Why not another TIRE Thread! :)

[dbbrian]

I promised a measurement

Just saw this thread tonight. Yep, as MaximPhil said, I have the 230's and put over 5,000 km on them since June. I measured tread depth when new. Shown in my intro thread "78e new proud owner".

Seeing that today was likely the last ride of the season, I'll go out and re-measure the tread depth this weekend and post it for you. Visually there is a barely perceptible flattening on the rear, but we put a lot of straight road miles on before reaching anything twisty around here, and I like to goose the throttle lots.

As far as performance, I am quite satisfied with them. Been in al combinations of hot, cold, heavy rain / wet, dry, and never a slip or uncomfortable feel from the tires. For reference, I purchased the bike end of May, rode a bit on the 8 year old tires before putting on the Shinko 230's. The old rear was a Spitfire, and the front was, well, something really crappy with a ridge that made the bike wander. I rode like I was on a hockey rink. Just so you know my comparison. The change to Shinkos was a real treat.

About 6,000km

Front



Rear



Not a lot of wear from what I expected based on others comments. I guess the YMMV would be appropriate in this case.

[LakeOber]

I am currently running Shinko 712's on my 1980 SG. They seem to be decent tires. However, I need to get them replaced to pass inspection. I am actually trying something a bit different and am getting Shinko 777's installed. Interested to see how they will handle.

[IanDMacDonald]

I am currently running Shinko 712's on my 1980 SG. They seem to be decent tires. However, I need to get them replaced to pass inspection. I am actually trying something a bit different and am getting Shinko 777's installed. Interested to see how they will handle.

It's always the great debate: save money and roll with the dice, or spend a little more and have more confidence. I went with the latter.

[MaximPhil]

Hi LakeOber,
I have been happy with 712's with a low price and relatively short life. I'll be interested in your comparison when you have used the 777's for a bit.

Phil

[madmax-im]

I like the Shinko 712 rear tire..i do not like it up front..I have had a few fronts that were less than perfectly round..but at this price point(cheap) that is to be expected..I miss the 1980s amd 90s; when i would run exclusively on Metzler's Marathon 880 tires front and back...

[speedlimit85]

Dunlop is the best. Metzeler wears to quickly. Stinko... when I'm broke enough.

[motoman]

Dunlop is the best. Metzeler wears to quickly. Stinko... when I'm broke enough.

Dunflops.....not! How bout' since I've run bout every brand of tire for over 50yrs. and some 36yrs. on my Venturer 1100, I've found for wear and adhesion on both dry and wet and cost/wear comparability, the Continental Conti-Go to be the better option. The one particular Dunlop model like Tod and a few others here ran on the rear WAS an excellent tire when it first come out back in 1982. Back then, that tire when first produced, Dunlop guaranteed in writing for that tire to last 10,000mi.A year after first produced, that mileage warrenty was dropped. Still a decent tire if your riding a Special or XJ with the 16" rear wheel. Hasn't been available in 17" for the XS11 Standards for a few decades now. I found out with a bit of research that motorcycle tire manufacturers started to use a softer compound rubber in center of tire and an even softer compound off center and tire sidewalls, due to liability from lack of ahesion. Guess it is what it is, and we're stuck with that.
That is reason so many Gold Wing and ST riders have gone to the 'dark side' on rear of those bikes using a car application tire. Results of using that on rear of bike have resulted in 30K+ miles of use out of rear tire, with no ill-handleing results. So, enjoy picking your tire option, and most importantly, ATGATT, not just occasionally!.

[Bonz]

Dunlop is the best. Metzeler wears to quickly. Stinko... when I'm broke enough.

I don't usually come out with this kind of fire however this above post is ridiculous.

Have you ridden a mile on a Shinko Tire? The post drips with armchair analysis. We don't tend to talk down on stuff like that around here. "Stinko" is not the mature way that most of us would ease into a discussion on our 16th post.

I run Shinko 712's or 230's on all of my older metric bikes and have run two sets of Verge and Raven's on my ZRX 1200. For sure the current Pirelli Angel GT's on my ZRX 1200 are a better riding and handling tire however a rear lasts 6,000 miles, a Shinko Raven or Verge lasts 10,000. From a function standpoint Shinko leaves nothing on the table.

Is the Dunlop 404 the tire being referred to? Tread life is low for the relative price paid, however the tire never let me down. And neither has any Shinko Tire.

[DiverRay]

OK, back to the ORIGINAL tires on my first 1978 XS1100. Factory tire was BALD at 4,500 miles. Goodyear Eagle got me almost 9K, and it stuck wet or dry.This was '78 through'80.
Shinko is the only thing available that does a good job of both wear and grip for the 17" rear on the standard. This is from 50 years and 400K miles of road bikes, NOT some article written by a snot nosed punk.
For my "big" bike, I'll be back on Michelin Pilot3 tires when the current tires wear out. I was able to get 12K miles from a set on the R1200RT.

[IanDMacDonald]

I don't usually come out with this kind of fire however this above post is ridiculous.

Have you ridden a mile on a Shinko Tire? The post drips with armchair analysis. We don't tend to talk down on stuff like that around here. "Stinko" is not the mature way that most of us would ease into a discussion on our 16th post.

I run Shinko 712's or 230's on all of my older metric bikes and have run two sets of Verge and Raven's on my ZRX 1200. For sure the current Pirelli Angel GT's on my ZRX 1200 are a better riding and handling tire however a rear lasts 6,000 miles, a Shinko Raven or Verge lasts 10,000. From a function standpoint Shinko leaves nothing on the table.

Is the Dunlop 404 the tire being referred to? Tread life is low for the relative price paid, however the tire never let me down. And neither has any Shinko Tire.

Got the Raven 009's on my Daytona. Love 'em!

[CJPetersen2000]

I have a Shinko 777 on rear of my '84 FJ1100 (150/80-16) two year now and 4000+miles this is an excellent tire for sport riding. grips and wears well. up front I'm running a 712 because they don't offer a 120/80-16 in a 777. on my xs1100 I'm running Shinko 230s front and rear I havn't put many miles on these yet but they seem like they'll be really good on the xs. My son has 230s on his '77 RD 400 and loves them! No reason for Shinko to get a bad rap...they make great tires that are affordable, and durable! Yes I'd put a 777 on an XS1100

[speedlimit85]

I don't usually come out with this kind of fire however this above post is ridiculous.

Have you ridden a mile on a Shinko Tire? The post drips with armchair analysis. We don't tend to talk down on stuff like that around here. "Stinko" is not the mature way that most of us would ease into a discussion on our 16th post.

I run Shinko 712's or 230's on all of my older metric bikes and have run two sets of Verge and Raven's on my ZRX 1200. For sure the current Pirelli Angel GT's on my ZRX 1200 are a better riding and handling tire however a rear lasts 6,000 miles, a Shinko Raven or Verge lasts 10,000. From a function standpoint Shinko leaves nothing on the table.

Is the Dunlop 404 the tire being referred to? Tread life is low for the relative price paid, however the tire never let me down. And neither has any Shinko Tire.

You're right, that was immature. It's Shinko.

[Bonz]

What experiences from using Shinko tires makes them a no-go for you?

[IanDMacDonald]

What experiences from using Shinko tires makes them a no-go for you?

For me personally, it was a gamble I was not willing to take, but the Shinko Ravens are amazing on the Triumph.

[speedlimit85]

Shinko tires feel like they don't grip the road as well in rain. They are made of a hard rubber that can last longer.

The last Shinko tires I got gave me a slight shake in the front...could have had another cause, but I doubt it.