Kenda 657 120/90/16 & Kenda 671 100/90/16 tire review

[speedgsx98]

Just mounted these the other day after selling some near new Pirelli MT75's off my bike that I just bought. I knew the MT75's stuck well as I've had them before on my last 250 ninja, but I really wanted to throw on a set of higher mileage tires and see what kind of miles I could get out of a set on my all freeway daily commute.

So, I've only put one day on them so far but the bike feels noticeably slower to turn in, and yet that translates to being more stable. Coming off a a 2008 ZX-10R I can tell you the bike still responds relatively quick...just a noticeable increase in steering effort. That can be attributed to 2 things.

One is the heavier weight of the Kenda tires compared to the Pirellis, although they're not as heavy as the OEM dunlops. The added Gyro effect is because the heavier tires, and because the mass of the taller tires is further from the axis of rotation.

Second, the rear tire is quite flat in profile and doen't have much lean angle capability. This is definitely not a sport tire for that reason alone as getting the bike into full lean could put you over the useable tread area onto the corner of the sidewall and then on your ass. But it's got plenty of lean angle for mild canyon runs and street/commuting duty...just no aggressive street or track riding. The 'flatter' profile is the main contributing factor to why the bike is no longer as quick to turn in.

The tire does look wider on the rim than the 120mm Pirelli because like the OEM tire, it is molded with a flared sidewall so that the tire when mounted is not "pinched" on the rim, but retains it's wide appearance. It would have been interesting to measure the tread width of both tires with a set of calipers as the Kenda rear def looks wider both off and on the rim.

Overall I'm happy with my choice other than I went against my judgement and experience and got the Kenda which has a circumfrential groove on the center of the front tire which LOVES to track in the rain grooves which can be annoying =(. But, no biggie really. You get used to it...it can be kind of entertaining and keep you on your toes!

I've heard of people getting nearly 15k miles out of these tires. I hope to match that and maybe get even 20k since I'm all freeway going straight.

MT75 Rear, notice the aggressive lean profile. You have tread all the way to the tip of the chain adjusters!:



Kenda 657 Rear, notice the less aggressive lean profile compared to the MT-75's...easily 20 degrees less lean angle...not that you could realistically use all the tread on the MT75's anyway. If you got it leaned over too far, you'd run out of tread! But that's what make it a great commuter tire. More tread down the center and presumably not as soft making for a longer wearing tire.

[CynicalC]

Where's the 671? I'll be picking up a set of 671s I think as soon as the bike is running.

[speedgsx98]

The 671 is in the front. No pics of it. I really wanted to go with a 120/90 rear, so I could get a matched set...had to mix and match. Problem with the 130/90 k671 rear is that it weighs 14.82 lbs to the k657 120/90/16 weighing 12.32 lbs. Quite a big difference for a lean angle I don't think you can really use with the particular compound. The 120/90 is already slightly taller than the stock 130/80 anyway, so going even taller in the back wasn't what I was into.

[Yasko]

Thanks for the post... I'm in the market for a new set... I'm looking at the scooter tires...

[speedgsx98]

The scooter tires actually grip well, but are known to wear out somewhat quick. If you're into cornering aggressively, then have at it. If you ride your bike like a normal person, then you'd prob be fine with the Kendas.