something's changed for the worse

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

Yeah it's not terrible and after over 1000 miles I'm used to it. But I don't like it and I'm not gonna buy another one that's for sure.   As I said in the earlier post Shinko should do some R&D and change the tread pattern so it doesn't vibrate simple as that

I bought my bike with relatively new Shinkos on it and feel the same way. I've ridden them enough to feel that they aren't going to come apart, and I'm used to the feel of them now. That said, my next combo is almost certainly an Avon up front with an Austone on the rear.

[da prez]

If you have another Valk near by , why not change the front tire and wheel and see if the problem goes to the other bike. I would not adjust to a tire vibration. I would want to know why. At the shop I work at part time , we change a lot of tires. Very few balance issues on new tires.

                              da prez

[Ken aka Oil Burner]

If you have another Valk near by , why not change the front tire and wheel and see if the problem goes to the other bike. I would not adjust to a tire vibration. I would want to know why. At the shop I work at part time , we change a lot of tires. Very few balance issues on new tires.

                              da prez

Mine isn't a tire balance issue. I can ride at all speeds easily with no "vibration". Mine is absolutely a road contact feel rumble, especially when leaned over at all in either direction. If you've ever had a bike with a scalloped front tire, you know the feeling. My tire has no abnormal wear; it's just the tread block design that gives that feel.

[JimBob]

Last August I rescued a '97 Valkyrie Tourer that was corroding away on a guy's front porch. I went through it, got it running pretty good, and put the Shinko SE890 Journey tires on it.
To me, it runs very smooth. I am happy with the Shinkos. Maybe I just got a good pair.

But, this is my first -what I would call heavy-class bike. Everything previous was (20-35 years ago) Suzuki GS750/850 inline 4's, and for the last 10 years I have been riding Buells with either the hotted-up version of the 1200 Sportster engine or the 1125 Rotax V-twin. The Valk is a totally different animal.
I may be getting subtle tire vibrations, but it is still so much smoother than anything else..... I feel like I've got a seat mounted on the fender of a Cadillac, going down the road.

Another thought..... in my experience tires and batteries are about 60% design, engineering and manufacturing, with the remaining 40% or so being Black Magic.
Sometimes you get a good one, sometimes you don't.

I APPRECIATE the Knowledge and Camaraderie that the VRCC members share on this site.
I'm not much of a 'poster'..... more a 'lurker', but your advice helped me a LOT in getting my Valk 'project' into shape.

Thank you ALL!

[Tfrank59]

 Hey welcome to the valk forum and Congrats on buying your best bike yet!  The Shinko was a change for the worse for me, because I had all previous tires to compare to.  If your next tire is something like a Dunlop you'll notice an even smoother ride, methinks.

[Paladin528]

This Bridgestones I have on mine are very bad for vibration.  Back to avons in the spring.