Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ650J

Hey fellas. I just got my first highway capable motorcycle about three days ago. I found a 1982 XJ650J Maxim that I'm working up. Among other things, it needs tires BADLY.



My husband rides more aggressively than I will, he's on a 1984 V45 Magna. But in any case, we live here ....




Damned Homeland Security check points ... they are EVERYWHERE out here. You simply cannot leave Yuma without going through some invasive checkpoint. No way no how. They do alot less good than certain "news" channels like to report. More of a hassle than anything else. Most folks out here consider them nothing but *eyewash* for those that think this type of action is making us safer. Huh. Bla bla .. sorry....



Anyhow, you can see *where* I will be riding. So are the Kenda Challengers safe tires? Jsyk,we get less than 1 inch of rain per year here. No kidding (dryest city in the US). Guess that's why it's called the desert!

Also, a little off topic here, should I run radials or bias plies?

Thanks! Just trying to get this whole streetbike thing figured out!

Abeja.

 

Welcome from Prescott Valley!

Most of the riders I know that run with Kenda's are happy with
the way they work.

I think you can only run bias on bikes. Maybe someone else has
another opinion but something about radials and bikes dont mix.

 

Hi welcome, Abeja, get the best skins you can afford & a bigger tank. Wiz.

 

Just put Kendas on my Maxim. They don't fit as well as I hoped. I bought them without really paying much attention to the appearance. When I got them home and mounted the wheels i noticed that the shoulders are wider and they only just went between the forks on the front. Next time will be Dunlop or Bridgestones for the extra $65 a pair. Nothing wrong with the tire except the shoulder limits the "lean' on cornering. They aren't for an aggressive rider and I just don't like the look as well.

 

Re: Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ

Most of the tires I sell in my shop are Kenda. They seem to be an excellent value. If you get the correct size you shouldn't have a problem with fit (JFStewart - I wonder if the conversion from inches to metric was done wrong for your front tire...)

Most of the Kendas I sell are the Kruz, and they're going on heavy cruisers and touring bikes. We're getting excellent wear out of them. There's no doubt they last longer than a D404 at a better price.

I agree with JFStewart that the challenger does look a bit modern on a Maxim.

The bad news is the wholesale price of Kenda tires just went up 20%. You might want to move quick if you find someone lagging in catching up their selling prices.

 

Kenda Challengers are spectacular tires for the $$$... Buy now!!!

 

Thanks for the help. A bit conflicting, but that's why the world spins. I tend to agree about how older bikes look with modern tires, there's something not quite right about it. Like putting 20 inch rims on a 67 Mustang ... it just doesn't work with the eye.

Not sure about that radial thing. I've seen a bunch of radial tires for bikes, so I'm not sure how to take that statement yet. Sure seems like a good number of them *out there* if they don't work on bikes. I'm pretty sure that Vmax's use radial tires (aftermarket). Probably should continue researching that issue a bit.

All of our Harleys always had Dunlops on them, but that's cuz HD has some bedfellow relationship with Dunlop, right?

Thanks, I'll keep digging.

Tires, oil, and oil filters. Nearly friggin alchemy with all the opinions and ~facts~ out there ... geez!

 

My Maxim is about 80 KM away at my son's place. I am going there tomorrow. Can take pictures if you think it will help.

 

The wheels on these old XJ's are to narrow for radials so stick with bias ply. Regarding Kenda's, I put a Challenger on the front of my 750 last year and one on the rear this year and handling is great, even in the twisties. Can't really comment on longevity but so far I put about 4 thousand on my front and it seems to be wearing fine.

 

Ahh! Thanks! I knew there was some logical explaination!

Those Kendas are looking better to me all the time .... a picture would be nice to see.

Abeja.

 

Btw ... that's a challenger on the back of the bike in the picture I posted in the OP. Looks ok to me ... ???

 

While you have the back wheel off, check the brake shoe for delamination.
Watch out for carb over flow into the crank case by smelling inside the oil cap. If there is a problem you will get a strong hit of gasonline.
(Im sure you are fine but the PO screwed me on a shoddy float adjustment).
The PO also told me my tires were brand new. After one year of riding Im seeing hair line cracks in the front tire but mine are spitfire.

 

I run Challengers happily. I'll also be in Yuma on the 26th for my nephew's graduation. If you need help with anything, I might be able to swing by and help you with any issues you might have.
Welcome to the forum!

 

Tires have date codes, so it's not really necessary to trust your PO on this subject (or any other.)

 

Thanks, but didn't anyone tell you that the end of the world is tomorrow? :roll:

HaaHaa!

Abeja.

 

I usually just replace the brakes. It's not that expensive, really. The little wear indicator is telling me they are ~shot~ anyhow.

Them carbs ... my bike came with pods. Ugh! The PO also put on some brand new intake boots. Looks like it may have been some kind of *kit* that came with pods and intake boots, the hose clamps all have thumbscrews on them. all matching-like and uber new looking. So I'd say the carbs have been fully dicked with. The bike runs grrrrREAT ... varooming it in the driveway. But I've yet to ride it (front tire is flat and shot) so I have no idea as to flat spots or such when under a load.

In any case I was thinking of sending them off to my carb guy in San Francisco ("Jack"). He did my husband's V45 carbs and did a BANGUP JOB on them ... $250 for a COMPLETE rebuild including fully bench flowed and pre-synched. He even powdercoats the diaphram covers! Jack always uses stainless steel hardware too. Can't recommend him highly enough.

I'm also seriously thinking of removing the pods and going to an airbox.

 

Since money is no object buy a whole new bike, but seriously.
The carbs are not to terribly difficult to navigate. There's not really anything to replace unless you find a gremlin. $250 to spray two cans of carb cleaner and turn some screws is a BARGAIN!!!
If its running decent you are probably ok anyways.

 

Actually, I think that is rule #2 for XJ owners.
Rule #1 of course is Clean the Carbs!

:lol: They forgot to tell you that it only ends for non-XJ owners, so you're safe! :lol:

Welcome to the club

 

I'm going to be very disappointed if I come in to work on Monday and nobody is here...

 

I am riding on the Shinko 710s and am happy so far. Granted, I have 7 miles on them...but for $95 for the pair, I couldn't pass them up.

 

They cant be any good at $95 (

 

you're right Wiz, they aren't good, they're GREAT!!!

 

There is no need to be insultive.

Perhaps if I am as smart as you one day I'll know how to rebuild and setup a carb banks well as anyone who can afford two cans of Berrymans. (you live alone, don't you?)

It's worth it to me to have someone that has tuned our multi-carb bikes in the past, and has done a GREAT job of setting them up as well as doing a lot more than spritsing a can or two of carb cleaner in them. Listen pal, we owned and operated a full service repair center and were a factory authorized repair and warranty center for nearly fourty manufacturers of power equipment for 16 years. I know what I'm looking at. I'm not some stupid chick with more credit rating than brains. Unlike many folks, I'm willing to concede when someone else is better at something than I am, and willing to exchange money (fairly charged of course) for their talents. I know when I'm being duped, we rebuilt (at times) fifteen carbs per week in our shop. So I know what cleaned vs rebuilt carbs look like. My immune system has been taxed hard from the chemo, carb cleaner is really caustic shyte. We sold our shop two years ago due to other health issues, mainly attacking my husband. So in short .... if I don't have to mess with that crud, I avoid so if possible.

Money is no object? Brakes don't cost that much. I have no health insurance, and crashing hurts .. a lot. Surviving cancer was bad enough, why test fate? Brakes cost one HECK of a lot less than a trip to the ER.

Smart people like you know better than to ride a half-assed prepped 30 year old motorcycle out here ....

.. or the Border Patrol finds you collaped along side the road from trying to walk back. Or someone with less than good intentions comes along to your aid. It gets very .. very .. dark in the desert at night.

You should write a book .. "How to win friends and influence people". :roll:

Abeja.

 

Should decide if you're going to ditch the pods before you send the carbs out, that way he can re-jet while he's got them apart.

If you find a box but can;t find the airbox-to-carb boots, XJ4Ever (member name: chacal) carries the boots.

And while we're on the subject of the airbox, does it still have the original fuse box? If so, you might want to replace that while you're at it.

 

Here are the pictures of the bike with Kendas mounted. There are less than 200 KM on them at this point. Seem to perform well enough but look "fat" on the front. The tire shop did the conversion from the 3.25 19 original size.

 

Re: Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ

JFStewart:

Those are the Kruz, not the Challenger. I think they probably look better than the Challenger would on that bike.

Also, the front is a 110/90-19. A 100/90 is closer to the 3.25-19. That's why it was tight at the fender, it's 10mm wider and 9mm taller than the 100/90.

 

Re: Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ

These are the Sport Challenger:



In theory they should be a bit more of a "sport" tire than the Kruz which is intended for Cruisers. In practice though I find the Kruz is plenty sticky on my Venture.

 

Micarl

The shop where I purchased them ordered the tires in specially. He didn't mention the other tires that might have been an option for the bike. He just gave me manufacturers and when it came to the Dunlop and Bridgestone he mentioned their different models. From that I "assumed" there was only one model for this bike. We all know about assume!! Here is proof. Did I understand that you sell tires? Maybe next time I need some I'll contact you.

Guess the speedo is going to read low now. My son rides this one so I better let him know.

 

Re: Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ

There are lots of tires that will work on the bike. The Kruz is a great tire and it's where I steer people unless it's not offered in the appropriate size.

The folks that did your tires went a bit wider on the front tire. I shy away from doing stuff like that because of liability if something goes wrong. Having said that, the extra width may make it less inclined to follow every defect in the pavement that these narrow tires like to follow.

I do sell tires, but only locally. You'd have to come get them.

 

Your speedo will be off a little bit, but shouldn't be more than 3-4m/h lower than actual speed.

It's Sunday so my brain doesn't want to do the conversion...5-7km/h maybe?

 

Re: Kenda Challengers .. brand new female rider on a 1982 XJ

Here are some pics of my '83 750 Maxim with Kenda Challengers. I bought them in 08. They have been good to me however I am not an aggressive rider.
First try for adding pics.

 

Really appreciate the feedback guys but this thread really belongs to Abeja. I hope the information contained herein is helpful to her.

To Abeja...GOOD LUCK and it looks like those Kenda Challengers might be a good tire for you.

 

I replaced the stock Dunlop Qualifiers on my 750 Shadow with Kendas years ago- can't recall the model. The Kendas were great unless there was any kind of moisture on the road - a little water and it was sideways city - probably not an issue in/around Yuma.

 

I had a choice between the Kenda Challengers and the Bridgestone Spitfires

I went with the Spitfires and I've been happy with them, perform great in the wet ( which apparently doesn't matter to you)

Price difference was marginal.... but as you've read, hear lots of good things about the Challengers too,,,

 

Sorry about the size of the pics. I set that up on my home system, a MAC. When I viewed the post at work on a PC, the pics are too big. I did resize them to less than 500 X 500. Will try to correct.

 

From where?? I'm in the market - the Seca 900 needs new sneekers !

Welcome Abeja !

 

Bikebandit. Shipped fast and the tires were in great condition.