Shinko 712

Well, after about 3500 miles on the 712 pair, I can say they are pretty good and handle very well.
Front tire is wearing great.... however, I can see from the wear I measured today on the rear... that this 120/90H18 Shinko 712 tire will not make it to much further then a safe, 5500-6000 miles with my spirited riding style.
Still, I didn't expect 9,000-10,000 with a tire that cost me $75 installed and balanced!!

Pic of the 712? In got another Tour Master but is the 712 deeper tread?
Steve

Have Shinko 712's on my KZ650, they seem a good tire grip wise and smooth ride. Not enough miles on them to comment on wear. I just ordered today some Shinko 230 Tourmasters for my KZ1000, they are V rated and a heavier load rating than the 712's that are only H rated, The 230's are supposed to give good mileage before wearing out and seem better suited to the KZ1000. Some reviews I've read have had people doing some big miles on powerful bikes with them. I find these days I'm often changing tires due to age rather than because they are worn,too many bikes- not enough time, but the 712's are known to be a soft compound, so they don't last long compared to some other brands/models, but that is not a fault of the tire as such, more it's intended design/use.

Back in the day, I seem to remember only getting 2500-3500 miles out of a rear tire on these sorts of bikes,, so the fact that with today's tires we can get almost twice that, while having levels of grip we couldn't have imagined, is a miracle in itself. The 712's are not much more expensive, in actual $ than tires were back in the late 70's.

I don't know about the relative tread depths, but they are very different patterns, the 230 having a lot more tread cutouts and groves going round the middle, where as the 712's are fairly slick in comparison.

My Tour Master's depth seems a little shallow. I just changed it and the old one had some tread but I don't wear them out like I use to. Maybe I'm getting more cautious or smart, who knows? :dry: I had just changed it the day before that chick pulled in front of me. The bike went where I wanted it to go. That could be why I'm here now. :whistle:
Steve

swest wrote: Pic of the 712? In got another Tour Master but is the 712 deeper tread?
Steve

Shinko 712 tread depth



5.84mm Front,6.57mm Rear
Pete

My Shinko 230 Tourmasters arrived yesterday. They are definitely seem heavier duty than the 712's and I think when fitted the tread pattern will look better on the KZ1000 than the 712's do on my KZ650. While still a modern tire the extra tread grooves of the 230 make it look a little more like a period tire IMO. It will be interesting to see them mounted, my first impression is they look a little bigger than the 712's in the same size. The front 100/90/19 712 on my 650 almost looks like I could have gone to a 110, but I've a feeling the 230 will be just a bit bigger overall.

I have a 110 up front and a 130 on the rear. The 110 barely fits in the fender but I have dirt roads and the 100 washed out too easy.
Steve

I thought of going that way, but felt the 130 would be too wide for my rear rim and with my luck the 110 would bind up front. Is yours a limited with the 16" rear? I'm going with an 18" rear, my bike is a kz1000a2 that someone put Ltd wheels on. I will have an 18" rear for my Shinko, I think I solved the rear caliper issue tonight, but will have to wait until it arrives to be certain it will work with the rotor I have and everything will bolt up spacer wise.

19" front/18" rear. Next rear tire will be a 120 when this one is worn out. I'm keeping track of the miles and we'll see how many I can get out of it.
Steve.

The best sizes for the bike are 100/90-19 up front; 120/90-18 in the rear.

I used 130 tires in the rear for years, but the cross-section of the tread deforms when mounting them on the narrow rear wheel. The 120 gives as good or even better handling, isn't as difficult to mount, and won't interfere with the chain guard.

The 110 on the front is too wide and may come in contact with things. This would be very bad. Keep in mind that while two tires may be marked with same size they may actually be very different sizes (strange - but true). So if one model 110 tire barely fits up front a different model tire may be too wide. As an example - below is an image that shows two of my Micheiin 100/90-V-19 tires. One is a Macadam 50-E and one is an A-48, but both are the exact same 100/90-V-19 size tires. However, it is obvious that one in much wider than the other. Ed

I've always run a larger tire up front. I replaced my K 181 two years ago with a 100/90-19 and didn't like it, it wore out fast and washed out in a heart beat. In the day we ran 4.10's up front and 5.10's in back. Those were the days of Dunlop K 81's and Chin Ching rear tires. The Shinko's are great tires and at the price, I may do a few tire smokers before it's done. :lol:
Steve

The PO put a 140 rear tire on the 16" rim, but comparing it to the 120 Shinko it doesn't look a lot wider, I think that's because the rim is too narrow and is pinching the tire, altering the profile. I'm still going through things,, so something else might also be contributing, but to me it feels horrible riding on that tire even at low speeds, the bike just doesn't feel right at the back. I can't wait to get my 18" rear on and the new tires. I just bought a GPz 550 rear brake caliper that in theory will work with my Police Rim and the rotor I have for it - fingers crossed..

Different brands of tire are definitely different in actual size and as stated earlier I think the Shinko 230 is likely a little bigger than the equivalent 712. Based on the Avon tire currently on the front, I think a 110 would be too wide for the rim. Tires also expand in use when hot so we need to be careful of adequate clearance, I recall one of the racers of the 70's (Sheene?) having a big off when a rear tire expanded and seized in the swing arm.