Alongside the dual-compound Cataclysm, the Kenda K763 Kruz has proven to be a big hit with our trade customers since it arrived with us last year.
Our exclusive Kenda brand have two tiers of custom and cruiser product, with the Kruz sitting just below the Cataclysm on the price scale – although in some cases, a bike will be covered by one range and not the other.
Over in the US, journalist Neil Wyenn recently put a set to the test on his ’07 Yamaha Royal Star Venture.
With a dry weight of 366kg and a 1,294cc liquid cooled 4-stroke engine, the Road Star Venture is a big beast, and certainly provides a solid test for the Kruz on the freeways and mountain twisties of Neil’s native Oregon.
(Please note Neil has changed the front tyre size on his bike from stock. See link below for full details.)
Kenda Kruz
Developed for a wide range of customs, cruisers and tourers the Kruz range has been optimised for great handling and mileage on even the heaviest of bikes.
Attractively priced, they offer serious value for money.
On his first ride on the new Kruz rubber Neil hit the freeway:
“The freeway on-ramp is about two miles from my home, and it is a banked 180-degree uphill right-hander. Knowing that these new tyres need to have the shiny stuff scuffed off, I took it easy until I straightened out to merge. I immediately noticed that the handling was neutral. No extra input was needed to enter the right sweeper and to keep it on line.
As I rolled out of the right bank to vertical, the input was lighter than I expected. I have about 48,000 miles on my Venture, and even though I hadn’t ridden in three months, muscle memory feedback was right there.
The freeway was pretty empty, so I did some full lane weaving ( I practice weaving as though something dropped in my path) to see what the control inputs felt like. The pushes and pulls were light with immediate responsiveness. I am thinking these tyres feel really good under me.”
After about 50 miles, he eventually pulled off into the mountains, with a good 160+ miles of open road ahead to see how they handled:
“The pavement was dry in the sunny areas, not dry in patchy tree-lined sections, and running water wet in some tighter turns in the deep forest portions. I am a conservative touring motorcyclist, so I rode the speed limit in the dry areas, and about 15-to-20 percent under the posted speed limit in the wet areas. I never felt the front or rear slip, so my confidence in these Kenda Kruz K673 tyres grew as the miles, and damp patches added up. Control inputs were light and sure. Tight turns and wide sweepers felt normal and as expected—no surprises.“
After completing a slightly wetter return leg and battling the rush hour traffic on the final stretch to home, Neil summed up by stating:
“The Kenda Kruz K673 touring tyres check all the boxes for me on this first 276-mile test ride—stable on the freeway, traction on wet turns, plus good slow-speed handling and crosswind grip. I don’t know how many miles I will get on them, but when I find out, this review will be updated.
I am looking forward to getting out for longer rides as spring and summer come along. I now know I can feel confident that the Kenda Kruz K673 tyres will serve me well, and I am not hesitant to recommend them for all riding conditions on a touring bike.”
You can read Neil’s article on full on Ultimate Motorcycling.
