Anyone run KENDA tires?

Both of my bikes came equipped with KENDA tires.

I have been riding for 2 years, have yet to change them or ride on any different tire setup.

Any comments?

I find them allright for the riding I do.

KR

Don't run Kenda tires. RUN FROM THEM. Absolute worse tire I've ever put on a motorcycle.

This is what I wrote in the Cheng Shin thread .... and I quote

"I had a Cheng Shin Marquis on the back of my 750 and a Kenda Challenger on the front. My bike was scary on dry roads and almost totally unridable in the rain. Since I've installed my Dunlop 404's I've been caught in the rain several times ... a couple of those times ... heavy rain. The Dunlops don't scare me !!!! They handle fine. Dunlop durability ???? This is the first season on this set ... so far probrably just over 1000 miles and still lookin' and handlin' good !"

I will never ever buy a Cheng Shin or Kenda tire again !!! Just cause I wanna live longer .... the tires are scary and I ain't scared of nuthin' ... LMAO

run them on alot of my bikes and IMHO they are a good tire.

My bike came with Kenda Challengers. The tires have been balanced and are wearing evenly. I like the tread pattern. At the present wear rate, they should not go bald until about 18,000 miles. The traction is OK, but not great. They are cheap tires and the performance is commensurate with the price.

There is a slight front end wobble between 35 and 45 MPH. The front tire is about 2 mm or 1/16" out of round. The rear tire is about 3 mm or 1/8" out of round. There may be other reasons, but I blame the wobble on the tires.

I wish there was a way, without spending a fortune, to convert to modern 17" wheels and radial tires. My front wheel is 19" x 1.85. Instead of the present 100/90-19, I have found radial tires in a 120/70VR19, but they would be too wide to function well on the narrow wheel. The rear wheel is 16" x 3.0". To replace the present 130/90-16 rear, I have looked at a 150/80VR16. Too wide for the wheel and the swingarm. (I actually considered reinforcing the swing arm on the top, bottom and outside and then flattening the inside to create clearance. Sometimes I even scare myself.

Anyway, I gotta believe that there are much better tires for only a little bit more money.

2M4Dale wrote:

This is what I wrote in the Cheng Shin thread .... and I quote

"I had a Cheng Shin Marquis on the back of my 750 and a Kenda Challenger on the front. My bike was scary on dry roads and almost totally unridable in the rain. Since I've installed my Dunlop 404's I've been caught in the rain several times ... a couple of those times ... heavy rain. The Dunlops don't scare me !!!! They handle fine. Dunlop durability ???? This is the first season on this set ... so far probrably just over 1000 miles and still lookin' and handlin' good !"

I will never ever buy a Cheng Shin or Kenda tire again !!! Just cause I wanna live longer .... the tires are scary and I ain't scared of nuthin' ... LMAO

You're going to find the 404s turn scary too I'll wager real soon. That's one of the bad points of cheap tires, they all seem to use rubber that loses traction capabilities quickly. Good initially, but after a couple years a different story.

i had a kenda on the front of my honda i rode that tire hard and fast! never had a problem with it it had great traction never broke loose even when i had no pussy lines left on my rear tire. great wear on them to! i put 5k on the tire before i got rid of the bike

I've got Kenda Challengers (I think thats the name), on my bike since I've bought it. I have a read a lot of bad things about them, but I've never experienced a wobble or loss of traction with them. Then again, I've never rode on any other tire, so the ride could be better and I wouldn't know it. They haven't wore down much, but I've only put a few thousand miles on the bike since I've owned it. I'm also very careful in the rain, but have never felt them slip at all. I'm very cautious about leaning when its wet out, so maybe thats why. I've got nothing bad to say about them, but I definitely don't take my bike to the extreme.

I have Kenda Challengers on my KZ also. I like them just fine. You can't beat the price either.

I have been using Kenda Challengers for the last 10 years on my KZ. I ride hard and get about 2500 miles out the rear (if I'm lucky). Like Ron said, you get what you pay for. Cheap, grip well dry and in the wet. I have them on another bike of less power than my KZ and they are even better there. They are not a touring tire in my experience. I think they are worth the price.

Hey guys i just got a 79' kz400 for my first bike and am having a hard time finding tires. do any of you know what 3.00-18 or 3.5-18 translate to in todays tire market. I was told the 3.00-18 can be changed for a 90/90-18, any ideas on the rear. Does anyone run bridgestone tires?

justspeed009 wrote:

Hey guys i just got a 79' kz400 for my first bike and am having a hard time finding tires. do any of you know what 3.00-18 or 3.5-18 translate to in todays tire market. I was told the 3.00-18 can be changed for a 90/90-18, any ideas on the rear. Does anyone run bridgestone tires?

I have a set of Bridgestone BT-45's on both KZ1000's. A good handling tire, smooth and durable.

Nick