230's or 712's

[jsandidge]

I've seen lots of threads about the Shinko 230's, but nothing on the 712's. The 712's are on sale right now. Anyone have any thoughts on them?

[Steve]

There have been a few reports on them, but not nearly as many as the 230s.

They are a lighter-duty tire, but still rather adequate for use on a GS.

I think I saw one report that indicated they have a lower weight capacity.
Since I started with the heaviest 'naked' GS, then added stuff to it,
I installed 230s to make sure I had enough strength in the tires.

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[portdave]

Overall the reviews I saw were much better for the 230s. I was just looking because I needed a rear tire. Got it from motorcycle superstore because of free shipping.

[bwringer]

Believe it or not, there are some radical cheapos over on the V-Strom forum using the 712 Shinkos on their V-Stroms (they use a 100/90-19 front instead of the V-Strom's stock 110/80-19). A set of 712 Shinkos runs around $130, and most "big name" tires run around $300.

These guys seem very happy with the mileage and grip they're getting and with the bang for the buck -- many of these folks are every day, all-weather riders, and/or they travel a lot.

Why not try a set of each and report back to the GS troops?

For SCIENCE!

[kdo58]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=198769

[Griffin]

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=198769

Here's my report from that thread, dated 08-27-2012:

I have Shinko 712s on my GS650E. The rear wheel on that model is the skinniest I've ever seen on a 4 cylinder GS or KZ. Stock width is 110, and the only tire I could find in that size was the 712, so I bought the standard 100/90-19 up front and the 110/90-18 for the back.

These tires had about 300 miles on them when I headed off to the Red River Valley Rally this past July. I rode them in a variety of conditions.

Dry interstates at 80 mph - Great
Wet interstates at 70 mph - Great
Dry curves at 20-80 mph - Great
Wet curves at 10-50 mph - Great

Those I rode with that Saturday can attest that they did the job well. Over 300 miles of HARD corner carving, and nary a hiccup. Bike braked well too, and I never ran out of tread while heeled way over.

I like 'em. I see no reason to spend more money than what these cost for a mid size GS. I do question the longevity a bit though. The rear tire now has about 3,000 miles on it, and it looks to be about half worn. I think on a liter bike the rear tire might not last as long as some would like.

When the time is right, I will replace it with another 712.

To follow up on that, the tires now have about 5,500 miles on them. The front tire is hardly worn, maybe 30% or so, but the rear is probably 80% gone. It still grips the road well without any "greasy" feeling in curves. It will need replaced within the next 1,000 or so miles, I'm guessing. I'll probably just buy a new one this spring and put it on before the riding season begins for me, usually in mid April around here.

So on my 650E (definitely on the lighter side weightwise in the GS family), the 712s will go 12,000 miles up front (minimum), and about 6,000-7,000 on the rear. Not bad for a $110 set of tires that perform very well.

I will also get a set for my "new" CB900f, and see how they do on a heavier, faster bike.

[Wingsconsin]

Rambling thoughts about tires --

Having owned Goldwings (read: big heavy machine) over the years I am sensitive to tire capability. The 'Wing wears out tires pretty quickly, and the risk of a catastrophic failure (blowout) is ever present due to it's weight.

I have tried a wide variety of tires on all the bikes I have had through my garage these past few years and I can speak to what I liked and di not like about certain brands and models. However - temper this information with the knowledge that I choose my tires for a combination of load bearing, longevity, grip in all weather and lastly -cost.

On mid-size bikes (CX500's mostly of which I have owned and flipped 3) I have used a few different tires. I did like the Bridgestone Spitfires for their sticky and classic look. They were mid-priced at about $175 per set but delivered excellent longevity as the tires had over 7500 miles on them when I sold that bike.

Dunlop D404 were a brand we used on a small Goldwing (GL1100) and after 9000 miles they were showing their age. Hard and a bit slippy when hard cornering I was disappointed in them and they were another mid-priced set at about $185.

Shinko Tourmaster 230's we put on the GS650GL I had in early 2013 and they were GREAT. Sticky, soft riding, gripping the road and at the price of about $130 per set delivered to my door easily a good purchase. I will buy these again in 2014 for my new-to-me GS850GL without question. I sold the bike after putting on about 500 miles total so I have no long term opinion.

My point is this - while I always consider the budget when doing a tire replacement, I also weigh the cost vs. performance factor and tend to spend a bit more for a better tire whenever I think it is available. The low cost of the Shinko 230's makes them replaceable every year if you ride that much so why would one want to go to a lesser tire if the performance statistics aren't favorable?

The report by Griffin (Thank you for the empirical knowledge) indicates the 712's are good tires, however not for longevity. What we need now is someone with experience on the 230s to speak out about their experience long-term to make a comparison, however the 230s get my vote for now

[Steve]

What we need now is someone with experience on the 230s to speak out about their experience long-term to make a comparison, however the 230s get my vote for now

Brian (bwringer) already did that.

Click HERE.

.

[bbjumper]

I have read most of the Shinko threads and don't recall seeing anything on either of these tires where they last much over 5 - 6k, if someone has experience with em I'd like to hear it. I had a set of BT-45's on my "G" that I replaced last month at just under 10k, but the all time fav is the Michelin Pilot Activ's. The rear lasted just over 15K and the front would have been on longer but they recommend replacing them in sets.

At today's prices the Michelin's are a hundred bucks more than the Shinko's per set but I'm getting more than double the mileage than anyone here has reported with the Michelin's, so my cost per mile would be significantly less, plus replacing tires more than once a season is not something I like to do.

Granted, I'm not hard on equipment, I have a set of Michelin's on my Toyota 4Runner that have been on there for over 110k and I like the long road so I'll probably get better mileage than the average weekend canyon carver. But all things consiudered, cost per mile and the great luck I have had with the brand, I'll stick with em.

Just sayin..

[jona]

On the 230's I avg. 7,000 m. for rear, 11,000 m. front.

[bbjumper]

On the 230's I avg. 7,000 m. for rear, 11,000 m. front.

Ruidoso, one of my favorite places, I try to get up there on one bike or the other twice a year.

Thanks

[RustyStuff]

I have a set of 230's on my 450. About 8K miles on them now, front is probably good for another 8K, rear has about 1/8th inch of tread on the center, maybe 2-3k more?

I will definaly buy them again. Lots of grip, no weird handling, wearing like Iron, they handle mud, rain and dirt well.

The only bad thing is they are a total ***** to install or remove due to the thick and stiff sidewalls/Bead. Took my dad and I 2 hours to install them. If you get a flat with a tube you might be SOL if you don't have some 2ft long tire irons with you.

[tkent02]

I have a set of 230's on my 450. About 8K miles on them now, front is probably good for another 8K, rear has about 1/8th inch of tread on the center, maybe 2-3k more?

I will definaly buy them again. Lots of grip, no weird handling, wearing like Iron, they handle mud, rain and dirt well.

The only bad thing is they are a total ***** to install or remove due to the thick and stiff sidewalls/Bead. Took my dad and I 2 hours to install them. If you get a flat with a tube you might be SOL if you don't have some 2ft long tire irons with you.

I didn't notice them being any harder to install than any other tire. Put a set on my 550 a while ago, unfortunately haven't ridden it much yet. The little bit that I have they seemed fine.

[bwringer]

I'm sorry, but if you need to strain with two foot tire irons, you're doing something wrong. Very wrong. And you're likely to damage your tire and rim.

I've installed several sets of Shinko 230 and 712 (and 700, and 705, and 244) tires and never had an issue.