Shinko 230 Torture Test

[bwringer]

It didn't occur to me until the other night how many miles I had on these Shinko 230's. They hit the ground in November 2017 and now have 9112 miles on them. Front measures 1/16" and rear 3/32". This is really close to the mileage I got from the Dunlop 404's.

Here's a great example of the effects of the rider. We have the same bike, 1983 GS850G.

I just went out in the garage to look, and the 2019 set of Shinko 230 tires on my GS850G are at 2,420 very eventful and interesting miles. They are donezo. I'll likely ride to work a few more times on them, but they won't go on another trip, so they will probably be at 2,500-2,600 miles at replacement. (A fresh set of 230s is running $130.98 shipped at the moment from my favorite toy store, RockyMountainATVMC. A set of 712s is $112.51 shipped.)

I am much less of a galoot these days, but my riding habits and preferred velocities and angles are unrepentantly unchanged from the beginning of this thread in 2012.

I'm very happy with these tires; basically I get to spoon on a fresh set each spring so I always have sticky buns ready to go. The last trip was a very spirited flog of about 500 miles in the insane twisties of NE Kentucky, and even though they were worn, the feel and performance remained flawless.

[Burque73]

........................................The mile count on my tires last night was right around 7650, still had just over 4/32" on the rear tire and just under 4/32" on the front tire. At that rate, I will probably get 9-10,000 miles on my set........................................
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It didn't occur to me until the other night how many miles I had on these Shinko 230's. They hit the ground in November 2017 and now have 9112 miles on them. Front measures 1/16" and rear 3/32". This is really close to the mileage I got from the Dunlop 404's.

130 to 120 would really make a huge difference on a skinny 2.15 rim... Tire pinched means sharp, scary diving into leans. Poor rubber or old rubber means no confidence due to poor grip....
Glad you are hooked up now, ENJOY IT!!!

It now feels more like my T100 did in handling. I loved that about my T100. It was nibble and for want of a better word more flickable and fun. I have had a lot of motorcycles but the T100 was probably up there in riding experience as most fun.

The GS being heavier feels more stable in the straights and at AZ highway speeds so I kind of got the best of both worlds. Have to scrub the tire more before I go explore my favorite twisty spots!

[Gorminrider]

^^Nice one.alright. I really appreciate that it's bolted to the floor! ...

[Buffalo Bill]

Did somebody mention a car rim?

If I was still an artist, I'd paint that in photo-realism!!!
Softens my heart!

[Chuck78]

130 to 120 would really make a huge difference on a skinny 2.15 rim... Tire pinched means sharp, scary diving into leans. Poor rubber or old rubber means no confidence due to poor grip....
Glad you are hooked up now, ENJOY IT!!!

alright ... ITS DONE! Went out for a ride several times and it holds air and feels great. The ratchet strap was brilliant. A little soapy water on the tire on both sides and the rachet strap and it filled right up. I thought my cheap 2 gallon compressor wasnt going to be up to the task but it worked. So .. lots oh lessons learned for next time.

So nice.. the ride not only feels so much more cushy but it seems far more nimble. I cant imagine its from the slight decrease from the 130 to the 120 so I am assuming its the nice new rounded profile. Sweet .. I saved a few bucks but more importantly I did it myself .. well with a ton of help from you guys!

[Chuck78]

Did somebody mention a car rim?

Grimly, that is TRULY AWESOME!!!! that's like the more expensive motorcycle tire changer setups that i have seen for sale out of China, that i almost wish i had rather had, but at least with my Harbor Freight setup I am now equipped to do car tire changeouts as well, which worked out really well with my Suzuki Samurai 4x4 tires... I just use balancing beads instead of trying to balance the car tires.

One of those are easy to fabricate up for me, what you have made, I would just stopped to buy a mojo lever or no-scuff bar or whatever the semi DIY low production tire irons for manual motorcycle tire changers are called.

[Grimly]

Did somebody mention a car rim?

[Gorminrider]

cleaning fix a flat from the inside of your aluminum rim .... SUCKS!!!!

I've never been a fan of magic stuff inside tires either.

It can be hard to get the bead to pop! They always tell you not to go over a certain # pressure but I always do. Some particular tires on particular rims can be really tough!
Bt45s on the rear of the 650 was a real bear....because of that "lip" Chuck mentioned (which isn't on the front, by the way)
Keep at it...lubricant at the tricky bit, several deflations and reinflations and so forth. It'll go eventually. It might help to set up a "valveless" air hose. This might give the air more shock value if your compressor tank is small. I found it more effective when I used a car tire as an air tank.

[Chuck78]

You can try putting a small ratchet strap around the circumference of the tire, in the center of the tread and cinching it up tight, is a trick that I always use especially when doing wheelbarrow tires and hand truck moving dolly type cart tubeless tires (MANDATORY every darn time on those little things). Even on car tires sometimes.
That will help force the beads on the tire out slightly.
There's always the exploding starting fluid (Ether) trick as well, but I have NEVER, EVER had to resort to that for a motorcycle tire. One out of five of my truck tires I certainly did this last round, though.

I thought I should clarify something stated above so you don't have any chance of confusion. When you are trying to find the heaviest spot while balancing the tire, when the rim consistently settles to the same spot at the bottom, you put the balance weights on "the top of the rim," meaning 180° out opposite side of rim/wheel, at the top, not just the top of the bottom part of the rim... Common sense, but I didn't want that to get misinterpreted in any way.

[Buffalo Bill]

An keep your fingers and hands away from the sidewalls, they might get pinched!!!

[Steve]

... I cant figure out how to set the bead. I am old and my body hurts and I am calling it a day. The tire is on and once I figure out how to set the bead I should be golden.

Make sure the edges of the tire bead are lubricated. Inflate tire. When you hear the "POP", stop inflating. Actually, there should be TWO "pops", one for each side, but sometimes they slip into place silently. You can check for proper seating by observing the line. The line in question is the one just under the DOT information in your picture. It should be about 1/8" away from the rim, and should be the same distance all the way around the rim. On both sides. If it dips down to the level of the rim, break down that area, re-lube it and re-seat it.



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Alright so for anyone following along .. the tools are plenty sturdy as the narrow tire is a pain since it wont flex as much as a wider one. I leaned all over the tools and they didnt bend. At one point I lifted my wife standing on the other side of the tire with an iron and it held up fine. I would have like a third iron so I may buy a single for finesse work.

The motion pro rim protectors worked like a dream. Snapped in place and stayed there. Glad I bought 4. 2 would not have been enough.

I got the tire on with a bit of effort and some how mangled the tube. Sucks but I am not going to patch it. So the tire I took off did NOT have a tube so I figured I would just go tubeless since I have a tubeless rim and tire.

Alright take off the tire from one side and pull the tube reinstall the valve that was there before and .... I cant figure out how to set the bead. I am old and my body hurts and I am calling it a day. The tire is on and once I figure out how to set the bead I should be golden.

So far I am only down 24 bucks for the tube I destroyed but .. its a learning experience .. Right??

Oh one more bit of info .. cleaning fix a flat from the inside of your aluminum rim .... SUCKS!!!!

[Steve]

Time to follow the advice in Nessism's signature:

To measure is to know.

Get the tire mounted. I use the axle in the wheel, supported by a couple of jack stands as my balancing rig. Spin the tire vigorously to warm up the bearings just a bit, then slow it down so it will stop before next weekend. Note when it stops, especially if it reverses direction. Rotate the wheel about 90° to see if it falls to the same spot. Try this several times. If there is consistency on the low spot, add some weight to the top of the rim and try again. Repeat until it stops at random points when spun.

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