Shinko 230 Torture Test

I got some Motion Pro tire levers, and then I got some really long tire spoons with spun aluminum handles, from Summit Racing, they work amazingly easier.. You have to really just get the opposite side of the tire compressed into the center of the room, some carpenter's The squeeze clamps really help.

I am looking at the motion pro and some videos right now. I made the awful mistake of buying a really cheap tool when I did my chain and sprockets and the job was not only made much more irritating but it took some 4 hours longer as I improvised. Wont do it again so if I have to spend a few bucks more I want decent tools. I wont be dong this hundreds of times but when I do it ... I want the right tool!

Are you saying you didnt like the Motion pro or that you used it in conjunction with spoons?

Here is what I was looking at and mostly because of the leverage of those long tools

https://www.amazon.com/Motion-Pro-08-0536-BeadPro-Breaker/dp/B00CU8ZEZQ/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2P8G8CS4II4M2&keywords=tire+spoons+motorcycle&qid=1553033978&s=gateway&sprefix=tire+spoons%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-10#customerReviews

[bwringer]

I just went and checked and the rim reads 18x2.15. I ordered the 120/90 18 and since I have never changed a tire on a motorcycle before .. it should be interesting!!

Was a bike bicycle guy so I have changed many a tire and tube so .. Time to read up.

I was also an avid mountain bike enthusiast and honestly I found motorcycle tires were much the same, only bigger and far more reluctant. In general the principles and skills are similar, just on an entirely different scale.

Not sure whether your bike requires tubes. I've never pinched a tube in a motorcycle tire; I think I got all the tube pinching out of the way with inexpensive bicycle tires. You also need a valve fishing tool or you'll make yourself crazy.

[bwringer]

I dunno, Brian must be getting a discount from Avon for shilling them here…
Plus, he don't mention a couple broken legs from crashing. How did those cost?

Heh. I actually haven't run Avons on my GS850 since the original post. I tend to put the big miles on my other bikes nowadays, so a set of Shinkos gets me through a season easily. I've been on the Shinko bandwagon for my GS for quite a while now.


FWIW, my V-Strom and KLR650 are both wearing Metzelers (Tourance Next and Karoo 3, respectively) at the moment.


I spooned a fresh set of Shinko 230s onto my GS850 late last fall, so it's ready to rumble if it ever cracks freezing around here. I continue to not be able to tell any difference between the 712 and 230 when in motion, and I've always gotten pretty much the same mileage (around 3,000 brutal but action-packed miles) from a set of either. The price difference last time was maybe $5.

As ever, YMWV; normal-ish people report much better mileage from their Shinkos.


So far, no word about sponsorship from Korea or Germany... will work for tires, folks.


And for the record, my crashes and assorted broken bones didn't have anything to do with the tires my bikes were wearing at the time, or my velocity. The tally is 1 chicken grease spill on a VX800, 1 left-turning triple fakeout phone poker on a KLR650, and 1 7 point buck on a different KLR650. And my GS850 has never been down.

...What size did you use on your rear and if anyone knows .. can I get that tire on my rim?

As others have mentioned, get something closer to the original tire size, whatever that is. You can look this up on the parts fiches for your bike's rear wheel.

I use 100/90-19 up front (most GS models use this size) and 130/90-17 out back (rear GS tire sizes vary a lot) on my GS850G.

The original size was 4.50H17, but this size is no longer available. It cross-references most directly to a 120/90-17; these are available but only in one or two tires and they're very hard to find.

So just about everyone with a shaftie goes up to the next size, which is 130/90-17 (or a 16" rim on the L and a few other models) and common in several different brands.

[Chuck78]

I got some Motion Pro tire levers, and then I got some really long tire spoons with spun aluminum handles, from Summit Racing, they work amazingly easier.. You have to really just get the opposite side of the tire compressed into the center of the rim, some carpenter's squeeze clamps really help. Then you can try the tire on much easier on the opposite side. The key is keeping the beads on both sides of the tire (when you already have the first side on and are doing the second side) in the dropped center of the rim.
Breaking the bead can be a bit difficult. when I only had tire irons, I sometimes resorted to driving over them with my truck carefully just missing the rim. Or I used my hydraulic shop press and some scrap lumber.

I now have the harbor freight car tire changer stand, plus the motorcycle tire changer attachment, plus "mojoblocks" & a "mojolever" to make a harbor freight stuff actually usable on an aluminum car/truck wheel or motorcycle rim. The mojo blocks transformed the Harbor Freight motorcycle tire changer attachment from something that is almost completely unusable into something that works pretty darn well for the price.

I just went and checked and the rim reads 18x2.15. I ordered the 120/90 18 and since I have never changed a tire on a motorcycle before .. it should be interesting!!

Was a bike bicycle guy so I have changed many a tire and tube so .. Time to read up.

[Chuck78]

Yes, that is the biggest you can put on most GS rims, as they are mostly 18 x 2.15 Rears. It should be stamped into the steel on your rim, look and see. Or cast onto the mag actually, yours sounds like a mag wheel bike. If it has a 2.50 rear rim, which usually would be a 17 in diameter, you can fit the 120 on their acceptably, and you can squeeze a 130 on there, but a 130/90 would be the preferred size, not the lower profile 80 series. Some of the later gs1150 rims came in 3.00 and 3.50 inch widths are these are a popular swap for the rear to run a wider 17 inch tire.

[Steve]

That would be the one.

.

I am a bit surprised that the rear is an 18", but there is a LOT about the chain-driven bikes that I don't know.

I do agree that the 130 is a bit too large for the rim. 110 is the exact crossover, but most of us get away with one size larger, so look for a 120. You will also probably do better to look for the /90, rather than an /80 aspect ratio.

Bottom line: look for a 120/90-18.

.

So that guy?

https://www.amazon.com/90-18-Shinko-Master-Motorcycle-1989-1990/dp/B079NBP7P6/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=SHINKO+230+TOUR+MASTER+120%2F90-18+71V+REAR+MOTORCYCLE&qid=1553031788&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

This week may be the prettiest, nicest riding all year in AZ and I CANT RIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Buffalo Bill]

I dunno, Brian must be getting a discount from Avon for shilling them here…
Plus, he don't mention a couple broken legs from crashing. How did those cost?

[Steve]

I am a bit surprised that the rear is an 18", but there is a LOT about the chain-driven bikes that I don't know.

I do agree that the 130 is a bit too large for the rim. 110 is the exact crossover, but most of us get away with one size larger, so look for a 120. You will also probably do better to look for the /90, rather than an /80 aspect ratio.

Bottom line: look for a 120/90-18.

.

[Nessism]

130/80 18 is what is on there right now so I assumed it was the appropriate size for the rear. I am digging through clymer right now to find a spec. My computer which has the shop manual is down right now

Your bike originally came with a 4.00x18 tire. Closest to that size would be a 110/90-18, which actually is a little larger.

130/80 18 is what is on there right now so I assumed it was the appropriate size for the rear. I am digging through clymer right now to find a spec. My computer which has the shop manual is down right now

[Nessism]

A 130 is way too big for the narrow 2.15" wide wheel on the '82 750E. You might want to reconsider the sizing. A 120 is pushing the size envelope but more doable.

Earlier this summer, I spooned an unsuspecting set of Shinko 230 Tourmaster tires onto my GS850G in the name of Science.

Bear in mind I am a large galoot and I ride like a flaming bat out of hell. Normal people get a LOT more miles out of their tires. The numbers below represent extreme abuse -- your mileage will probably be a lot better.

114,000 miles: Set installed. Poor lil' guys didn't know what they were in for...

114,800 - 115,000 miles: Somewhere in here I caught a large nail in the rear that made two oddly angled punctures. Not the tire's fault. Couldn't fix it, so I replaced the rear tire.

117,900 miles: rear tire at or past tread wear indicators. Since I was 450 miles from home in the middle of a trip to Wisconsin, the only option was to shrug and ride on.

118,500 miles: Got home from Wisconsin. Rear tire completely, utterly beyond shagged. Bald. Done. Avon RoadRiders ordered, bike parked until new tires arrive.



In a nutshell:

- They stick great in all conditions and under extreme cornering -- dry, wet, cold, etc.


- They feel great -- very neutral.


- They didn't last long at all. The rear was at the TWIs in about 3,000 miles, and WAY past worn out at about 3,500. The center tread is completely smooth.

- The front shows pretty normal wear (fronts don't flat spot like rears, so you have to look closer), but it is visibly very worn and also needs to be replaced at about 4,500 miles -- not sure if you could get away with running two rears for each front with these.


- In their favor, they felt great all the way up to the end. This indicates to me the tire is very well-designed and well-built (it's V-rated), but uses a soft tread compound to achieve a high level of performance. I suspect that more expensive tires use more expensive rubber compounds to achieve adhesion along with better wear.


- No, I personally would not buy another set. I ride too many miles and go on too many long trips, so cost per mile matters to me. I know that I can reliably and safely get at least 6,000 miles out of each rear Avon RoadRider, and that I can use one front through two rears. Two Avon rears and one front will take me 12,000 miles easily at a far lower cost than four sets of Shinko 230s. A new set of Avons is on its way to me right now, in fact.

However, I would not hesitate to put Shinko 230s on a bike that doesn't get ridden as much, or if budget for purchase price is a big consideration. (They're about $80 less per set.)

Conclusion: The Shinko 230s work great, they're inexpensive, but they don't last very long.



Now let's do some accounting. Math R hard, but I need to make myself feel better about dropping all this cash on rubber.

The set of Avon RoadRiders I ordered cost $212.09. (100/90-19 front, 130/90-17 rear). (American Moto Tire)

The Shinko 230s are $136.35 a set in the same sizes. (Motorcycle Superstore)

I know I can get 12,000 miles easily and safely from one front and two rear Avons, a total of $328.38 at current prices -- 2.7 cents per mile.

I can only get 3,000 safe miles from a set of Shinko 230s, so the total for 12,000 miles (four sets) would be $545.40, or 4.5 cents per mile.

Even if I suddenly get religion or something and slow down enough to get 4,000 miles out of a set of Shinkos, the cost per mile would be 3.4 cents, plus all that extra time spent 'rassling tires.

Conclusion: the more expensive tires are cheaper.




Edit: after EPIC struggles with getting my phone to cough up usable photos, here's a pic of a shagged Shinko. You can see traces of the center stripe here and there. Not down to the cords, anyway :

I know .. necro but I am in need of a rear tire and have a question. I did the Shinko Tourmaster on the front. My current rear says its a 130/80 18 but there doesnt seem to be a tourmaster 230 in that size but they do offer a

130/90V18

https://www.shinkotireusa.com/product/230-tour-master/211903

What size did you use on your rear and if anyone knows .. can I get that tire on my rim?

- I can count on 6,000 miles from a rear Avon AM26, and 12,000 from the front. The only front tire I've ever been comfortable running 2:1.

- I haven't noticed any edge issues on the 712. I also hang off a good bit when riding hard so I always have a goodly traction margin to work with, so maybe I just haven't gotten into that ragged edge (nor do I want to). Before I learned the correct, complete technique (Total Control Riding classes from Lee Parks -- HIGHLY recommended), I dragged parts more often, went slower, and didn't have nearly as much margin for correction.

- My 712s won't see 3,000 miles. To be fair, if I ran them down way past the TWIs like I did the 230s (I was 500 miles from home when I noticed they were roached; they had 3,000 miles at that point, and were smooth at 3,500 miles), then yeah, they would probably achieve approximately the same mileage.



- Not that Shinko's other tires have any relevance whatsoever to this discussion of GS tires, but...

I've also not heard good things about Shinko's sportybike tires. And the price difference in those sizes isn't nearly as compelling.

I've been impressed by the 705 on the KLR650 (blocky chevron dual-sport tread). Great on the street, passable off pavement. They're less impressive, but serviceable on the V-Strom -- the current 705 has a very strange feel on the Strom, and although I've used three sets on my V-Strom thanks to their crazy low pricing, I've never been all that happy with them. I'll just pay a few extra bucks for better tires.

I tend to keep knobbier rubber on the KLR650 nowadays, and the Shinko 805 (square block knobby) is OK on pavement, but not nearly as good off-pavement as other options, like the Metzeler Karoo 3. Plus, there's not much of a price difference, so I won't be installing a new set when these poop out.

In sum, Shinko is a mixed bag. It depends on your bike and the competition. They're good, safe tires made in a first-world country (South Korea) and they have a certain niche in the market.

In this case, on a GS, both of Shinko's offerings are very, very good, and the pricing is compelling, but they are short-lived. As noted in the original review, if you ride your GS a lot, or have to pay to have tires mounted, the cost/mile equation may lean toward a more expensive but longer-lived tire like the Avon AM26 (or others).

I've ran Shinkos since they were fairly new and have had no bad experiences with them. From Ravens, to Verges, to 705s, to 712s to 805/804s. All have been great tires that have out performed my expectations.