Shinko Ravens

[HaulinAshe]

I agree about the bouncy feeling. That went away when I dropped pressure down to 36 psi.

That's a good point of reference. When I get mine mounted in a couple weeks, I'll make it a point to play around with pressure more than usual.

So you are expecting 6k from the rear with 36 psi? Hmmmmm....

 

[dcarver]

Jeff,

I'm really intersested to read your comparison between the ME880 rear Vs. Shinko / with 'sticky front' comparison.

..in the meantime, I'm off comparing Bridgestone vs Metzler in the off road world.. :yahoo: (rediscovering my mx past)

 

[keithaba]

Still waiting on this one. Getting any closer Jeff? Will we get a review this season? I'm really curious about these tires, pretty sure I'm going to order a pair to give them a try, but the Jeff report would make me feel better.

 

[HaulinAshe]

Still waiting on this one. Getting any closer Jeff? Will we get a review this season? I'm really curious about these tires, pretty sure I'm going to order a pair to give them a try, but the Jeff report would make me feel better.

I know the front BT-021 is toast. My plan is to put a few hundred more on the BT, then pull both wheels and run the Shinko Raven set. I expect to be on the Shinko Ravens by Dec. 1st.

In the meantime, I plan on placing a new Strada front with the (now) used BT-021 rear to test the viability of that combination. The BT-021 rear still has good life expectancy and may be a good mileage match for the Strada front.

Short answer is... Shinko(s) test in Dec., Strada/BT-021 combo test in January. By late February or early March the weather should be suitable for me to return to the Strada front/ME-880 rear combo.

 

[RadioHowie]

Still waiting on this one. Getting any closer Jeff? Will we get a review this season? I'm really curious about these tires, pretty sure I'm going to order a pair to give them a try, but the Jeff report would make me feel better.

I know the front BT-021 is toast. My plan is to put a few hundred more on the BT, then pull both wheels and run the Shinko Raven set. I expect to be on the Shinko Ravens by Dec. 1st.

In the meantime, I plan on placing a new Strada front with the (now) used BT-021 rear to test the viability of that combination. The BT-021 rear still has good life expectancy and may be a good mileage match for the Strada front.

Short answer is... Shinko(s) test in Dec., Strada/BT-021 combo test in January. By late February or early March the weather should be suitable for me to return to the Strada front/ME-880 rear combo.

Dood! You buy tires like Warchild buys bikes! You runnin' a meth lab outta the garage???

 

[BobG]

I have a little over 4000 miles on mine. The rear looks as if I will get another 2- 4000 out of them.

These definitely are a harder compound tire. They were exactly what I was looking for.

They already have surpassed the stones that came with the bike in longevity and handling. I don't see any cupping like the stones did.

I run them at 39 psi front, 41 psi rear. My front preload is all the way down to the last notch, and the rear shock lever is always on hard setting.

As for road snakes I have been able to ignore them with these tires.

I have only scratched the lowered pegs a few times. My son has lifted the pegs with these tires.

They are in the same class as the ME 880's but a hole lot cheaper.

If you are looking for a sticky tire for racing, I would go with a different tire. If you are looking for a tire that last a long time and with no surprises,

generally a good all around tire, these are them.

I will be putting these on again.

Bob

 

[keithaba]

Thanks for the info Bob! Most of what I have read has been fairly good reviews on this forum and others. It's just one of those things that causes you to think twice. Do I really want to buy cheap tires?

I guess the old saying doesn't ALWAYS stand up, "You get what you pay for."

 

[teerex51]

(...) If you are looking for a sticky tire for racing, I would go with a different tire. (....)Bob

Absolutely. I had the Ravens on my FJR until I sold the bike. Hard compound, a pretty stiff tire structure and a mild front-tire wobble after 3,000 miles.

An honest, no-frills tire for long straight roads but not very confidence-inspiring for the twisties.

I was happy to run Road Attacks on my second FJR and will not buy "cheap" tires again. I guess I can live with a EUR 100 sticker-price difference and maybe 1,500 miles less service life but I need to trust my tires all the way.

(I run Avon Storms ST now and love'em)

Stef

 

[Scab]

Now you tell us. But, you're Teerex endorsement is the only reason we bought them. :huh:

 

[teerex51]

Now you tell us. But, you're Teerex endorsement is the only reason we bought them. :huh:

Live and learn it took me 3K miles to realize these tires' limitations.

Ravens are adequate tires but the amount of slab riding I do is less than 20% and I was not feeling completely confident with them on Alpine roads, although they never betrayed me. Having now gone back to softer tires with more grip I know where I belong. I hope I did not mislead you... :blushsmiley:

Stef

 

[BobG]

Scab

What are you referring to?

Bob

 

[RadioHowie]

Scab What are you referring to?

Bob

Teerex endorsement

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Clicky the linky.

 

[Scab]

Thanks, Howie. I was out.

 

[RadioHowie]

Thanks, Howie. I was out.

Gotcherback, bud!

 

[HaulinAshe]

Well, the Shinkos got mounted today and I just HAD to take them out for a spin. I'll compile thoughts and data into a complete eval thread when they are finished. It will be a couple weeks before I can do any serious Shinko miles, but I wanted to offer some first impressions.

The "bouncy" feel experienced on E1Allen's bike running only the front Shinko was not there (much) today. I'm glad I decided to pull the still-good BT-021 rear off and mount both Shinkos new. The set definitely behaves better than a front Shinko and sticky rear combo.

Front balance was good with only 0.5 oz weight required. Rear balance was acceptable with 2.25 oz weight required. Runout and wobble were very good.

Initially, the Shinkos were downright scarey. Temps today were in the 70s with bright sunshine and light winds all day. When I ran out for the quick test it was 57F and road surface temps had to be pretty warm. The tires had been in my 70F garage for days, so not a lot of warmup should have been required. I set pressures at my usual 40 front and 38 rear.

The first 25 miles or so found the rear almost "popping" out in turns. I found myself squeezing the seat hard with my thighs in anticipation of the back end coming loose. It wasn't coming loose, it just felt that way in every turn, because the rear tire was reacting to the lean angle with a slight delay to the front. As I approached 50 miles the rear seemed to begin tracking more in time with the front. Time will tell.

My first few turns were moderate sweepers running conservative speeds of 10-20 over (on the closed course). I'm sorry to say it, and I think I remember someone else saying this about the Shinkos, but the best description I can give is that they were not "confidence inspiring". That's a definite contrast to the very recent experience I had with the Bridgestone BT-021 tires. Both were initially tested in similar conditions and on the exact same roads, same suspension settings, same loading etc. I still remember thinking how much I liked the Bridgestones and immediately began picking them apart to see how they compared to my favorite Stradas.

You can feel what I assume to be the reduced contact patch area of the Shinkos, or at least the harder rubber compound. Handling is significantly different than most other tires I've run. Not truck tires, not sticky sport tires, but not that smooth and steady turn-in of the ME880 rear either. The Shinkos feel loose and a tiny bit bouncy.

I definitely need to lower the pressure to 36 psi as suggested and see how they behave. Straight-up, the Shinkos gripped the dry road just fine. I did several hard stops across some paint arrows and they never slipped or even began to activate the ABS. That was a pleasant surprise and honestly not at all what I expected from the harder compound tire.

After roughly 50 miles I again took it to the closed course, , and ran some triple-digit time. The Shinkos were very smooth with a surprisingly limited tendency to follow pavement grooves or irregularities. I managed to catch one golf ball sized foreign object with about half the front and experienced an uncomfortable amount of bar twist as the object ejected itself out the side of the tire path. The front had no intentions of running OVER the object, but instead spit it out like a watermelon seed.

The most negative thing I have to say about the Shinkos (at this time) is that they do not have a "rail" position in turns. You never feel the bike settle into that solid groove that begs you to twist for more. It's more of a "is this it, is this it, is this it" turn routine. They definitely require more lean angle than most other tires for the same entry path and speed. So if you are already having problems dragging your pegs loaded up, don't expect the Shinkos to help that situation. Most recently with the Bridgestones, I ran HARD in the mountains using my typical suspension settings and the preload on SOFT. I never dragged a peg. There's no way the Shinkos will do that.

These are only first impressions with very few miles for data. However, the feel of the bike is extremely important to me and it doesn't take a lot of miles for me to FEEL differences in tires.

More to come...

 

[keithaba]

I'm sorry to say it, and I think I remember someone else saying this about the Shinkos, but the best description I can give is that they were not "confidence inspiring".

Well, that pretty much puts them on my "NO" list. Although I would have loved to save the money.

 

[Zorlac]

Thanks, sounds good.

 

[HaulinAshe]

It would be less than fair of me to imply that I am writing off the Shinkos just yet. I think they have potential to be an "okay" tire and perhaps even a "good" tire if run at lower pressures. I'm going to drop the pressures to 36 psi and see how much that improves the handling. Then it will take miles to determine how rapidly they wear at that setting.

Edit - added notes below:

Did a short 30-minute run this afternoon. Stopped and lowered the warm tire pressure to 38 psi (35-36 psi cold). The bouncy feel went away from the front. Shinkos immediately began to track the grooved irregularities in the pavement. They also adopted the "weebles wobble but don't fall down" feel that was so characteristic of those POS Metzeler Z4s the original owner of my 05 had installed. The Shinkos were not as wobbly as the Z4s, but that's the closest I can equate them to.

Definitely a VERY different tire at 36 psi than at 40 psi.

 

[BobG]

JeffAshe

What is your weight?

The reason I asked about the weight is I have never experienced the bounce of the front tire you and others have described.

I weigh about 240 without gear, with gear and crap I carry, I am putting about 270 lbs to 290 lbs, one up riding.

Bob

 

[Zorlac]

Maybe split the difference at 38psi?