TIRE TALK - when the rubber meets the road

Hey all, here's a discussion that's probably been had over and over again, but not very recently unless my forum search skills have failed (they have not).

I just put in an order for some tires via amazon.com:

Shinko 712 front and rear for my 83 KZ1100A3. Total cost: $104.98 from Motorcycle Superstore.

That's right, front and rears for $104. That's less than the cost of a single tire from the more well-known brands.

Reading the reviews on amazon for these tires, there are some comments about the quality and wear that indicate this tire/compound is fairly grippy but very long-lasting; however, when I asked the customer service rep (called to verify proper order/size) she said that the Shinko's were actually quite sporty with a fast wear rate (said specifically that the name-brand more-expensive rubber would wear at a ratio of 3-to-1, i.e. I'd go through 3 sets of the shinko's for 1 pair of xxx brand).

These are replacing a rock-hard set of Dunlop Harley-branded H-rated rubber from...I dunno, the turn of the century, I'm guessing (PO was a tech at Thunderbird Harley in Albuquerque). Since I've owned the bike I've made 2x 2,400 mile round trips from NM to IA plus a decent amount of around-town miles, including some spirited mountain/canyon carving, and the Dunlops have been great for all intents. Literally they've worn down into 'street slicks' so I've gotten just about every mile out of them - the tred pattern is completely gone except on the shoulders, eh heh.

So the conversation, in my mind, is 'If you get what you pay for, what did I just buy at half the price of the brand-name?' and 'outside of track or extreme riding conditions, is there really any difference between compounds, cost and brand?'.

What I'm looking for is real-world observations and an honest discussion about tires fitted specifically to bigger KZs. I'm not prone to burnouts or even dragging at the light (doesn't take much to beat the pants off anything in the next lane, without being an asshat), and this is my first tire purchase with an honest big bike that I ride cross-country, so it's a big deal for me on a budget. It's a pain in the ass to buy and fit new tires halfway through a 5,000 mile ride, and stressful.

SO, yeah...thoughts? Really crappy tire experiences? Great deals? Like/dislike Dunlop?

not sure how this got posted under 'engine', mods feel free to move this thread to the appropriate category.

So I called around about mounting the new rubber, prices varied wildy ($76 and $90 f/r on bike, $52 EACH off bike at one place vs. $34 for the pair off bike, mounted and balanced) if I just bring in the rims and new rubber).

I called 3 shops and I'm going for the place that charges $34 for the pair. I'm just shocked the other place is charging $52 each. Just goes to show what shopping around a bit can save you (so, uhh, go ahead and post some thoughts/advice on tires guys. You know, save yourself some $$)

I'm interested as well. I just got a pair of Shinko 712's too. At this point I still have more experience working on my bike than riding it so I doubt I'll have any useful input for a while. I'm also replacing some vintage tires. My front tire is date coded May of '85 and my rear tire doesn't seem to have a date code. :blink: Stuff I've read said Shinko bought Yokohama. I just wanted something cheap that handled well and everyone seems to agree the Shinkos fit those requirements.

I put a Dunlop K70 rear tire on my bike ('79 KZ750) shortly after buying it. It lasted about a year (5,000 miles). I like the tire and it's nicely priced so I replaced it with another (and a Dunlop K70 front) about 1000 miles ago.

It's hard to tell how long it's gonna last, but it seems to be wearing fairly quickly. I don't know, maybe 5,000 miles is a lot for a MC tire?

The K70s seem pretty soft to me but I don't know how the compound in the K70 compares to what's in your Dunlop Harley tires.

I don't want to put a new tire on every year and would like to ride more not less, so if these Dunlops wear out inside of a year, I'll be looking for another brand. Plus, around here it's hard to find a shop that'll mount tires they didn't sell you.

gravit8 wrote: So I called around about mounting the new rubber, prices varied wildy ($76 and $90 f/r on bike, $52 EACH off bike at one place vs. $34 for the pair off bike, mounted and balanced) if I just bring in the rims and new rubber).

I called 3 shops and I'm going for the place that charges $34 for the pair. I'm just shocked the other place is charging $52 each. Just goes to show what shopping around a bit can save you (so, uhh, go ahead and post some thoughts/advice on tires guys. You know, save yourself some $$)

The local shop here gives free mount and balance if you buy the tires there. Saves me money.

bountyhunter wrote: ]The local shop here gives free mount and balance if you buy the tires there. Saves me money.

I asked the local bike shop what a new set of tires would run me if I just bring them the bike and they quoted me $428 (dunlop tires) and said it would take at least 2 days because they don't have one of the tires in stock. :blink: The Shinko 712's ran me $160 with tubes, wheel bands, and shipping. My brother in law has a motorcycle jack/stand and I'm just going to take them the rims like my Uncle did. They charged him $80 to mount and balance tires on rims he brought in.

Dunlop/Dont lap/Dont Grip.........
Ive run some really cheap tires in the past on bikes I wasnt beating really hard and Ill be the 1st to admit even chen shins and kendas give a more assuring grip/ride than the old dunlops that came stock on most of these bikes

I just put bridgestone battlaxs front and rear. Ive got probally 2,000 mile on them and they still look great. so far iam really happy with them i forget what they cost but it was more than $120

Ive got Battlax tires on my LTD and they have been great, Probably got 4000 miles on them and going strong. Good overall performance, wet, dry, braking and going fast. Ive had good luck with Continetal, Pirelli Phantoms, and Avon Venoms

Mullineaux wrote:

bountyhunter wrote: ]The local shop here gives free mount and balance if you buy the tires there. Saves me money.

I asked the local bike shop what a new set of tires would run me if I just bring them the bike and they quoted me $428 (dunlop tires) and said it would take at least 2 days because they don't have one of the tires in stock. :blink: The Shinko 712's ran me $160 with tubes, wheel bands, and shipping. My brother in law has a motorcycle jack/stand and I'm just going to take them the rims like my Uncle did. They charged him $80 to mount and balance tires on rims he brought in.

Hmmm....unusual to find people getting reamed worse than we do here in Kali: my local shop charges $20 each to mount/balance a "carry in", throws it in free for a tire bought there. They also come reasonably close (within maybe 15%) to matching internet prices on tires, batteries, shocks, etc.

I don't remember running Shinko in my last 33 years... but I ran Cheng Shin which are probably about the same, Dunlops, Avons, and a few others. The only true tire failure I ever had was Dunlop 404.

On various bikes I've had, new tires have been Battlax BT45s (did not like), BT015s (really didn't like), BT016 (ok, wore fast), Pirelli Diablos (great all around) and HD branded Dunlops (much better than I expected).

I liked the Diablos the best and would put them on everything but I think they are 17" only. Cheaper than all the Bridgestones too which I am not a fan of. The Dunlops were put on my KZ by the PO when he sold it and I can't complain. I will replace them with Shinkos when they wear out, the price is unbeatable.