which tire

[officerbill]

Help,
I'm about to buy new tires. Question is Kendas or Bridgestones? The K657 Kenda are about $100 for both while the S-11 Bridgestone Spitfires are about $140 for both. Are the S-11 really better or just pricier?
Thanks for the input,
Bill

[lurch12_2000]

Help,
I'm about to buy new tires. Question is Kendras or Bridgestones? The K657 Kendra are about $100 for both while the S-11 Bridgestone Spitfires are about $140 for both. Are the S-11 really better or just pricier?
Thanks for the input,
Bill

I assume you mean Kenda? Shinko 230 tourmasters (set for $114 shipped from motorcyclesuperstore.com) might just suit your needs for the 850G and are another option for good tire/low price.

[Nessism]

I bought 230's for my most recent project bike.

[officerbill]

Ok, of the three; Kenda, Bridgestone and Shinko is there a real difference or is one just more expencive?
Bill

[bwringer]

Of the three you mentioned, I'd go with the Shinko 230.

The Bridgestone Spitfire is an older design, as is the Kenda, and there are several much better tires available these days, including Bridgestone's own BT45 Battleax.

Either Avon AM26 RoadRiders or Pirelli Sport Demons give the absolute best handling on vintage bikes, but they do cost a bit more. (I use the Avon RoadRiders on my GS850, since they last longer than the Pirellis and I prefer the handling.)

If price is a consideration, then the Shinko 230 Tourmasters are great tires for amazingly little money. I think you'll be very happy with them.

[officerbill]

Thank you Brian for an honest and supported opinion.
I am still lmao over the scented oil you perfer to clean parts with!
Bill

[tkent02]

I guess any tire question should start with describing the type of riding you plan to do.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I've used the Bridgestone Spitfire tires. I have yet to wear out a rear tire due to punctures. I replaced the last one at 9,000 miles because I had run for a couple of months with a plug in it. I suspect that one could have gone at least another 3,000 miles. I got 16,000 miles from the front tire. They work well for me. I mostly commute but have a little fun scraping my boots on the weekends. They are an older design, but so am I.

I think they are great "bang for your buck" tires. They're not sporty and super-sticky, but they last and suit my riding style. But I've heard that they may have been discontinued. I have yet to verify that rumor. If true, I suspect I'll be trying a set of the Shinko 230 Tourmasters.

But first I hope to actually wear out my rear tire and see what kind of mileage it gets.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[tkent02]

I mostly commute but have a little fun scraping my boots on the weekends.

Cliff, if you ever scrape a boot, try the Roadriders. Big improvement over those spitfires.

[bwringer]

Just for comparison, I wore out a set of the Bridgestone Spitfires in 3,000 miles, and I absolutely hated the way they handled during the last 1,000 miles. Tread-wise, they could have gone maybe another 1,000 miles, but they were completely roached and handled like crap. When they were new, they handled great.

Their short and brutal lifespan included a trip to North Carolina and lots of twisties with super-abrasive pavement, so it's certainly a worst-case scenario. I'm also a pretty large dude and corner very aggressively.

What this all tells you is simply that tire life and experiences vary a lot between riders. There's really nothing wrong with the Spitfires unless you subject them to the sort of abuse I do. Although the bikes were both GS850s, I'm a lot bigger and probably a more aggressive rider than Basscliff, so I wasn't all that happy with them.

If you ride more like a normal person, then you'd probably be happy with them as well.

My last three sets of tires have been Avon RoadRiders, simply because I get a reliable 6,000 miles out of them and the handling remains excellent start to finish.

[BassCliff]

Thanks Tom, Brian,

One of these days I'd love to try some really sticky, high performance tires. But, alas, I "ride hard" only about 10% of the time. I just can't justify spending $250 for a set of tires that last 6000 miles when I can spend less than $150 for a set of tires that last me over 10,000 miles.

But Brian is right. Who knows? Maybe with the way I ride I can get more mileage out of a set of Roadriders. I may be ready for a new set by December. Should I ask Santa?


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[bwringer]

Honestly, I'm pretty curious about the Shinkos.

I've already burned through a couple of sets of their dual-sport tires on my V-Strom and been very happy, so I have no doubt they can make excellent tires.

In the name of Science, I'm seriously considering throwing a set of the 230 TourMasters on my GS850 later this summer and subjecting them to my usual brutal testing regimen. I'll report back to the GSR Hive Mind, of course.

Hey, Shinko, wanna send me some free tires to test?

[COGS]

The plan is to get a set of Shinko 230 Tourmasters mounted today for my GK...I have run Shinkos before on several bikes and like them...I'd be happy to let you know how they do on "the rolling couch"...

[oldgrumpy]

bridgestone battlaxe rides well...

hi guys i,ve got a 1980 gs1000e... aloy swing arm{gsx1100} and progressive springs from USA ..new fork oil stc.. now i,ve fitted a new 100/90vx19 to the front its tubeless .and balanced... i,ve got a 130/90x17 battlaxe with very little k,s on it the gs1000e handles like a treat hope this helps you regards david

[spike2112]

Just put a set of Shinko 230 Tourmaster tires on my '82 850L and so far I'm loving them! They handle well and ride well. For what they cost from Motorcycle Superstore, they can't be beat. My mechanic said that Shinkos are known for being difficult to balance. He did say my Tourmasters were not. Will have to see how they hold up, but so far, first impressions are positive.

Spike