Shinko Tires-no not another tire post!

[bugawug61]

Ok I know this has been beat to death but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Just put a pair of Shinko Touring On my new to me 03 Voyager. Cost a whopping 149.00 for the pair and about another 40 for the 4oz of balance beads. I won't count the cost of a new compressor and the harbor freight tire changer because I needed them anyhow. But I failed to see anything negative in these tires. Mounted easy, balance is perfect with the beads up to 70 mph which is all I tried today. No shimmy or shake, grip seems good. I'm running 40psi in both tires, front shock is at 15psi, rear is at 35psi. Could probably drop the front some it's a little harsh. Drug the left peg today with the wife on board but seems easy since this bike is so low to start with but I'm liking it! It's does seem to fall into turns but I think I will get used to it. Seems to go wherever I point it and doesn't wander in the lane. I don't know why others are having such issues. Oh and I do have a fork brace.

[Lucasind]

....I hear what yur sayin ! I bought a 1300 six cylinder Voyager ...and it had NEW Chinese tires on it,when I got it... I have put this bike thru the paces as well ....and have not experienced any negatives to report !........NOW , would I put them on my XII ? since my XII is my "go to" bike...and all of my other bikes are just "once in awhile" riders ? I don't know ... ..............so far ...so good !............Tony

[ghostler]

Ok I know this has been beat to death but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Just put a pair of Shinko Touring On my new to me 03 Voyager. Cost a whopping 149.00 for the pair and about another 40 for the 4oz of balance beads. I won't count the cost of a new compressor and the harbor freight tire changer because I needed them anyhow. But I failed to see anything negative in these tires. Mounted easy, balance is perfect with the beads up to 70 mph which is all I tried today. No shimmy or shake, grip seems good. I'm running 40psi in both tires, front shock is at 15psi, rear is at 35psi. Could probably drop the front some it's a little harsh. Drug the left peg today with the wife on board but seems easy since this bike is so low to start with but I'm liking it! It's does seem to fall into turns but I think I will get used to it. Seems to go wherever I point it and doesn't wander in the lane. I don't know why others are having such issues. Oh and I do have a fork brace.

Going to Progressive springs on the front made a world of difference, corrected dive on braking and rides a lot smooher, air pressure no longer required.

Regarding the Shinko, most of the comments I have heard about them is that they have good stick with their softer rubber compound but don't get as good of lifetime mileage on them as with other tires.

I might give the 230 Tour Master a try when the Pirelli MT66 Route front is shot as they are priced very reasonable. I recently picked up a Duro HF296C 150/90-15 tire for the rear. Heard good reports on other forums, has deep tread for water shedding, will see how it performs.

[bugawug61]

If I'm not mistaken, the Shinko are stamped made in Korea, on the sidewall. What I have read they are the stamping from what used to be Yokohama bought and rebranded by Shinko. Not Michelin by any means but can't beat them for price.

[Furchin]

I once installed the Shinko tour master's on my voyager. While they did what you say in regard to grip and traction They did not last on the rear. Probably got around 4,200 miles and they were worn out. Just too much weight from this bike for the soft compound.

[bugawug61]

Furchin, good info I will keep an eye on wear. Lol you own a lot of eliminators! Cool bikes, bet you can't keep rear tires on those!

[voyager55]

Why people want cheap tires is beyond me.
Tires are the most important thing you can buy.

[ghostler]

Why people want cheap tires is beyond me. Tires are the most important thing you can buy.

Some of us have to watch the pennies or not ride. Can't speak for others, but for me, I do all my own work. Labor is free.

If I go through a tire and a half whereas another goes through one tire at say 50% over the cost of my 2 tires, then it is worth it to me.

A friend bought brand name Bridgestones, can't remember which model but spent $150 on line for it, for his V-Star 1300. I think it was the OEM tire or next one up. 8k miles later he needs a new back tire. Now he plans to spend another $25 and get the one highly recommended by a majority of forum users. That makes sense.

Again, for me it is a sense of economics, until my budget situation improves.

[stubabe]

I just put my second set of Shinko 777's on my '03 Voyager and have no complaints. The first set lasted me almost 15k miles. The rear tire was gone but the front tire still had tread life remaining. I changed it as well because it had some serious cupping. I think part of the reason the tires lasted as well as they did is because I use it as a commuter bike and keep it on the super slab 95% of the time.

[bugawug61]

Well in response to the comment on cheap tires.....inexpensive yes, cheap? No but cheaper does not mean unsafe. I've ridden everything from R1s to 1800 Goldwings with car tire on the rear. And my past experience and my riding buddies call Dunlop tires dun slops for the poor and sometimes down right unsafe handling characteristics. So until someone proves me wrong (other than an Internet forum) I will keep the super sticky Yokohama/Shinko tires.

[Thud300]

Don't have my Voyager yet, but when I do I will not hesitate to put a pair of 777's on it. I have Shinkos on my 98 Concours, 6500 miles so far without any issues and no signs of irregular wear. Just inspected them today. Paid 160 for the pair from Chaparral Motorsports.

[broksonic]

Ok I know this has been beat to death but I wanted to add my 2 cents. Just put a pair of Shinko Touring On my new to me 03 Voyager. Cost a whopping 149.00 for the pair and about another 40 for the 4oz of balance beads.

What beads are you using? Going to have to get a new tire (hopefully this off season) and was wanting to go the bead route for balance, but haven't seen a lot of posts on AVA about any of them to see if one was better than the other (steel, ceramic, plastic).

[bugawug61]

Counteract glass beads 2oz per tire from motorcycle superstore. At least I think they are glass. Comes with the bottle applicator, valve cores, cool red valve caps and a nice sticker for your toolbox! I made sure the tire balance marks were at the valve stems. No vibration at all even with hands off the bars. Had an FJR in the past that was terribly sensitive to tires and balance, wish I had tried these on it.

[Mr Jensee]

I have now nearly 20,000 miles on one set of Dunlop E3 tires. Total price of both tires when I got them was under $300. You can buy a cheaper set of tires but you wont get the wear of the E3 tires. No the E3's are not sloppy tires. There are cheaper Dunlops like the 404 series which are crap. But take it from someone who was dedicated to Bridgestone for years when I had lighter bikes, the E3 tires were designed to handle the weight of the Voyager 1200. I cannot vouch for the weight rating of the Shinkos. I know when I am riding that the Dunlops I have on it will get me home.

[Thud300]

Good point about the weight rating, so in my Voyager pre-acquisition research blood lust, here are some figures.

Shinko 777 HD, in stock sizes.
Front: 805 lbs
Rear: 992 lbs

By comparison, and not to suggest one is superior to the other, but on a bike like the V-XII you better know what you are riding on, especially if you are going to ride 2-up...

Dunlop Elite 3 Bias, stock sizes (I think, they are not listed by width)
Front: 770 lbs
Rear: 930 lbs

Tire threads, they just keep rolling

[chevyman1]

Originally when I got my Voyager I put a Continental on the back $90.00 got 10,000 miles out of it, went to an E3 for $125.00 got 20,000 out of it.
so witch one is the better deal.
Less expensive is not always less expensive.

[bugawug61]

All good information!

[bugawug61]

The Shinko 230s that I purchased, and if I'm correct have an 83 LR rear and 66 LR front which is over 1000lbs rear but only 670 front. I'm running 40 in each tire.

[ghostler]

Originally when I got my Voyager I put a Continental on the back $90.00 got 10,000 miles out of it, went to an E3 for $125.00 got 20,000 out of it. so which one is the better deal. Less expensive is not always less expensive.

Not sure, chevyman which Continental you went with. I wanted a tire that had good rain performance plus high mileage. Given current pricing of Elite 3, I just ordered the 130/90-16 Continental Milestone for $107 shipping included from Amazon.

http://blobs.continental-tires.com/www8 ... 5-data.pdf



I'll keep everyone posted on how well this tire wears, as well the Duro rear.

[chevyman1]

Originally when I got my Voyager I put a Continental on the back $90.00 got 10,000 miles out of it, went to an E3 for $125.00 got 20,000 out of it. so which one is the better deal. Less expensive is not always less expensive.

Not sure, chevyman which Continental you went with. I wanted a tire that had good rain performance plus high mileage. Given current pricing of Elite 3, I just ordered the 130/90-16 Continental Milestone for $107 shipping included from Amazon.

http://blobs.continental-tires.com/www8 ... 5-data.pdf



I'll keep everyone posted on how well this tire wears, as well the Duro rear.

Let me know how it works for you, I had one on the front for a wile and it gave me the wobble for about 2-3 miles then it was okay.
I figured it just had to get some heat in it but it just didn't handle like the E3.
I put that same tire on a different voyager and it seemed fine.
The E3's may not look it but they work vary well in the rain.