terry poovy crash nklr

[E.L. Green]

I noticed that my rear Kenda 761 was getting near its wear bar when I changed the oil this morning, so I checked my maintenance log. Yep, about 4,000 miles on this pair of 761's. At 4,000 miles, the rear tire still is a long way from cord, but is a bit squared off. It has lost approximately 1/4" off the rubber, and has a little over 1/4" left in the center of the tire. It's probably about 500 miles from hitting the wear bar. If you want to keep running it after that, there's probably another 3,000 miles worth of rubber on the tread before it really gets unsafe. I presume that Kenda set the wear bars so high because it becomes even less useful in the dirt otherwise and starts handling rather, err, abruptly, as it squares of. On the front, the tire is noticably scalloped, with the front of the "arrows" being taller than the rear of the "arrows". It is still a long ways away from the wear bar though. Running high air pressures extends the life greatly. My first set of 761's did not last very long (by 4,000 miles the rear was already well into the wear bar). I ran 32/32 front/rear with this set, other than when on gravel or dirt. Running high air pressure on the street also helps the handling. With relatively stiff springing (for a KLR) and with 32PSI front/rear, my KLR handles quite crisply compared to what it handled stock. As far as handling goes, these are great street tires as long as the pavement is dry. They have a short stiff sidewall and a road-oriented shape that encourages fast riding in the twisties. On wet pavement I've never really tested their limits -- I've ridden several hundred miles in the rain on these tires, but generally don't ride my KLR much during the rainy season here, because my KLR is mostly a commuter and commuting in the rain with all these crazy cagers around is just plain nuts, they're sliding all over the roadways like crazed maniacs as they drink coffee while talking on cell phones while screaming at the kids in the back seat while doing their makeup in the rear view mirror, so for safety's sake I take my own cage, which has the advantage of antilock brakes for quick stopping in the rain when these maniacs run into each other right in front of me. So anyhow, they've never let me down in the rain, but I can't really say much. On the dry, though, they're great in the twisties. On gravel and dirt roads, they work reasonably well as long as you air them down. I air my front to around 14PSI and rear to around 16PSI in the rough stuff and it tractors through it, as long as we're not talking about a sand wash with ten foot deep sand or a mud hole with two foot deep mud. The 761 is street-oriented insofar as its basic shape and short stiff carcass goes, but has bigger grooves and more aggressive lugs than street-oriented tires like the Avon Gripster. The downside is, as noted above, short tire life -- roughly 4500 miles. I am still trying to decide what to replace them with. They fit the way I ride my KLR very well -- I ride my KLR as a commuter and as an adventure touring bike to isolated camping spots that might be at the end of a very rough dirt and/or gravel road, not as a dirt bike. I might well get another set. Or maybe not, because 4500 miles isn't a long time for tires to last, though certainly better than what the more aggressively dirt-oriented tires generally get (except for the Kenda 270, but the Kenda 270 is howlingly bad on wet pavement and squirms on dry due to its very hard rubber compound and soft carcass). MEFO's or Gripsters might be in my horizons, given how many road miles are on these Kendas (all but about 300 miles were on paved roads, albeit sometimes only *barely* paved roads!). Oh -- I put these Kendas on last December, just prior to a trip to Death Valley. I guess I haven't been riding that much lately, just 4,000 miles in the last six months, but remember, half of that was rainy season with crazy idiots sliding all over the streets, meaning I wasn't riding the KLR. I'll try to remedy that mileage deficit during the remainder of the summer -E

[James Cherolis]

Excellent write-up. JACIII E.L. Green wrote:

> > I noticed that my rear Kenda 761 was getting near its wear bar when I > changed the oil this morning, so I checked my maintenance log. Yep, > about 4,000 miles on this pair of 761's. > > . > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.1/389 - Release Date: 7/14/2006 >

[Thor Lancelot Simon]

On Sun, Jul 16, 2006 at 04:58:03AM -0000, E.L. Green wrote:

> > I am still trying to decide what to replace them with.

The K761 tread pattern looks to me like it's based on one of the Trailwings (I can't remember which one). I have been meaning to check that out further.

[Mike Peplinski]

I have a Kenda 761 rear with about 2000 miles. So far I like it just fine. The initial wear has set in. The shallow grooves that fun across the center lugs wore away quickly but there is still plenty of meat there. Handling is just fine. No problems at all. Wet traction is good but I'm a sissy in the rain si I can't evaluate cornering. Braking is better than the Gripster but not by much. Overall rating; good buy for the price. Would I buy again? Probably not-will go to a Dunlpp D607.

>From: Thor Lancelot Simon >Reply-To: tls@... >To: "E.L. Green" >CC: dsn_klr650@yahoogroups.com >Subject: Re: [DSN_KLR650] Kenda 761 @ 4000 miles >Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 15:37:03 -0400 > >On Sun, Jul 16, 2006 at 04:58:03AM -0000, E.L. Green wrote: > > > > I am still trying to decide what to replace them with. > >The K761 tread pattern looks to me like it's based on one of the >Trailwings (I can't remember which one). I have been meaning to >check that out further. > > > >Archive Quicksearch at: >http://www.angelfire.com/ut/moab/klr650_data_search.html >List sponsored by Dual Sport News at: www.dualsportnews.com >List FAQ courtesy of Chris Krok at: www.bigcee.com/klr650faq.html >Member Map at: http://www.frappr.com/dsnklr650 >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > >

[E.L. Green]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski" wrote:

> Handling is > just fine. No problems at all. Wet traction is good but I'm a sissy

in the

> rain si I can't evaluate cornering. Braking is better than the

Gripster but

> not by much. Overall rating; good buy for the price. Would I buy again? > Probably not-will go to a Dunlpp D607.

My problem with the D607 is that I've tractored out of places with the K761 that I *KNOW* would have resulted in the D607 just spinning in place. The D607 is a street tire. Period. As far as braking goes, I can make the K761 shudder a bit, but it never really "loses it" like, e.g., the Kings KT966 did (now *that* is a tire that's never going back on my bike, I could lock up the front with the *stock* brakes, nevermind my big oversized rotor!). It hauls me down *FAST*, in the dry at least. So I'm pleased with the performance of the tire. I just wish it lasted longer... -E

[rschulte46]

Just wanted to echo the comments below. I am running Dunlop 607s and they are awesome on pavement...but feel like they are on ice on anything more then improved two track. I dumped yesterday while on a sweeping uphill two track over large rocks and loose dirt. I had to get up on the side of the road to avoid larger rocks showing because of erosion and the rear just slide right out. As I say, I love the tires especially on wet...but not off road.

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "E.L. Green" wrote: > > --- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "Mike Peplinski" > wrote: > > Handling is > > just fine. No problems at all. Wet traction is good but I'm a sissy > in the > > rain si I can't evaluate cornering. Braking is better than the > Gripster but > > not by much. Overall rating; good buy for the price. Would I buy again? > > Probably not-will go to a Dunlpp D607. > > My problem with the D607 is that I've tractored out of places with the > K761 that I *KNOW* would have resulted in the D607 just spinning in > place. The D607 is a street tire. Period. > > As far as braking goes, I can make the K761 shudder a bit, but it > never really "loses it" like, e.g., the Kings KT966 did (now *that* is > a tire that's never going back on my bike, I could lock up the front > with the *stock* brakes, nevermind my big oversized rotor!). It hauls > me down *FAST*, in the dry at least. > > So I'm pleased with the performance of the tire. I just wish it lasted > longer... > > -E >

[Ronald Criswell]

Anybody know the details of his crash at the Springefield Mile Memorial Day weekend? I have watched him race from his start way back about 1970 at the Lake Lavon TT track and Ross Downs Flat Track. In fact I last saw him race at last years Springefield Mile on Labor Day weekend. I thought he had retired for good. Criswell