Kenda's Speed and Load specs on the rear of their Spyder, I'd expect 18psi is likely to be the top of the pressure range required, and with a std size Kumho Ecsta on the rear of your Spyder, I'd think that 18psi would work pretty well for most to start with. But as soon as you start to notice any centre tread wear developing or it starts losing traction in the wet & cold; and almost certainly by the time you reach about 10,000 miles on that rear tire, you should gradually start dropping your pressure in order to maintain the traction and keep the wear even across the tread face. Personally, I'd think you should've dropped 2 psi by or around the 10,000 mile mark, or whenever the tire starts losing traction in the wet & cold; and then I'd expect you to need to gradually drop another 1 or maybe 2 psi sometime after reaching about 15-20,000 miles, or when those same conditions mentioned above start becoming obvious again!

But I wouldn't ever drop your a/mkt rear tire below 14psi!! :lecturef_smilie:

IIRC, the last Kumho I ran on the rear of my RT still had good tread, traction, wet weather capabilities, and was still at 15 psi when I swapped it out at about the 40,000 mile mark, which I did only because I was just heading off on a fully loaded 10,000 mile tour with expectations of doing a lot of hot high speed miles and a fair bit of riding in monsoonal rain on less than the greatest road surfaces... So I changed brands & replaced all the tires before starting that trip; and I'm actually still running those tires now, with well over 10,000 miles on them now! Without checking, I think it's a 205/65R15 Michelin XMS on the rear now... can't recall what's on the fronts tho, but it is nearly 02:00 here where I am in Oz atm...

Over to you, and if you start to notice that your rear Kumho running at 18psi has started losing traction in the wet, then it's probably cos the tread compound has hardened up a little thru use/exposure to the elements and the tire's now over-inflated by maybe as much as 2psi! :lecturef_smilie:

Enjoy! :cheers:

 

[Leaping1]

Unless you are REALLY HEAVY &/or you're always riding at or even beyond the Spyder's carrying capacity; or maybe riding in 100°F+ heat at Freeway Speeds all day; then I really doubt you'd ever need an a/mkt rear tire fitted to a Spyder to require as much as 20psi! :shocked:

For most people running any a/mkt tire that meets or exceeds the OEM Kenda's Speed and Load specs on the rear of their Spyder, I'd expect 18psi is likely to be the top of the pressure range required, and with a std size Kumho Ecsta on the rear of your Spyder, I'd think that 18psi would work pretty well for most to start with. But as soon as you start to notice any centre tread wear developing or it starts losing traction in the wet & cold; and almost certainly by the time you reach about 10,000 miles on that rear tire, you should gradually start dropping your pressure in order to maintain the traction and keep the wear even across the tread face. Personally, I'd think you should've dropped 2 psi by or around the 10,000 mile mark, or whenever the tire starts losing traction in the wet & cold; and then I'd expect you to need to gradually drop another 1 or maybe 2 psi sometime after reaching about 15-20,000 miles, or when those same conditions mentioned above start becoming obvious again!

But I wouldn't ever drop your a/mkt rear tire below 14psi!! :lecturef_smilie:

IIRC, the last Kumho I ran on the rear of my RT still had good tread, traction, wet weather capabilities, and was still at 15 psi when I swapped it out at about the 40,000 mile mark, which I did only because I was just heading off on a fully loaded 10,000 mile tour with expectations of doing a lot of hot high speed miles and a fair bit of riding in monsoonal rain on less than the greatest road surfaces... So I changed brands & replaced all the tires before starting that trip; and I'm actually still running those tires now, with well over 10,000 miles on them now! Without checking, I think it's a 205/65R15 Michelin XMS on the rear now... can't recall what's on the fronts tho, but it is nearly 02:00 here where I am in Oz atm...

Over to you, and if you start to notice that your rear Kumho running at 18psi has started losing traction in the wet, then it's probably cos the tread compound has hardened up a little thru use/exposure to the elements and the tire's now over-inflated by maybe as much as 2psi! :lecturef_smilie:

Enjoy! :cheers:

Thanks for your informative reply. I feel a little bit better but if I get 20+ thousand on this rear tire I will not complain too bad.
Leon

 

[troop]

Put a set of these on my '22 RT about 4K mi ago and am well pleased with them. They balanced with only one weight per wheel. Running 15lb front, 18rear Altimax45.

I would have thought the Kenda Kanine fronts would have been set to the same PSI as the OEM front Kenda's (20#) ?

 

[Knizar]

I would have thought the Kenda Kanine fronts would have been set to the same PSI as the OEM front Kenda's (20#) ?

Me 2 !:agree:

Anything Kenda has a less structural carcass, and probably not be under inflated.

MHO Bill

 

[BajaRon]

15 psi in the front Kendas (either version) is ok. Low pressure may give you a cushier ride. But I don't like it because the sidewalls tend to roll under giving you less steering input and less traction on the outside tire which is your main source of both in a turn. I don't think 15 psi gives you any additional tire life. And the fronts last forever anyway if alignment is good.

I recommend between 18~20 psi, depending on loading. But 15 psi isn't a problem.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

15 psi in the front Kendas (either version) is ok. Low pressure may give you a cushier ride. But I don't like it because the sidewalls tend to roll under giving you less steering input and less traction on the outside tire which is your main source of both in a turn. I don't think 15 psi gives you any additional tire life. And the fronts last forever anyway if alignment is good.

I recommend between 18~20 psi, depending on loading. But 15 psi isn't a problem.

:agree: Kenda tires are weakly made so the sidewalls will flex at lower tire pressures ..... Auto tires however don't have this problem and can be great at 15 PSI .....Mike :thumbup:

 

[Jackhartjr]

I have put Vredesteins on the front of two Spyders! It improved the ride by 100 percent over the kenda pos!
I have a Vredestein for the rear, putting it on soon.
I wouldn't let my mother in law ride on kenda anything, and I hate her! Lol

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have put Vredesteins on the front of two Spyders! It improved the ride by 100 percent over the kenda pos!
I have a Vredestein for the rear, putting it on soon.
I wouldn't let my mother in law ride on kenda anything, and I hate her! Lol

What PSI's are you using .....Mike :thumbup:

 

[jma57]

Thank you Peter, good information.
Where I ride it can get pretty hot and highway speeds of 80+ mph are not uncommon, so I'll start with 16 psi in the front and 18 in the rear.
I received the rear tire yesterday, fronts are coming in Thursday, feedback to follow.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Thank you Peter, good information.
Where I ride it can get pretty hot and highway speeds of 80+ mph are not uncommon, so I'll start with 16 psi in the front and 18 in the rear.
I received the rear tire yesterday, fronts are coming in Thursday, feedback to follow.

Thanks! :thumbup:

However, as others have mentioned, if you're running Kenda Kanines up front, they are still effectively the same tire carcass as the OEM Spec Kendas, so you really need to run the same pressure in them as recommended for the OEM Spec Kendas - ESPECIALLY if you are going to be riding fast-ish in hot conditions!! :lecturef_smilie:

The a/mkt tire on the rear should be fine at that sort of pressure, the Kendas, ANY KENDA, including Kanine's, not so much!! :banghead:

 

[jma57]

Well...new shoes all around, the fronts came in sooner than expected.
After 30 miles or so of riding all appears to be well. I have to get used to the lower psi in the rear, it feels different but traction is good and no vibrations anywhere.
I also adjusted the belt, it was rubbing the outside front sprocket and the vibration I think that caused is now gone.
Time will tell but first impressions are positive, maybe it's me but steering effort is lighter than before.