How do the newer upgrade Kenda tires compare with the old model Kenda tires?

Motorcycle tires do not last like car tires...

They are all 'Car Tires'. The difference is in the quality of materials and construction.

Unless your alignment is all hosed up, your fronts will wear pretty good right out of the box, until the sides start to cup, then it's time to go with a good car tire. The rear, stock tire; that is soft in the side wall and if you can get 9000-12 miles out of it you're doing well, some are getting a little better out of the new version, but still not as good as a good car tire! For the money, you would be a LOT happier with a car tire, milage wise and in the handling it will be so much better! Do a search up above, you can read until you make your eye's bleed, and then come back and tell us what you think! Good Luck!

At the end of the day, it's still a kenda!

Stumpy31 said:

Hello I have '24 RT which has the old model of Kenda tires. I already replaced the p.o.s. rear tire that only lasted 9k miles with the upgrade tire that’s on the 25 and up. The fronts seem to be doing good. Has anybody had both models and how do they compare?

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So far the XPS branded Kendas on my 2026 seem to be noticeably better than the OEM ones I had on my 2021. I think they are an improvement, but by how much and whether they are closer to the standard of a decent suitable car tire, I wouldn't like to say. Having ridden a Spyder on these XPS branded Kenda tires and on car tires, I personally didn't feel much difference, but then again I wasn't taking the bike to it's limits or testing over a protracted period of time.

They don't have anything like the same number of balance weights, they are definitely better in the wet, especially the real heavy wet, they are not all greasy on black tarmac in the heat, and the sidewall stiffness seems to match the front suspension spring rate and damping better making for a less bouncy ride over small road imperfections.

As for longevity, they seem to be wearing well but time will tell on that score.

If you can't get a car tire fitted I would recommend them over the old OEM Kendas, but this is from my experience of one set. Other's may have very different experiences. Folks like Baja Ron may give a clearer picture with these new OEM fitments as he fits tires to a large number of customer bikes and will likely have a fair amount of experience with them over time.