Beta Riders Club Discussion Forum

Looking for some feedback on the Kenda IBEX, has anyone had a chance to put some hours on one yet?
A very fast and skilled friend of mine seems to like his, curious to hear more reviews before I pull the trigger and try one.

Its on the list to try, but what I hear from a few guys is it works OK but chunks up fast, and is expensive. Another new one hot off the mold is the MotoZ Arena. Try the Shinko 505 Cheater. It hits all the marks. Sticky compound, thick sidewall, reasonable life, and its cheap at $63 for a 110. Even worn it still works and is great Tubliss. Blows away the Kenda EQ. All these tires get torn up here relatively fast, maybe a little less so in PA. I'm almost done with my third Shinko this year, $100 is too much. Around here TTs are the std as the trails were cut with them. The Shinko can stick to a rock hill like a TT and cross over better to the good dirt corners. JMO.

I guess your talking about Richard? Saw him at NE24. Is he running the 110 or 120 IBEX? 505 and IBEX in 120 are both huge tires!

I haven't tried one yet but my dealer said it's one of the best tires going in our area, Indiana/Kentucky/Tennessee. He did say it wore pretty quickly but didn't chunk badly. So if you're racing and put a new tire on before each race, you'll probably love it. If you are not racing you'll probably love it for 4 rides.

One of our local guys had one on his crf450, he said incredible traction on wet rocks. But after one long ride all the center knobs are cracking. He figures one good race per tire. That is way too quick for me to even bother.

Here is my current 505 Cheater. About 5 or 6 long rides here. It looks beat but it still hooks up very well. For $63 it's a no brainer. For less technical terrain don't bother with any of these tires. This is my local nasty trail tire, for racing in PA I still run the MT16.

i know this is a Kenda thread but... pretty sure i'm giving that new Motoz Areana a try next. i'm a big fan of the Tractionator S/T in all sorts of conditions. the Arena sounds like an even better version, especially as we enter Fall in the north east.

Glenn, yes Richard is loving the tire so far, but same as stated, it won't last long at all. Then again, he will ride up and over anything, literally, so what he does to his tires is much different than what I might do to it.
I'd like to check out the other tires mentioned though, probably going to lace up a Cheater on my girlfriends klx 250 for her to try out, much better than then trakmaster that's on it now.

The first two pictures are Richard in normal riding areas. And yes, he rides up the 'Rock Tent' and off of it, which might not look too challenging in the picture until you see the approach to get down. The picture cut off the entire bottom drop off.
This third picture is from one of the Maine guys that had two days on the Ibex.

The Cheater will wear but not strip knobs like that. Yeah no doubt the guy has talent, I could barely keep up with him when he had that clapped out, patched together DR! That trail looks like it could be a mile from my house. Lots of stuff like that, and no the camera does not do it justice.

You riding at night now too?

A lot of guys were running the Ibex at the TKO, Kenda seems to have the racers ear, but the Shinko's are working very good here in Tennessee and are lasting pretty well, and continue to grip even as they wear.

GMP, do you prefer the 110 or 120?

Knox Enduro wrote:A lot of guys were running the Ibex at the TKO, Kenda seems to have the racers ear, but the Shinko's are working very good here in Tennessee and are lasting pretty well, and continue to grip even as they wear.

GMP, do you prefer the 110 or 120?

I like the 110 as it seems to turn a little better, is not as tall and into the mud flap, and its lighter. It does spin up easier on the 300 though. This is for a more spirited pace trail riding. For slow, pure technical the 120 is great, and lasts a little longer. Honestly, something in between would be perfect, call it any size you want.