My experience with Shinko Tires.

[ASPC]

Usually I fit Dunlop, Metzeler or Pirelli tires but based on posts here and having previously used Shinko tires on other bikes I thought I would try them on the ST. First I installed the rear tire which is a 180/55-17 009 Raven and went for a test ride. I used this tire because I want to be able to clearly see the wear in the center of the tire. I took the bike for a ride on both four lane highway at 65-70 and two lane twisting back roads. I am very happy with the way the tire feels. Next I installed the front tire which is a 011 Verge. I used this tire because the 009 Raven is not available for 18 inch front wheels. I inflated the tires to 36/36 and got a low speed wobble, so I increased the PSI to 42/42 and the low speed wobble went away. I don’t have enough experience with them yet but so far I really like these tires. More wear usually equates to more grip, so more wear isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I like them so much I may if necessary change them twice a year due to wear, rather than once per year for other brands. But I don’t know yet if I will need to. I have no idea how stable the bike will be behind a semi on the interstate yet but every other aspect of the tire’s performance seems good. I live in Louisiana and ride on bad roads most of the time, so my environment is a good test for these tires.

So I would like to say thank you to everyone who has posted about using these tires.

 

[Al st1100]

9,000 mile on mine and still have more to go

 

[David Fyffe]

Also over 9000 and more to go.

 

[the Ferret]

That's weird. I only got 6478 miles out of the Raven 009's on a 58 hp NC 750X. Then again, the most I got was on a set of Michelin Road 5's at 8579 miles.

Pirelli Angel GT's lasted 8,326 miles

Shinko Raven 09'st went 6,478 miles

Pirelli Angel GT's went 7,696 miles

Michelin R5's went 8,579 miles

Metzler Tourance's went 7,130 miles

I used to get 12-13000 miles out of Michelin Pilots on my ST 1300.

Weird

 

[docw1]

Put on a set of Verges just before WeSToc and they now have about 7000miles on them and still have good rubber left. No problems and they are considerably less expensive than other popular brands.

 

[kiltman]

Check your steering head bearings for wear. Jack up the front wheel, turn the bars and feel for a slight bind when doing the arc.
Also retorqued the steering head bearings if you can.

 

[ASPC]

That's weird. I only got 6478 miles out of the Raven 009's on a 58 hp NC 750X. Then again, the most I got was on a set of Michelin Road 5's at 8579 miles.

Pirelli Angel GT's lasted 8,326 miles

Shinko Raven 09'st went 6,478 miles

Pirelli Angel GT's went 7,696 miles

Michelin R5's went 8,579 miles

Metzler Tourance's went 7,130 miles

I used to get 12-13000 miles out of Michelin Pilots on my ST 1300.

Weird

Perhaps it is the road surface where you ride.

 

[ASPC]

Check your steering head bearings for wear. Jack up the front wheel, turn the bars and feel for a slight bind when doing the arc.
Also retorqued the steering head bearings if you can.

It is due for wheel and steering head bearings, nothing urgent but it's got 65K on it now. I'll do it when it gets to cold to ride.

There was no low speed wobble on the Dunlop tires at 36 PSI. I'm not complaining, I like the Shinko's just fine at 42 PSI. The Shinko's seem to have a softer carcass and feel like Dunlops at 12 PSI, which I have experienced. There was a front end low speed wobble at 12 PSI on the Dunlops due to a flat.

 

[Raia]

Just some of the pictures from my shinko tire with around 600 miles, to there credit they did send me a new tire, but it will never be on my bike, and I have to say I did like the way the tire felt .

 

[ASPC]

Just some of the pictures from my shinko tire with around 600 miles, to there credit they did send me a new tire, but it will never be on my bike, and I have to say I did like the way the tire felt .

That's weird and highly unusual IMO.

 

[oude geit]

I liked shinko tires for performance. But I get a nail in the rear every time, so not hyped about them.

 

[ASPC]

Dunlop Roadsmart 4. Toast at 9K miles. High mileage BS. $227. One good thing I can say about these tires is I could ride on them with 12 PSI in the front tire. I could not do that with the Shinko tires. That could make the difference between life and death. I got better mileage out of the Roadsmart 3.

 

[ASPC]

I liked shinko tires for performance. But I get a nail in the rear every time, so not hyped about them.

I use Slime off road tire sealant, it has a corrosion inhibitor. It works well, I have pulled out nails and watched it seal the tire in seconds. I think it could save a life. I haven’t put any in the Shinko’s yet due to testing. The 12 PSI Dunlop was caused by a bad valve.

 

[docw1]

I use Slime off road tire sealant, it has a corrosion inhibitor. It works well, I have pulled out nails and watched it seal the tire in seconds. I think it could save a life. I haven’t put any in the Shinko’s yet due to testing. The 12 PSI Dunlop was caused by a bad valve.

I have heard some not nice things about Slime. I use Ride-On tire sealant which washed=s out easily and seems to work most of the time.

 

[motornut]

Perhaps it is the road surface where you ride.

You betcha! We went on a 2 up ride to Montana in the summer when the roads were being chip sealed and it was amazing how fast the tires went away. Almost took a tire to get to Butte and a tire to get back to WA

 

[Erdoc48]

I have Shinkos on the 94- I did note a decel wobble (and also have new steering head bearings in the past year- tapered on both bikes and torqued as recommended by the Michael Martin ST pages)- I had a set on in the past- my observations:
-decel wobble with the front Shinko (none with Metzeler Z8 and Pirelli Angel on the bike in the past)- no huge deal as I don’t note it unless I’m loose on the bars ~ 45 mph- same as with the first set when I bought the 94 back in 2014.
-nice drop in during turns, so the bike handles and rides well
-good wear- I have ~ 5K miles on this set and they are wearing very well (I run my pressures at 35/42 typically, but maybe I’ll try the 42/42 setup)
-they seem to need more balance weights than other brands (and this is with me finding the heavy spot of the wheel with the tire off first, then matching the dot to the heavy spot of the wheel, still needed a full 2 oz weight on the front wheel, 1.75 oz on the back
-price is obviously better than the other brands

Will I use them again? Maybe…

I have Z8’s on the 2000 and they’re at 7K miles- not fully cooked but a little cupped up front and don’t lean in as well as they did and the back is getting a little flat in the center (I have another set of those ready to go).

 

[ASPC]

I have Shinkos on the 94- I did note a decel wobble (and also have new steering head bearings in the past year- tapered on both bikes and torqued as recommended by the Michael Martin ST pages)- I had a set on in the past- my observations:
-decel wobble with the front Shinko (none with Metzeler Z8 and Pirelli Angel on the bike in the past)- no huge deal as I don’t note it unless I’m loose on the bars ~ 45 mph- same as with the first set when I bought the 94 back in 2014.
-nice drop in during turns, so the bike handles and rides well
-good wear- I have ~ 5K miles on this set and they are wearing very well (I run my pressures at 35/42 typically, but maybe I’ll try the 42/42 setup)
-they seem to need more balance weights than other brands (and this is with me finding the heavy spot of the wheel with the tire off first, then matching the dot to the heavy spot of the wheel, still needed a full 2 oz weight on the front wheel, 1.75 oz on the back
-price is obviously better than the other brands

Will I use them again? Maybe…

I have Z8’s on the 2000 and they’re at 7K miles- not fully cooked but a little cupped up front and don’t lean in as well as they did and the back is getting a little flat in the center (I have another set of those ready to go).

Yes the wobble was happening at around 45 mph and also under hard braking. I think the Metzeler Z8 was the best tire for my bike by far. It was rock solid on the interstate with semi’s and cross winds. But the rear tire on my bike had a harmonic vibration at lower rpm’s. Something people have reported before. I may try lowering the rear Shinko to 36 psi again but it feels fine at 42 psi and it still has a good sized contact patch. Now that the front tire is ok at 42 psi. I think the wobble in the front tire is caused by a soft carcass. By comparison the Metzeler Z8 was a hard carcass and consequently very stable.

 

[ST1100TX]

I ran Shinko Verge and Ravens on my Blackbird to save money. They aren't premium tires at a discount price. But sometimes that's good enough depending on your riding style and mission.

I had Metzler ME880's on my '91 ST1100 back in the day and loved those tires. They stuck like glue and wore like iron. Rain or shine. Not sure how good the newer version is.

 

[ASPC]

I ran Shinko Verge and Ravens on my Blackbird to save money. They aren't premium tires at a discount price. But sometimes that's good enough depending on your riding style and mission.

I had Metzler ME880's on my '91 ST1100 back in the day and loved those tires. They stuck like glue and wore like iron. Rain or shine. Not sure how good the newer version is.

Probably the future.

 

[ST1100TX]

Probably the future.

Nice. I need to read the reviews although I can't image Metzler making a bad tire.