shinko 712 review

[Notz]

I really liked my first set of 712's.
I ordered a new rear at the end of last season after 6500+ miles.
The front still looked reasonable after 7500, but I thought it would be best to replace it since I plan on doing a number of events/miles with the Mrs. this year.

I ordered a new front from Motorcycle-Superstore/Amazon for $49.96 with free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CD5E8M/ref=oss_product

Had it installed and balanced and there was a noticeable vibration at 40MPH.
I informed Motorcycle-Superstore about it after my first ride.

Their response was "Items which have been used or installed on your bike will not be accepted for refund."

I looked through the 40 reviews and there was another person that had the same problem.

I would guess that the ex-Yokohama molds the Chinese are using for their Shinko's lurks one that is putting out a 'hinkey' product.

I will buy another 712 to replace this one, just NOT from Motorcycle-Superstore.
I'll pay a little more for vendors that stand behind the products they sell.


I took it back to the installer and they remounted and rebalanced it and it improved a bit, the shake moved from 40MPH to 32MPH and they used less wheel weights the 2nd time. They also confirmed a defect near the "0" mark where they noticed an bit of irregular rubber bulge.

Just something to watch for.

[Joe H]

Just replaced my front with a Shinko podium on my 1150. I love it, seem to steer very well no fall in, smooth transition thru corners. Excellent traction and very confidence inspiring. to be honest the front had been shot for a couple of seasons and I was nursing it last year and being very careful with it because of this so it maybe skewing my review.
Also this is the first front Ive ever had that needed no weights, it is perfectly balanced,
I recommended them to my brother in law and he just bought a new set yesterday I hope he likes them as much as I liked my new front.

[Mysuzyq]

The 230s seem to be sporting a much more modern thread pattern....think I'll try a rear, on my bike. One thing I have noticed about the Shinkos, is that they appear to be fatter than most other manufacturers tires, for a given size. Optical illusion perhaps?

Finally bought a 230 Tourmaster and had it mounted last week. The Avon RR I took off still had decent thread, but had developed the dreaded cracks/cuts that plagues Avon tires, at multiple areas on the carcass (last Avon tire I'll buy). Really liking the Shinko so far, seems to be a a sticky compound, and works well with the RR front. And yes, the Shinko appears to be noticeably wider than the old Avon, of the same size.

[83GS850L]

Love these Shinko 712's so far, only had the tire maybe 2 months, and i have put like 4k miles on them, with 0 issues so far.
I have had my CB650 laid down enuff to scrape the pegs once or twice, and the tire held very strong.

I got caught in a bit of rain the other day (with no rear fender lol) on the hwy, and i was able to accelerate with confidence to stay away from idiot cage drivers.

[derwood]

Finally bought a 230 Tourmaster and had it mounted last week. The Avon RR I took off still had decent thread, but had developed the dreaded cracks/cuts that plagues Avon tires, at multiple areas on the carcass (last Avon tire I'll buy). Really liking the Shinko so far, seems to be a a sticky compound, and works well with the RR front. And yes, the Shinko appears to be noticeably wider than the old Avon, of the same size.

What size tire was the cracked AVON? 130/90-17?

[Allie]

I have a 712 being mounted on the rear wheel this week. I hope for good things from it. For years I used Maxxis tires exclusively. They never gave me any cornering concerns, and had decent wear to them. They seemed to be all the tire my bike and I ever needed. Maxxis stopped making street tires recently, and the bike shop recommended Duro tires. I wasn't super impressed with them, the rear always seemed just a bit squirelly in hard (for me) cornering. A couple of times it's danced out noticeably when leaned over. More so solo than 2 up. We'll see if Shinko offers improvement.

[Steve]

I'll tell ya, there is NOTHING like bringing a thread back to life AFTER SIX YEARS.

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[Gorminrider]

I'll tell ya, there is NOTHING like bringing a thread back to life AFTER SIX YEARS.

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Well, for anyone wanting a review of Shinko 712s, this is the only thread with that in the title under the heading "Buyer Reviews".

[Burque73]

Well, since this thread came up I may as well add a comment.

My 850 is on it's second set of the Shinko tourmasters. The mileage I got from the last set was pretty good for an inexpensive tire, at about 9k miles if memory serves me correctly.

I want to try something different next time though. The front has a groove right in the center that may be causing handling issues. It's a zig zaggedy groove, but it's right in the center and I think its the reason for the squirrly front end. I notice it on cement highways with rain grooves in the direction of travel and cracks or any uneven asphalt as well.

I haven't noticed this on any of my other bikes and the 850 is the only one I've run Shinko 712's on. The Michelin Road 5's that the FJR wears has grooves and siping that go acrossed the tire so I'd really like to find something similar for the GS. Maybe in the spring I'll shop around as this set has a lot of tread left.

[bwringer]

Yep, nuttin' wrong with this thread resurrection.

I've scientifically and thoroughly abused both the Shinko 712 and the 230 on my GS850G in all conditions, and to be honest I can't tell the difference from the saddle. They seem to last the same, too, which is not very long, but they work great wet or dry and behave themselves as they wear; no funny handling when they get thin.

I'm getting a consistent 3,000 miles out of a set. That fits my use case perfectly; I usually ride the GS about that much per year, so for short money I get to enjoy a fresh set of buns annually. (Normal people normally get a lot more mileage with these, double in many cases. I'm hard on tires.)

I put most of my miles on my other bikes these days. But if it the GS were still my only bike and I was piling on 10,000 -15,000 miles a year or more, then I'd invest in more expensive but longer lasting tires with a lower cost per mile.

[GS1150Pilot]

Just ordered Shinkos for the Sportster. I've used them on my VMax and FZ1. They may not last as long as the Michelins, but at the price, I can replace them again and still be less than one set of the Scorchers.

[Steve]

And you will get fresh tires more often.

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[GS1150Pilot]

And you will get fresh tires more often.

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That is actually a really good point. How many of us have ridden tires long beyond their ideal lifetime doing superslab trips, as they squared away and lost some of what makes fresh tires feel so much more vivid.

[bwringer]

That is actually a really good point. How many of us have ridden tires long beyond their ideal lifetime doing superslab trips, as they squared away and lost some of what makes fresh tires feel so much more vivid.

Yep, that's a large slice of the reason I've been running Shinko 712 or 230 on my GS850G for the last few years. I don't pile the miles onto my GS850G nearly as much these days compared to my other bikes, so it normally works out perfectly where I end up with fresh buns every spring.

Of course, I change my tires myself. So I can order them cheap and spend a little quality time in the garage at my convenience. If you had to pay for mounting, the extra cash and inconvenience might shift the equation.

[GS1150Pilot]

Not too much. $30/tire for mounting and balancing.