I have finally wore out and changed my shinko 230 on the rear and have the final results.
My riding style is easy and smooth, I don't rip it up anymore. I have a LOT of interstate miles on it, I was gone for 28 days in July and did 5400 miles up and down the eastern US. With both Kaw pulleys it is only turning 3400rpm at 60mph, so it is just loafing on the slab.
YOUR MILEAGE WILL VARRY WITH YOUR RIDING STYLE, LOADING AND ROADS!
Tire- Shinko 230 Tour Master 150/90 15 (yes 150/90 not 130 or 140) it is on a 3.5'' alum. rim running tubeless with the under fender bolts swapped out for buttonheads to get clearance.
Tire was mounted on 05 Jan 16', changed 07 Oct 16'
tire date of man. - 4414
mileage - 18,529
tread depth - new .325'' - old .070''
weight - new 18 lbs - old - 17 lbs 2 oz
rollout - new 78'' - old 77''
width on 3.5'' rim - new 6.185'' - old 6.230''
psi 30 - 32
As the photo shows, the old tire is flattened out in the middle and I didn't notice it while riding, but with the new one it does seem a bit nimbler.
I bought that tire for $60.00 w/delivery on a closeout cause it was a year old, 18.5k on a $60 tire ain't bad! The new one cost $82.00 online, still cheap for a tire I can get 16 - 18k miles on!
This is the first tire in my 400k+ miles riding that wore evenly all the way around!
I static balanced it w/wheelweights and put in 2.5oz of ceramic balancing beads. After taking the old tire off, I recovered 2.1oz of dirty beads and found NO damage to the inside of the tire. I am now a believer in these little things!
The beads are about .085'' new and old .045''. Some pics of the beads=
I have found a tire that I am happy with at a price that don't break the bank. Shinko calls this the Tour Master and I have to agree, it never gave a bit of trouble or wiggled on grooved or milled roads. If you are looking for a ''performance'' tire, it is too big and heavy to thrash around in the twisties. And any rubber compound that will run high mileage like this ain't gonna stick all the way till you drag your handlebars. But if you ride moderately, this tire will last a LOT of miles for the money.