daword2011 Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 Ok, to start, i am a major penny pincher and by no means a impulse buyer. Google is my dearest friend and i use her well. After hours of looking I found some good options on my first set of tires for my newly acquired vfr800, which i have named Jeannel (its french but i pronounce it 'merican style). Coming off of the rims were Dunlop Sport-something Q2's, heard they were a great tire and i were impressed with them over the pirelli's i have run on my older bike. For new tires i had come down to 3 options Pirelli Angels, Continental Conti-motions, and Shinko 009 Ravens.... Truthyfully the shinko's were the last to pick and i was fighting between the pirellis and conti-motions. Both with stunning reviews and decent prices, while doing my research i took a break and hopped on my facebook and low and behold a new set of ravens in the size i needed were being sold by a local for $110, for the set... So needless to say they are now mounted on my Viffer . When i got the tires i wasn't expecting much to be honest, i figured i would use them for a while and keep them for a touring tire for my next long trip. Well at the end of a long day of riding twisties and highways I am more then surprised. Kudos Shinko for a darn decent tire! Mounting : My number one thing that caught my eye was the beads are TIGHT! i had these babies in the hot Texas sun to soften and their beads hug that tire, nice big pop when i seated them. Love a good tight bead, until you got to take it off. Highway : Great tire for this, have put 800 miles on them and they look really new and they have a TON of tread before the wear bars, i thought this might make the tire squirmy but it isn't. Smooth ride also, over small bumps it seems to soak them up, but large bumps such as pot holes are felt like any other tire. Commuting : Good as any other tire, again bumps are takes well at speeds while slower large bumps are normal. Grippy tire but will slip if really beat on when cold. So make sure they are warm before any stunt guy tries to wheelie! (strictly for testing purposes) Twisties : This is where it gets interesting. Tire does surprisingly well on the twisties! When taking it out i told myself not to push the limit and end up in the ditch with these new tires but after a few good turns i started picking it up, almost all the way to my pace on the Dunlops before. They do take a little bit to warm up though, judging by feel and temp to the touch. These tires almost have no chicken strips left and handled VERY well. One down side that kept me from pushing too hard, the tires don't hold a line super well. You can see in the photos that my line was changing on the edge of the tires, not a huge deal but scary the first time. After getting a feel for the tires and into some turns that i knew better my lines improved a lot and any moving in the turns was almost completely eliminated. I am by no means a racer but i do enjoy some fast paces Texas twisties. I want to get some more miles and see how these tires change. Also these tires haven't lost a single psi since mounting, my pirelli's would always loose a few psi after first mount and i never knew why. Overall : I would buy again! Great tire that i would recommend to the name brand hippies! I mean i was throughly impressed and for the price, even if i get 3000 miles from them they are worth every penny. Photos to come of the tires and how they are wearing at 800 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Some photos as promised, in the strips that you see there are some faint marks of where i was getting into the chicken strips but only once or twice. Hoping to take her out again when it warms up and getting some better tread use In on of the photos i was trying to get the idea of how much tread there is. the wear bars are way down in there and i feel these tires will last a long time. Photos go 1. Front tire 2. Rear tire 3. Rear tire again 4. Wear bar view. In the second photos i tried to get a photo of where i had to change the line and the edge of the area used changes shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer 2thdr Posted December 10, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 10, 2012 Strange looking tread... Thanks for the write up...keep us posted on wear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Strange looking tread... Thanks for the write up...keep us posted on wear. Yeah tread doesn't look as modern or sweeping as some of the others. Will also post on rain when that day comes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dutchinterceptor Posted December 10, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 10, 2012 Keep an eye on that 009 Raven front tire especially in our brutal Texas summers. I've seen a few come apart this past year. You should notice blisters/bumps long before they become a danger. Some local riders here have been using them for years but most just commute or tour. The flatter profile is not conducive to curves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Keep an eye on that 009 Raven front tire especially in our brutal Texas summers. I've seen a few come apart this past year. You should notice blisters/bumps long before they become a danger. Some local riders here have been using them for years but most just commute or tour. The flatter profile is not conducive to curves. thanks for the heads up, i will be careful. so far the tires have been wonderful. but i will make sure to keep an eye on them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted December 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 11, 2012 I can appreciate being cheap, jeez I drive a 20 year old Honda Accord. But on brakes and tires, I have always considered the safety aspect of it, and that means, high quality. (Not gonna lie, I like the performance that goes with it.) You never know what moment in time that you will need all the power of the brakes and tires that can be engineered physically possible. The cheap side of me has been curious about Shinkos, but I had been thinking that no way could they compare to the top brand tires. If you look at the December 2012 Sport Rider magazine, they tested a good group of top brand tires and also the Shinko is in the mix. The results do show how far apart a Shinko is from a mainstream tire is.(They tested the Shinko 010 Apex) In my mind, its quite a gap. The 010 is supposted to be the stickyest shinko sport tire, and its an asumption but the 09 Ravens are harder compound and would have less stick. For me, IMHO, its about risk. That gap may become the difference between a close call or a hospital trip. Dramatic? Maybe. Yeah, maybe life will be uneventful. Maybe you will be ok. But again, maybe not and I want everything I can get in my favor. As a btw- please, this is not a dig on anybody, just something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 i completely feel what you are saying, it is the original reason that i wasn't considering purchasing them and also why i didn't push the bike very hard on its first outing. But by the end of the ride i do trust these tires in their current state. I won't forget about them, i will have my eye out for cupping or deterioration, but so far they have been a wonderful tire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I will throw in my .02 worth, even though I hate tire threads. But I used these tires in a little more extreme conditions. Any of you who have ridden with me know I don't exactly baby a bike when I ride it. The Shinko 009 Raven is a decent tire. Most riders on this forum would never outride the functioinality of this tire. I have run several of them on my C-14 in the 190/50-17 size. Unlike the pictures above, mine did not have two inches of chicken strips. I pushed these tires to the maximum lean angle of the bike. The tires gave me less than 3K miles. They stuck very well in wet and dry conditions. I rarely ride on straight flat roads. All of my riding is in the mountains. The only complaint which I had were the wide grooves in the tread pattern. The grooves made the bike vibrate at slower speeds after about 1500 miles when the cupping became noticable. Tire threads are difficult on a robust global forum as this. The tire and conditions of one rider may be the complete opposite of another rider. Sure Shinko might not rate as high as the lastest greatest compound of the multi-billion dollar manufacturers, but they are decent tires for someone who needs to get from point A to point B affordably. And Shinko has tires which will make different colors of smoke when you do a burn out... Michelin doesn't do that. OK... Now let's discuss the high quality of Tomahawk Tires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted December 11, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 11, 2012 $110 is a good price for a full set of new tires. The Conti Motions are another $40-$50 on that. I'm more interested in hearing how they hold up than how they do on a track. My 98 came with Shinkos on them. I didn't get close to pushing them to their limit while they were on the bike, but the few places around here were there was a decent turn, they just felt terrible. For easy riding and sweepers and that they are probably a good buy. But, those Conti motions are pretty cheap too, and have a rounder profile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I will throw in my .02 worth, even though I hate tire threads. But I used these tires in a little more extreme conditions. Any of you who have ridden with me know I don't exactly baby a bike when I ride it. The Shinko 009 Raven is a decent tire. Most riders on this forum would never outride the functioinality of this tire. I have run several of them on my C-14 in the 190/50-17 size. Unlike the pictures above, mine did not have two inches of chicken strips. I pushed these tires to the maximum lean angle of the bike. The tires gave me less than 3K miles. They stuck very well in wet and dry conditions. I rarely ride on straight flat roads. All of my riding is in the mountains. The only complaint which I had were the wide grooves in the tread pattern. The grooves made the bike vibrate at slower speeds after about 1500 miles when the cupping became noticable. Tire threads are difficult on a robust global forum as this. The tire and conditions of one rider may be the complete opposite of another rider. Sure Shinko might not rate as high as the lastest greatest compound of the multi-billion dollar manufacturers, but they are decent tires for someone who needs to get from point A to point B affordably. And Shinko has tires which will make different colors of smoke when you do a burn out... Michelin doesn't do that. OK... Now let's discuss the high quality of Tomahawk Tires. hey now thats only about one inch also 1/2 is about the limit of my comfort zone for chicken strips. I have never been to the track day but i think i may try to see how it goes. I appreciate the input though! Great advice to the more experienced and ballsy rider haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kebrider Posted December 12, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted December 12, 2012 How old was that Raven you had this summer Switchblade? It did a decent job but I could easily see the difference in corner speed and your pace on the TOD is about as metronomic as it gets. I was just thinking this Sunday, as I went into a downhill mountain turn at full lean/full honk, how much I trust my tires..and my suspension...and my brakes....my frame...my....Bottom line...if you like it use it.The one thing you should say in a tire thread is how many miles you normally get from a set of tires. That sets your driving style and allows readers to determine if your data is relevant to them. It is the one constant that is usually reliable.KEB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JIMLARCH Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I think you got a good deal. For any moderate rider they are probably all that they need. I don't think I would have much of a problem putting them on my '95 VFR for touring on. Think I would hesitate to put them on my GSXR1000. Would rather pay more for a sport tire. But that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dae Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Since March of 2012 I'm on my 4th set of Shinko Verge which replaced the Raven as their sports touring tire. I don't recommend Shinkos front tires on heavy sports touring bikes such VFR 1200, FJR 1300, GTR 1400, because the front shimmies depending on road surface when I let my hands off the handlebars. On 1000cc and less the tires are fine. Prior to the Shinkos, I ran through 2 sets of Michelin Road 3. On both brand of tires I average about 10,000KM (6,000 Miles), performance wise they are about equal because I only ride in the street. The main reason why I use Shinkos over Michelin is price, set of Michelin $650 vs & Shinko $300, it quickly adds up when I go through 4 sets of tires in a season. I think most of us couldn't tell which tires are better (same category) riding in twisty section of roads. Psychological factors play a big part in tire brands, back in 1985 when Air Jordan first came out, a friend of mine thought he could jump higher because of the shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiralGray Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 For those interested in how they hold up you can check out a thread I started ages ago when I put my first set of 009s on my bike. http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/53170-my-shinko-experiment/ As for the safety factor that some like to tout: 1. More expensive != better 2. I've put > 20,000 miles on two sets of 009s without a problem. When I crashed my FJR1300 in '05 it was on a set of big-name tires. Proof of anything? Not a bit. See point #1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileyrock Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 The fact is that Most riders never reach the limits of any modern tire or bike for that matter! And if they do have a slip or a crash it's probably 95% cause by road debris or rider input. One riders Rippen is another s snail pace. We have VFRD riders on this forum riding the same bike that get over 500-600% more or less miles out the same tire tire than another member. (ie Pilot Powers 2k vs 12k). Geography, pavement and temps all play a role is tire life let alone rider ability. As Keb mentioned, avg miles from a name brand set is the closest mark we can get in this viral world. It other words it's all relative. It it works for you, enjoy it. Happy New Year! BR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted March 10, 2013 Author Share Posted March 10, 2013 5000 mile update... tires are still on and still working! I know some guys not want to hear it but i like these tires a lot. There don't seem to be any issues with them and they have a surprising amount of tread left :) take a look, i think i can get 10l out of these easy, oh and btw these 5000 miles have had constant abuse. The rain lately has shown that these tires are awesome in rain, commuting in them is great, as for twisties in the rain i have never tried and never will. Warm up still takes a while, the tires aren't as confident inspring in the first few turns as they are later. But no cracking, splitting, or cupping can really be seen, looks like a tiny amount of cupping on the front but thats all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspanglish Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 Nice to know. We have a similar thread on Shinko's Verge on our forum ClubVFRSpain.es Many tried to put "the fear" into the guy who decided to try them out, but he is very pleasantly surprised with them, even in the wet. We will see how they fare for him over their full lifetime. I'm seriously thinking of getting a pair and trying them out for myself as it's all heresay until you've experienced it yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samaki Posted March 10, 2013 Share Posted March 10, 2013 I have done over 75,000 miles on Shinko 009s on my Gen IV and they are definitely my tire of choice. This is not just because of the price but because they are a long lasting tire that gives very good feedback to the rider. For comparison I currently have a set of big-name tires on my bike that I am much less comfortable on than the 009s. I already have a new set of 009s waiting to be levered on as soon as these expensive tires wear out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer gmtech94 Posted March 10, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted March 10, 2013 I had a set of super maxis that were like this actually a good tire long lasting just took a while to warm up fairly good in the wet butnever got on a track Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 Well i went to a track day yesterday with my Shinko's and the verdict is, i wouldn't ever mind buying these tires again. I said GOODBYE to my chicken strips, and by the end of the day i was accelerating so hard out of the corner that i was getting those strips and balls of hot rubber built up on my tire! I was at max lean angle and was anything but slow. My instructor from RideSmart said he has never seen a beginner on a sport tourer go that fast haha!! My body positions need work but that isn't relevant to the tires. So these tires do well, don't hesitate to buy them because you are afraid of the grip. Will post pictures of my ANNIHILATED chicken strips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted April 15, 2013 Author Share Posted April 15, 2013 here are some of the photos, these were taken just 10 mins ago so enjoy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer kebrider Posted April 15, 2013 Member Contributer Share Posted April 15, 2013 Daword...Is that the same set of tires in the 5K picture you posted? Impressive wear if they did 5K and a track day and still show tread. KEB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daword2011 Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Daword...Is that the same set of tires in the 5K picture you posted? Impressive wear if they did 5K and a track day and still show tread. KEB same tires :) they are still doing great on wear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Mine have been great so far. If you can do that to them and stay upright, then they are more tire than I will ever need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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