Why not another TIRE Thread! :)

[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.

[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.

[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!.

[speedlimit85]

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

[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...

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[BA80]

My experience has been with any Shinko that 3K is about as long as they go for me on the rear. Fronts maybe 2 or 3 times that.

[Bonz]

I am running a set of 230 Tour Masters on my 1980 SG. Fantastic tires for the first thousand miles or so. No perceptible wear.

Plain and simple I went with the 230 because it has a higher load rating than the 712. My bike with me on it in full gear and bags is going to be pushing 950-1000 pounds.

Exceptions that have been noted by others notwithstanding, the 230 should have a longer tread life. I have done general internet reading and that seems to be the case.

[IanDMacDonald]

Might be a '73 then. I'd have to look at the title. I have quite a few of them CB's.

[dbbrian]

CB350F help

Ian - for the 350F, hopefully you know about sohc4.com. Awesome site like this one, but on steroids due to the number of bikes produced - very active site.

BTW, the 74 stock colour was called Glory Blue Black, with gold pinstripes. A one time only use of that colour for any year and model of all the Hondas.

But the red will be awesome!

Below is a good parts source I fouind among many you will find on that site, however, stay away from aftermarket brass parts for the carbs. Jetsrus.com have the keihin jets for cheap. I got into my barbs last winter

http://4into1.com/honda-cb350f1-350-four-1974/?sort=bestselling

I hope to see some pictures of the progress on this site (other bikes) or on the other.

Brian

[IanDMacDonald]

Good deal! Btw, I'll probs be restoring a '74 CB350F this winter. Candy Apple Red.

[dbbrian]

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.