Okay so, I got the Shinko 230 Tour Master tires mounted today.  The date on them is 3615.  I will give you my first impressions in two parts because I want to give my evaluation of the tires performance and I also want to give my impressions of going from a 140/80 rear to a 140/90.

So, performance is very impressive for the price.  Handling reminds me of the Pirelli MT75.  I purposely took the bike to a number of different road substrates and textures.  I immediately noticed that the tracking is true no matter how deep the rain grooves and tar snakes seem nonexistent.  imperfections in the road can be felt but are muted.  Stability is instantly noticeable at high speed.  The flatter and wider contact patch delivers comfort and inspires confidence.  In this sense, the 230 reminds me of the Metzeler Marathon ME880. Diving into a tight curve feels unusually comfortable for a cruiser on these tires.  I found myself leaning over considerably further than I would have ever recommended to anyone else.  I did in fact notice that in the twisties I was riding a lot more aggressively than I should have been on new tires.  Overall, for performance/value, I can easily say that this set of tires is a win.  I will of course reserve final judgement once these have some wear and I will revisit this to add more thoughts incrementally as mileage accumulates.  At the moment I will say that I was literally stunned by the performance of these tires for the money.  I would expect to pay more and would have without complaint.

Now I want to touch on the change to the 140/90.  With this new rear tire everything changes.  Riding posture, final gearing, acceleration, top speed, lean angles, responsiveness, everything.  I immediately felt like I was riding a different bike.  Muscle memory developed on the previous 140/80 failed in every way and I instantly understood that I needed to treat the experience as if I were riding a different bike.  I was at once confronted with a sense of apprehension.  That said, this bike was meant to have a 140/90.  It changes the final gearing just enough that I can run around town in second gear most of the time.  The top of second is right around 38 MPH.  the larger tire changes my riding posture just slightly but it is more natural.  Acceleration feels more natural too.  Traversing uneven roads easier.  Course corrections make it feel like a larger bike.  Cruising in fourth no longer sounds labored.  The motor hums at my typical cruising speeds over 40 and doesn't sound labored until long after I'm already breaking the law...which I never do   Don't get me wrong, if you couldn't break the ton before you're probably not going to after the change, but you will absolutely notice the difference during normal operation and it is so worth it.  If you've been on the fence about going to a 140/90 then let me help give you the nudge you need to do it.  You will not regret it.

So that's it for now.  If you have questions about the Shinko 230 let me know.  I'm happy to help.  Cheers!

chzeckmate:  Now you have me curious.  I bought a theft recovery bike a while back, and it has a Dunlop D404 on the back that is a 140/90-15.  I might have to throw that tire on the bike I have with the stock IRC tires and see how the ride changes.  I also have a 110/80-18 that I could put on the back if I really wanted to do a comparison!

dustystranger:  You prefer the 130/90 over the stock 140/80 for what reason?  Nimbleness, ride quality, gearing, acceleration?

Not sure I will get any tire testing done today....it is 29 degrees this morning!

chzeckmate wrote on 11/14/15 at 10:15:54:


70 right now an hour outside Memphis too.

The 230 on the rear of the Drifterr 1500 is wearing just like the Commanders it had previously. Should go about a year on an 800 pound bike.

I got roughly a year and a quarter out of new old stock 140/90-15s on my Savages, and some of those tires were 20+ years old when installed.

Well I wasn't/didn't move the Dunlop D404 over to the stock Savage to try.  I measured the width and looked at the fender clearance on the bike it is mounted on, and it won't clear the saddlebag brackets even with the low profile bolts I used to mount them.  The stock IRC 140/80-15 measures 132mm wide - the Dunlop D404 in the 140/90-15 size measured 142mm.....it is 10 mm wider.

Perhaps the Shinko isn't that wide - the Dunlop has a big chunk of rubber molded onto each side of the tire where the tread meets the sidewall, and this sticks out pretty far and would hit the saddlebag support bolts.

Update:

It rained here in Houston through the night and I took the opportunity to test the wet performance of the 230.  I'm absolutely thrilled with the results.  The wet performance would hold up against any major brand tire and outperform most.  I took the bike out to several places where I routinely have trouble with traction.  A manhole cover, some painted road markings, and a gravelly patch specifically.  I took on these hazards at my usual pace and they felt as good as dry road.  I went back over them several times increasing speed each time to the point of maybe being a little reckless and came away with a wider smile each time.  I really like these tires in the wet.  I'll be able to ride with confidence in any weather condition now and that's what I was really looking for.  These tires get my stamp of approval as a great all weather and all road surface tire.  I do hope the performance holds up over time.  I'll report on that as I accumulate more mileage.

I'm confused...
Shouldn't a 3 inch difference on a length of less than 100 inches, be over 3%?...

I suck at math...(I tried the calculator, and got the same % as you did)...
Wear has my logic failed me?...

I guess I suck at logic, too... ...

3,.. is 3% of 100... ...

Serowbot wrote on 11/17/15 at 10:26:09:



I dunno.....I think Verslagen caught me making this mistake before.

I took 78.28 and divided it by 75.681....and the result was 1.0343.

(I also tried Serobot's idea and took 100 and divided it by 97....and I got 1.0309).
(And I took 53 and divided it by 50.....and got 1.06)?