Kenda Kutter XC Tires
After spending many years in the ATV tire industry, I consider ATV tires as one of my specialties and was amped about the opportunity to rip on a new set of Kenda meats. Kenda recently released its newest addition to its ATV tire lineup under the name of Kutter XC. The great minds at Kenda really wanted to focus on and meet the demands and needs of GNCC-style riding and racing. Obviously, if it would hold up in the conditions of a GNCC race while offering great traction and comfort, it would for sure meet if not exceed the needs of the weekend warrior. Factory Polaris racer William Yokley has proven throughout the 2009 GNCC season that the Kutter XC has what it needs to perform at a high level on sport ATVs.
The Kenda Kutter has large, durable knobs for both extra traction and a long life. It's made from a special-compound rubber in a six-ply rating, which is tuned and designed to handle the toughest terrain. At first glance and touch, I noticed the Kutter XC to be an extremely beefy tire. In fact, they weigh in a bit on the heavy side at 17 pounds each for the rear and 13 pounds for each front. My thoughts are that the extra girth will drain a little more power than that of the stock tires. On the other hand, the thickness and girth will also help prevent flats. I certainly can back that up as we put these tires through the wringer in pretty rough rocky sections at all sorts of speeds and experienced no flat tires. I also came to the determination that the Kutters portray very little tire roll during hard cornering, which is usually a plus. In the intermediate to muddy terrains, these tires hooked up phenomenally, yet spun a little too easily on the dry hardpack. I did think that the tire was a bit too wide, probably the widest XC tire I've ever seen. The performance of the front tires was probably my favorite characteristic of the Kutters as they really gripped and kept the front end of the machine from pushing when diving into corners. I also felt the rear tires broke loose fairly easy for backing the quad in and sliding corners. While Kenda does not set retail pricing, Parts Unlimited lists the front 21x7-10 at $87.95 each and the rear 20x11-9 at $107.95 each.
-Thad Josey
| SPORT TIRES | 87 |
| Forward Traction | 18/20 |
| Cornering | 16/20 |
| Ride Comfort | 16/20 |
| Durability | 19/20 |
| Price | 18/20 |
Bottom Line: Not only would the Kenda Kutter XC hold up well in a rugged GNCC-style race, but it performs phenomenally for all trail riders in intermediate to muddy conditions.