Until recently the choices for a big bike knobby were limited to the highly popular Continental TwinDuro TKC80 and the Metzler Karroo and Karroo T. Last year Kenda joined the ranks by introducing their own tire in the popular 150/70-17 size, along with both 19″ and 21″ front tires, creatively named the “Big Block.” So, we ordered up a set, loaded up our F800GS, and headed off to Baja to see how this tires would perform both on- and off-road.

The Kenda Big Block tread depth measures +/-1mm when compared to the Metzeler Karroo T and the Continental TKC80 Twinduro. The 150/70-17 differs in tread pattern from the TKC80 and Karroo T by placing a center block, of every third set of blocks, where the Conti and Metzeler have center blocks every other set. The Big Block front tire looks almost identical to the Karroo T and felt almost similar on the bike. Mounting the tires by hand at the U.S./MEX border we found the sidewalls to be slight stiffer than the TKC80, but were no more challenging to spoon on, and easy to balance.

The Kenda Big Block performed well in deep sand, rock and light mud. The front tread pattern gripped terrain well, and even as the pace picked up things felt good. The skinny Big Block didn’t perform as well as more trail-focused tires such as the Dunlop D606 or Pirelli MT21, but neither do either of its direct competitors. The fat 150/70-17 out back also performed on par with its premium competition. The rock trails in Baja are notorious for eating up tires and we found that after our first day the sharp edges of the blocks were already showing wear, but performance held up for all three days of testing. The edges did seem to round off faster than we remember the last time we ran TKCs south of the border, but seemed on par with the Karroo Ts we used last year. The softer compound may be what gives the Big Block the traction advantage needed when climbing over baby heads and sharp rocks but pays for it in mileage.

Heading back to our home port in Washington State we took California’s twisty scenic Highway 1 until we reached Oregon. There winter visited us again with rain and snow forcing us onto the interstate where we could make better time. The Big Blocks were surprisingly quiet on the pavement for a knobby without any annoying hum and without creating much vibration. I didn’t even notice the vibration until I got on another GS with street tires. The front tire had a tendency to track the groves in corners but no more than any knobby does.

Sounding like the perfect tire yet? Good performance at a cheaper price…. Yes, but there is a catch. After only 1,832 miles on our overloaded GS the rear tire only had 4.14 mm of tread left (9.14 new) and was developing deep stress cracks on the outer blocks. However, the front tire was faring much better looking almost as good as when we mounted it with 7.7mm of tread left (8.22 when new) and no shark fins. None of the big bike knobbies are known for longevity but the Kenda takes the back of the pack on this topic, wearing out faster than the others. The last set of TKCs we ran lasted about 3,500 miles on a similar trip before ending up at this point.

Kenda is just about to release their newest Big Block and they say mileage is one of the issues they have addressed. If Kenda can keep the price and performance of the Big Block the same as their competition this will be the tire to use. KendaUSA.com

MSRP: $119.95 (Kenda Big Block 90/90-21)
MSRP: $208.99 (Kenda Big Block 150/70-17)
MSRP: $138.95 (TKC 80 90/90/21)
MSRP: $256.86 (TKC 80 150/70-17)
MSRP: $183.95 (Karroo T 90/90-21)
MSRP: $244.95 (Karroo T 150/70-17)