Junk tyres

[pgg]

Well, my last pair of tyres - front and back - were a brand called Kenda. They were total garbage. In my opinion the company has a bloody cheek selling them to the public. The rear and front have now demolished themselves and what a relief to get rid of them.

With the rear, even when brand new, if the road was even SLIGHTLY damp, it would break out and spin and slide under anything but the smallest, gentlest twist of throttle. When only 2/3rds worn, great shredded patches began appearing all over. Two days later it had a puncture.

As for the front, when only 1/3rd worn, a bloody great crack appeared right across the tyre. You could actually dig your fingernail in and peel back flaps of rubber. Needless to say, this is one tyre company that won't receive a christmas card from me.

DEFINITION
Bad nasty tyres - a weeping sore on the genitals of the motorcycle industry that refuses to scab over.

[Snow]

I've heard good things about Avon, think I'll give them a try when my Dunlops finally give out. My first dunlop rear tired must've been a bad one or something, went on down to kevlar in under a year or two it seemed... or perhaps I was a little throttle happy at the time.

[MartyA]

I like the Avon Super Venoms for very good grip, but never got more than 4,000 miles on a rear tire. Couldn't find any this past spring, so I bought a Battlax rear, seems to wear better and has great grip also.

[Jerry]

I had several sets of Kenda Challenger series on smaller (400- 500cc) bikes, had good luck with them. Excellent mileage and good wet-weather manners. However, I went with Dunlop Elite 491s on the XJ after the tires it came with wore out, which took very little time. Very pleased with the Dunlops.

Kenda had a line of lower-priced tires, no longer available and I can't remember the series name, and a higher-priced line called the Cruiser series which I have never used. In either case, these are inexpensive tires...Challenger series in a 130-90-16 lists at $43.95. at Motorcycle Superstore. (http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com) and the Cruiser is $1.00 more. The Dunlop K-491 rear (MT90HB-16 BLK) lists for $108.95 on the same site.

Tire threads come and go, and I certainly don't mean to kick off another one, but it is clear that not all tires are created equal. The Kendas worked fine on my 400cc Yamaha twin (XS400 Maxim) which has the same size rear tire as my XJ, but I wouldn't expect the same $45.00 Kenda on a 560 pound, 90+ hp XS or XJ to perform well. They just are not designed for the weight and horsepower of a big bike.

[Geezer]

Life is too short to ride on cheap tires. Go with Michelin, Dunlop, Avon, Metzler, Continental or Pirelli. You life is worth more than you will save by buying crappy tires.

Geezer

[wildbill]

I still have a set of Kendas on my bike,might have lasted 1500 or 2000 miles,not much.I had a choice at the time either put new tires on or run maypops,so I put on new tires.Replacing my tires will be near the top of my list when I`am ready to get back on the road.First thing is to get it running first.Have any of you looked at the Cheng Shin C199H Series?The tires are H rated and the prices are not bad either,3.25/85H-19 for 33.99 and the back is 4.50/85H-17 is 52.99.The front is 4 ply and the back is 6 ply.I think those were the size tires that first came on the standard.I found these in a wish book Dennis Kirk catolog.There are others I would rather use but for someone on a budget they look pretty good.

[rover]

Originally posted by wildbill
I still have a set of Kendas on my bike,might have lasted 1500 or 2000 miles,not much.I had a choice at the time either put new tires on or run maypops,so I put on new tires.Replacing my tires will be near the top of my list when I`am ready to get back on the road.First thing is to get it running first.Have any of you looked at the Cheng Shin C199H Series?The tires are H rated and the prices are not bad either,3.25/85H-19 for 33.99 and the back is 4.50/85H-17 is 52.99.The front is 4 ply and the back is 6 ply.I think those were the size tires that first came on the standard.I found these in a wish book Dennis Kirk catolog.There are others I would rather use but for someone on a budget they look pretty good.

Hey, Bill, I bought a Cheng Shin at the last minute before starting a 3,000 mile trip, as my Dunlop K491 was less than half tread. This was the only tire I could get on short notice. When I got home, the tire was a bit below the wear bars, and the whole trip, I had to change my driving style, due to the very poor traction compared to the Dunlop. If you will try Donelson Cycles, Inc. at www.donelsoncycles.com, I think you will find the best prices. They list a Dunlop K491 Elite rear MT90 HB 16 (the proper size for XS11) for $85.95, and I think about $5.00 for shipping. The front MM90HB19 lists for $64.95. The Dunlops are my favorites, providing excellent traction and long wear. Their phone is 314-427-5523, and are very prompt with order processing and shipping. Their address is 9851 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO, 63074. I buy ALL my tires there. Hope this helps, and happy cruising, Rover

[rover]

Originally posted by rover
Hey, Bill, I bought a Cheng Shin at the last minute before starting a 3,000 mile trip, as my Dunlop K491 was less than half tread. This was the only tire I could get on short notice. When I got home, the tire was a bit below the wear bars, and the whole trip, I had to change my driving style, due to the very poor traction compared to the Dunlop. If you will try Donelson Cycles, Inc. at www.donelsoncycles.com, I think you will find the best prices. They list a Dunlop K491 Elite rear MT90 HB 16 (the proper size for XS11) for $85.95, and I think about $5.00 for shipping. The front MM90HB19 lists for $64.95. The Dunlops are my favorites, providing excellent traction and long wear. Their phone is 314-427-5523, and are very prompt with order processing and shipping. Their address is 9851 St. Charles Rock Road, St. Ann, MO, 63074. I buy ALL my tires there. Hope this helps, and happy cruising, Rover

Oops, sorry, I see you have a 17 inch rear. The price for this tire is $87.95

[wildbill]

Thanks for the tip,rover.Hopefully,I be getting a lot better set of tires than the ones I talked about above.They are better than Kendas but thats not saying much.I have a eye on either Dunlops or Battlaxs,had good luck with both.Might want to try something else but it all comes down to the budget,the best one can afford.Thanks again

[rover]

Hey, Bill, Donelson does not list battle axes in the ad I have here, but I am sure they carry them at better prices than you will find at most places. Who makes battle axes? I have never tried them. I recently bought an XS1100F with almost new Bridgestones on it, so I will get to find out how they compare to Dunlops. My 11 SF will need tires before the summer is over, and I might try another brand, but so far I love my Dunlops. Rover

[wildbill]

Rover,Battlax is made by Bridgestone.They make 5 or 6 types,the ones I would like to try are BT45 sport/touring.Had a set on a CB1 I used to own.Worked real good on wet roads and curves to.Held up good on that bike but a xs is heavier and stronger so I don`t know.Had good luck with dunlops to.

[Robert Haller]

Originally posted by rover
They list a Dunlop K491 Elite rear MT90 HB 16 (the proper size for XS11) for $85.95, and I think about $5.00 for shipping. The front MM90HB19 lists for $64.95.

Those are good prices! New Cheng-Shin Marquis tires came with my bike and wore out very quickly. They are no bargain when you figure in tread life. I replaced with the Dunlop K491s and have been happy with them.

[graybird78]

tires

I got 12,000 miles out of my dunlop elite 491's. bought another pair.figured better stick with what works. very good tires.

[bikerhawk]

I have Dunlop K491 Elite II's on the H, Avons (Super Venom front, Roadrunner rear) on my XS750, and a Cheng Shin Hi-Max set on my GS400. Honestly, I think each set suits its bike and what it's used for very well. The Dunlops are awesome touring/long-distance tires that last a good long time. The Avons may have SLIGHTLY better grip, but won't last quite as long as the Dunlops...I got 8k miles out of my last Avon rear on the 750, but since the 1100 will log at least 5k per summer and the 750 may only get half that anymore, the Avons will be getting old and hard anyway by the time they wear out. The Cheng Shins work great for smaller bikes, and since the GS rarely leaves town, it's a great value for what that ride requires. I used to have a CS front matched with the old Avon rear on the 750, and that wasn't too good of a combination...I felt like the bike was just too heavy for the CS, and the front would get pretty diabolical in the wet; the Avons are MUCH better.

Just my .02, of course...YMMV, as always...

[young nip]

tires

Hi guys,
For tires ,I had liked the original bridge stones and bought to compare to those. Have used michelien , continental, pirelli and dunlop over the years.I have always like the dunlop 491 elites because of the tread edges on the tires.The durabilty, stabiltiy. Dont like the newer styles of block rubber treads.Im on my third set of dunlops. Im no tire smoker any more. I like roddin better. (right time and right road place to get hoodlum.)Im no expert but I always liked those brands.Geezer is right, go with the good rubber even if theyre a little more. Youll appreciate it. Gotta remember the tread foot print is about 2" x 2". You better have good rubber.And the Xs can be a lot of bike.You want maximum performance for all kinds of temp, weather and road crap.Go with the best.Remeber , car or bike, it can be hi performance or a piece of junk, but its what between you and the road.Hey. Ive lasted this long and the wife has me heavily insured.I wonder what shes askin for when she silently prays at night??? Best do a little eavesdropin.
Later
Steve