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My Shinko Experiment


SpiralGray

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I've been bad about updating this thread, but truth be told there wasn't much to update. I did a few days rides after our trip last year and the bike has been parked during the rainy months.

The tires now have 2479 miles on them and I snapped a few new pictures to show the wear (or lack thereof) on them. The pictures didn't turn out as well as the first batch I took, but it's probably good enough to get the idea. If you want to see the larger version for more detail they're in my picasa album. You can compare these to the pictures in post #34 when the tires were new.

Front tire, center groove.

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Front tire, side (not edge) tread

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Rear tire, center-most tread.

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Rear tire, halfway to edge.

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Rear tire, tread closest to the edge.

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Front Tire

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Rear Tire

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Hi. I was just wondering why you aren't balancing your rear as well if you have a balancer?? Sounds like you need an adapter! fing02.gif There is a harbor freight version for about $10 works great for a static balancer with a 1/2 rod!

http://www.harborfre...temnumber=65079

wheel.gif

That link says discontinued, but I like that tire balancer they have, half price of mark paynes.

yeh I dont have an adapter for vfr rear wheel or a way to balance

I'm just using 2 jack stands a set of very free roller bearings and the bikes own axle.

pretty crude but functional

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I'm on the "need to buy tire thing..." Its a bummer you haven't put 5,000 miles on them yet

I'm looking for a longevity tire but still has some grip... with a cheap price tag

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My rear 009 raven shinko went 10.5k before it wore out the center since I do a lot of highway riding. I just replaced the front with 15k on it and it still had 30% left but had cupped. The wife gave me the go ahead for new tires so I am trying the PR2's front and rear. I put a 006 podium on the rear after the 009 wore out. It still had about 30% left after 5k. Depending on the life and feel of the PR2's I might go back to the shinko 009 for the rear and maybe something a little softer in the front. I felt more confident on the ravens then the PR2's but I only have about 500 miles on them so far and yet to hit any twisties. I do know the ravens did not mind the cold at all, the PR2 needs a lot more time warming up, the front likes to slide a little as I slow down and enter the turn about quarter mile from my house.

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Keep the reports coming. Always interested in another VFR option.

After an exhaustive reveiw of possible KLR tires I am going with Shinkos for my 2010 Alaska ride. The 705s seem to be good balance between price and performance/wear.

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Keep the reports coming. Always interested in another VFR option.

After an exhaustive reveiw of possible KLR tires I am going with Shinkos for my 2010 Alaska ride. The 705s seem to be good balance between price and performance/wear.

I think I ordered the 770's for the wife's KZ550 but yet to get the bike running to go get them mounted.

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My rear 009 raven shinko went 10.5k before it wore out the center since I do a lot of highway riding. I just replaced the front with 15k on it and it still had 30% left but had cupped. The wife gave me the go ahead for new tires so I am trying the PR2's front and rear. I put a 006 podium on the rear after the 009 wore out. It still had about 30% left after 5k. Depending on the life and feel of the PR2's I might go back to the shinko 009 for the rear and maybe something a little softer in the front. I felt more confident on the ravens then the PR2's but I only have about 500 miles on them so far and yet to hit any twisties. I do know the ravens did not mind the cold at all, the PR2 needs a lot more time warming up, the front likes to slide a little as I slow down and enter the turn about quarter mile from my house.

The most I have ever gotten out of VFR rear tire is about 6.5K with Roadsmarts. How does your Raven mileage compare to other tires you have had?

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  • 3 months later...

I've had a set of 009 Ravens on my 2000 VFR for about a year. For the most part I was pretty happy with them. Did some spirited riding through Southern Ohio and West Virginia and the tires gripped well. They seemed to b wearing well until a recent trip to Glacier. For about 600 miles I experienced constant heavy wind gusts that caused me to lean to the left while riding. It caused my front tire to cup badly on the left side which caused a lot of head shake between 35-45mph. I have to be honest and say that I don't know if this is common with all tires, just that I've experienced it with my Shinkos. We don't usually encounter such constant and strong wind gusts in Ohio.

I've got about 7k on the set right now but need to replace both. They've both got plenty of tread left (probably another 2k on the rear and 5k on the front) but the front is cupped and the back is squared off because of the large number of miles on straight roads.

For my next set I'm trying Pilot Powers. Found a great deal on them and have heard good things.

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  • 1 month later...

It's been a while, but in case anyone is still following this thread, here's an update.

My buddy and I just got back from a 3930 mile trip through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada (photos from the trip can be seen on this Picasa album.

The Shinkos now have performed admirably for 7607 miles on them. We encountered great pavement, so-so pavement, rain, gravel, tar snakes, and construction. Based on the amount of tread left, I think I've got at least a couple thousand miles left on the tires (the rear might be questionable). High-res pictures of the tires are on this other Picasa album.

When these need to be replaced I'm absolutely going to look for another set. For the price and mileage they can't be beat.

Front tire, center groove.

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Front tire, side (not edge) tread

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Front tire, edge tread

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Front

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Rear tire, center-most tread.

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Rear tire, halfway to edge.

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Rear tire, tread closest to the edge.

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Rear

DSC_1989.JPG

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Try different tires and find many sets that you like...I have many options and am not brand specific...yes, I really like the michelin PP 2ct thats on the rear now but I paid $215 installed as was on the road and cords showing. I buy tires on ebay, my goal is $200 per set f and r and I have a stack in the garage. Strange stuff like a BT-056 and bt-057...guess what, these are great tires, oem on a busa, I will buy another set and conti road attacks, great tires at a great price..,..I have sets of bt-20s that people hate, well are fine by me at $150 per set is better than that $215 rear PP I bought. I would try shinkos, unless you live in TN/5 miles from the gap or in a riding mecca then these supersoft tires hit your wallet hard...buy an extra wheel, put a PP on it and swap out when are in the twisties. The VFRS sss is ideal for that quick change. Just burning up money $$ running soft compound tires in a straight line IMO.

Thats where I live. I have run 009's on the DRAGON, after they heat up there OK. I like the idea of a combo maybe 009 rear and a Angel ST front

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I know you have stated multiple times that crashing hurts and so you are a slightly conservative rider. Your original set of tires tells a different story. I have yet to scrub my rear out to the edges and I consider myself to be a rather spirited rider. I can't tell if the Shinko's have been scrubbed out to the edges as your original Metzlers were and I'm just wondering why that is. I also ran a 009 rear on my bike and never got them scrubbed all the way out (probably still had about 1/2" to go on either side). I was also running mis-matched as the PO had replaced the rear for me when I bought the bike cause the old one was wore out. In the Shinko's defense I only had the rear slip on me in low speed hard over turns (coming off red light, stop sign, end of a U turn). Just curious as to if they didn't inspire good feel for you with a matched set or if you felt like you were starting to get slippage and didn't lean any farther. Also, what cold PSI are you running front and rear, I weigh considerably less than most (130lbs) and am running stock reccomended PSI (36 front 42 rear)

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Shinko tires are great. I recently went through a set of 009s on my 4th gen ($155 a set delivered from Chaparral) and took them off at 12,300 miles. The rear was just getting into the wear indicators and the front had at least a few thousand miles to go. I found these tires to perform as good or better than other tires I have gone through on this bike, including name brand tires costing more than twice the price. I am quite particular about my tires and have removed and replaced tires that I just did not like or feel comfortable with. The Shinko 009s give great feedback, turn in nicely, wear evenly and perform well in the rain. I am now 3000 miles into a set of 006s and am happy with them also, though they will not last as long as the 009s did if current wear rate is any indicatrion. When these are done I will go back to the 009s. They are good tires, regardless of the price.

These are not "untried" tires as others have said. I have tried them and they are a great tire.

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Shinko tires are great. I recently went through a set of 009s on my 4th gen ($155 a set delivered from Chaparral) and took them off at 12,300 miles. The rear was just getting into the wear indicators and the front had at least a few thousand miles to go. I found these tires to perform as good or better than other tires I have gone through on this bike, including name brand tires costing more than twice the price. I am quite particular about my tires and have removed and replaced tires that I just did not like or feel comfortable with. The Shinko 009s give great feedback, turn in nicely, wear evenly and perform well in the rain. I am now 3000 miles into a set of 006s and am happy with them also, though they will not last as long as the 009s did if current wear rate is any indicatrion. When these are done I will go back to the 009s. They are good tires, regardless of the price.

These are not "untried" tires as others have said. I have tried them and they are a great tire.

How is the 006 front wear? I found the 009 front lasted almost 2 times longer then the rear, but I would rather change both at the same time. I was thinking of going back to a 009 rear and try the 006 front. Once these crappy PR2's wear out. Or maybe I might try the new shinko's 011 Verge.

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... Once these crappy PR2's wear out.

Just never know exactly what you're going to see on here. PR2 seems to be a bit of a standard with some folks here.. can you elaborate?

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I too have 009's on my 93 VFR. I have had great results with them.

Those red dots are supposed to line up with the HEAVY spot on the rim, which is not necessarily the valve stem. I take the wheel w/o a tire on it and balance it on a static balancer. I mark that spot and I always put the red dot at THAT spot, not the valve stem. I mount and balance my own tires, so my QC is better than most.

My rear just took ONE 1/4 ounce weight and my front took THREE 1/4 ounce weights for balance.

009's rock and are definitely worth the price. I don't get the mileage that some get...about 5k out of a rear and double that out of a front, but I like hard launches and abuse the throttle out of turns. And, I'm a bit on the heavy side, plus I haul stuff on trips, so my mileage is not as good as others.

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The 009 front did outlast the rear by a long ways. From the way my current 006s are wearing I would say these will do the same. I typically change my tires as a set, but not always. At 12,000 I figure I have gotten more than my monies worth out of the pair. I have not tried the 011s, though I am sure the performance and mileage will be on par with the 006s.

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... Once these crappy PR2's wear out.

Just never know exactly what you're going to see on here. PR2 seems to be a bit of a standard with some folks here.. can you elaborate?

They are very unpredictable. I can only push them 40% of what I could the 009's because I need so much safe cushion. The front likes to slide a little as you slow for corners and as you enter a corner. Going through a corner they will not hold a constant turn, like I am moving the bars back and forth but I am not. On the highway you can feel the bottom of the bike acting like it is getting pushed around by the wind even when there is none. The rear is just as bad downshifting they like to lock up and skid no matter how easy I am letting the clutch out. and god forbid if I use the rear brake. There is nothing wrong with the rims or wheel bearings (which are only a year old), I changed the Steering Head Bearings to see if it changed the feel and still the same. I have tried all different pressures from 30 to 37 in the front and 32 to 44 in the rear. My bike is a 4th Gen 95' I weigh 230lbs and use it to ride every day for work and every weekend for fun, I quit riding weekends because of these tires. When I got the bike it had a Metz on the front and a dunlop on the rear with no life left and they were better tires then these PR2's. I had a set of 009 shinko's and when the rear wore out I put a 006 on the back. I then swapped to the PR2 about 4k ago. Maybe I have a bad set maybe they all are like this I will never know as I will never buy a PR2 again. I have had 3 shinko's and had no issues and they performed awesome. Right now I have to pretend I am always riding with sand on the road because I never know what the tires are going to do, which sucks.

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I know you have stated multiple times that crashing hurts and so you are a slightly conservative rider. Your original set of tires tells a different story. I have yet to scrub my rear out to the edges and I consider myself to be a rather spirited rider. I can't tell if the Shinko's have been scrubbed out to the edges as your original Metzlers were and I'm just wondering why that is. I also ran a 009 rear on my bike and never got them scrubbed all the way out (probably still had about 1/2" to go on either side). Also, what cold PSI are you running front and rear, I weigh considerably less than most (130lbs) and am running stock reccomended PSI (36 front 42 rear)

I just took another look at the pictures of the original tires. The rear shows a pretty distinct line about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge of the tire. I just went out to the garage and the 009s show signs of having been leaned over to the edge a few times. I was hitting the 20-25 mph corners on Beartooth and Rattlesnake Grade pretty hard this trip so it wouldn't surprise me to have gotten them over to the edge a few of times.

I've been running 36/42 for pressure as well.

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I put Shinkos on my old Kawy years ago and never had any problems with them although a buddy rode it one time and got the to slip, this guy can ride like hell though and will push his limits just slightly. I'm probably one of the few that run Maxxis on my current VFR and love them, although I get about 7k out of the front I've only got about 4500 ona rear. They stick well for my ability, and are a little more cost friendly. I'm looking for a brand change though as I've become a little more relaxed rider over the last couple of years, plus I live in Nebraska, land of the straight and mostly flat roads! Thanks for a solid write-up of a good value tire.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I know you have stated multiple times that crashing hurts and so you are a slightly conservative rider. Your original set of tires tells a different story. I have yet to scrub my rear out to the edges and I consider myself to be a rather spirited rider. I can't tell if the Shinko's have been scrubbed out to the edges as your original Metzlers were and I'm just wondering why that is. I also ran a 009 rear on my bike and never got them scrubbed all the way out (probably still had about 1/2" to go on either side). Also, what cold PSI are you running front and rear, I weigh considerably less than most (130lbs) and am running stock reccomended PSI (36 front 42 rear)

I just took another look at the pictures of the original tires. The rear shows a pretty distinct line about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the edge of the tire. I just went out to the garage and the 009s show signs of having been leaned over to the edge a few times. I was hitting the 20-25 mph corners on Beartooth and Rattlesnake Grade pretty hard this trip so it wouldn't surprise me to have gotten them over to the edge a few of times.

I've been running 36/42 for pressure as well.

If you compare a Shinko 009 or an 003 profile with a contemporary tire, say an Avon Storm or Dunlop or any other popular tire, you will find that the Shinko's have a much flatter curve, plus the edges of the tire do not go all the way down to the sidewall in a 90 degree angle like others do. It's very easy to get to the edge of a Shinko tire, but not because of how teriffic the tire is...it's all profile.

Compare the rear look of a Shinko-shod bike with any other tire...you'll see a big difference.

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If you compare a Shinko 009 or an 003 profile with a contemporary tire, say an Avon Storm or Dunlop or any other popular tire, you will find that the Shinko's have a much flatter curve

Absolutely. The Shinkos (at least the 009) have a very curved profile as opposed to the triangular profile of many other tires. I like that about them, the lean is very progressive rather than a sudden "flop" like I feel with other tires. It does take a little getting used to of course (maybe 100 - 200 miles).

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  • 2 weeks later...

I too have 009's on my 93 VFR. I have had great results with them.

Those red dots are supposed to line up with the HEAVY spot on the rim, which is not necessarily the valve stem. I take the wheel w/o a tire on it and balance it on a static balancer. I mark that spot and I always put the red dot at THAT spot, not the valve stem. I mount and balance my own tires, so my QC is better than most.

My rear just took ONE 1/4 ounce weight and my front took THREE 1/4 ounce weights for balance.

009's rock and are definitely worth the price. I don't get the mileage that some get...about 5k out of a rear and double that out of a front, but I like hard launches and abuse the throttle out of turns. And, I'm a bit on the heavy side, plus I haul stuff on trips, so my mileage is not as good as others.

That post was from August 16th. I have just put another new rear and a new front on the bike tonight for a trip. Two 1/4 ounce weights in front to perfectly balance, only ONE 1/4 ounce weight in the rear to perfectly balance.

Again, I do my own and I take the time to...well, you can read the post above.

These Shinko's are the best-kept secret in motorcycling.

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And with that many weights on the rear, it's obvious he didn't line the heavy spot on the tire up with the heavy spot on the rim correctly

I double-checked and it looks like the spot on the tire is not lined up with the valve stem. I suppose I should take the wheel back and have them do it again, but I've not noticed any vibration or other problems, so they seem to be properly balanced.

If the installer is good than that is a sign of a poorly built/quality controlled tire IMO. :huh:

Where as Michelin tires need little to no weight when installed. :cool:

For $160 (vs $320) I'll take a few weights on the rim.

the reason, they mount the dot with the stem, is because , its assumed thats the heaviest part of the rim(dot equals light spot of tire), its totally in accurate, If i have the dot if there is one, i mount180 gree from the stem. Cause my vfr rim is light on the stem side.

But if you always end up with weight in the same area, thats where the rim is light

but the automated balancers suk imo, they get the weight in the correct are, but its normally double whats needed

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  • 2 weeks later...

the reason, they mount the dot with the stem, is because , its assumed thats the heaviest part of the rim(dot equals light spot of tire), its totally in accurate, If i have the dot if there is one, i mount180 gree from the stem. Cause my vfr rim is light on the stem side.

But if you always end up with weight in the same area, thats where the rim is light

but the automated balancers suk imo, they get the weight in the correct are, but its normally double whats needed

That's why I have always balanced the WHEEL assembly without a tire on it first, to find the actual heavy spot. Mark that spot, then mount the tire with the dot at the actual heavy spot.

These Shinkos only take 1-2, maybe 3 tops 1/4 ounce weights and I have mounted 4 rears and 2 fronts this year alone.

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