Kenda Equilibrium
Company: Kenda
Price: $110
- A great blend of trials tire and knobby for a more aggressive bite and still the rubber to stop the spinning.
- Long lasting with knobs that don't fly off at speed.
- More open pattern works well in mud and sand than a normal trials tire.
- If you are a spin and skid rider this tire will not work for you.
- Some riders don't like the soft carcass feel, especially with low tire pressure.
What it is
- A trails-type tire with slightly wider block spacing and a more robust carcass.
Kenda has morphed an enduro or off-road tire and a trials tire and come up with the Equilibrium. A trials type compound and tread pattern with a slightly opened up spacing and using a more motocross design on the sidewall or shoulder knobs gives a unique look into what Kenda hopes is the ultimate trail riding and trail racing tire. It has shaped scoops to give enhanced braking grip on the center knobs and uses a sticky rubber compound for both wet and dry performance. The tire is only available as a rear tire in 4.50-18-inch and 120/80-19-inch sizes. It is now DOT approved.
"Kenda has morphed an enduro or off-road tire and a trials tire and come up with the Equilibrium."
How it works
- The grippy rubber and open spacing combine for a "hybrid" performance for the right rider.
- The softer knobs and carcass add to the suspension effect of the tire. Some liked this, others didn't.
- Resists spinning better than a knob and works better than a trials tire when spinning.
- Great durability for a tire with this soft rubber compound.
Starting with a clean sheet, Kenda set out to design the ultimate off-road tire that can do it all, from extreme enduro and endurocross to trial riding for the regular guy. With the popularity of the trails tires on dirt bikes still growing and some holes in the market between long wearing and a strict trials tire that isn’t really designed to be used on a true dirt bike, there is a need. But hitting this niche market means not only understanding the target but also nailing the performance side of it too. Riders need to have an understanding that a trials tire is not for everyone. The more a rider likes to spin and skid, the less a trials-type tire will grip and work for that rider.
The first thing about the Kenda is that it is not a really heavy tire, weighing in at 13.6 pounds. Not feathery but not heavy to a point where the weight is going to cause problems. The rubber is a very soft compound and pretty sticky. It uses slices in the individual knobbies, or siping, to help the tire have additional grip. The carcass is soft and flexible, not nearly as stiff as a regular knobby.
The Equilibrium mounts up easily due to the soft casing of the tire and beads onto the rim very positively. We ran the tire at a few different pressures depending upon the conditions and what kind of performance we were trying to achieve. For the most traction and the most difficult and technical terrain we ran as low as 6 PSI with both tubes and through a Tubliss system. Here the tire really flattens out and grip is on par with a true trials tire on the most slippery of terrain as long as it wasn't really wet. But the more muddy and loose the dirt, the better and better the Equilibrium would work due largely to the more open tread pattern especially on the side of the tire. But the downside of the low pressure was the wallow or shake the tire gave when loaded into a turn or bouncing in the bumps.
Where the tire really shines is in the 10-14 PSI range. Here the tire still flexes and forms to shape to the ground but there is still plenty of grip and give in the knobbies to stick to a level that a standard knobby just won't as long as you are not spinning. With the higher pressure the tire does not wallow around--in turns the tracking is very good. With this pressure you also get a fair amount of bump compliance to aid in the suspension feel. The tire’s shining performance comes on dry rocks and slick dry surfaces. The rubber is soft enough to really stick and with just a little warming by spinning becomes very sticky and grippy. But as moisture comes into the equation, the wetter the slippery stuff is, the easier the Equilibrium will spin up. Here it grips much better than a standard knobby but just does not have that rubber compound that finds traction where there is none. Our experience is that to get this wet traction the rubber compound gets expensive and durability goes down rapidly. We tested mostly in dry and abrasive conditions but did have enough wet conditions on logs and rocks and rode in wet creek beds to get a good feel for them. And we did a lot of sand where this tire will really surprise you.
We also ran it with a Nitro Mousse and found no significant differances in performance--it acted just like it would with that same amount of air feel. So we preferred a newer stiffer mousse in this tire.
On the brakes the Kenda is really good in general and exceptional for a trials-type tire. The tire resists slipping around while skidding and does not skid as easy as most closed block patterns. But when it skids the tire does a really good job of staying straight and tracking. Riders who lock the rear brake a lot will not like any trails type-tires but the Kenda is better than most here. In turns where the bike is laid over the tire leans in better and then does not slide out so suddenly when you get too far. The open block, especially on the shoulder knobs and more round profile are working here.
Another area the Kenda really does well in is durability and more so in the continued performance as wear increases. We got over 1000 miles out of a tire in trail riding conditions where we were being aggressive a fair amount of the time. The front edges will go away quickly since the rubber is so soft but the grip does not fall off to match how the tire looks. Wear slows down over the life of the tire but since the rubber is so grippy there is much better grip than the shape and size of the knobs would dictate. But the whole time you have to remember that spinning the tire excessively will kill it quickly and that type of rider will not see any of the advantages a trials type tire yields. Once it is spinning it likes to keep spinning and does not grip like a knobby will when spun up. In a controlled and purposeful slide there is decent feel, again better than a typical trials tire. Of note is that this tire does not throw or chunk knobbies at speed and the tire does not wallow around when riding on pavement like a true trials tire will when inflated to around 12 PSI. That said the Equilibrium has been coming lately with the DOT stamp if that is a need for you.
With a price of about $100 the Kenda is in the middle of the spectrum for similar types of tires. But it certainly isn't in the middle when it comes to performance. In dryer conditions and on regular bikes this tire could be a real advantage for the right rider. If you can feel and take advantage of the added traction a soft and grippy tire with additional rubber touching the ground can give you then the Kenda goes a long way. And lasts a long time doing it.
*Test updated 11-2019 to reflect DOT rating and some added testing time on these tires.
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" If you can feel and take advantage of the added traction a soft and grippy tire with additional rubber touching the ground can give you then the Kenda goes a long way."
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13 Responses to “Kenda Equilibrium”
Felix Popoki
I just bought this tire ..and it’s a big question mark .. I’ll see how it works here in the slippery clay wet stuff that we usually have here on Oahu, Hawaii . I’m usually a knobby guy ..and I find that this review seems to be on terrain that is not like what we have.. but I appreciate an early review to give me some information on this.. Thanks.
Jimmy Lewis
Let us know how it works. We did some limited wet testing but never on clay like you have, I assure you that!
Scott Lind
@disqus_zboRqFkbYJ:disqus – so whats the ‘opinion’ – this one or the Motoz hybrid? (single track western washington, ’15 TE300)
Jimmy Lewis
One is way better at outright traction in way more conditions (Kenda) and one lasts a real long time (Motoz). We’ll have a comparison of a few different ones pretty soon. Wearing out tires takes time.
Scott Lind
looking forward to it – Of all the tires in this class – IMO – the Michelin Radial Trials while pricey has no equal – at least for me – in terms of stick, traction where you shouldnt have any and longevity. Id like to find something that is DOT approved as Washington state allows us to plate any bike now. Currently running the PIrelli MT43 and its not EVEN in the same league as the Michelin Trials tire for grip and feel – its okay but looking for another option, plus I have found now on two different machines the MT43 does not seal with the rim while using the Tubliss system -…..so looking forward to your test and review of these type tires.
Eric Lueder
I just mounted one of these on my KTM 350 XC-F. First impression is its significantly taller (4.50×18) which raised the rear of the bike enough to change the steering feel. The tire hooks up on dry, slick, loose and rocky stuff just fine but I felt kindof a side to side creep which takes some getting used to. It feels like the rear is steering the bike with the front fighting to keep up. I ran 13 psi for the first test. I’ll be making some suspension adjustments to level the bike and trying different tire pressures on the next ride.
Kevin Moore
Kenda tires really vary in height. I went from the same size Kenda Trackmaster 760 rear (very U shaped profile) to the Kenda Millville rear (rounder profile). My XR400 felt like I raised the rear wheel an inch or two, which I did. I had to make adjustments. Slid the fork tubes to the top.
Eric Lueder
2 Enduro’s and 3ish trail rides later and this tire is done! In dry conditions I could probably get another ride or two out of it but there’s not enough left for another enduro. My first impression of this tire was very undecided. After using a Pirelli trials tire for several years I was used to when and where to expect things to happen. This tire does things a little differently but I feel like in muddy situations and when leaning the bike over in turns it has an advantage over a trials tire. This tire was definitely a positive factor in helping me to climb some knarly rocky and muddy hillclimbs at the Jackhammer Enduro last weekend. Where other riders were struggling to make some of the climbs for the most part I just motored right up even when I had to come to a stop at bottlenecks. The only place I had trouble was on a slimy clay hillclimb. By then the tire was definitely beyond fresh but I made it after a little detour. Overall I’d say this tire works pretty well everywhere. I think it would be better if Kenda made the tire a little lower of a profile because it seems overly large even for a 350. I decided to order another one to get through the next 2 Enduro’s and some winter riding in NorCal.
Jimmy Lewis
It is in a good way. The trials tire gets really good traction in sand despite what the tread pattern on any of them look like.
Scott Lind
Jimmy Lewis – thank you for your initial review and follow up. I purchased one online for $73.00 and mounted it up.
Im not a small guy, 6’3″ and 250++ my Husky TE-300 has no issues pulling the front end up any time I want it to – power with this smoker is NOT an issue and it can light up any tire I can spoon onto the rim.
After the 20+ miles in rocks and roots in western Washington, here are my thoughts – and the photo.
Running a Tubliss system at 105/8 psi in the rear.
**No knobs were chunked, folded, torn and as you can see the leading edge is basically like new. As soft as the rubber is I expected to see some chunks torn/cut/gouges – there were none.
**Traction for where we rode was equal to my trials tires in the rocks and roots we hit
**Traction was FAR SUPERIOR to a trials tire in leaned over traction, on the gas and braking with any soil involved.
**Mud patches felt like I had a good knobby with about 5 rides on it – not perfect drive like a brand new knob rear but not enough difference to make me upset I didn’t have one.
**Wet sand was like a knob.
** Roots and rocks specifically – no deflections just straight drive and no weirdness and unwanted ‘unexpected increased heart rate’.
** A couple of short runs at fire road speed – solid and planted into through 5th gear on the gas. – no jello wiggles like you get with a trials tire at 3 psi.
Summary – will see how she wears, but if it can handle 21 miles in rocks and roots with a 300 two stroke and my phat butt insuring adequate “gravitational force” is applied to the rear tire…I think I have my new do it all offload rear tire. Very happy with the traction and performance. Thank you again Jimmy for the straight up review and the baseline confidence to try this tire out. Kudos!!
jimji
I have been running nothing but trials and the Pirelli MT43 that some guys would not really call a trials since its not a radial on all my ktms and for a year now on my Sherco 300 4’s. With the Kenda mounted I immediately noticed the back end was a lot more active. (10 psi) After a getting used to it I started to really like how the bike could move around more and help steer with the back end. I now feel that the MT43 and other trials have a comparatively dead feel and I won’t go back. Bike seems so much more nimble and I can lean it over again where before I had to really struggle to get it to turn. As the review said it is more controllable than a trials when spinning in a turn. On the trail sometimes you just want to turn around in a narrow space by spinning a u and with this tire I can do that again. I haven’t found anything that I couldn’t climb yet that I climbed with the trials. Can’t compare with a true knobby as I haven’t run one for so many years. I don’t race just trail and ride in dry Colorado conditions so can’t comment on the wet.
Jimmy Farrell
The Equilibrium is now DOT Approved as of January 2016!
Duane Cabot
Bought this tire 2 weeks ago and tried it on big rocky hills. This tire was incredible! I climbed some hills I couldn’t climb before. Once in a hill I was loosing speed, and usually this meant that I had to go down and try again. Not with this tire…I went down a gear and instead of making a hole in the ground and getting stuck, the bike went up no problem and was almost struggling to keep the front tire on the ground. It’s that good! And wearing is quite good too!