A topic that's been beaten to death, but here we go again.  I'm considering new tires for Woody.  She's wearing a pair of 9 year old Michelin Commander II right now.  Tread is still decent, they still grip okay, BUT they are 9 years old and showing some age.

I want cheap!  And I want sticky tires more so than a tire that will last 15,000 miles.  Mostly, I want cheap.  I'm probably not keeping this bike more than 1-2 years.

OEM IRC GS18 tires will run about $93+$124+10 at Dennis Kirk (total $227).

https://www.denniskirk.com/irc/gs18-tire.pfp540011.prdf?cid=384086846&aid=130...

A Dunlop D404 combo set deal is $204 at MotoSport.com but the rear is 130/90-15 rear instead of OEM 140/80-15.
https://www.motosport.com/dunlop-d404-tire-combo?mmy=suzuki;ls650;2005&mmy_so...

Can someone recommend a "cheap" set of tires?  Maybe Shinko 712s or Kenda (not real sure about Kenda).  Shinko 712 doesn't come in the right size for the rear.  Sizes for our bike is a bit of a challenge too.

My tire install guy doesn't like to install Shinkos (won't install) - says he has problems getting them to bead.  Perhaps so on a tubeless tire mount, but not sure why it would be a problem with tube tires.  He doesn't like to discuss it much - it's a sore spot with him.

Cheap guys.  Please don't start bragging about your awesome expensive tires.  I will listen to "value logic" and I'll probably end up here in the end.  Thanks.

I just installed a Shinko R230 Tour Master (130/90-15) on the rear.  Only have several hundred miles on it but so far it works fine.  No handling or braking issues.  It was easy to install, no problem getting the bead to seat.  It cost $100 bucks via Dennis Kirk.  Shipping to the islands is another story (almost as much as the tire).

The Shinko rolling diameter is only 1/4" larger that the stock IRC (Tire height 3-5/8" for IRC, 3-3/4 for Shinko).  I prefer it to the Dunlop 404 because the rolling diameter is much closer to stock, and the Dunlop is heavy.  Have to see how the Shinko performs over time.

Most mileage I ever got from a rear tire on the LS is the IRC I just replaced.  I squeezed 10K out of it but had to make it look like this in order to get to 10K.  Should have replaced it at about 7.5K.

I’m shocked and impressed you still had that much tread, DBM!  Lol.

The IRC tires seem pretty decent for the price.  My first ‘04 Savage was still riding on the original IRCs when I bought the bike in 2022.  They honestly held up really well for 18 years old and 7500 miles.  They worked, but I never really experienced or pushed them before replacing with Dunlop D404s.  I went up a size on the rear to 150/80 if recall correctly.  The Dunlops were ok for every day normal riding.

Rather than go up to 150/80 on the rear, it’s good to hear about experience running a 130/90 on the rear.  It sounds skinny for today’s modern standards and the trend toward fatter and fatter rear tires.  But it sounds quite satisfactory.

ThumperPaul wrote on 03/09/24 at 11:59:05:


Shinko Tourmaster 230 is the "Go To" tire for those who want a good tire at a good price.

Michelin Commander is the tire for those who are handy with a checkbook and want to get 20,000 miles from a tire.

The IRCs in OEM sizes are $225 for the combo set at Motosport.com.  About the same price as Dennis Kirk.  Kirk charges $5/tire shipping, but motosport.com has free shipping.  But net/net, the total prices are virtually the same $225 vs. $227.

The Shinko 230s look about like it for $201 for a matching set, albeit with a 130/90 vs 140/80 rear tire.

https://www.motosport.com/irc-gs18-grand-high-speed-tire-combo?variant[IRC000...

Cool.  Glad my internet isn't broke.

Since you and Mike can both vouch for them, I'm onboard!

Hey Savard.  Thanks for chiming in on the Kenda tires!  For some reason Kenda lost favor in the market a long time ago, and I never understood why.  I had a set on a 250 dirt bike and they were a bit soft, but good tires for the money.  I may give them another look based on your review.

Comparing 140/80 to 130/90 is close.  Obviously 10mm narrow thread on the 130, but the aspect puts the sidewall height at:

140 x 0.8 = 112mm
130 x 0.9 = 117mm

All else being equal, depending on thread thickness/shoulder constuction, the 130/90 is about 10mm (1cm) taller overall.  It theoretically would slightly change the gear ratio a tad and lower RPMs at cruising speed (as Mike noted maybe 200-300rpm).

zipidachimp wrote on 03/12/24 at 16:14:20:


Yep - it doesn't take much tire to handle the power and weight of a Savage.  I ran a 110/90-18 rear tire for a while and it never slipped and didn't wear out any faster than a wide tire.  A lighter tire helps improve performance as well.......it just looks a bit weird by modern standards.