Have you seen the new Kenda Equilibrium Tire? It’s quite interesting and certainly a shaker in the industry.
It appears to be best for those racing circuits on weekends, whether that be MX or enduro laps. It doesn’t work as well for the casual rider who’s out to have fun instead of winning laps and trophies.
From all accounts, not only does it look awesome but it also performs very well too. At least, they say. We wanted to review this tire ourselves and see how it handles the rough stuff.
Kenda Equilibrium Tire Review
This tire is unique in that it’s been inspired by the trials industry. The knobs are very soft and are mixed with a sticky compound. The shoulders are aggressive which means you can really lean it over in the corners and know that you’ll (probably) get out of the corner alive.
In the centre line are braking scoops. This will help you pull up faster and thus are likely to increase lap times. Again, this is a trait that comes from the trials world where riders must pull up almost instantaneously.
What we wonder is…is this really a gimmick or truly a reliable tire that can ‘cut it’ in the world of competitive motocross? Let’s have a closer look.
Negatives and Positives
The price is certainly up there making this tyre not so within range for the weekend warrior. For the racer who knows those extra 3 seconds over 10 laps will make or break their season, then this tire is for them.
On the circuit, it’s certainly a rock-solid tyre. It isn’t so good in the sand but excels in the hard-packed terrain. There’s hardly a hint of it losing traction or finding the edge as the knobs really hold their own.
We really loved the center scoops really slow us down unlike a conventional dirt or enduro tire, so it’s not all about the acceleration and cornering grip. It’s certainly a tyre that hooks you to the trail and don’t let go, apart from those challenging whoop sections.
Overall
This is a solid tire and one that contends well against the high-end knobbies in hard-packed terrain. Through its inspiration from the trials world, it certainly propels it up and beyond most of its competitors. And for the riders who choose this tire, you can too.
The only thing we’d love to see is DOT-approval. The equilibrium tire isn’t DOT-approved and if it were, it would get us dual-sport riders wet in the pants.
