Shinko or Bridgestone

[KnuckleBallz]

Looking to put new tires on my bike this weekend. A lot of the guys on the fz6 forum rave about the PR 2/3s and metzlers.

However, there's two or 3 guys that swear by the Shinko 009 Ravens & the BT-23s seem pretty solid as well. Both of these are considerably cheaper than the other options.

I'm leaning towards one of these two, as they seem like good value tires. Any experience/recommendations?

Are the PRs really worth the $100+ more? I mean that's almost the price of a tire change right there.

[golden chicken]

I have over 15,000 miles on a set of PR2's and they're about half worn. Without having tried the other tires, I'd still say I'm doing pretty well. I don't know how many miles were on the Pilot Powers I replaced, but the bike had 13k and they were bald.

On the other hand, I am slow. YMMV of course.

[Karate.Snoopy]

I too am on the FZ6 forum and have seen a lot of folks put on the Shinko Raven's.
I went with the PR3's and have them on since the last season. I have been riding some what during the winter and have tested these in the wet as well.
The PR3's give me a lot more confidence then my previous set of Z8's which are an excellent choice as well.

The mechanic I use told me that most folks throw on the Shinko's on their bikes when they are putting them up for sale. This guy has been riding and building/working bikes for the last 40 years and knows what hes talking about.

[nt650hawk]

some will say what's the difference.


I say ride whatever U want

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

Some will say neither.

[gamorg02]

i've put shinkos on all my bikes. i have had the verge 011 on the vmax and love them. sticky but don't last forever. i don't use it to race though. podiums 006 on the hawkGT and like those as well.. iv'e found them to be stickier but not last as long. this is street riding, i haven't been on a track.

[nt650hawk]

Wirelessly posted

Some will say neither.

True that.

[KnuckleBallz]

some will say what's the difference.


I say ride whatever U want

Wirelessly posted

Some will say neither.

I don't have enough experience to know what I want at this point. Guessing you guys don't really like either of these though..

[TheIglu]

You'd be fine on either.

I personally like the PR3's.

[golden chicken]

What kind of riding do you do? Most of my riding is commuting, with the once or twice a month I go on a group ride at a spirited pace. I clock 10,000 miles per year on average. It makes less sense to pay for hypersport tires that I'll have to replace every year than it does to pay for a sporty touring tire. I've never had a problem with dry grip at any pace I'm comfortable with, and wet grip is also very good except for painted surfaces that I would expect most tires to slip on anyway.

If you don't let rain deter you from riding, the PR3 is a better choice over the PR2. PR2 would save you some money vs. the PR3 if you mostly ride in the dry.

[TheIglu]

With the amount of siping the PR3 has over the PR2, I'd think it would be opposite.

[dankatz]

My 2008 FZ8 came with BT21 which were very good. I have PR2 on my bikes now. I don't know that the PR2's are that much better - the BT23 are excellent tires as well. I don't have experience with the Shinko.

[KnuckleBallz]

I live and work in Boston, so I usually ride it 10 minutes or so each way, rain or shine. Other than that, I try to get out for a at least a few hours every weekend. I don't have a car right now, so I usually ride if I'm going on any sort of weekend trip, whether back to NH for the weekend, fam in Western MA/CT, Cape, etc. Last year I went on a sick Kanc ride, but usually only ride wicked hard a few days a year. Still learning.

Also, planning on doing a trip down south in June. I may tow it though, break her out to play in the hills here and there.

[Stromper]

I have bt023 and am happy after 3000 also they were $60 less than PR3's

I have had good stick on many surfaces

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

some will say what's the difference.


I say ride whatever U want

Wirelessly posted

Some will say neither.

I don't have enough experience to know what I want at this point. Guessing you guys don't really like either of these though..

Iglu is right. You'll be fine on either. Shinko is a cheap tire. End of story. I just don't get a good feeling from bridgestones. Personal preference.

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

Pilot road 3 has an excellent reputation for rain riding.

[e30addict]

I'd personally stay away from Shinko's.

I've had Bridgestones, Dunlops, Pirellis and Michelins on my bikes. I keep buying the Michelins. They seem to work the best for what I ask them to do.

With the amount of siping the PR3 has over the PR2, I'd think it would be opposite.

I think he meant if you don't ride in the rain save some money and get the PR2's.

[GearHd6]

Most people get put off by the Shinko's just because they're not a name that you commonly hear much. When Yokohama gave up their motorcycle tire division Shinko bought them out. For casual riding I don't think you'll have any problems with them. And they don't just hand tires a V speed rating because they're known to kick caps off at 65 mph. I have seen posts online where guys don't even have to put weights on them to balance them out so don't think you're going to get vibrated to death with them either.

The same went with car tires back when Kumho, Hankook and Sumitomo's were all up and coming. Everyone was scared of them but now they have proven themselves for being good tires.

[Degsy]

Wirelessly posted

Most people get put off by the Shinko's just because they're not a name that you commonly hear much. When Yokohama gave up their motorcycle tire division Shinko bought them out. For casual riding I don't think you'll have any problems with them. And they don't just hand tires a V speed rating because they're known to kick caps off at 65 mph. I have seen posts online where guys don't even have to put weights on them to balance them out so don't think you're going to get vibrated to death with them either.

The same went with car tires back when Kumho, Hankook and Sumitomo's were all up and coming. Everyone was scared of them but now they have proven themselves for being good tires.

I know Shinko race tires are not steel belted. That's enough for me.

[Tunertype]

I've had shinkos and bridgestones.

The shinko raven 009s, they are great street tires. Stick great and very good in the rain. Read a review comparing street/track tires like shinko stealth 003's. The shinkos did not perform as well as the dunlops, pirelli's and michelins as far as lap times they were a few seconds off of those tires, but for the street they're good. Also for the performance you get I have heard some complaints they wear pretty fast. I didn't keep the bike long enough to go through the set of Shinkos I had. I swapped the shinkos from old bridgestone OEM tires and they performed much better, but the bridgestones were very old so the rubber could have been dried out.

I recently switched over from Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa pro tires to Bridgestone S20's and don't notice any difference in performance. We shall see how the bridgestones last.

If you can get 15-20k out of a set of PR3's then it's probably worth it to spend an extra $100 bucks, since it'll save you a tire change over and the price of an entire set of faster wearing tires.

[GearHd6]

Oh I wouldn't race on them that is I why I said "for casual riding".

[e30addict]

Casual riding is subjective

I tried a set of Summitomo's on a daily driver car because I'm cheap and so were they. Killed them in 10,000 miles with "casual" driving. Cost vs. benefit wasn't there. Price vs. value is more important, as I continually re-discover it seems.

[Uncle Snake]

I have a hard time buying cheap tires and brakes, Save your money somewhere else.

[Tunertype]

I have a hard time buying cheap tires and brakes, Save your money somewhere else.

I'd agree. Buy cheaper gear or put less insurance on your bike.

[OneCheekRider]

I paid $217/shipped for 023's from chaparral last season. Does what I need on my FZ6