Kenda's Klaw Tire
Clawing at the competition
By Staff of Dirt Wheels
On the national racing scene, two tire companies, ITP and Maxxis, have been getting most of the attention and all of the victories. That was until Alba Racing's Kory Ellis scored his first Motocross win on the year at the Mt. Morris GNC using a set of Kenda Klaw MX tires. No it wasn't a mud race; the conditions where next to perfect. The race had wheel-to-wheel action between Kory, Jeremiah Jones on ITP's and Doug Gust on his Maxxis - shod Suzuki.
On the podium, Ellis attributed his victory in part to his tires. He claims the Kenda fronts are the best tires he has used since the days guys searched the country for 10-inch car tires grooved'em and mounted them up for racing.
The Kenda Klaw tire made its debut just before the start of the racing season this year. The last time we tested a set of Kenda MX tires was in our sport tire shootout back in the October '01 issue. This new tire is an evolution of that product with softer-compound knobbies and a more flexable casing.
The Klaw is made primarily for high-performance riding and racing. It is available in 18, 20 and 22-inch heights and 10-11 widths and come with a six-ply rating. We mounted the 18 inchers on a set of Douglas Red label wheels and installed the combo on our Kawasaki KFX400. In stock trim, the KFX400 has the same wild wheelspin syndrome that plagues the Suzuki Z-400.
While it may be fun to do burnouts and spin doughnuts in front of your friends, this spinning causes premature tire wear, especially with the stock Dunlops. If your machine is used for play racing or sanctioned competition, you want you machine to have instant hookup to keep ahead of the pack. Most aftermarket tires will help you do just that.
Track Time
One unique feature that the rear Kenda has is that it's a multi-directional tire. The tread is laid out in a "V" shaped pattern and performs differently depending on the way you mount it. For ideal motocross conditions you would mount the tire with the open end of the V facing backwards as you look at the top of the tire.
On the track, the unique shape kept the quad moving straighter than with other tires we have tested. It wandered less and hooked up very well coming out of the corners. In slippery hard-packed conditions, the Klaw works better than any other tire we have tested in the last year. Under braking, the V dug in the track and would stop our KFX at least five feet sooner (compared to stock), meaning we could brake later.
For maximum forward traction, the tire could be turned around. We found the direction to work well in the straights; however, it had adverse effects under braking and in the corners.
Up Front
The front Klaw tire has a round footprint that provides good overall control. In the corners, the tire stays upright and ridgid letting the quad only roll-over slightly to use the outer knobbies. This tire has a good match between side-bite and roll. Similar to the stock Z tire, the
Klaw works well on tacky or slick surfaces. We couldn't find a flaw with
it. It measures a little wider than a Maxxis or ITP front, which is also
good; it doesn't make you feel like your riding on pizza cutters. This
set of Kendas will stay on our KFX until another tire company (or Kenda)
comes out with something better.
Kenda Klaw tires are available through Van Leeuwen Distributing and most mail-order tire companies or they can be ordered through your dealer. Suggested retail prices are considerbly less than the competition at $50 each for the fronts and $55 each for the rears. To see Kenda's complete ATV tire line log onto kendausa.com or call (614) 866-9803.
