A bad tire

[swcole]

Well, I spent a week getting the bike and gear ready to take the wife camping down in Port Aransas, TX and at the last second noticed this:
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...4-23095457.jpg
Now this is a fairly new tire, it only has 3,000 miles on it and it has already developed a bulge. So we had to take the explorer camping instead and I'm glad we did. After we got back I took the tire off the bike and believe it or not, the bulge grew to this:
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/...4-26133533.jpg
Not wanting this to burst in my face I removed the valve stem core, there is NO air in the tire but the bulge still did not go down! It seems to me that somehow air got in between some layers of rubber and stayed there.
This is a Kenda Kruz 673 that I bought from Dennis Kirk so I called them, let them know that the tire was defective and I wanted a replacement. I had a return shipping label emailed to me and they are supposed to be exchanging it, we'll see how that goes. I'm very glad that I found this before our trip and not during.

[paul]

That would a been bad. Glad to see you got your camping trip without incident. Did you guys take the little one. Or was this a chance for a little get away. Good to see you still up and running.

[VulcanE]

WOW, that is the first "May-Pop" I've ever seen with tread still on it. From my experiences, Dennis Kirk is great to work with. I hope you get it all worked out. I don't know anything about the Kenda Kruz tires, but I guess any manufacturer can occasionally let a defect get through quality control.

[recumbentbob]

Wow glad you found it at home and not on the road.
I bet that sucker would have really vibrated before it popped.

[ringadingh]

With the pictures you have to show them, I doubt that you will have a problem getting the tire replaced. Even had that happened while on the road Im sure you would have noticed a vibration or wobble starting that would have alerted you to the problem. Ive had a similar bulge develop on my truck tire years ago and when it starts you know there is a problem.

[caddman11]

I'm sure those pics will hurt Kendra sales; can you say "big discount"?

[swcole]

We left the little one at home so we could get away for a bit, we really enjoyed it. Port Aransas is nice but I think we are going to go to the Hill Country for our next camping trip.

The folks at Dennis Kirk so far have been nice, I sent the tire off today so we will see how long it takes for me to get a new one. I'm thinking of sending the pics to Kenda, any ideas?

[rickyboy]

Just wondering if you're going to replace the Kendra with the same? I think I'd want to change to a completely different tire. Stand by and be prepared for the "darkside" to be ringing your doorbell trying to sell you a car tire. Not that a car tire is necessarily a bad thing {just not for me}

[markclark57]

I run the same CT as VulcanE (205/60-16 Goodyear Assurance Triple Tread or GYTT). In a word "Awesome".
OK there's my plug for the Dark Side. =D

[rickyboy]

Oh you won't be the last I'll bet.

[jims]

Wow that is some bubble. Your "precheck" payed off but you certainly would have felt it. I have had to return a problem purchase to D.Kirk and they did okay by me.

[Bull Durham]

Wow, I have never seen any tire do that before, at least not on the tread side. Amazing.

[Yellow Jacket]

I wouldn't switch brands just because of that. It can happen to any brand.

[rickyboy]

Originally Posted by Yellow Jacket

I wouldn't switch brands just because of that. It can happen to any brand.

Good point Bob, but I think if it were me, I'd be trying something else, unless they wanted to keep my business with a free new tire.

[redjay]

Personally, if I were to put the same brand of tire back on the bike (Kenda ?) I would always be worrying if the same thing was going to happen again, at speed. You were lucky this time that you spotted it.