Topic: Lets see your SOHC bike out on the road!

[newday777]

Yep, I’m not a fan of Metzlers, the BMW guys swore by them but I swore at them. The Stinko’s on my K0 are great, I’ve done over 3000 miles on them so far and they’re still like new. A lot of guys look down on them because they’re made in Korea, but the Dunlop on the front of my KZ750 are made in Indonesia, so I think it’s just tyre snobbery.

I look down on them ater seeing multiple failed stinks, cracked between the treads, early wear out etc.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, I’m not a fan of Metzlers, the BMW guys swore by them but I swore at them. The Stinko’s on my K0 are great, I’ve done over 3000 miles on them so far and they’re still like new. A lot of guys look down on them because they’re made in Korea, but the Dunlop on the front of my KZ750 are made in Indonesia, so I think it’s just tyre snobbery.

I look down on them ater seeing multiple failed stinks, cracked between the treads, early wear out etc.

That’s interesting Stu, I wonder if it has something to do with the weather differences between the US and Oz? I probably have had 5 sets of Stinko’s on various bikes over the last 5 years or so, and have never had an issue with any of them. I rarely see any tyres with cracking here, the tyres on the KZ750 may be around 30 years old or more and when Spotty and I had a look at them last weekend there was no cracking evident.

We get hot weather here of course but no snow (apart from up in the hills, a long way from here) but I’ve got a really old Stinko on the back of my silver BMW and it still looks like new and I’ve ridden it for over 100 miles without any issues. (The tyre, not the bike, it’s still got some issues) I see pics here and on FB of seriously cracked tyres in the US, but I rarely see them here, apart from bikes and cars that have been parked outside for many years. I’ll keep using Stinko’s, but we should all use whatever we’re comfortable with.

[newday777]

Yep, I’m not a fan of Metzlers, the BMW guys swore by them but I swore at them. The Stinko’s on my K0 are great, I’ve done over 3000 miles on them so far and they’re still like new. A lot of guys look down on them because they’re made in Korea, but the Dunlop on the front of my KZ750 are made in Indonesia, so I think it’s just tyre snobbery.

I look down on them ater seeing multiple failed stinks, cracked between the treads, early wear out etc.

That’s interesting Stu, I wonder if it has something to do with the weather differences between the US and Oz? I probably have had 5 sets of Stinko’s on various bikes over the last 5 years or so, and have never had an issue with any of them. I rarely see any tyres with cracking here, the tyres on the KZ750 may be around 30 years old or more and when Spotty and I had a look at them last weekend there was no cracking evident.

We get hot weather here of course but no snow (apart from up in the hills, a long way from here) but I’ve got a really old Stinko on the back of my silver BMW and it still looks like new and I’ve ridden it for over 100 miles without any issues. (The tyre, not the bike, it’s still got some issues) I see pics here and on FB of seriously cracked tyres in the US, but I rarely see them here, apart from bikes and cars that have been parked outside for many years. I’ll keep using Stinko’s, but we should all use whatever we’re comfortable with.

They were in San Diego with no snow either, hot summers in the 90° to 105°F.

[grcamna2]

Yep, I’m not a fan of Metzlers, the BMW guys swore by them but I swore at them. The Stinko’s on my K0 are great, I’ve done over 3000 miles on them so far and they’re still like new. A lot of guys look down on them because they’re made in Korea, but the Dunlop on the front of my KZ750 are made in Indonesia, so I think it’s just tyre snobbery.

I look down on them ater seeing multiple failed stinks, cracked between the treads, early wear out etc.

That’s interesting Stu, I wonder if it has something to do with the weather differences between the US and Oz? I probably have had 5 sets of Stinko’s on various bikes over the last 5 years or so, and have never had an issue with any of them. I rarely see any tyres with cracking here, the tyres on the KZ750 may be around 30 years old or more and when Spotty and I had a look at them last weekend there was no cracking evident.

We get hot weather here of course but no snow (apart from up in the hills, a long way from here) but I’ve got a really old Stinko on the back of my silver BMW and it still looks like new and I’ve ridden it for over 100 miles without any issues. (The tyre, not the bike, it’s still got some issues) I see pics here and on FB of seriously cracked tyres in the US, but I rarely see them here, apart from bikes and cars that have been parked outside for many years. I’ll keep using Stinko’s, but we should all use whatever we’re comfortable with.

Terry,do you only use the Shinko 712 models,or have you run other models Shinko tires ?

[RAFster122s]

I'm running Shinko 705 on front of my Vstrom with Dunlop Mission trail on rear. Rear Mission trail should do 8k or more and will need about 3 front shinkos to equal that wear expectation from what others on adventure tire boards are telling me. The Mission & 705 are both big block almost knobby adventure tires and are a mixed off road on road 30/70 or 50/50 tire. Both do really well on pavement but are noisy. The Shonko isn't as good as a Mission front but I didn't have 180 for a front when I needed it, now same tire is about $209, nuts!
But they are like protective gear for a motorcycle, your tires make the difference between a good day and a bad day.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, I’m not a fan of Metzlers, the BMW guys swore by them but I swore at them. The Stinko’s on my K0 are great, I’ve done over 3000 miles on them so far and they’re still like new. A lot of guys look down on them because they’re made in Korea, but the Dunlop on the front of my KZ750 are made in Indonesia, so I think it’s just tyre snobbery.

I look down on them ater seeing multiple failed stinks, cracked between the treads, early wear out etc.

That’s interesting Stu, I wonder if it has something to do with the weather differences between the US and Oz? I probably have had 5 sets of Stinko’s on various bikes over the last 5 years or so, and have never had an issue with any of them. I rarely see any tyres with cracking here, the tyres on the KZ750 may be around 30 years old or more and when Spotty and I had a look at them last weekend there was no cracking evident.

We get hot weather here of course but no snow (apart from up in the hills, a long way from here) but I’ve got a really old Stinko on the back of my silver BMW and it still looks like new and I’ve ridden it for over 100 miles without any issues. (The tyre, not the bike, it’s still got some issues) I see pics here and on FB of seriously cracked tyres in the US, but I rarely see them here, apart from bikes and cars that have been parked outside for many years. I’ll keep using Stinko’s, but we should all use whatever we’re comfortable with.

Terry,do you only use the Shinko 712 models,or have you run other models Shinko tires ?

712's on my K0 and Kawasaki Z1B Bill, I had their "touring" tyres on my K2, and 712's again on my F2. Just dropped my wheels with 30+ year old Dunlop tyres off at the shop, and they'll have 712's and new tubes fitted when I pick them up tomorrow. Any new tyre is better than an old "Quality" tyre.

[PeWe]

I searched Stinko here. The model(s) found were not low priced.

I also looked for Metzeler ME88 alternatives. Neither 880 nor 888 have CB750 sizes as 4.0-18, 120/90-18, 130/80-18.
For modern cruisers with fat rear.

Front wheel possible. 100/90-19.
Best tire I have used so far is the Michelin Road Classic. Min 8000km on rear.  Better priced than most of the others.

A stock bike and a slow cruising rider must reach 10.000km.

All the other tires I have tested on my CB750 are bad before 5000km. Except for the now very expensive Metzeler Roadtec 01 size 4.0-18 that lasted 6500km. 120/90-18 a little less but best oversized tire on narrow 2.15 rim.

Roadtec front a catastrophe, scalloped before 10.000 km, horrible in higher speeds.

[seanbarney41]

My experience with the Stinko's...not a safe option for those in cooler climates.  The 712 seems to be made from a quite hard  compound.  That is why they last so long.  Unfortunately, that is also why I experienced lots of scary loss of grip moments, at air temperatures around 65 degrees Fahrenheit they are fairly stubborn to get warm enough to grip.  Hot weather?  they are fine.  If you want to use 'em, try lowering your air pressure.  I have honestly ridden on 35 year old Continentals (and a few others) that performed better and more predictably than the 712's...yup the 712's lasted 9k+ miles, but that was one tire I wanted to hurry up and wear out so I could justify the cost of something better.

[PeWe]

If a tire has bad grip you'll  ride slower and it will last longer
A bad tire can cause high cost when grip is lost....

[ofreen]

The Metzeler Lazertec front (formerly ME33) is still a great tire. It needs 36-38 PSI to work right. People I heard being dissatisfied with them ran pressures more suitable for 1970s tires.

[Terry in Australia]

Well I like to live on the edge, so I picked up my new Stinko's at lunchtime, and we'll put the wheels back on the Kawasaki KZ750 in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to my first long ride on the big twin, all going well I won't explode in a ball of flames due to putting Stinko's on it.......

Stinko tyres 15 November 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[grcamna2]

Well I like to live on the edge, so I picked up my new Stinko's at lunchtime, and we'll put the wheels back on the Kawasaki KZ750 in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to my first long ride on the big twin, all going well I won't explode in a ball of flames due to putting Stinko's on it.......

Stinko tyres 15 November 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Those 712 also ?

[Terry in Australia]

Well I like to live on the edge, so I picked up my new Stinko's at lunchtime, and we'll put the wheels back on the Kawasaki KZ750 in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to my first long ride on the big twin, all going well I won't explode in a ball of flames due to putting Stinko's on it.......

Stinko tyres 15 November 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Those 712 also ?

Yes Bill, 712’s. $300 (AUD, less than $200 USD) for the pair, with fitting and balancing, new Michelin tubes, and disposal of the old Dunlops. Just checked through my pics for the K0 build in 2020 and realised that I’ve now done 4000 miles on the Stinko’s, and they still look and feel like new. Great tyres.

[grcamna2]

Well I like to live on the edge, so I picked up my new Stinko's at lunchtime, and we'll put the wheels back on the Kawasaki KZ750 in the next couple of days. I'm looking forward to my first long ride on the big twin, all going well I won't explode in a ball of flames due to putting Stinko's on it.......

Stinko tyres 15 November 2024 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

Those 712 also ?

Yes Bill, 712’s. $300 (AUD, less than $200 USD) for the pair, with fitting and balancing, new Michelin tubes, and disposal of the old Dunlops. Just checked through my pics for the K0 build in 2020 and realised that I’ve now done 4000 miles on the Stinko’s, and they still look and feel like new. Great tyres.

I like the 712's myself.

[PeWe]

Good price indeed!
"....less than $200 USD) for the pair, with fitting and balancing, new Michelin tubes.... "

These tires fit a warmer climate better?
EDIT:
Found a 712 here 120/90-18 for around $150US. Only tire.... + Shipping....
I get a Michelin  Road Classic for max 10 more.

I read that Shinko has Japanese design and tech, former Yokohama. Produced in Korea.
Korea is a leading country for phones, TV, screens and a lot more, tires included. Not the best but have good tires too.

[Terry in Australia]

Good price indeed!
"....less than $200 USD) for the pair, with fitting and balancing, new Michelin tubes.... "

These tires fit a warmer climate better?
EDIT:
Found a 712 here 120/90-18 for around $150US. Only tire.... + Shipping....
I get a Michelin  Road Classic for max 10 more.

I read that Shinko has Japanese design and tech, former Yokohama. Produced in Korea.
Korea is a leading country for phones, TV, screens and a lot more, tires included. Not the best but have good tires too.

Yeah Per, they’re cheap (like me) but I wouldn’t put them on my K0 or Kawasaki Z1-B if they were no good. Correct, Yokohama sold their business to Korea many years ago and Shinko was born. I used to put Bridgestone BT45’s on all my bikes but got sick of the front tyres wearing unevenly after a couple of thousand miles so took Daves advice and put Pirelli tyres on everything, but honestly I can’t tell the difference between them and the Stinko’s, so why would I want to pay twice the price for Pirelli’s? I’ve read all the horror stories from the guys here, but they don’t align with my experience, so each to his own.

My 1996 Hyundai just won’t die, I’ve owned it since 2002 and in that time I’ve only replaced tyres, batteries, brake pads, one windscreen, and oil, fuel and air filters etc. no major repairs have ever been needed. I’d like to say that all Hyundai’s are great, but recently discovered that some late model Hyundai’s are lemons, with one of the 10 worst engines ever made, which is a shame.

[ofreen]

Thanksgiving Day was cool, but bright and the roads clean and dry.  So away the 750F and I went.

[M 750K6]

Wow.

[ofreen]

Another ride today.  The faithful 750 loves the cold air. 

[MauiK3]

I bet it was chilly!!

[ofreen]

I miss summer 😉

[PeWe]

I miss summer

Only 5-6 months to spring, a little bit more to summer!

[ofreen]

PeWe, you have my sympathy.  After living in Alaska all those years, I consider anything above 50 degrees as summer.

[PeWe]

[grcamna2]

Nice Scenery Gregg.