Kenda 270 Review For a Pig (Part 1)

[sparklr]

The stock Dunnies on my 08 KLR finally became a hazard after about 5600 Kms, actually marginal earlier than that. The rear is near bald, the front maybe would have done the rest of the year. Not knowing much about tires and longevity, I suppose what I put them through I got my moneys worth. Nasty rocks, slop and tarmac, no flats. So I did as much homework as possible on replacements, and opted for what I could order locally and suit my needs. Thanks to everyone who rated and opined their rubbers, it helped. Seems it'll be a trial and error thing, but I ordered the Kenda 270's to start with. Cheap and seemed to be in the neighbourhood of what I need for now. The GP1 was a close candidate. DOT knobbies would have been fun but probably not practical.

5.10 goes behind and gets a test drive on the tarmac. Didn't seem to bother me at all while prancing around the street at modest speeds. Slips the 3.25 ahead of me and stumble out of the driveway. Crap I forgot to cinch the axle. Nope. Tires flat already. Nope. Feels like the steering head is going tight, yikes the rubber bites at slow corners and tracks like a mule carrying Cervezas up the mountainside. I had heard this and can now attest that the front soft knobbies give the front end a mind of its' own. 25 years since my last tire exchange, amazingly it went flawlessy, the beads popped by hand, and new skins nearly went on by hand, no cursing ( a first I might add), no tools flying about, no pinchers, 1 pint of sweat to 3 pints intake. I did learn that soap is better than Windex. I did learn that getting the valve stem back in was the hardest and most annoying transaction. Note to self: Insert old core with a fishing line noose to preserve knuckles and sanity!

Note for Piggers: The 5.10 will keep your inside exhaust slighty cleaner than the other side with stock Noise Can and runs a hairs width from the chain guard.

The test ride. Armpit to Fraser Lake for a break in (almost 500 Kms). A modest highway scoot to clean them off. 60 Km'ish FSR/Double Track. 14 Km of that was stone covered FSR, some very loose marble. I don't think it was the front tire so much, more of a combination of Pig and tire. Survivable, but would like some feedback with your Pig and DOT knobs up front. Is it better in the marbles? Nonetheless not much real testing as Hangover Remediation was the predemoninant theme for the day. The back end liked to grip on roost, even on slick stuff. The front, tracked a little oddly in ruts and crests, and likes to grab hold going slow, feels odd sometimes but definitely grips. I discovered that going faster seems to negate the odd front feel, so I just keep going fast. Managed to test the Twister performance on the swervers on the shores of Francois Lake, both ends felt under control and stable while assaulted.
.
Conclusion so far after 1300 Kms: No wear to speak of, minimal at best. High speed highway cornering, no problem. Rear traction offroad was fine, a 4.60 would be fine. Front traction is good, tracks weird at slow speed. Front probably will get better with age, but I wouldn't get another 270 front.

Part 2 after more serious butchering.

[sparklr]

An intermediate update. Now with almost 6000 Kms on the set of 270's, I really have only two complaints. The first still being the front tire, while the odd tracking feeling has improved as it has wore down, it still is noticeable even though I have become somewhat immune to it, again this is only felt during lower speeds. On the good side the wear is minimal, probably good for another half or full year of riding. The rear has endured well and still has good life in it, one knob chunked partially off, most likely on rocky terrain. I can however say that the rear has never failed me in terms of grip, in any terrain, for that matter neither has the front. The rear probably will endure half of next year. The second complaint is most likely irrelevant, but on steel decked bridges, they are an adventure. It is however important to note that of the prementioned mileage, only 1/5 of it was off-road. On the highway, not much complaint as they managed highspeed cornering well, although they are somewhat noisy in terms of a whine. Seeing as most riders seem to don the plugs, it shouldn't be an issue. I believe the noise is predominantly from the front. So far my concensus is that I will opt for something different up front, and for the money the rear works just fine.

[rudi]

I have almost the same kilomerage as you on the the 270's. I agree with almost every thing you say except that I;m fine with the front it's the rear that bugs me. At 6500K it 's squaring off a bit so if you lean it over on the unworn outer knobs it spoils the tracking in a turn making for 2-3 course corrections. This only happens at higher lean angles. All in all for $150.00 a set they are a good choice for a 40/street 60/dirt tire.I have a new set of Avon Gripsters in the garage for little more street confidence.

[sparklr]

My rear is about the same, and I'm not sure that is why I need my course corrections but I'll let it stand and blame it on the tires. Perhaps it is the front or combination of the two, the extremely long and non-wearing side knobs are overkill in my opinion. I do however feel pretty comfortable leaning her over, as long as it's not a quickie.

Something about that last sentence doesn't feel right!

[bchunter]

I have the 270 as the rear tire for my old TS and just got a 270 for the front, so we will see how that goes this summer. I took the bike through some wet and sloppy mud and root sections and it handled it fine. The bike is also close to half the weight of your KLR though.

My DR came with the 270 on the front. It will be interesting to see if the DR has the same issues that your KLR had. Maybe not since it is a little lighter, but we will find out shortly once the snow goes. On the back is a new Bridgestone, the same as stock. Defiantly a more road tire, but we shall see how it handles the dirt. I am sure FSR roads and two track will be fine.

Thanks for the post on the 270.

[joker650]

I have had 5 of those 270's on the rear of my Super Enduro in the last 2 years. The best wearing tire I have found...about 5000k each and still had tread left

LOts of dirt use, about 70% or so.

Hooked up really good everywhere but on the pavement....but then 2nd/3rd gear burnouts are prety fun anyhow.

[MikeXT600]

I don't know how I could justify a dunlop 606 with the price of these kenda tires.
I'll stick with my Trakmaster up front and 270 in the rear for now.

[motorambler]

When I bought my DR350 it had K270's front & rear. The front had about 70% tread left but the rear was about 3/4 worn. I thought I'd get another couple rides out of it before replacing it. Nope -- it lasted another 2200km. I finally replaced it near the end of last season with a Pirelli MT43 DOT trials tire. The front K270 looks exactly the same as when I got the bike. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever need to replace it...

[yamalama]

I have had better luck using the Chen Shin 838 on the front.
Slightly better off road. Much better on road. YMMV

[motorambler]

^^^ Good to kmow. Will look into it when the time comes.

[Jimoorebaum]

Hi All,
Been dickering for a new rear with wheelspurt but no joy- any other suppliers in BC I could look at?
thanks for the tips!
Jim

RE:

Hi Ta**
re Kenda K270 18 in at wheelspurt surrey
Thanks for pursuing this for me but going to shop around a bit
Essentially your Boss wont honor his web site price nor the implied 25% discount and turned down a good adv deal-which sorta kills the joy and I bet some of his future sales
catch you later and thanks
Jim

[joker650]

Jimoorebaum wrote:

Hi All,
Been dickering for a new rear with wheelspurt but no joy- any other suppliers in BC I could look at?
thanks for the tips!
Jim

RE:

Hi Ta**
re Kenda K270 18 in at wheelspurt surrey
Thanks for pursuing this for me but going to shop around a bit
Essentially your Boss wont honor his web site price nor the implied 25% discount and turned down a good adv deal-which sorta kills the joy and I bet some of his future sales
catch you later and thanks
Jim

Right here buddy.

Great prices on tires.

http://www.bcdirtbikesupply.com/



I thought they were a sponsor of the site but didn't see them listed on th "Sponsor "Page.

[bchunter]

I now have the 270 on both the front and back of the DR and have not had any issues so far. I have mostly ridden FSR's and blacktop. I took the bike in some mud and snow the other day and it did OK by my standards. I was quite surprised that the rear was as knobby as it was. I think that it will do me OK. If I am not happy with them at some point this summer I will post up my issues.

[Jimoorebaum]

hey thanks for that Joker
Very good price
j

[marcveinotte]

That is correct, we are a sponsor..i've been waiting for Judy to put our logo up for two months..LOL

I guess I need to bug her about it...

[sparklr]

The Kenda's have expired, at least in my opinion. Perhaps they should have come off a little sooner, but I'm notoriously a Cheap Bastard and went for my moneys worth. I'm sure a few more clicks could be eked out on the road, but I have new skins that just arrived and the rear has been gashed enough to warrant some concern.

Starting with the Front. As previously mentioned, I never did like the feel of this tire in any situations but it handled better as it ripened. Almost 11,000 Km on it with 2 flats. Currently I am undecided how the flats developed, first I blamed myself for pinching it, however I suspect now that it has more to do with the dent in my rim that resides roughly where the punctures occurred. What perplexes me more is the manner in which it decayed. If you look at the picture you can see the odd unevenness of wear while yet a tall centre lug remains? I keep air at max as a rule of thumb. bchunter has the same tire and same wear issue. Having put the stock on last week for some adventure resulted in a higher level of confidence, suprisingly on the rough and the road. Conclusion- NEVER AGAIN will this tire don my steed, no matter how cheap.

End of the Kenda 270's 004.jpg

As for the rear, 12,000 Km and it looks like this. About 1mm of centre left. At the top of the pic you will see the partial damage reported in the early part of the review. Never tore away or was an issue and no flats. Coupling it with the stock Dunlop up front seemed to make the Pig handle better with than with the Kenda. I would guesstimate that the tires went 65% Assphalt/ 35% off-road and assaulted fairly well on both surfaces. As for Assphalt, I really have no complaints, for off-road I can't complain either. Conclusion- for the money it is an all around good tire and wouldn't ever hesitate to throw on another. However referring to the earlier Cheap Bastard reference I went shopping South of the border and acquired some Shinko 244's at a ridiculously low price of $32 US for a front and $28 US for a rear, along with some Shinko 700's at also unbelievable low cost. Therefore the next review will be for the 244's as they are very similar to the Kenda 270's.

2010 Telkwa Pass-Kitimat 017.jpg

[250ccforme]

The Pirelli MT21 on the front wears in the same odd manner as your Kenda 270. Strange!

[Shuswap]

Hey Sparklr,
Thanks for the review......from one cheap bastrd to another!!
Would I be right in assuming you wore those out on a KLR?
I've been pondering reviews of that Kenda270 for weeks, as I need something new on the rear of my recently-acquired DRZ400s.
I probably ride 50-50 right now, but I hate going so slow on the road as to keep the the nobs on my Kenda 'Carlsbad' from shredding.

Post your first impressions of the new Shinkos ASAP, will ya? Cuz I need to make a decision REAL SOON!!

Thanks!
Greg

[sparklr]

The Pirelli MT21 on the front wears in the same odd manner as your Kenda 270. Strange!

??? Don't understand this phenomenon as I was informed that it was from running low air pressure, however this isn't the case as I prefer to leave it maxed always. I'm guessing that tire design and the spinning weight throws that heavier portion to the Assphalt first??

[Shuswap]

Balancing?

[sparklr]

Hey Sparklr,
Thanks for the review......from one cheap bastrd to another!!
Would I be right in assuming you wore those out on a KLR?
I've been pondering reviews of that Kenda270 for weeks, as I need something new on the rear of my recently-acquired DRZ400s.
I probably ride 50-50 right now, but I hate going so slow on the road as to keep the the nobs on my Kenda 'Carlsbad' from shredding.

Post your first impressions of the new Shinkos ASAP, will ya? Cuz I need to make a decision REAL SOON!!

Thanks!
Greg

Yes, the tires were 2008 KLR abused. From what I read about the Shinko 244's, it sounds as if they will be better than the 270's. From inspection in the garage, the 244 tread pattern is as aggressive if not more, but sturdier on the outside edges as it is missing the soft outer lugs and knobs are somewhat larger. I don't have the 244 front yet as it is backordered, but my first guess is that it will be like the 270 but somewhat better using the rear as a reference. As soon as the front arrives I'll try get an update up, I'd imagine if lucky by next week. Currently an 18" rear is on sale for a damn fine price, PM if you want more info.

I also have new Shinko 700's. Was noted to be a more aggressive off-road tire on another forum and perhaps marketed that way by Shinko. However I disagree with that statement and profess that the 244 is the more aggressive one, and the 700 more road oriented. The 700 IMO is more 70/30 but appears as it would take most off-road well, just not as well as the 244. The rear knobs are good and stiff, not as deep all around and the front feels softer, perhaps better than a Kenda 270.

Kenda 'Carlsbad'

[sparklr]

Balancing?

I don't think so??? It wasn't suggested, but seeing two sets do the same thing and the identical wear pattern, I really can't believe that balancing is the issue or at least not correctable by balancing??

[bchunter]

I do not think it has to do with balancing as the wheel on my bike was balanced when I got it off the previous owner. I only have 2000 kms on the tire as it was brand new when I got the bike (proven by the receipts that were provided) and some of the lugs are 50% and more worn off. Granted, I don't have that much experience with bike tires but I expected more from this tire. The rear 270 is awesome, it does not show any wear and I put it on as soon as I got the bike, so it has the same amount of km's as the front. Up to now I have ridden pretty close to 50/50 dirt/road, but will be doing more road and I think I will burn the front off pretty quick. So now I am on the hunt for a new front .......

[Kitimat KLR]

Just swapped out my Kenda 270 rear and Trailwing 21 front for TKC80's (2006 KLR)

Front Trailwing 21 - 11,972 kms, 3.5mm tread at centre & cupped
Rear Kenda 270 - 12,514 kms, 2.5mm tread at centre & very squared off - a very good tyre for the money (on/off road) ...just howls & screams on the Highway

The TKC's - seem good on road. Tend to wobble inbetween ridges of loose gravel / stones...probably a combination of me & having rounded tyres again! (instead of squared off / flat) ...also had the pressures up fairly high 26 & 30. Also, just put in a new Rear shock (Progressive 465 from onestopmoto.com US$397.95 + 45 shipping ...no tax ding either) ....early impression: my old shock was definately "dead" (35,600kms)

[hurtin albertan]

I just raced the 270's at the Piston run in Chilliwack and these things hooked up like crazy. They clean out very well. The conditions were very muddy. My Berg 550 pulled crazy hard and not a single chunked knob. My berg usually pulls tires apart pretty quick when racing, but this 270 has held up great. I am still undecided on the front as I haven't had a chance to ride dry conditions with it, I am suspecting it will feel "washy" and not bite. I will post any updates. So far after 700kms I am happy.