Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

shinko

never thought i would say it without disgust in my voice but, i have had too bite the bullet and try them.

below are my thoughts

it was dark....................well not really , the pilot powers on my bike ,'03 zx12r, were shagged ,so i ring around trying to source some cheap hoops.
as i live in bunbury W.A. and are commuting into perth daily, @ 325k's round trip, i could not justify the local prices for a set of soft tyres that i will eat in 3000k's ,so i get some shinko's

rear :200/50zr17mc75w
front : whatever

the weather lately has been a mixture of rain ,drizzle ,freezing cold, fog,more cold & really cold .
the roads are in very good condition but also very straight, so cruising speed is fairly brisk.
the rear is wearing extremely well after 3000k's it is probably only 1/3 worn , the profile of this tyre is extremely flat giving a huge contact patch , great fot straight line acceleration , shit for going around corners.

i am not the fastest rider but i like to think i am of average ability. but i cannot feel the tyre or sidewall flex like some of the other experts here . but i have felt it slide around all over the place in the same spot that a bald pilot power was feeling good.

a couple of mornings it has been drizzling as i have come down a slight "range", if you can call it that ,just south of mandurah it would be @ 3-6 degrees air temp, @100 ish kph(cough cough),and i have felt the back let go ,not under acceleration or anything , just trying to keep it together in the cold, when i say let go i dont mean anything too scarey it is just a couple of little slides ,just enough to let you know that you are alive & your asshole suddenly gets watertight.

so, over all as i purchased these tyres with the intention of getting some mileage , they are serving their purpose. but i certainly would not use them as a tyre for scratching.
i have tried pilot powers ,rennsports , m1's, oo2's and various other tyres on this bike & i would rate these as not the pick of the bunch.

The 12R boys are saying the 190 is better on the 12? not sure what profile though?

It gives quicker steering than a 200, and with those shinko's being a flat profile this would accentuate the slow handling of the 200.

Did you only get 3000k's from the powers?

hoffy wrote:
Did you only get 3000k's from the powers?

hehe Hoffy has purchased a tyre munching machine...
and nobody told him

but remeber hoff, pilot powers have nice round shape, and he rides on the flat most of the time, not good tyres for straight roads.

My impression from what I have read on the net is that Shinkos don't handle high horsepower well. Pilot Sports used to slide on my 1200, Pilot Powers solved the problem at the expense of tyre wear- 9500km out of a rear Sport, 7000kmish out of a Power- might be lucky to get to 8000km.
Shinkos on my GT550 work REALLY well- I even had fun on em in the pissing rain last weekend. The bike lacks horsepower however. I paid $180 for the pair, fitted, so I am understandably rapt with them!

Wattie wrote:

hoffy wrote:
Did you only get 3000k's from the powers?

hehe Hoffy has purchased a tyre munching machine...
and nobody told him

I can see the tyres wearing and its just sitting in the garage

What shinko was it. were they the super soft one's (003) or the intermediates (005). shinko actually list the 005 tyres as sport-touring tyre which may explain the lack of cornering traction. I may be answering my own question but i don't think the 003 come in a 200 size. All the drag racing guys are using the 003 because they have excellent traction. I know a couple of people who have used them on the track and said they were pretty good aswell.

Hoffy,
4000k out of Powers
and a 190 is DEFINITLY the go
You will NEVER go back to a 200....