retires again!kenda's s$*k
Posted: Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:40 pm
A tire failure of any sort on a motorcycle will make a believer out of the slowest learner - quickly. I won't scrimp on tires. That was my adage before having half the bands let loose in a Metzler and the front tire go out of round on an FJR at 70MPH. It was coincidental that another local FJR rider I knew had a front Metzler of the same make blow out the sidewall weeks before. I should have pulled the tires then. Needless to say I won't run Metzlers anymore after the tire failures and customer service failures. It's your bacon and cash. That being said I've run many tires on the KLR. I like the 270's for the all around performance, life and cost. They are squirmy when aired down or ridden aggressively on the street. I don't do any of those on the street with the KLR since it's the wrong bike for that job in my mind. It just takes far too much effort to ride a KLR aggressively due to the stock weight, power and brakes. I'm sure other will feel differently and I'm good with that. But the KLR is not a hot rod KTM 660 or 990 or DR 650. It's a swiss army adventure touring bike not a hot rod. Start pushing the KLR and you may have an abrupt meeting the gravity and the ground. That's what I like about the KLR is taking a relaxed pace and exploring with it. I can hustle it. I can pass other heavier bikes in tight turns. Sure, but why the rush? My take.
Jim Fortner
Plano, TX
On Thu, Jun 17, 2010 at 10:50 AM, Jeff Khoury wrote: I will NOT ride on questionable tires - my brother makes fun of me because I'm so "paranoid" about it. I had a small brad nail in my tire, and since I had "Slime" in my tube it was still holding air, but I did not feel comfortable with riding it with the nail in there. I was even less comfortable with pulling the nail and letting the Slime seal it. To me that is an emergency "Just get me home" type of thing, not a permanent fix. Last night after work, I installed a new tube. Now I feel better again. I look at it like this: Those two bits of rubber are the only thing between me and a crash. If you don't believe me, just ask Tom (scroll back to Jun 12 in this list) what a catastrophic deflation will do to both you and your bike. To me, replacing a $10.00 tube and running decent tires is really cheap insurance against a crash. I've ridden many a rattletrap bike, but two things must be in good working order before I swing my leg over - brakes and tires. As I was composing this, Commander Cody echoed in my mind: "It's got safety tubes, but I ain't scared - Brakes good, tires fair." -Jeff Khoury ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Magen" To: "DSN KLR650" DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 4:56:08 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Re: ReTires again!Kenda's S$*K Jeff, Very happy to read your comments. Last year I replaced the FRONT tire on my 'new-to-me' 2003 KLR. When I first got it {with I had found that I had been riding far more street and freeway than I had planned so I looked for a more "street-y" tire. Over and over people were raving about the K761 for a 70/30 tire. I figured "What do I have to lose?, a set is under $100.00!" I ordered a set and spooned 'em on. I must say that I'm impressed, and surprised. They are far better than I expected. For the type of riding I do, they are near perfect. . . . the price is reasonable. They are speed-rated far beyond what the KLR will ever produce and I have found them to be safe and reliable. In fact, I hit a chunk of steel in the freeway at 40MPH that completely trashed both my rims. The Kenda tires and tubes held up, held air and allowed me to land the bike without crashing. They have my whole-hearted endorsement. _______________________________________ No infections found in this outgoing message Scanned by iolo System Shield http://www.iolo.com