The K784 Big Block is Kenda’s entry in the adventure bike tire segment. As the name suggests, it’s an aggressive, knobby-style DOT design aimed directly at riders who take their adventure bikes off-road. It looks similar to a Continental Twinduro TKC80 or a Dunlop D606. Kenda says it’s a 60/40 street/dirt design, which flips the TKC80s claimed 40/60 (street/dirt) ratio around. The Dunlop is more dirt oriented with a manufacturer rating of 10 percent street and 90 percent dirt, so it’s really targeted to a different market.

The TKC80 is well-known and lauded among adventure riders, but one common complaint is it doesn’t last long, especially on heavy bikes that log serious street miles. Of course results vary with some riders getting 4,000 miles out of a set and others logging under 2,000, but look around and you will see people griping about longevity.

Kenda says the “true adventure” Big Blocks are designed for high-powered motorcycles. They feature a stiff carcass to help prevent punctures and damage, bias construction, four plies of nylon in the tread and two in the sidewall. The rubber compound is specifically formulated for good performance in wet or dry conditions. Is the Kenda the answer? We mounted a pair to find out.

How They Performed

On the Street: All DOT knobbies are a compromise on the street, and the Big Blocks are no exception. At high pressure (30 psi) they caused a rumbling vibration in the front end of the bike, but dropping the pressure to 22 solved the problem. They roll into corners smoothly and stick well. The stiff side knobs and tough sidewalls don’t flex in hard cornering like some DOT knobby designs (the Kenda K270 comes to mind). They do display a slight weave lightly on grooved roads, but most knobbies do the same so it’s hard to fault them for that. And they were surprisingly quiet, with only minimal howling from the back tire at speeds above 35 mph. Compared to Heidenau K60 Scouts, they were practically silent.

Rain performance was average, on par with TKC80s and slightly better than the Heidenaus. Our unscientific “ABS” test (grab a big fistful of brakes and see how quickly the ABS kicks in) showed that the Big Blocks should be treated with care on rain slick roads. Traction is there, but it is limited and it tends to go away quickly. The Big Blocks are Q-rated, good for speeds up to 99 mph. We didn’t quite get them going that fast, but can report that they handled an 85 mph freeway sprint just fine.

In the Dirt: The Kenda’s really come into their own when the pavement ends. We ran 22 psi for most of the 1,000-mile test and never felt the need to go lower off-road. The front feels predictable at speed on gravel roads. The back steps out just as it should with the application of throttle, and is easy to control in a slide.

The tires also worked well in mud, with the alternating center-block pattern clearing quickly. They struggled a bit in sand, with the front end plowing instead of floating through the deep stuff.

The Kendas really exceeded expectations on steep climbs more suitable for dirt bikes. On one occasion, we encountered a make-or-break hill climb where the Kendas proved their worth. We’d reached a dead end at the bottom of very steep hill and there was no way out except the way we came in. The fully-loaded bike clawed its way up the loose rocky hill without ever breaking traction in the rear. In fact, the front wheel came up before the back spun.

Tire Longevity: We put 1,000 miles on our Big Blocks riding roughly 60 percent street, 40 percent dirt. Visually, the tires were in good shape with only minor cuts on a few rear knobs and some noticeable squaring off of the center knobs. The front showed no appreciable wear. Given how rocky it can be on Arkansas trails and dirt roads, the tires came through looking very good.

Our ruler showed a loss of 4mm of rubber on the rear (out of 10mm), and 1mm in the front (out of 7mm). At that rate, we’d expect the rear to be pretty much done after roughly 2,200 miles. The front should last longer than two rears.

Kenda Big Block K784F front tire in size 90/90-21 used only about 14% of its tread after 1,000 miles on the KTM 690.

Kenda Big Block K784 rear tire in size 140/80-18 used about 40% of its tread after 1,000 miles on the KTM 690.

Who Are They For?

Adventure Bike Riders that do more than half of their riding on gravel roads or trails. Overall, we’d recommend the Kendas to anyone looking for a less-expensive, better off-road performing alternative to the TKC80, with one caveat: longevity may be an issue, particularly for riders that log a lot of highway miles.

Our Verdict

The Kendas are relatively inexpensive for a big adventure bike tire. For example, the 140/80-18 rear we ran has an MSRP of $130.99 but can be found for between $78 and $97 from online retailers. The same size TKC80 has an MSRP $164.95 and can be found online between $91 and $106. Price differences vary between the sizes but the Big Blocks are less expensive than the TKC80s in most cases. Longevity isn’t quite on par with the TKC80s, but the Kendas exhibit excellent dirt performance, street grip that’s in the upper tier in this segment, and tough, quiet construction.

Kenda Big Block K784 Tire Specs

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Author: Bob Whitby

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.