Shinko Tires

[Tufbusa]

Let's see what Google has to say:
Motorcycle USA - "As it is I have to report the overall experience with these budget buns is favorable."

BikeBandit customer review, all 5 out of 5 stars save one which is 4 out of 5

Private person, Long, favorable review on Sportbike.ws

The Examiner - "The tire is exceptional for the type of daily riding I do."

Motorcycle USA tire comparison - "...we wouldn’t hesitate to put a set on our bike...In fact they’ll work acceptably for all riders as long as you can show some throttle hand restraint when exiting a corner"

...and that's just from the first page of results.

Then try searching for for problem results, you have to go through a few pages but you can find the odd entry, the Shinko 244 off-road tire seems to have some inflation issues and a few people complained that the 005's wore more quickly than they had hoped. Many people comment that the Raven is a stiff tire, but none equate that with anything more than being a by-product of being a sport touring tire.

Tuf, I'm glad you've found something that works well for your riding style, I have too. I have satisfied myself that I am not risking my life to any greater degree by using Shinko Stealths so I'll happily continue using those going forwards. In the future, anybody want to hit me up for a report on how they are doing or to see if I have been in some grizzly accident because of them, please feel free to PM me.

You are absolutely correct, but I don't really know what riding style means. I think you meant my skill level? The answer, I have indeed found tires (multiple tires actually) that supports my skill level quite well. And apparently you have found tires that support your skill level. However, I can tell you without question, you will never exceed the mediocre skill level on Shinko tires.

I did the same google search you did and I actually read the articles you refer to in support of your views. It appears you are willing to place your faith in some guy calling himself "Mity Mouse" on a motorcycle board. Who by the way, spent more time bragging about how fast he was than praising his newly found prized Shinkos. He admitted he couldn't afford a decent tire. He lives near me up here in the NW and is on our local board as well. He posted the same BS locally.

You did find two articles in Motousa. I never heard of either of the authors. The first article written by the editor didn't strike me as being a rider who was capable of a tire test. The second article seem to have more merrit and the author didn't have much faith in the tire only riding in he C (Slow) group. He had this to say:

“Predicable but somewhat heavy steering. You have to be really, really smooth during acceleration out of a corner. Anytime you’d put any immediate load on the rear tire it would break traction. Rear side grip was a bit sketchy and got worse as more heat got into the tire.

Issues with side grip is not a good sign!

Looking at the positive side and giving Shinko benifit of doubt, they are by any stretch of the imagination the lowest as well as cheapest grade of tire available on planet earth. If you can't afford a better tire, at least put a sticker on your instrument panel "Handle with care". If you can afford a better tire, by all means it's money well spent.

The Motousa editor had this to say about his test Shinkos:

For beginner trackday riders on smaller-displacement sportbikes the Shinko Stealth should also be considered as an option.

I've never seen a shinko at the track and I certainly would not recommend anyone hit the track on a shinko. Apparently the author learned enough in one day to decide these tires don't belong on big HP bikes and I agree. Shinkos on a big HP bike IMO is poor judgment. If you are the bread winner with a family it's irresponsible IMO!

I'm not suggesting to anyone what or what not to buy! Only you can make your decisions. The more knowledge you arm yourself with the better decisions you'll make!

 

[meductic]

You are absolutely correct, but I don't really know what riding style means. I think you meant my skill level? The answer, I have indeed found tires (multiple tires actually) that supports my skill level quite well. And apparently you have found tires that support your skill level. However, I can tell you without question, you will never exceed the mediocre skill level on Shinko tires.

I did the same google search you did and I actually read the articles you refer to in support of your views. It appears you are willing to place your faith in some guy calling himself "Mity Mouse" on a motorcycle board. Who by the way, spent more time bragging about how fast he was than praising his newly found prized Shinkos. He admitted he couldn't afford a decent tire. He lives near me up here in the NW and is on our local board as well. He posted the same BS locally.

You did find two articles in Motousa. I never heard of either of the authors. The first article written by the editor didn't strike me as being a rider who was capable of a tire test. The second article seem to have more merrit and the author didn't have much faith in the tire only riding in he C (Slow) group. He had this to say:

“Predicable but somewhat heavy steering. You have to be really, really smooth during acceleration out of a corner. Anytime you’d put any immediate load on the rear tire it would break traction. Rear side grip was a bit sketchy and got worse as more heat got into the tire.

Issues with side grip is not a good sign!

Looking at the positive side and giving Shinko benifit of doubt, they are by any stretch of the imagination the lowest as well as cheapest grade of tire available on planet earth. If you can't afford a better tire, at least put a sticker on your instrument panel "Handle with care". If you can afford a better tire, by all means it's money well spent.

The Motousa editor had this to say about his test Shinkos:

For beginner trackday riders on smaller-displacement sportbikes the Shinko Stealth should also be considered as an option.

I've never seen a shinko at the track and I certainly would not recommend anyone hit the track on a shinko. Apparently the author learned enough in one day to decide these tires don't belong on big HP bikes and I agree. Shinkos on a big HP bike IMO is poor judgment. If you are the bread winner with a family it's irresponsible IMO!

I'm not suggesting to anyone what or what not to buy! Only you can make your decisions. The more knowledge you arm yourself with the better decisions you'll make!

AMEN to that brother! Best retort to a statement EVER!

 

[GSXcite]

Here is a couple of busas on the track on 009 Shinkos. I did some drag racing with mine too, and put all but one busa on the trailer with them.

 

[K6_7L]

Ability to search the internet...
+
An occasional self supported track day...
+
A Power Ranger Costume...
+
Type "A" Personality
=
Expert Tire Specialist of the Fraglestick Order

 

[Poppy]

Ability to search the internet...
+
An occasional self supported track day...
+
A Power Ranger Costume...
+
Type "A" Personality
=
Expert Tire Specialist of the Fraglestick Order

For your "first" post.......priceless! hahaha!

 

[K6_7L]

Should I follow that up with "Whats a TRE"?

 

[Dehning]

Ok, ok, go ahead an beat your chest Tuf. We are in awe...

I absolutely DO mean riding style and not skill. Even though I have no prior knowledge of your capabilities, I'll fully grant you that you are an expert on the track. This of course is not where myself and most of the other Shinko proponents spend out time, we generally are not rounding corners as hard as the bike can generally go, or slowing from triple digits for every other corner, instead we are commuting or touring and I'm afraid that your "skill" doesn't mean near as much there since it is an entirely different kind of riding with different stresses and requirements for the bike and tires on roads that are far from the ideal surface of a racetrack.

You berate a guy's experience in part because he calls himself "Mity Mouse" . . . "Tuf Busa" - ???

Shinkos are definitely not the cheapest tires, cheaper ones have been mentioned a few times on this board.

...and finally as far as the barb on safety and being the bread winner (which I am), I would bet that the thicker/stronger rubber on the Ravens will stand up to the abuse of public roads way better than a tire built for a smooth even track.

 

[Crunch1]

Good point Dehning. Ppl like him is just caught up in their closed mind. Pointless to debate with him. He has no proof on any Shinko tire is bad just like the other bashers. Its like Ford vs Chevy, Toyota vs Nissan, etc. I am still waiting for anyone to post anything other than their opinion about Shinkos. For ppl who bash, have the bash data to back it up. He states not being a test monkey for tire.. Dude everytime your purchase tires you run the risk of that tire not performing properly, but I forgot only inexpensive tires blowout or fail. So all the wrecks & crashes we see on youtube, they are all running Shinkos, Even moto gp high/ lo sides wrecks are caused by inexpensive tires. Gotcha. So the next time you see a guy go down at the track or the street...Gotta be the Shinkos he is using...Yep thats it. I've been using them for 4 years solid, what other proof do one needs. Shinko users will continue to use their SAFE tire without paying for all the hype & their tires will last twice as long.

 

[VIPER]

post like the one above^^^^ in my opinion offer nothing of value to this conversation. Nor are they needed. I dont recal in any of my reading did anyone say if there is a wreck its because of the cheap shinkos. What has been stated is that they are not as high of quality as some of the more popular brands. Also what was stated in the articles provided was the tires fade under heat. You dont have to be on a track to produce enough heat to fade a tire. If you ride on the street on a summer day you can produce more then enough heat to cause fade. More so on black top. Shinko tires are ok, that being said, they are not track worthy and need some more r&d to get to that stage.

 

[Ziggyman]

I have a friend with an 06 CBR 1K with a set of Shinko tires on for the past 2-3 seasons. Out of the box they have worked really well and have lasted a few thousand miles (not sure exactly). Surviving wheelies, drag racing, and spirited riding just fine they exceeded his expectations, however he bought new skins this winter and they weren't Shinko.

I've had some experience with pilot powers on two bikes and oem battleaxe on two bikes and they both have more grip than I have ever exceeded. On a cold tire the bridgestone was a little more sketchy imo.

 

[soundman]

If only these people hadn't been riding on Shinkos. Surely that's the only reason they crashed.

- Motorcycle Crash - Rider Thrown Over Guardrail on Mulholland Hwy[/url]

- Brand new Gixxer crashed[/url]



The Shinkos made this guys turn in so slow he couldn't even miss the tree..tsk tsk tsk

- A Beginners Guide To Motorcycling[/url]

Shinkos have so much rolling resistance that they made this rider drop her rare Honda.. (frowny face)

- ever seen a $60k+ bike dropped?[/url]

And poor Gary McCoy during his lackluster year with the Kawasaki/Shinko MotoGP team

- Gary McCoy - Slide[/url]

I went out this weekend for the first real ride on the Busa and alas, was only able to scrub in the rear completely from side to side and the front to within a 1/4" of the edge.. must try harder.

Also didn't fall down. Btw, the rear is the new 011 Verge sport touring radial whitch is Z rated and the front is the 005 which is only W rated so I kept it below 168. The Verge front was not in stock when I ordered.

Seriously, what I'm trying to say is that unless your accident is caused by a completely outside event, people usually fall down because they made an error in judgement. If you outride your tires then you didn't do a good job of evaluating the limitations of those tires as you were riding. I've had way scarier moments on cold Pilot Race tires than I've ever had on any Shinkos.
I've ridden on tires from every manufacturer including Tomahawk (Here's the link to a review I did on them in another forum

Tomahawk Motorcycle Tires - Wrist Twisters

The scariest tires I've ever ridden on were Metzeler ME Series Tires. Took forever to warm up, didn't grip that well once they did and wet traction was so bad I actually at one point considered parking my bike and calling for a ride.
My Favorite tires were also Metzelers. Racetechs. Unfortunately they are too ridiculously expensive to put on a bike that I'm going to ride on the street.

You can't rely on buyin expensive tires to save you from riding like an a$$. If you're a bad rider or aren't practicing good riding technique you'll eventually go past the limits of grip. If, however, you are a good rider and carefully find the limits of traction you will be fine barring some unforseen circumstance.

One of my favorite tire stories involved a rider who was going to one of the track schools (can't remember which one). He was on a sticky tired superbike and was getting schooled by instructors on SV650's riding on Dunlop sport touring tires.

 

[afterhours]

Here is where your arguments against Shinko Tires gets offtrack.....They are not designed, marketed or even pretend to be "race-ready" performance tires. Nobody is claiming they are stickier than (insert your favorite tire)......however, they are perfectly good for 99% of riders.

That would be like me installing Pilot Powers on my Goldwing......then going on the internet calling them garbage because I burned a hole in them after 1000 miles....

Different tires are for different things.

If you want to win races, get a racing tire.....

If you want a tre that will get you to work, weekend rides....an occasional mountain ride and even the occasional trackday Shinko's will work for you.

If you are riding so fast on the street that you need racing tires....You should slow down.

 

[Poppy]

Here is where your arguments against Shinko Tires gets offtrack.....They are not designed, marketed or even pretend to be "race-ready" performance tires. Nobody is claiming they are stickier than (insert your favorite tire)......however, they are perfectly good for 99% of riders.

That would be like me installing Pilot Powers on my Goldwing......then going on the internet calling them garbage because I burned a hole in them after 1000 miles....

Different tires are for different things.

If you want to win races, get a racing tire.....

If you want a tre that will get you to work, weekend rides....an occasional mountain ride and even the occasional trackday Shinko's will work for you.

If you are riding so fast on the street that you need racing tires....You should slow down.

+1, good point.

 

[VIPER]

just an article i didnt see posted here yet on shinkos....nevermind i see it now...

i think shinks are decent rubber but lets not kid ourselves yes they got some of there info from yoko......it said they bought some of their molds....what it didnt say was which molds etc. molds means nothing really if you dont have the proper formula to actually fill the molds. shinko isnt a new company they have been around for a long time. I still have to say i dunno if i could or would trust my life with em. Blow out on car is one thing blow out on bike is a nother different critter. i would tend to buy a tire that is gonna grip the road that doesnt require the master throttle hand...you know take the human error part out of the equation a little more if i can.

 

[bacharles]

 

[afterhours]

just an article i didnt see posted here yet on shinkos....nevermind i see it now...

i think shinks are decent rubber but lets not kid ourselves yes they got some of there info from yoko......it said they bought some of their molds....what it didnt say was which molds etc. molds means nothing really if you dont have the proper formula to actually fill the molds. shinko isnt a new company they have been around for a long time. I still have to say i dunno if i could or would trust my life with em. Blow out on car is one thing blow out on bike is a nother different critter. i would tend to buy a tire that is gonna grip the road that doesnt require the master throttle hand...you know take the human error part out of the equation a little more if i can.

if you spend enough time around a racetack you will see plenty of race rubber that is not up to snuff. Big names like Dunlop, Metzler etc...they all make thousands of tires and sometimes there are just bad tires....

I have not seen any information that says Shinko's are prone to catastrophic failure....IF you have please post the info.

Shinko bought the tire tech from Yokohama, the molds and the manufacturing process....I raced in the 90's, I ran theses tires when they were Yoko's. they were good back then and they are good now....

 

[VIPER]

My concern isnt so much with blow out....though it does and can happen with any tire. My concern is more with the lack of traction at lean angles even when the tire is warm. Every article posted on the shinkos has stated that this was a problem. I have personally experienced this myself. They require a baby hand on the throttle in cornering especially at any speed. They do break loose and slide under stiff accelleration. The shape of the tire also does not promote traction under load in a corner either. The flatter profile does hinder cornering. If you read the articles these tires were a full 8 seconds slower on the track. not just a second. Also every article stated they had a tendency to break loose under load. Now also look at the front tire. They stated that the tire didnt have the traction they expected either. It would slide under heavy breaking and bark when it grabbed finally. This was all after the tire was warm.

I am not saying they arent a usable tire. Im just saying i wouldnt put them on a busa that i was planning on doing corners and twisties with. If i was just touring and spent most of my time straight lineing it i wouldnt hesitate to use a shink again. But not in twisties and not on the track.

 

[BusaWizard]

if you spend enough time around a racetack you will see plenty of race rubber that is not up to snuff. Big names like Dunlop, Metzler etc...they all make thousands of tires and sometimes there are just bad tires....

I have not seen any information that says Shinko's are prone to catastrophic failure....IF you have please post the info.

Shinko bought the tire tech from Yokohama, the molds and the manufacturing process....I raced in the 90's, I ran theses tires when they were Yoko's. they were good back then and they are good now....

+100 I know plenty of people running Shinkos on and off the track, I haven't heard of any failures either.

 

[Ezduzit]

3 pages and still going strong. Two questions for the Shinko fans...

For anyone running Shinko Ravens or the like, how many sets are you going through in a season?
Normally a season and a half but since ive extended the arm 1 riding season.
How many are doing track time on them? ( Road coarse not drag strip.)
No track time.
Just curious

Posted via Mobile Device

 

[hotrod_rick1]

Here is where your arguments against Shinko Tires gets offtrack.....They are not designed, marketed or even pretend to be "race-ready" performance tires. Nobody is claiming they are stickier than (insert your favorite tire)......however, they are perfectly good for 99% of riders.

That would be like me installing Pilot Powers on my Goldwing......then going on the internet calling them garbage because I burned a hole in them after 1000 miles....

Different tires are for different things.

If you want to win races, get a racing tire.....

If you want a tre that will get you to work, weekend rides....an occasional mountain ride and even the occasional trackday Shinko's will work for you.

If you are riding so fast on the street that you need racing tires....You should slow down.

This says it all !