Pirelli MT43 vs. Kenda Equilibrium

KENDA EQUILIBRIUM

Having used up 3 Pirelli rear tires and being lucky enough to have my buddy Montana John offer up his CRF 450X with a brand new Kenda Equilibrium rear tire for comparison, I am almost through his rear tire!

I was so impressed with the grip of the Kenda I purchased one of my own and installed it on my KTM 500 XCW. I wanted to use more than one of the same tire on two different bikes to be truly objective.

 

The Kenda was equally impressive on both bikes showing the same traction on the Honda or the KTM. It also showed the same wear on both bikes. I am almost through both Kenda tires and each one will last approximately 700 to 800 miles before being considered worn out. You have to remember I am Cheap so it will be really worn out! Conversely, I have averaged about 1700 miles on the Pirelli MT 43 rears.

I would give a slight nod to the Kenda grip when new, but the same bite seems to come from both tires with a little time and a few miles. I would give a slight advantage to the Kenda in sand but never had occasion to use it in the mud. The nod then goes to the Pirelli as it continues to provide the same traction while reaching closer to the 1700-mile life span than the Kenda’s 800 miles.

The Pirelli is a 400-18 while the Equilibrium is labeled a 450-18. The Kenda is marked ‘not for Highway use’ while the Pirelli has a DOT label, so if you plan to use it as a dual sport tire, as I often do, that may be a consideration in your selection.

Both tires work great and priced within a few bucks of each other where I buy them. So the deciding factor for me is the mileage between tire changes.

#33

“We tend to get what we expect”

Trail Riding Can Be Hazardous!

Ride Safe!!!

First ride of the New Year looked to be a fun filled day since I was riding with a group in an area I had never ridden. One of my favorite things to do is ride a new area.

The day started off on the wrong foot as we started to pull away from the truck I noticed one of the bikes was pouring a liquid out the bottom. First thing you think of is a stuck float causing gas to run out of the carburetor.  Not this time, after a closer inspection it was discovered to be a bad water pump seal, allowing coolant to pool in the skid plate. One down, four to go! So the remaining four riders, Peter, Phil, Dick and #33 decided to take the first ride promising to come back and switch off with Tim, since it was his bike with the problem.  We did exactly that and made shorter loops than planned and everyone got some seat time.

Everything worked out well until we were about ½ mile or less from returning to the trucks for the final ride. Peter was leading, with Dick, Tim and #33 following on a power line road leading back to the trucks. Unfortunately, there were a couple of younger riders on that same power line road going the opposite direction. The road was fairly straight but had a few hills and valleys. It appears that Peter met the two younger riders as he crested one of those rises, and as luck would have it they were not riding single file staying to their right as we were. With the two of them riding side by side the one on the wrong side of the road met Peter head on at the top of the rise.

Both riders were thrown from the bikes in the resulting collision and lay motionless for a few seconds. We checked the riders and they were conscious and responding without any immediate obvious outward injuries.

We had two riders return to the trucks to find the other boy’s father and notify him as well as getting a vehicle to pick up Peter and his Yamaha as it had been damaged extensively in the collision. The front end of the bike was torn off and the front wheel was destroyed.

Peter had an obvious concussion and a sore right hand, quite miraculous after looking at the bike! It was a long ride home and took 3 guys to load and unload Peter’s bike when we got back.  It is now the following day and I am wondering how Peter is feeling this morning, I think I have a pretty good idea!

Ride Safe!

#33

“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes”

For more pictures of the carnage go to the photo section.