[Turtle Chaser]

Hello folks. I just got a 20 minute ride in after installing the new Kenda k270 4.00-18. I am extremely blessed that I never crashed riding that Bridgestone stock tire. I really don't know how I avoided it. Wow, this new tire is super! It is almost like a different bike now. I mainly tested it on gravel roads, the Tdubs nemesis. Holy cow, this is unreal, I'm riding the center hump of gravel, the loose off camber side/edge, places I was afearin' before. I'm going faster and faster, the rear end is dancing around but the front is like it's on a rail! I come to a T intersection, lay it over, put my foot down gas it and I'm flat trackin' like Mert Lawwill ! All this and we are at 24psi front 20psi rear street pressure. I did get out on the pavement a bit. Seems smooth quiet and well mannered. I didn't try dragging the pegs, that will come in a later report. Yea, I'm pretty excited but I wanted to report on this tire in case your looking for a new one. I was drawn to it because it looks kinda like the MX tires we used to dirt ride on. If you need to track straight and hook up in the corners off road I don't think you would be disappointed. I believe part of the tight handling is due to the 4.00 x 18 size. It is narrower and taller than the stock tire. Totally different feel to the front end, more like an enduro/mx bike. Although this tire is confidence inspiring I hope I can remember I'm not no Mert.



best regards, mac



P.S. scroll down to see some pics

 

[admiral]

Thanks for the imput Turtle Chaser. I just got done reading and responding to twm's thread on front tires. I have a BS TW42 currently and it is ok, but not what I want. I've used it for about 3 years and although the tread life has been very good, I'm looking for something that makes me feel more comfortable. Twm mentioned the Kenda and after reading his tread, I was leaning at getting that type of tire. Low and behold you post a ride report of it. I'm leaning a lot more towards it now.



Thanks for the info.

 

[c670809]

I've been thinking about the same thing. Do you think the 5.10X18 would fit without any problems? I love the wider tire of the TW and the 5.10 seems a little wider than stock.



Thanks for your thoughts,

Matt

 

[qwerty]

The 5.10 fits. 130mm = 5.11 inches. The 5.10 will probably be a bit taller, which will slow down the handling a bit, but you can drop the triple trees on the forks a bit to compensate.

 

[c670809]

The 5.10 fits. 130mm = 5.11 inches.

qwerty,



Thanks, I guess I should have made the metric connection and done the math. I appreciate the help.



Matt

 

[brownie2]

Does anyone have photos of the Kendas on there bike?

I want to learn more of tire choices since I need to get two very soon.

 

[Turtle Chaser]

You can go to the Kenda Tires website ( www.kendausa.com ) and they have all the specs on the K270 including overall diameter and section width, this helped me make my choice. There are many 'inch' sizes available, 4.00, 4.10, 4.60, 5.10 and several metric sizes as well. I will try to post Pictures later today. The 4.00 is narrower than the stocker but by no means wimpy or 'not fat' looking. I would recommend the 4.00 as it is a 'carving' tire as apposed to a 'floater'. The feel underway is a bit surreal, light and responsive, not at all like the Tdub I've been used to. I will never go any fatter. For me the 4.00 is everything I have yearned for, "performance". It looks ripped too!



regards, mac

 

[Turtle Chaser]

Here are some pics, road test results to come.

thank you kindly, mac

 

[TW Yamamoto]

I've had the Kenda 270 / 5.10 on for about 100 miles now.... all gravel. Fitment was no problem. I believe "inch" sized tires are square and wanted the maximum diameter. With a Michelin HD tube it's noticeably heavier on quick reversals, not bad, but noticeable. If the riding were more demanding and especially rutted, the 4.00 or .10 would probably be a nicer handling choice. In any case, these are a 100% improvement over stock. You'll enjoy whatever size you choose, lose the stock skid plate though.... it does throw alot more stones.

Regards,

TWY

 

[Turtle Chaser]

k270 overall diameter x section width (inches) from Kenda website.



4.00 - 26.12 x 4.27



4.10 - 25.10 x 3.80



4.50 - 26.90 x 4.78



4.60 - 25.65 x 4.24



5.10 - 26.90 x 5.18



100/90 - 25.73 x 4.12



120/80 - 25.88 x 4.78



The listed size is not necessarily the actual size.



regards, mac

 

[drob]

@ Turtle Chaser:



I'll be waiting for those road tests... I am curious to your thoughts of this tire on pavement.



Thanks for the information so far.

 

[bruisr]

I've had the Kenda 270 / 5.10 on for about 100 miles now.... all gravel. Fitment was no problem. I believe "inch" sized tires are square and wanted the maximum diameter. With a Michelin HD tube it's noticeably heavier on quick reversals, not bad, but noticeable. If the riding were more demanding and especially rutted, the 4.00 or .10 would probably be a nicer handling choice. In any case, these are a 100% improvement over stock. You'll enjoy whatever size you choose, lose the stock skid plate though.... it does throw alot more stones.

Regards,

TWY

Any pictures of the install. Would be nice to compare to the 4.10 size. ? does it handle on the street

 

[Turtle Chaser]

Hey guys, I have about 100 miles, mostly pavement on my 4.00/18 Kenda. Have heard several times on this forum that certain front tires need 500 miles or so to "wear in". I am hoping that is true in my case as at speeds over 55mph on pavement my tire is indeed a bit "squirrely". On straight road with minimal wind it is fine but it does want to wander as winds increase. Also high speed cornering can induce a bit of wobble, not very confidence inspiring. I started out @ 24 psi and worked my way up to 30psi which did help. I may even go 32psi to see how that goes. This tire is however quiet and well mannered at speeds under 50mph. It definitely has a quicker more responsive feel around town but I have really not had enough time to evaluate it properly. I am hoping it will get better with more miles but am still happy as it is such a great improvement off pavement. I actually look forward to gravel and dirt roads now ! Just thought I would throw my impressions out there as many are ready to get new tires. I will update @ 500 miles.



best regards,

 

[qwerty]

The squirreliness is due to the K270's soft rubber compound. It will get better as the knobs wear down because shorter is stiffer.

 

[rm_hm]

I just installed the 270 / 5.10 it took a couple of day's (I pinched my only tube & local shop was out).

Should I stay near OEM pressure printed on the fender decal 22psi or wander up towards my tires rated pressure ( 40PSI) to find the sweet spot?



I emailed Kenda a few days ago. Still waiting for a message back.



I'll do some googling for more info on this.









Thanks for those that pm'ed me to try



http://www.stubbytiretools.com/

 

[Turtle Chaser]

Handling (safety) is the priority !



best regards, mac

 

[rm_hm]

Bad Handling = crash



Excessive Tire wear and possible premature tire failure from improper pressure = crash



My stock 09 trailwing was down to the nubbins after 1 year and 2500 miles at 22 psi



Rear tire is still in decent shape



I ride secondary roads 80% with gravel roads the other 20%



20 to 40psi is a big swing







The Kenda Thread Over At ADV

http://www.advrider....ad.php?t=229199

Sounds like most are running around 32psi on road and somewhere in the 20's for dirt.

I think I'll start at 30 for now....



From



http://www.soundride...re%20Repair.htm

To do it's job, a tire needs to be inflated to the correct air pressure. If the pressure is too high, the tire will be too stiff, the ride will be harsh, the contact patch will be reduced in size, traction will be reduced, and wear at the center of the tread will be accelerated. If the pressure is too low, the tire will flex excessively, steering will be "mushy", the shoulders of the tread will wear prematurely, and the rim can be damaged by impacts.



Note that a flexing tire carcass generates heat. A tire that a under-inflated by just 10 psi can cause permanent internal tire damage, especially if the bike is overloaded, or speeds are aggressive. Once the damage has been done, the tire is an accident waiting to happen. It may not fail today or this week, but we shouldn't be surprised if it suddenly comes apart a few thousand miles down the road.





But let's note that the pressures recommended by the bike engineers are for the stock tires that came with the bike. If you change to different tires, then it's time to consult the tire manufacturer.







http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/excessive

 

[Turtle Chaser]

Howdy Rich, I got 7500 miles on my stock TW31, but I ride about 95% pavement 5% gravel. The Kenda seems to be good on the gravel even at higher pressures. The monsoon season has started here so it may be a while before my new 270 gets broken in. I have read many reports of the 270 not being the best for pavement. But I have also read that it wears fairly well. QWERTY advises it will get better with some wear, I believe (hope) he is correct. Max is 33psi for the 4.00x18, I'm in the 28/30psi range for now and will keep experimenting till I find that "sweet spot" for my type of riding. I'm not worried about wearing it out as I want to try an IRC GP1 next. This is the tire the K270 was cloned after and is reportedly as good off road with none of the Kenda's pavement shortcomings.



regards, mac

 

[rm_hm]

No word from kenda yet 4 emails and several months later

oh well.



This is a different feeling tire that's for sure. Anything over 30mph and it feels great. But it feels awkward and has a heavy turning feel to it at low speeds on pavement. I roughed up the tread with a roloc disk to speed up the break in a little. New it was really slippery.

I'm still waiting for a dry day here in the Pacific Northwet to take it up into the Cascades and find some snow soon and see how it does in gravel..



EDIT:



Haven't had a dry day on a weekend in month's now. Now way I'm going to try and break this tire in on wet pavement.

 

[brownie2]

How about an update on these Kendas?