Kenda Challenger K657 tires

[Guest]

Anyone running them, thoughts, concerns

seems like a fair price and I am not finding many options with my 18 rear mag

[Nessism]

Brian Wringer says they suck in the rain and I trust him. Get Shinko's if price is important.

[Wolfdogg40]

Price is not the end all. I just cant find many options in the 18 rim size? Any info is appreciated!!

[Nessism]

Avon Roadrider...and search the archives. Tons of tire threads for you to read through.

Advance search
Titles only
"tires"
Search
Read.....

[Wolfdogg40]

Done that, just no options that I can find in the 130/90/18 that I can come across other than the Kenda challenger and the shinko 230 tour master

[Nessism]

Done that, just no options that I can find in the 130/90/18 that I can come across other than the Kenda challenger and the shinko 230 tour master

How wide is your rear wheel? In order to run a 130 the wheel needs to be at least 2.50 wide.

[bwringer]

Brian Wringer says they suck in the rain and I trust him. Get Shinko's if price is important.

Yeah, I say the Kendas suck in the rain. They also suck in the dry. A few others here have experienced these things, and the word is pretty uniform that they're only useful as rim protectors.



Anyway, the Shinko 230 is an outstanding tire in all conditions and crazy cheap. Just not very long-lived.


Also, exactly what bike are we discussing here, what rear wheel are you using, and what bike did it come from?

Stock on the 1978 GS1100E was an 17" cast wheel 2.5 inches wide wearing a 4.50-17. That converts most closely to 120/90-17 in modern sizes, but there are only one or two options in that size. Most folks run 130/90-17 just fine; it's easily available in a variety of brands.

So if you have an 18" rear or some other bike, let's sort out what you have before we pick a tire.

[bwringer]

How wide is your rear wheel? In order to run a 130 the wheel needs to be at least 2.50 wide.

Yup. And even if it's 2.50 wide, 120/90-18 would probably work a little better and would give you a LOT of good choices.

If you're using some even wider wheel you found somewhere, then 130/80-18 would also give you a lot more good choices.

[Steve]

What do I think of Kenda Challengers?

Let's just say that I don't even allow one to roll into my shop.

No, not even if it's off the bike.

.

[Wolfdogg40]

Yeah, I say the Kendas suck in the rain. They also suck in the dry. A few others here have experienced these things, and the word is pretty uniform that they're only useful as rim protectors.



Anyway, the Shinko 230 is an outstanding tire in all conditions and crazy cheap. Just not very long-lived.


Also, exactly what bike are we discussing here, what rear wheel are you using, and what bike did it come from?

Stock on the 1978 GS1100E was an 17" cast wheel 2.5 inches wide wearing a 4.50-17. That converts most closely to 120/90-17 in modern sizes, but there are only one or two options in that size. Most folks run 130/90-17 just fine; it's easily available in a variety of brands.

So if you have an 18" rear or some other bike, let's sort out what you have before we pick a tire.

I have a 1978 GS1000 with lester mag wheels 19 in front and 18 in rear, the rimes a 2.75 wide I believe. I was referring to this particular rear wheel not having much options for tires. I currently have a 130/80/18 on the rear. May go shinko 230's

[Wolfdogg40]

Yup. And even if it's 2.50 wide, 120/90-18 would probably work a little better and would give you a LOT of good choices.

If you're using some even wider wheel you found somewhere, then 130/80-18 would also give you a lot more good choices.

Its a lester mag 18 i believe 2.75 wide

[Steve]

Go for the Shinko 230 Tour Master.

Like Brian (bwringer) said, "crazy cheap". Front and rear tires in the sizes we usually get will cost about $135, and they are shipped to your door.

.

[bwringer]

Its a lester mag 18 i believe 2.75 wide

In that case you should be fine with a 130/80-18, which opens up a wide range of options; 130/90-18 is pretty rare. You could also use a 120/90-18 if you want to quicken the steering a bit, although the front tire has a bigger effect on that.

This is a pretty decent chart, although you have to scroll pretty far to get to the rear wheels:

https://ridewrightwheels.com/pages/motorcycle-tire-wheel-fitment-chart

Some tire manufacturers have tire spec charts online giving recommended rim width ranges.

[Wolfdogg40]

appreciate the response, I have considered 120 on the rear, but it just seems hard for me to want to go smaller, what front would you consider running? right now I have a 90/90, but looking to go to a 100/90/19, would you seen any benefit to going to a 100/80/19? I am all for making the steering quicker, coming off a sportbike, I am trying to make this thing handle as good as it can for what it is.

[bwringer]

How wide is your front wheel?

I'd lean toward the 100/90-19; that's well-known to work very well on that bike and darn near every GS for that matter. The 90/90 was mostly used on the smaller models, and restricts your tire choices quite a bit.

Many GS models did end up wearing 110/90-19 fronts over time for reasons unknown (probably just what some shop needed to get rid of...), but the difference in handling between a 110 and a 100 is dramatic; the 100/90-19 handles far, far better and the 110 turns a GS into a pig.

That said, I'm not at all sure what the difference might be between a 100/90-19 and a 100/80-19. The Shinkos are certainly cheap enough to experiment, but unless the front wheel is significantly wider than stock, I doubt it would improve things.