Thinking About a New Bike

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Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I have a Shinko on the back of my Burgman...it handles well (the limit is still clearance, not grip) and is just as stable as the OE Bridgestone. Yes, it is made in Korea.


Seems Shinko makes quite a few different sport bike tire models - Shinko 003 Stealth, Shinko 009 Raven and Shinko 005 Advance. From my short research, it looks like the 003 is more track, 009 more sport-touring and the 005 is something in between. The 009 should last wear the longest, but not might give as much grip as the 003 or 005.

So I'm trying to figure out which ones are the best match for aggressive street riding. The Shinko 005 Advance certainly has a lot of good review write-ups, mostly 5-stars ratings from customers.

http://www.compacc.com/p/shinko-005-advanced-tires-z-rated-package-specials/0

I think I'll get a set of Shinko 005s and give them a shot ... the price is right, and they also make a 190/50-17 and a 200/50-17 to chose from for the rear.
 
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

Thanks for the info 02SE. Dang ... lots of options in the tire world. I don't ever plan on doing any track days - the Busa is too porky for that - but I do ride fast and lean it down pretty far at times when in the twisty back roads.

So of all those options above, which one would you choose? I'm assuming the tires out there are still available in the old Busa tire sizes, which are 120/70-17 front and 195/50-17 rear. I have been running a 200/50-17 rear, but could go back to the 190/50-17 if that's what it takes to get a matched set of tires.


Well, the OEM Bridgestone BT56J while it was branded a 190/50ZR17, was actually 196mm wide. But it was never a great tire, IMO. In fact those tires put me off Bridgestone tires for years.

A friend recommended I try Bridgestones again about 5 years ago, and I was pleased that they seemed to have improved dramatically from that BT56J.. Being the Official supplier for MotoGP during recent years, probably accounts for the improvement of their street tires.

In fact I generally choose Bridgestones these days, based on the performance, and they are often cheaper than say comparable Michelin's or Pirelli's.

As for tire size, you can find 190 branded tires which are anywhere between high 180's, and mid 190's mm wide.

I prefer the '55' aspect ratio sized tires over the '50' aspect ratio sizes my self. They have a more rounded tread profile, thus they really improve turn-in and the general nimble feeling of the bikes. Of course that more rounded profile means you have to lean it over even further, if eliminating the 'chicken strips' is important.
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So I run either 190/55ZR17 or 200/55ZR17 rear tires on both my bikes, depending on the size available in the particular tire of my choice. I currently have sets of the Bridgestone RS10's on my bikes. They are a great grip if somewhat short-lived tire. I'll probably go back to Bridgestone S21's on both bikes, if no track riding is planned.
 
The outside edge of the Battleax BT010 on the Busa is only about 0.2" away from the chain. It clears OK, but if I order up another 200 rear in a different brand it might even be closer if the tire is physically wider than 200 mm (7.87"). Chances are they wouldn't be, but never know until you try it. Other Busa guys were running the 200 Battleax and said it cleared OK, so I had confirmation is work OK.

Looking at the Bridgestone cycle tire website, they don't make the BT010 anymore, but have other Battlax models in 200 mm widths and are shown as 7.9" wide. I did a rough measurement on my BT010 and got 7-7/8" = 7.875 ... so looks pretty close. The Shinko 005 in 200/50-17 are shown on their website to be 7.87" wide, so it would probably fit as well as the BT010 does. Or I could just play it safe and get a set in the OEM sizes. Maybe I'll ping Shinko and as if they know of anyone has been putting the 200/50-17 on a 1st Gen Busa.

I don't think I'm in the mood to experiment with different tire sizes/aspect ratios unless I heard a lot of feedback on how great it is to go that route - a lot might depend on the tire brands too. Did you look at the video linked about about the Shinko 005s and how their profile are designed for faster lean-in and added traction while leaning?
 
I've been in a unique position to try lots of tires. I have family in the Motorcycle business, and lots of friends in the business in various forms. One of my friends is a tire dealer at a racetrack, so I've had the opportunity to try lots of tires with no distractions other than how a tire performs. So not all the tires I've ridden on, are on my own bikes.

That said, I've ridden the Shinko line of tires. Including the 005. My impression is that they were just mediocre compared to their direct competitors. Their biggest selling point is that they are cheap.

My background: I've been riding on the streets since the early 80's. Dirtbikes since the early 70's. I've roadraced. I've helped teach advanced riding and racing classes. I'm certainly not the fastest guy out there, but I'm also not the slowest.

All I can do is give you my opinion. For a good all-around street sport tire, I currently like the Bridgestone S21.

EDIT: I should add that they are by no means the most expensive tire, either. I just looked and you can get a set in stock 'Busa sizes for under $210.00 from the competition accessories retailer you've linked to for other tires. Of course then you'll have mounting costs from a local Dealer, unless you do that yourself.
 
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^^^ Good info 02SE ... I know you've got tons of experience with tires, way more than I do.

I had to go dig for those Bridgestone Battleax S21s. They had the front and rears in two different sections and not shown as a matched set. Dang, I think those are the tires I'll go for since it's only about $50 over the Shinkos for the set. They don't make a 200/50-17, but I'm fine with just going with the OEM 190/50-17 in the rear.

Thanks for pointing those out, definitely look like a good deal and I know Bridgestone makes some really decent tires. The S21s will probably be way better than the Battleax tires they made 10+ years ago. I'll probably order that set up on Monday!
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OK ... couldn't wait, I've looked long enough, so just ordered those Bridgestone S21s. I'm sure those will fit the bill for my use, and a good price for a set of pretty nice tires ... thanks again 02SE.
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Well, I hope you like them. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I just had to comment on "Competition Accessories" referring to it as a 'Touring' tire. That's certainly not how Bridgestone categorizes it. Here's a review of the tires from Sport Rider magazine. The Author/Reviewer is a multi-time IOM TT Competitor.

Sport Rider Review
 
^^^ I read a few reviews on the web also before pulling the trigger, and they were all pretty positive about the Bridgestone S21. For my street riding they should be way better than the tires that came on the bike in the first place.

I noticed on Bridgestone's website that they list an S21 in rear size 190/55-17, but Competition Accessories didn't show that size option in their pull down. Maybe I'll call them in the morning and see if they actually have it. If they don't, I'll just stick with the 190/50-17.

Scroll down to the S21 then open "Tire Details".
http://www.bridgestonemotorcycletires.com/street.aspx

Would you suggest going with a 190/55-17 instead of the 190/50-17 if Competition Accessories actually has it? The specs show it's ~0.7" taller, but that shouldn't matter much, and would actually make the speedometer more accurate.
 
I know that Bridgestone makes them in the 190/55ZR17 size, as I've ridden on them. Whether the vendor you plan to order from has them, I couldn't say. If they do, they are likely more expensive than the '50' aspect ratio tire.

As I said I personally like the more rounded profile of the '55' aspect ratio tires, as they really impart a more nimble feeling to the bike. Which can really help on an approx. 550lb bike.

But I'm sure the modern design and construction of the S21 in 190/50ZR17 would be a noticeable improvement in the feel of the bike, over the 10+ year old 200/50ZR17 BT010's. I don't think you'd be disappointed.
 
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I called Competition Accessories this morning and found out they usually carry the 190/55-17 in the Bridgestone S21, but it's not currently available, so it didn't show up in their size option pull down. Before I called them, I found the same tires in stock at Chaparral Motorsports and the price on the 190/55-17 was $130, whereas Competition Accessories wanted $144.

Anyway, I cancelled my Competition order I made on-line and then ordered the S21 in 120/70-17 front and 190/55-17 rear from Chaparral for a total of $229 to the door, which is only ~$20 more than the OEM sized set I ordered from Competition. Chaparral also gave free 2-day shipping.

I noticed on the Bridgestone website that the 190/55-17 is also about 1/4" wider than the 190/50-17, which is nice. The 190/55-17 is also 2.8% larger in diameter, so that should make the speedo more accurate since they usually read high by about that much. And if the 190/55-17 will make the pig Busa feel a little more nimble, then I'm all for giving it a try. 02SE, win-win all around ... Busa@11K rides again!
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Bridgestone, Michelin, and Pirelli have had the tire supplier contract for MotoGP. Any others? Pirelli has the add'l bragging rights of being the sole supplier to Superbike World Championship. Seems hard to go wrong with any of these three brands.
 
I have seen some complaints on Pirellis lately, and I suffered some issues. There seems to be a decent amount of people that have issues with them leaking around the bead. I had to take my wheels back off and have bead sealer applied.
 
I liked the Bridgestone BT010s on my bike, but they wore out the middle a little too quickly. I didn't like the BT014s that replaced them. I loved the Pirelli Diablo Stradas that came next - good life and decent grip and I am currently also loving my Michelin Pilot Road 3s which are very good in the wet and dry.
 
Originally Posted By: hpb
Sooooo....you're keeping the 'busa now?


Yeah, for now. It needed tires anyway so bought a nice set for the rest of the year's riding. Will see how I feel next spring about maybe getting something new like a high performance naked bike like the Honda CB1000R or similar.
 
Originally Posted By: 02SE
I agree. And yet, I've seen many people try.

Here's the deal: If price is your only consideration when riding on the public roads, then a set of Shinko tires is probably the way to go. If you want better performance from your tires in all aspects, there are much better options.


I can report that I was very impressed with the Shinko in heavy rain.
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: 02SE
I agree. And yet, I've seen many people try.

Here's the deal: If price is your only consideration when riding on the public roads, then a set of Shinko tires is probably the way to go. If you want better performance from your tires in all aspects, there are much better options.


I can report that I was very impressed with the Shinko in heavy rain.


I'm glad to hear it. If you have also ridden on the competitors tires under similar conditions to compare, (like I have) then it sounds like Shinko is your tire.
 
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