What Have You Done To Your Scooter Today??  By  jerseyboy (Read 27,389 times)

Oct 31, 2015 8:02:45 GMT -5 mftic said:

Oct 30, 2015 19:34:29 GMT -5 wheelbender6 said:

I changed the oil and spin-on oil filter a few weeks back. My Genuine Buddy has a spin-on oil filter like the Vespas, to be changed every 5000 km. I had new Kenda tires installed yesterday. I hope the weather allows me to try out the new Kendas this weekend.

Let me know how you like those tires.  Need new ones and was wondering if there are worth it.

Mftic,

I rode my Xingyue 150 for 7 years on the original Kenda tires (longer than one really should, but they were still in great shape...). I never had any problems at all, and they were fine tires.  I'm no lightweight either at 240 pounds... LOL!  I was VERY pleased with the Kendas on the 150.

That being said, I traded the 150 on a used Kymco 250 and the dealer installed new and well-balanced Kenda tires on "Minnie Mouse". They did NOT work so well on the 250. They exhibited some irritating habits including a somewhat "hard" bouncy feel, and a very unpleasant tendency to shake while decelerating from over 55 mph. Down at around 25 mph they'd shimmy quite badly.

I just did NOT like them on the 250, but LOVED them on the 150.

I wanted whitewalls on the 250, as well as "P" rated tires good for higher sustained speeds of 70+ mph, so I put a Shinko P-rated whitewall on the front, and at the dealer's recommendation, a Michelin Power Pure on the rear... (Because NOBODY makes a 140-70-12 whitewall) and, the Michelin has a sidewall suitable to "paint" white... LOL!  And the dealer researched and recommended it as a good choice when mixing brands.  Normally I wouldn't mix tire brands and tread-styles.

With the Michelin and Shinko tires installed (again, well-balanced) it's like a brand-new scooter, after 1,500 miles of mixed, slow city and fast highway riding!  NO shimmy, NO wobble, SMOOTH ride, great braking and impeccable handling from "walking-speed" to WOT of about 82 mph.

So, my personal experience indicated the Kendas good as gold on my 230-pound 150, up to its top end of 62 mph, but not so good on my 360-pound Kymco at any speed.

Someone else may have a different experience, but that's the way the tires worked for me.

One thing for sure, ESPECIALLY on smaller, 10, 11 or 12 inch rims, tires MUST be properly balanced.  Also, be sure to use good valve-stems.

Hope my experiences may be of help...

Leo in Texas

PS:  You just GOTTA love those pricey, but SO nice Buddies...  You just LOOK at one and you want to buy it...  They "look" more "Italian" than a Ferrari... LOL!  And are high-quality, fast and sweet-handling in a tiny package.