Shinko 230 Torture Test

[Boriqua]

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]

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!!!

[Buffalo Bill]

Did somebody mention a car rim?

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

[Gorminrider]

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

[Boriqua]

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!

[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........................................
.

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.

[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]

That's an amazing difference, Brian. I got to thinking how a lot of my stuff lasts longer than usual. I just put on a pair of jeans that are over a year old and I wear this pair to work at least once a week. Boots last many years, heck, my riding jacket is 15 years old. I just am not that hard on things I guess.

Seeing how this bike is already 36 years old, at the rate I wear things out it should till the end of time. Well, my time anyway.

I'll be ordering another set of Shinkos soon. I was hoping to get through the winter since it really sucks changing cold tires. The riding season never really ends here, there are just short breaks here and there. Worst case scenario, I suppose I could warm the tires up with a space heater and work quickly to change them.

[bwringer]

If it's chilly in the garage, I usually put the tires in the kitchen until I'm ready to mount them. (My wife's usual comment is something like "Didn't you just buy motorcycle tires last month?" Yes. Yes, I did. These are different tires for a different bike.)

I've always found that warm tires make things a little easier, but it's certainly not a show-stopper.

[Burque73]

In the kitchen, good idea. I've always liked the smell of new tires. Pair that with fresh baked bread and.....ok that's weird, but whatever works.

Last year on a cold day I helped a friend swap some tires. We struggled for hours with them. Not sure what brand they were or what their born on date was, but it was rough. After that I demounted my shinkos to change valve stems, warming them in the sun first, and it was a night and day difference in the effort. Oh, we used dish soap for lube on his which didn't work nearly as well as Ruglyde. Live and learn.

[bwringer]

I've seen what dish detergent does to motorcycle wheels after a year or two and it ain't pretty. That stuff is EXTREMELY corrosive.

Tubeless GS wheels, or at least some, seem to have sort of a clear coat inside, and most modern motorcycle wheels are powder coated. Coatings can protect the wheels from corrosion to some degree, but dish detergent can get into the slightest nick or crack and cause all kinds of nasty corrosion.

As I understand it, Ruglyde and other tire mounting lubricants are simple soaps with anti-corrosion additives. I'm a little hazy on the exact chemistry, but there's a big difference between soap and detergent. Detergents are very corrosive, and should not be left in contact with metals.

Plus, as you mentioned, soap-based tire mounting lubes are slipperier and just work a heck of a lot better. (Murphy's oil soap actually makes a tire mounting lube variant that smells awfully nice...) Another important property is that they dry slightly sticky and rinse away easily. I've seen all sorts of insane substitutes on motorcycle forums for tire mounting lubricants... it just doesn't make sense when a lifetime supply of the right stuff is maybe $17 at Napa.

[Burque73]

How about antifreeze for tire lube? It has anti corrosive agents in it, among other similar ingredients like both ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, according to the MSDS. They're both slippery liquids. I know there are many other ingredients in antifreeze, just wondering.

[mmattockx]

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.

That is great mileage. My 230's have ~9500km on them and the rear is toast, near smooth in the center and heavily squared off. Front is OK and will live through another rear easily. I have a new 230 rear ready to go, but didn't ride the GS at all this past summer except to move it to a new acreage we bought. Next year it will get some love again with the new tire on.


Mark

[Grimly]

I've seen what dish detergent does to motorcycle wheels after a year or two and it ain't pretty. That stuff is EXTREMELY corrosive.

Tubeless GS wheels, or at least some, seem to have sort of a clear coat inside, and most modern motorcycle wheels are powder coated. Coatings can protect the wheels from corrosion to some degree, but dish detergent can get into the slightest nick or crack and cause all kinds of nasty corrosion.

As I understand it, Ruglyde and other tire mounting lubricants are simple soaps with anti-corrosion additives. I'm a little hazy on the exact chemistry, but there's a big difference between soap and detergent. Detergents are very corrosive, and should not be left in contact with metals.

Plus, as you mentioned, soap-based tire mounting lubes are slipperier and just work a heck of a lot better. (Murphy's oil soap actually makes a tire mounting lube variant that smells awfully nice...) Another important property is that they dry slightly sticky and rinse away easily. I've seen all sorts of insane substitutes on motorcycle forums for tire mounting lubricants... it just doesn't make sense when a lifetime supply of the right stuff is maybe $17 at Napa.

I've been using hand-soap recently when stuck for slippy stuff. Previously I was using glycerine that was a throw-off from a few years back of biodiesel production, but it was impractical this time as it had gone quite nasty in the tubs.
In the past I've used detergent the very odd time, but was always wary of the salt content of it - many of the cheap dishwashing detergents are diluted from base stock and thickened back up by slinging a load of common salt in them - try it to see, sometime.
Quite often I've simply used a cake of cheap laundry soap and lathered it up on to the rim and bead, but it's nothing as neat as having a tub of the proper stuff and a brush.
Sometime I'll get some Ruglyde, or the local equivalent, but it's quite annoying when I've got dozens of gallons of glycerine if I can get to it.

[salty_monk]

That is a cool setup Grimly. I might have to make one of those!

I use Ruglyde as it's cheap at NAPA and a gallon lasts forever but I would think one of the biodegradable fabric washing soaps such as would be the best alternative if available. On a trip I'd use Shower gel or shampoo/conditioner in a pinch...

Oh and as usual my Shinko's still look brand new at 1,000 or so miles in