Front tire life.

[Pighuntingpuppy]

I think Shinko tires are designed in Japan and generally made in South Korea.

I did not like the one pair of 230's I bought. The front had a terrible wobble and I sent it back. I kept the rear and it wore out quickly. The cords were plainly showing after 4k miles.

You are correct with where they are designed. They are designed in Japan but made in lower wage countries like South Korea or China.

South Korea....No better than China to me. And this one will probably stir the pot here....Hyundai/KIA. Ya....they sell millions of cheap cars. They like bursting into flames and are under a massive recall for that. I would never take one of those cars even if free. South Korea is not synonymous with quality either.

 

[Fire-medic]

I almost considered going to the dark side for the back, I appreciate any recommendations.

OMG, I don't own a Gen. II, but please don't do this! This is a high-performance motorcycle, not a pickup truck. Not an automobile. Buy the best quality tires you can afford, motorcycle tires! Ones designed for high-performance use, even if you don't ride over 80 mph. Hard tires designed for durability will break traction easily on a VMax of either generation if you grab enough throttle. That's going in a straight-line. Add-in cornering loads on a hard tire and it's like hitting a patch of ice. Just choose your epitaph now to save someone the problem.

Doing "the Dark-Side" is best done by Gold Wing trike riders. "Just say no" to Vmaxes riding on the Dark-Side.

 

[02GF74]

+1.as Bob said, tyres are what stick you to the ground. Nearly all of us try to penny pinch but not fir tyres. IMO A car tyre on a motorcycle is folly.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Shinko's are not bad, designed by Yokohama and sticky compound and cheap. I don't see any bad sides. They work very well for the intended lifespan. Motorcycle tires, and car tires, should never exceed the lifespan of 3 years from production date. Rubber gets old and the rubber is the only thing sticking to the ground. I would never buy tires for any reason that had a planned span of anything longer than 3 years. Using car tires in a motorcycle unless a trike is a really bad idea. Just ask me how I know.

 

[Tom Determan]

All these tire, fuel range, battery charging, and CARB issues are very easy to solve. Just park the darn things. For the cost of a little gas one can buy a sizable supply of drool rags and a spray bottle of drool cleaner for your guests. All these problems go away and you can save hundreds or maybe even thousands / year in tire, maintenance, insurance, registration and fuel expenses. If you own a Vmax Gen 1 or 2, you're most likely a pretty brave soul and you can forego the insurance and gamble on a theft, fire or act of God destroying your shop and contents. If you're not brave maybe you can buy just comp insurance, getting the insurance expenses down.

Buy license tabs for a couple and move the plates around to your preferred ride that day.

 

[RedMax]

All these tire, fuel range, battery charging, and CARB issues are very easy to solve. Just park the darn things. For the cost of a little gas one can buy a sizable supply of drool rags and a spray bottle of drool cleaner for your guests. All these problems go away and you can save hundreds or maybe even thousands / year in tire, maintenance, insurance, registration and fuel expenses. If you own a Vmax Gen 1 or 2, you're most likely a pretty brave soul and you can forego the insurance and gamble on a theft, fire or act of God destroying your shop and contents. If you're not brave maybe you can buy just comp insurance, getting the insurance expenses down.

Buy license tabs for a couple and move the plates around to your preferred ride that day.

View attachment 85845

What, what, whaaaaaaatt!!!!!!

 

[Zeus36]

Owning four motorcycles has dropped my frequency of tire changes, oil changes and general maintenance. To put it another way, my expenses have decreased by a factor of four. Bike insurance is now less than it was for a single bike, but I'm also now older. Another benefit is more time to work on one bike without the rush factor of getting it back on the road when there are three spares at hand.

 

[02GF74]

Owning four motorcycles has dropped my frequency of tire changes, oil changes and general maintenance. To put it another way, my expenses have decreased by a factor of four.

That's the story to tell if the wife.

I reckon owning 1 bike is cheaper.

Having 4 used in rotation means consumables are replaced later than sooner so will have gone up in price.
Also the manufacturers want you to replace engine oil, brake fluid and coolant after a number of years regardless of mileage so that's 'unnecessary' cost.

.... but where's the fun in having 1 bike?

 

[Dmax1207]

When they wear in W- pattern, it is because the tire has a softer structure or a dual compound. These bikes are heavier than most....
I started with the stock Bridgestone tires.... They last about 10.000 km the set, but I had the impression they were rather hard tires.... Ran 2 sets of them....
Then I switched to Dunlop Sportmax. Looks like they are a little softer, but they also lasted about 10.000km. ran also 2 sets of them....
When the rear tire was gone, the sides of the front are gone too, center has about 2mm left.
When the rear tire had unrepairable damage of that last set, I replaced it with a original tire that was lying around, but immediately felt that it had less traction than the Dunlop's.....
In meantime, I changed the front to a Michelin road pilot 4 GT. I liked it a lot on my FJR, but not so much on the VMAX.... Less response out of it, and had it slipped away a couple of times.... Don't like it. Has about 6000km now, possibly a 1000 left on it.... Changed the rear to a Shinko now, but it wears fast.... Not good traction when wet too... Has about 3000 now... Guess 2000 left... Will probably go back to the Dunlop's on the next change....

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

So here we are in May. Back in September last year, I changed the front tire to a Dunlop. Couple folks asked what kind. Its a Dunlop Sportmax RoadSmart tire. With approximately 4000 miles on the tire, the tire still looks and performs well. My only complaint is that the tire has road noise on turns on certain types of pavement. But I can overlook this. Last week, I finally changed out the rear tire. Unfortunately, for this rear tire, only 3 brands exist. Metzlers, Bridgestone, and Shinko. Instead of replacing a set, I swapped just the rear tire to the Bridgestone BattleAxe.

So far, my experiences with tires for the Gen 2.

Any rear tire, Metzler, Shinko or Bridgestone....works well without an issue. Mind you, these are just my experiences.

The fronts, I dont have a Bridgestone to compare, but Dunlop by far seems to be the best tire for the front. Followed by the Metzler even despite the irregular W patter wear. Last and certainly least in my book are Shinkos. 2 back to back bad tires soured me on ever considering Shinkos. And especially after the company refused to acknowledge the bad tires.

Mix and matching is not advised. I do not race the bike, I do not track the bike, I do not swerve aggressively. I treat the bike like a drag bike. Hammer it hard off the line, when I am cruising, I am 85mph plus and sustained for 25-40 miles at a time. The Dunlop and Bridgestone tires operate well for me. Eventually I will swap the front to a Bridgestone and see how well that tire acts. Should it act similarly to the Dunlop....I will run Bridgestone sets from here on out. Bridgestone tires have generally been a good brand for me with my Yamahas. If the front chews up the Bridgestone....I will run mix sets till the end of the bikes life.

This is my experience with tires for the Gen 2. Its not gospel for you and your bikes as your riding habits will be different than mine. Take this with a grain of salt if you are experiencing what you read in this thread.

 

[Madmaxx]

I have a Bridgestone Battleaxe up front. It's wearing quickly, moreso on the left side. Do you happen to have a 240 rear tire? I noticed with the 240, I have to push the handlebars more when maneuvering at slow speeds which causes wear on the front tire.

Btw, if I were to see you in person, I'd slap the casual racism out your mouth.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

I have a Bridgestone Battleaxe up front. It's wearing quickly, moreso on the left side. Do you happen to have a 240 rear tire? I noticed with the 240, I have to push the handlebars more when maneuvering at slow speeds which causes wear on the front tire.

Btw, if I were to see you in person, I'd slap the casual racism out your mouth.

My bike is completely stock. 200/50R18 tire for the rear. The left side of the tire wearing is normal for people who reside in areas where they drive/ride on the right side of the road. You are not in a right turn as long as you are in a left turn. People who drive/ride in areas where they are on the left side of the road, see the same thing except on the right side of the tire. They spend longer in the right turn than the left.

As for my perceived "casual racism"....know that I am not racist. I am a prejudiced MFer. I am an equal opportunity offender. And I will call a spade a spade regardless of peoples delicate feelings. If this resorts you being unable to handle this and resorts to laying hands on people....know that not everyone is a pushover and folks here in the states are arming up at fantastic rates. Just cause you dont like what comes out of peoples mouths gives you no reason to lay hands on people. And if you decide you want to....mutual combat and the combatant might be more overpowered than you. Whatever happened to sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? When did this stop and people began becoming incredible pushover wimps?

 

[Madmaxx]

Typing "Chinko" repeatedly is perceived racism? Stating Korea and China are low wage countries and implying that anything that comes from those countries is crap is not racism? A quintessential gentleman, a reincarnation of Mr John Lennon himself that you are. Please continue telling me about how not racist you are. Lack of accountability is the problem with people today. You got called out for being racist and now I'm a pushover wimp? Lol got it.

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Unlike you, I do not perceive Chinese made goods to be quality. Same with South Korean goods. They are inferior products and the vast majority of people will agree with me. Chinko tires are straight up garbage. Sure....You might get a good product once in a while out of China....doesnt mean the goods produced are good. This goes for products like Hyundai/Kia. Cheap cars that cheap people buy. Cheap people expect brand new car quality out of 3rd world materials. This is why Hyundai/Kia faces NUMEROUS class action suits for cars starting on fire for faulty fuel lines, inferior internal engine parts and so on. This isnt opinion. This is fact. Go on about the warranty....when the best thing about the product is the warranty....should tell you alot about the product. And the fact that Hyundia/Kia has had a foothold in America now for over 25 years, you rarely see a car of this vintage. We see lots of Toyotas, Hondas, Chevrolets, Fords of these eras still cruising. Incredibly small numbers for the Korean car market. I stated I am not racist. I am a prejudiced MF. A small sentence you neglected to read and acknowledge. I am an equal opportunity offender. I will call a spade a spade. I didnt deny. I corrected you and let you know that your skin color, your race have no bearing on my insults to you. Thats what being prejudiced is. Racism is one race exerting superiority over another. And NO WHERE did I say my race is superior. A word so overused, the true meaning is lost. As a famous movie quote goes, You keep using this word....I do not think it means what you think it means.

When China, Korea, and all the other 3rd world cesspools start actually treat their OWN citizens well.,,,maybe we can discuss a slang name for a cheap tire a bit more in depth. My words do far less damage than what these governments are forcing their citizens to do all so you can get a cheap CHINKO tire.

 

[Madmaxx]

Doubling down on that racism. Chinko! Beautiful. I guess Samsung and LG products are garbage as well, not to mention iphones which are made in China, but keep going on about these "3rd world cesspool" countries you have never been to or have any idea about other than the rhetoric your kind feeds into. By the way, Hyundais manufactured in Korea and elsewhere in the world aren't the ones catching fire or having engine problems. The engine recall (Sonata) and potential fire recall (Sante Fe) are coming from cars manufactured solely from the Alabama plant. You should look up the term "gaslighting."

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Yea, you know what...youre right.. silly me....what was I thinking....ALL hail Korea and TikTok. I bow down to the makers of the all mighty Chinko tires.

Legit side note....before of Asian overlords take the world completely over. Should I learn Chinese or Korean? I need to properly beg for my life before they kill me, right?

 

[Madmaxx]

Overreaching a little? Typical Karen reaction lol

 

[Pighuntingpuppy]

Over reaction? Huh...Since governments are still killing their own people to this day and I am reminded of this....

Mao's government was responsible for vast numbers of deaths, with estimates ranging from 40 to 80 million victims through starvation, persecution, prison labour, and mass executions.

That was last century you say? The Chinese cleaned up their act and are no longer killing people? OK....you are right. They learned to be civilized I guess.

Nope....thats wrong too....2 Million Uighur Muslims Face Genocide at the Hands of the Chinese Government

Yup....You MUST be right. What government would EVER kill their own people? I mean its not like dissidents are prosecuted and persecuted to this day. We live in such a civilized age today. Every ounce of truth out there.

You didnt answer the question....Should I learn Chinese or Korean. Cause dont think for one minute that N. Korea wont make a move on S. Korea once America stops protecting them. And America is slowly running out of cash to fund all these wars. The printing press will only go so far. Germany learned this lesson back in the 1920s.

 

[Madmaxx]

Hahahah exactly my point

 

[Dmax1207]

So here we are in May. Back in September last year, I changed the front tire to a Dunlop. Couple folks asked what kind. Its a Dunlop Sportmax RoadSmart tire. With approximately 4000 miles on the tire, the tire still looks and performs well. My only complaint is that the tire has road noise on turns on certain types of pavement. But I can overlook this. Last week, I finally changed out the rear tire. Unfortunately, for this rear tire, only 3 brands exist. Metzlers, Bridgestone, and Shinko. Instead of replacing a set, I swapped just the rear tire to the Bridgestone BattleAxe.

So far, my experiences with tires for the Gen 2.

Any rear tire, Metzler, Shinko or Bridgestone....works well without an issue. Mind you, these are just my experiences.

The fronts, I dont have a Bridgestone to compare, but Dunlop by far seems to be the best tire for the front. Followed by the Metzler even despite the irregular W patter wear. Last and certainly least in my book are Shinkos. 2 back to back bad tires soured me on ever considering Shinkos. And especially after the company refused to acknowledge the bad tires.

Mix and matching is not advised. I do not race the bike, I do not track the bike, I do not swerve aggressively. I treat the bike like a drag bike. Hammer it hard off the line, when I am cruising, I am 85mph plus and sustained for 25-40 miles at a time. The Dunlop and Bridgestone tires operate well for me. Eventually I will swap the front to a Bridgestone and see how well that tire acts. Should it act similarly to the Dunlop....I will run Bridgestone sets from here on out. Bridgestone tires have generally been a good brand for me with my Yamahas. If the front chews up the Bridgestone....I will run mix sets till the end of the bikes life.

This is my experience with tires for the Gen 2. Its not gospel for you and your bikes as your riding habits will be different than mine. Take this with a grain of salt if you are experiencing what you read in this thread.

When you have the 200 in the back, there is a dunlop for it....