Rear Shinko 777 HD..... Follow up after almost 6000 miles.

[Ned in Utah]

After I got a 3/4 inch hole in it, I replaced the Metzeler Z6 with a Shinko 777HD. I don't drag the pegs much anymore, so was looking for something that might give decent mileage, and not cost so much as that Z6 had less than 1000 miles on it when it got ruined. After doing a lot of research, decided to try the 777HD, which came delivered to my door for $106. I let it heat up good in the sun, then put it on with the red dot next to the valve stem. Went on pretty easily and did not take a single weight to balance it. Have a good tread pattern, with lots of deep sipes across the tire. That always bothered me a little on the Metzeler where the center 1.5 inches were solid making me wonder how it would be in the wet.

So I rode it through the Utah/Wyoming mountains for 400 miles, on every road surface you can think of from fresh gravel chipped roads to Interstate. Took it easy for the first 50 miles to scuff it in, then pretty much forgot about it for the rest of the day. I guess that's a good recommendation as I really never thought about it at all as it never did anything weird. Just felt solid all day. I'll let you know how the mileage and such goes as the miles rack up. Will know more after the Colorado/New Mexico ride next month. Below are pics of the old Z6 with the hole, and the new 777HD.

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[Kennyray]

I gave one of these a trial run on my 1100 as well and ended up with 7400 miles on it. Not bad for the money but 3500 mikes short of the faithful old Exedra which consistently yields 10-11,000 miles for another 49 bucks. I am presently trying a Michelin Commander 2 bias which is 183 bucks from chapmoto.com. The reviews are saying 14-16,000 on the rear so we will see. The Shinko had good grip but wore funny on the outer edges of the tire. Not a bad tire for the cost though. Thanks. Ken

 

[Surfinpig]

I've had a shinko on my tenere. Towards the end of its life it came apart. I thought I had at least another 1500 miles to go on it. The tread blocks separated and when I came out from the bar it was flat. I'm thinking if I went another 10 miles it would have shredded.

 

[jettawreck]

I was very happy with the two Shinko 777/777HD that I had on my Kawasaki Concours (2002,2005). I wish they made it in a size for the ST1300. Im now running a Verge 011, but would prefer the tread pattern of the 777.

 

[Ned in Utah]

Long term follow up report on the Shinko 777HD. During a ride over Wolf Creek Pass in Utah two days ago, I started to notice the rear end was sort of snake dancing when the bike was heeled over in a turn. Felt sort of like the old Continentals would on the grooved roads. Felt really disconcerting and seemed to get worse as the day worre on to the the point that my confidence in it got less and less and I was just creeping around the turns. After 350 miles I just wanted to get it home and into the garage. o yesterday at 5088 miles on the tire, I pulled the bike into the garage and pulled the Shinko.

I figure It still maybe had 1000 miles or so tread left, but I was hating how it felt in the corners I mounted the new Battlax T32 yesterday and rode it up to the top of Dinosaur Natl Monument today. Wow, what a difference! Bike felt planted and smooth in the corners again. It was a pleasure to ride again. So if anyone is wondering, I figure the Shinko 777HD is good for 5000-6000 miles.

As far as the front goes, I mounted a Battlax BT45r (rear tire) on the front end with the Metzler Z6 that died when it got the unfixable hole in it. Initially I'd mounted the tire backwards, as I'd read was the thing to do, but noticed at about 4000 miles it felt like it was starting to cup. So I flipped it and remounted it forwards like the arrow direction shows. It's got around 9000 miles on it now and I'm hoping it'll last as long as the new T34 (I'm hoping for 10,000). When it comes time, if the T32 lives up to expectations, I'll put another BT45r on the front and a T32 on the rear. I just hope they don't go and quit building them by then!