Shinko tire

[6jugzz]

Last summer I installed a new shinko frnt. tire and a new rear briggs battleaxe 200 with micro beads. I said I would give an update.............Love the setup,way better than dunflop freak 3's. I have put about 6000 on the set and they are wearing very good, fnt tire has almost no flat patch in the center. The rear has about 2" wide patch and about half the tread depth to wear marker. But lets go back the fnt. tire. I rode about 300 miles yesterday and went for a little 50 mile run this afternoon and guess what???? About ten miles from my house I developed a real big buldge in the center of the tire like the belts broke. It is humped up about 1/2 inch x 1" wide x 3" long.............WHY

Anybody else had this issue?  I will pull off monday and ck. out 

[Ratdog]

M'be a broken belt... or, m'be it just delaminated from the belt.  "?"  Just a thought... "cheap Chinese made" brand?  If it's gotta be replaced after 6K miles... you're money ahead to buy a proven tire. 

[fudgie]

My HD bud runs them and likes them.

[RoboCop]

Bummer, hopefully it's just a random failure and not common to the brand. 

They might be cheap but not really Chinese

[Ratdog]

Bummer, hopefully it's just a random failure and not common to the brand. 

They might be cheap but not really Chinese

LIB !!!  I stand corrected.  My original reply was half-question more than anything else.  Yokohama... didn't they used to be in bed with Bridgestone?  If my rememberer is still working... the US product used to be Bridgestone and the same product in Japan was Yokohama?  Indeed... hopefuly it's just a fluke event.  If they're on par with Bridgestones, they should be a good tire.  I'm likin' my set of Bridgestones about as much as I have the Avons... and, I've been a rabid Avon fan over the years.

[junior]

[/quote]LIB !!!  I stand corrected.  My original reply was half-question more than anything else.  Yokohama... didn't they used to be in bed with Bridgestone?  If my rememberer is still working... the US product used to be Bridgestone and the same product in Japan was Yokohama?  Indeed... hopefuly it's just a fluke event.  If they're on par with Bridgestones, they should be a good tire.  I'm likin' my set of Bridgestones about as much as I have the Avons... and, I've been a rabid Avon fan over the years.
[/quote]

what bridgestones are you running? i have the G701 and the G702 and have been quite pleased with them

[PAVALKER]

If it is a Shinko 747, there have been some issues with the front tires and they have been "reworked" and they came out with a "757".  I understand the "757" for the rear tire is coming out next month, in the larger size.  I have a spare set of Shinko tires, the rear was the 747 and I was waiting for the front... but they could not provide a 747 for me, so a 757 was provided.  Now, to make sure I have a matched set, I am waiting for the 757 to come out in 180-70-16 so I can return the 747 for the 757. But if needed I still have a set of tires in standby.   The Valk and VTX take the same size tires, so I try to have a set in standby, since I have been left short on occasion or two.

 I have been talking with some dealers about Shinko tires and got this information from them.  They even admitted there were issues with 747 fronts, hence the rework.

HDL/DLP used to carry the Shinko tires, but they are no longer listed on their website. 

[Crazyhorse]

I have the Shinko on the rear of my bike (IS) and so far it is wearing well. I order the front tire late last summer when I order the rear but had to wait until Feb to get it. The reason is the company redesigned the front tire completely, new molding and everything I'm told. The new tire looks great but it might be a while before I can see how it holds up, I have new front tires on all the Valks.

Mac

[Jack]

I have a Shinko 712 rear tire on the front of my Valk and it handles great, much better than the E-3, and I can only hope it wears as well as I think it will.  Of course, I will be watching it for safety issues as I would any other tire.

[..]

I use Shinko 705's on my KLR and they stick like glue.

I had a zoom, zoom moment yesterday whipping past 2  V Twins and 2 sports bikes on a twisty uphill section of road. Blood Mtn in N. GA.

The sports bike riders were of the type that as their bikes leaned they leaned upright. I knew I would have them n the curves.

[6jugzz]

Thanks for the info guys, everytime I post with a question, I get some good answers. I have been rethinking my last several rides. I can not think of anything I hit or ran over to cause this issue. I bought this tire from HDL and they had it listed under the Valkyrie section. I looked up the specs and compared to dunlop OEM, all ratings far exceeded my style of riding. I will call HDL and Shinko to see if they will make good the life left in the tire.  It took less than five miles of 50 mph open smooth road for this to happen, pulled over, saw the issue,limped home. I must say a very nice fellow on an "HD" stopped and said he would follow me to my house, Thanks man!! You meet the best folks on a motorcycle.................

[RoboCop]

The sports bike riders were of the type that as their bikes leaned they leaned upright. I knew I would have them n the curves.

I see quite a few crossed-up riders here also, some I would be content to follow along behind.

[Hoser]

I think I would follow here whether she was crossed up or not!     hoser

[Ratdog]

The sports bike riders were of the type that as their bikes leaned they leaned upright. I knew I would have them n the curves.

I see quite a few crossed-up riders here also, some I would be content to follow along behind.

Otay... I'll be the one to say it...  I'd roll up along side that and rein in a wedgie.   

[RoboCop]

Otay... I'll be the one to say it...  I'd roll up along side that and rein in a wedgie.   

I thought you were gonna say "and floss my teeth"

[Ratdog]

Otay... I'll be the one to say it...  I'd roll up along side that and rein in a wedgie.   

I thought you were gonna say "and floss my teeth"

Well... gott get the wedgie goin' first.    

[Jess Tolbirt]

i bought shinko tires last year,NEVER AGAIN,,, the belts let loose in both the front and rear,,,
now i have a metzler on the front and a CT on the rear...so far so good...

[PAVALKER]

i bought shinko tires last year,NEVER AGAIN,,, the belts let loose in both the front and rear,,,
now i have a metzler on the front and a CT on the rear...so far so good...

Jess.... care to elaborate as to which Shinko tire it was??  747 or ???

[alph]

I’m not against the tire; I just don't understand why anyone would take a chance on safety?  I’m not a fan of cheaper is better, especially when your life may be at state.  Seriously, consider the cost of a blow out at 70mph just because you didn’t have an extra $100 when you bought your tires.

I believe in buying quality.  And for all you guys that are buying cheap tires as a protest to expensive American made tires, that’s alright, you’re just the company’s guinea pigs.  The reason why I bought a Toyota was because fords and chevys were low quality back in the ‘80’s and why I ride a Honda is the same reason why I don’t ride a harley.

Then on the other foot, I understand that some people want to try something different.  Like a car tire, etc. and in reality, I don’t have a problem with that either.

Just be careful, and keep an eye on your tires!  A blow out is one of my biggest phobia’s on a cycle!!

[6jugzz]

update,update,update.... this was the Shinko F747 (150-80-R17) I called HDL, they gave me full refund and I bought a briggs fnt. tire same size. HDL your are my kind of company!
 
1/2" hump x 1" wide x 2.5" long

you can see where it is coming apart here, this is just in front of the hump

[Mikey]

I used to have Shinko tires on my bike... oh, I should clarify here... my BICYCLE... and the tire got a bulge in it after a few runs on the dirt track. I'd never waste my money on one. But that's just my opinion.

[6jugzz]

I used to have Shinko tires on my bike... oh, I should clarify here... my BICYCLE... and the tire got a bulge in it after a few runs on the dirt track. I'd never waste my money on one. But that's just my opinion.

I am sure you do not know this, so I'll take this one shot and let you know that motorcycles started out from a BICYCLE. If these folks had thought it was a "waste of money", none of us may not enjoy the pleasure of riding a motorcycle today! My intent of this post was two fold (1) see if anybody had this issue and (2) provide information and warning of this issue, knowledge is power.

And last but not least, I refuse to do a battle of witts with an unarmed person.

[Willow]

And last but not least, I refuse to do a battle of witts with an unarmed person.

6J, when delivering an insult to someone's intelligence it's always a good idea to double check your spelling.

I think you may have misinterpreted his post.

[6jugzz]

I had an extra "t" needed to use it............ besides I am from the south, you know how we spell, fonniks.

[Willow]

I had an extra "t" needed to use it............

lol!  Good job on not wasting the leftovers.    

[Mikey]

Thank you Willow.

6J, I'm saying I had a problem with Shinko tires, and when I was looking for new tires for my Valk, I too considered trying them, but decided my previous experience on a 40 lb machine was enough to discourage me from trying it out on an 800 lb machine.

[6jugzz]

I'm in a bad mood, got a bum tire and can't ride, I'll get over it in a few days, thanks for the info. :'(

[Jess Tolbirt]

i bought shinko tires last year,NEVER AGAIN,,, the belts let loose in both the front and rear,,,
now i have a metzler on the front and a CT on the rear...so far so good...

Jess.... care to elaborate as to which Shinko tire it was??  747 or ???

both tires are F747's
bought a matched set off ebay from one of the cycle vendors,, thought i was getting a good deal.
after about a thousand miles the bike starts to wobble in the front,,,the tire went all out of round and about a month after that the rear tire went,,,,
no more shinko's for me...

[6jugzz]

My talk with HDL today was easy, once I said f747, he said no problem, we will give you full refund. 152 bucks. When I get my new tire (briggs) I will return the old one with a ra #. If you bought from HDL, they will work with ya. They told me they have sold 3 of the f757, but I am not going to try it.

[Jess from VA]

I called HDL, they gave me full refund

In your discussion with HDL, did they say they had had other problems with these tires, or mention they no longer carried these tires?  HDL is good on customer satisfaction, but it would be interesting to know if they had anything to say about Shinko tires.

Drift:
To all/FYI:  I had seen the post earlier on the Jake Wilson site having good tire prices on Metzlers.  $153 for the Metz front was the best I had ever seen, and I could find no better anywhere, and even at that price Jake Wilson also had free shipping.   

I called HDL this morning, walked them thru the Jake Wilson site, tire price and free shipping, and with their standard price match, I got two front Metz 880's for $148 each with free shipping.  This is why I do bidness with HDL whenever possible.

With the energizer bunny Goodyears on the back of the bikes, it is strange wearing out fronts faster than rears (but I won't run anything but Metz on the front).

[alph]

Hey Jess,

What is it about the Metzler that you like?  My old boss had them and he told me that they handle highway groves and tar snakes nicely, but he also told me that they’re a softer tire and tend to wear out faster then the back “?”

What have you experienced?

Al.

[Jess from VA]

First, I have run ME880s on Harleys, Kawis, Yamis, and Valks, and in the most spirited riding, they grip better than any other tire I ever ran (admittedly often the OE tires that came on the bikes, which are always cheap).  I never once had any issue of delamination, irregular wear, cupping or defect.  And, except for the Valk rear, they always outlasted other tires (on lighter bikes). 

I ran thru some five 180 Metz rears on my Valks and got no more than 8-11.5K (at 44-5psi), but for hauling azz thru the hills and woods no other tire gave me the confidence factor.  For this type of riding, I traded longevity for performance.  The 150 fronts do better mileagewise (like all brands), and get closer to what most fronts get (except the E3's which outlast everything), but they stick like glue in all weather (wet) and surfaces (including painted lines), and have a big contact patch.  I never had a front wear out faster than the back..... fronts should get at least 14K anyway (43psi).  The max pressure listed on the 880 sidewalls for Valk, front and rear, is 50 psi.

Many (most?) in the Valk community swore by the Venoms, but my only experience with them was the last 1/4-life of a front and rear on one IS I bought, and they slipped badly on me pushing thru switchbacks over Skyline drive.  Maybe that wasn't a fair test, but my Metz never slipped with a quarter tread left.  And most of us tend to stick with what we know. 

The short life of the rears finally bothered me enough to go darkside, and the GTT grips pretty mightily too, despite the occasional wobble.  I grind my cobra boards all the time (with no peg lowering kit and 13" shocks), and I still want the best sticking front tire I can get.  I have a buddy with a chopped down Std with trigger/custom dry nitrous/glasspacs/dyna ignition and decades as a certified GM and bike tech, and he runs darkside and Metz front too.  I think the 150 Metz front matches up very well with a darkside rear, and it is pretty well established that darkside handling is much better with a good front tire.             (better with a MC rear too...Duh)

Of course opinions are like elbows, everybody has one.... or two.

[fudgie]

Love the metz also. Had Metz since 01. Had the 200 mm rear which was nice. They stick well in the rain. Excellent off road to. Mud and grass. Metz front is great with my CT rear. I had issues with the front in 08 in WY with tar snakes. I felt it slip out numberous times. I thought maybe it was wearing out, replaced 5k later. Plus it was 100 deg out. Went on the same road in 09 but was a little leary so I took it easy on the same road and same tar snakes. I wont have anything but Metz.

[hubcapsc]

 ... the Venoms ... slipped badly on me pushing thru switchbacks over Skyline drive. 

Wow. And you can only go 35 there...

-Mike 

[Mikey]

I had the same experience with Venoms on the front of mine. Can't speak on the longevity of the tires tho, as I have no idea how many miles they had on them when I got them. They'd never push going up hill, but if I was going downhill, they'd loose traction. The one time, it almost made me pinch a hole in the seat!

[Jess from VA]

 ... the Venoms ... slipped badly on me pushing thru switchbacks over Skyline drive.

Wow. And you can only go 35 there...

-Mike  

No Mike....you can only do 35 there........I can do a little better.  

Actually, some of those switchbacks, no valk can do over 25, lean angles and dragging pegs and boards and such.  I'm not talking about Skyline itself, but 211 up and over Skyline into New Market VA.... more challenging than anything on Skyline itself.   

[6jugzz]

I called HDL, they gave me full refund

In your discussion with HDL, did they say they had had other problems with these tires, or mention they no longer carried these tires?  HDL is good on customer satisfaction, but it would be interesting to know if they had anything to say about Shinko tires.

Drift:
To all/FYI:  I had seen the post earlier on the Jake Wilson site having good tire prices on Metzlers.  $153 for the Metz front was the best I had ever seen, and I could find no better anywhere, and even at that price Jake Wilson also had free shipping.   

I called HDL this morning, walked them thru the Jake Wilson site, tire price and free shipping, and with their standard price match, I got two front Metz 880's for $148 each with free shipping.  This is why I do bidness with HDL whenever possible.

With the energizer bunny Goodyears on the back of the bikes, it is strange wearing out fronts faster than rears (but I won't run anything but Metz on the front).

I got my new tire on Tuesday @7 pm (ups..........fast) . Pulled the wheel, had it mounted today with Dyna-beads installed , test run (5 mi.)and I am ready to roll,
I will send SH%t-ko tire back to HDL on Monday and get my money back.

Wifes mad at me , she came home and I had my old tee shirt on that said............IF MY WIFE WOULD LET ME RIDE HER AS MUCH AS I RIDE THIS BIKE, I WOULD STAY HOME MORE......GOTTA GO AND BUY HER A STEAK DINNER. 

[Jess from VA]

Great shirt.

Try to remember to change it before she comes home.

Unless you like flowers and steak dinners.  LOL