Author Topic: Shinko 230 Tourmaster  (Read 1224 times)

Offline Jeff96

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Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« on: November 01, 2020, 09:35:16 AM »
Okay, I know there's a lot of tire threads but I couldn't find anything specific to the Shinko 230 Tourmaster https://fortnine.ca/en/shinko-230.
The only downside I can see is that the front is only available in a 90 aspect ratio tire. 110/90-18 or 120/90-18.
I have a 2005 new to me C-10 that I use for commuting on 2 and 4 lane highways, touring and back road exploring. Current tires are 5 years old. I'm not sure of the mileage, but the Michelin Pilot 5(?) is developing cupping that causes vibration at speed and the rear Shinko 777 is wearing down the middle.
2005 Concours

Offline DC Concours

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2020, 10:53:25 AM »
Don't know about the 230.

But I have 777 rear and 011 for the front. I have been happy with it and I commute and ride around the city a lot.

Offline works4me

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2020, 01:17:39 PM »
I use my C-10 for commuting as well.
I have used both 230 and 777 rear tires.
Both work well but the 777 lasts longer.
I typically get 12K miles out of a 777.
I prefer to pair it with a radial front.
Currently favoring Bridgestone T-31s.
It also lasts 12K miles.
Pretty good value at about $210 a set.

Offline Jeff96

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2020, 07:32:06 AM »
It sounds like radials are very popular / mandatory for the front wheel. Why is that?
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Offline works4me

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2020, 08:39:24 AM »
For me, it’s about the “feel” or feedback I get from a radial.
It simply wasn’t there with a bias tire like a BT-45.
I never found bias fronts to be very confidence inspiring.

Offline Boomer

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2020, 04:54:21 AM »
Your front must be some other model of Michelin as Road5 was never released in 18" sizes, nor was the Pilot Road 4, unfortunately.

If you want longevity then go for the bias-belted or crossply type tyres. These will last substantially longer but will not handle as well as the radials.
Radial tyres deform differently under load and this means that you get much better feedback from the tyre leading to greater confidence in the corners.

Here in Europe the C10 was initially supplied with Dunlop radials in most countries but Germany and I believe Austria got Metzeler ME33/99. Why I don't know but probably due to local laws. I ran Michelin Macadam A50s, BT-45s, and even the ME33/99 combo and they were all OK and lasted well. Then I tried the Michelin Macadam M89 Radial front and rear and I am never going back to crossply/bias tyres on my C10. The difference in the handling was simply mind-blowing and later zero-degree radials were even better.

Since then I've settled on my favourite combo which is the Michelin PR3 front (110/80-ZR18) and the Avon Storm 3D-XM rear (150-80-ZR16).
At the next tyre change I am going to try the Avon Spirit rear and another PR3 front, if I can still get one.
George "Boomer" Garratt
Wickford, UK


Offline Jeff96

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Re: Shinko 230 Tourmaster
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2021, 09:33:39 AM »
So in the grand tradition of asking for advice and not following it, I went with Kenda K761 dualsport tires. https://fortnine.ca/en/kenda-k761-dual-sport-tl-tire

I've had a few thousand km on the rear and just installed the front. Compared to a touring tire, they look like tractor tires and they are a little louder than a normal tire. I did spend a few hours yesterday touring the gravel back roads and hit some soft wet patches unexpectedly. For this type of riding, these tires are a definite upgrade as the bike felt really solid. Or as solid as a sport touring bike on loose gravel can be solid.

I also took it out to my favourite s bend. It's certainly no worse than an old radial tire with scalloping, but I'm sure it wouldn't outperform most radials. Definitely fine for most purposes.

In summary, they fit and they won't make the bike squirrelly. If you like to ride on gravel, they are a great tire that still works okay on the pavement. They probably won't last as long as a touring tire, but for 287 cad, tires don't get much cheaper.

@Boomer the old tire was a Pilot 3
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