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Shinko 016 Verge 2x impressions.

RoadKillHeaven

Guest
Guest
I am not trying to be cheap. I am simply experementing with what Conni likes to have as footwear. OE tires lasted nearly 8K miles, front developed rather conical wear which has contributed to very nervous front end in the bends. Rear, on the orher hand, had 1-2k to go with modest center flat spot wear.
Since 021 front tire had produced packer moments every time I've ridden my C14 exuberantly - I've said enough of this footle- time to find new shoes. I've wanted to try RoadSmart3, but I've found Shinkos at silly enough price to refuse to pass up.
Install at Andrew's garage was a breeze. Tires exhibited no vibrations, no weird noise. After 1k miles, tires show very little wear, more so on the sides than in the middle.
Comparing handling between OE tires and these cheep-o rubber made by subsidiery of Yokohama, I venture to say Bridgestone could use some cues from other manufactures how to make proper tire.
016 exhibits more or less neutral handling at partial lean. Although I haven't found max lean I can take Conni to, I can attest 016s are easier to hold @ lean angles than BT021 where latter tire had rather tippy behavior, eager to fall in and lose its poise midcorner.
I haven't noticed such behaviour from 016.
I live in rainy Seattle, so riding in cold and rainy conditions are norm during winter months. 016 performed admirably. I haven't had scarry moments in the rain. Thanks to heavy front end, and rock-steady poise of C14 , corners I had aprehention taking while riding Vee, were a non-issues this past winter.
At nearly 2k miles, I've noticed slight flat forming @ rear tire. I don't remember when 021 had developed flat spot, however.

For half the price of RS3, mounted, I should not complain, even if 016 last less than OE 021s.

Cheers...
 
I think Bridgestone knows how to make a proper tire.  What most people don't understand is that an OEM tire is not the best tire made...it is a tire that had to come in at a price point...so as to keep the price of the bike, as a whole, in line.  That is why many aftermarket tires offer an improvement to the OEM tire...they are not restricted to be made for the manufacturer's (of the motorcycle) price point.  Manufacturers are beginning to see the value in this...note the HDs...or, the Yamaha FZs...these bikes (and, probably more) come with premium tires as OEM...it might cost the bike manufacturers $40 more per bike to do that...but, there are no comments made about "crappy OEM tires"...and, most Concours riders are familiar with that statement, if they bought their bikes new...

Most tire manufacturers make a variety of tires...and, there is a variety of quality and performance...both motorcycle and automobile...I have yet to hear anybody lump Bridgestone's T30 or T31 tires into the "crappy OEM tires" group...

Most all of the OEM tires are simply a tire that was made to hit a price point...

I'm also thinking about the 016s for my next tire...am really interested in hearing more about your tires "squaring off" after a couple of thousand miles.

Safe riding.
 
I beg to differ. Stock tires on Vee were Bringestone TrailWing (so-called DeathWings).  TrialWing tires almost cost me my life. Low-siding a bike on a highway at >60Mph was not what you'd call exciting. Luckily for me motorists behind maintained safe distance and were able to stop. Low-side spill was attributed to previous accident which resulted in spilled antifreeze and oil which I didn't see mixed with rain water. I replaced them with BattleWing tires which was an improvement. I had them for 4-5K miles when I start noticing similar to Trail Wing behavior. So I ditched BT tires all together. After switching to PR4 Trail, I've never had an issue with slip-sliding even in a wettest of conditions. PR4 Trail on my Vee lasted 22K miles front, 12-13K miles rear. There is no way to get mileage like that on C14. 
If I get 8K miles out of 016, I'd be happy.
P.S What I meant to convey regarding cues for making a better tire was to make a better economy tire. A better tire that has uniform wear and doesn't exhibit weird behavior after miles have been accumulated. 

 
My Connie had T30's on it when purchased, I hated them and they never felt secure when leaned over. Put on Pilot Roads and currently at 9200 miles with maybe 2k more in the rear.

I would be surprised if you get more than 5k out of the 016's.
 
Update:
3K miles on Verge.
Rear tire flat spot has disappeared due to improving weather and riding less in a straight line!  :great:
Tires are a bit nervous on the edge. I felt rear slip at almost full lean (toe slider scraping pavement) moment. But Connie corpulence saves most pucker moments as its stability is remarkable.

Cheers...
 
 
How is it faring regarding to your 8k miles projection?  I am going to put a new Angel ST on my front wheel today...
 
If I can attain 8K miles out of Verge set, I'd be content
Most touring tires wear well under 3-4K miles. After that wear could go either way!

Cheers...

 
I got 6k out of my rear 016 and 7500 out of the front and all of that was mostly straight/flat commuting. 
 
RoadKillHeaven said:
If I can attain 8K miles out of Verge set, I'd be content
Most touring tires wear well under 3-4K miles. After that wear could go either way!

Cheers...

I have over 6300 miles on my PR4 front so far, and around 5400 on the rear and they both look very good. I changed the rear after only around 1,000 miles since I had a good nail in it. I plugged it and rode it a while locally, but changed it before a 2700 mile trip to Yellowstone and around.
 
I just changed my 016 after 9500 miles so I can tell you that they will last as long as you keep proper pressure in them. I'll post a PIC as I recently changed them, still have some wear left. I am also 230lb guy so it wasn't like I was light on the tires. I can tell you that I had zero problem in any condition with these tires as well, they worked well in rain and in the cold and of course just fine in the heat. I road it through end of November in MI loading it up with my bow and hunting apparel Putting 150 miles a day 3 times a week for 2 months and in many cases I would strap a 50lb bag of corn on back seat and tires worked great with the extra weight.  For the price of these tires and way I drove the bike they were phenomenal overall. Are they a Michelin? NO, but I think they proved to be a good tire.
 
RoadKillHeaven said:
Update:
I do not think front tire will last more than 5K. It is down to half the depth. Wow. C14 is a nose heavy beast!

Are you keeping PSI at 42 on the front, or lower?
 
While 38-40 might seem ideal, with the C14's weight, those lower pressures will accelerate wear by excessive flex and therefore generating heat; especially with your bodyweight. You might benefit from lighter handling and slightly longer front tire life with PSI closer to recommended. Your bodyweight will help insure good front end grip, so I wouldn't worry about that.
 
Thanks for reassuring review. I keep Connie's shoes at 40psi cold. 
it is nearly 4K on the set, the wear seems to have paused.


Cheers...
 
Like roadkillheaven ,  I hoped the Shinko's would be good e'nuff to use them.
Have to admit, they felt/handled pretty good.

But; I have about 2000 on mine and on the rear tire looks BAD.
  The small rain groove near the center is "gone" and the bigger/deeper one (sets slightly off side) is considerably shallower.
  Front tire looks ok.

At the National, I had a flat on the rear and will be replacing it.
    Will see at that time if the tire is as thin as I suspect or just the small grooves are gone. {Poor rain groove design?}

NOTE: I ride in the hot south on our rough roads and get a max of about 5000 miles on the rear / mebbe 6000 on the front.
            We've noticed that the riders up North get a lot better mileage out of their tires, and suspect the difference is the road construction?
          I also trailer to the events/enjoy the event/then trailer home, so I do not accumulate many highway miles on my tires. {ie; No flat bottom}
              {and Yes, I know I'm a sinner}  :-[
          Bottom line: I seriously doubt I would have gotten 2500 miles out of the rear.
                              Before the flat I planned to remove them because of the looks at about 2000.

Ride safe, Ted
 
Ted I have about 4k on a verge 011 rear and it still looks like there's rubber left. It is a bit flat spotted. I should probably look at it closely.  Still handles pretty well also. The front has about 2k on it since I procrastinated installing it after the rear.
 
Roads in Michigan are complete garbage because of the big weather swings we have here so I certainly don't think roads are better here. We do have a little bit milder weather versus the deep south but we still get 90's through the summer. I am blown away that people only get 2500 miles on these tires. If you keep your tires clean, at the correct pressure and get on the sides a little every 25-50 miles or so they should last well over 5k easy. I always roll my tires over edge to edge every so often even if I'm on strait road for hundreds of miles to keep them wearing evenly. I am a big buy and I ride my bike pretty hard and I have road so many different brands of tires and cant come up with one unless it was a pure sport bike tire that didn't last 5k. Guess you guys need to stop doing burnouts!!!  ;D ;D
 
Could someone take a picture of this tire installed? I specifically told the tire shop to notice the direction of the tire and install it, but they did exactly opposite of how it's supposed to go but wouldn't believe me, no matter how I argued. I would have done it myself, but I broke my mojo lever dismounting the old, stiff, crusty tire.  :-[
 
shot of front and rear tires, respectively.
 

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All, (after looking at RoadKillHeaven's photo's), I looked at my rear Shinko again and the wear was not as bad as I thought.
  ie; It has a bit of a flat center, and my rear tire looks worse at 2000 miles than RoadKillHeaven's look at 4000 miles.
            But the deeper/larger grooves appear ok.

Unfortunately,,, it has a flat from a puncture.  :-[
{Plugged twice at the National due to a flat; with poor result}

I will admit I was pretty impressed by the way the bike handled with the Shinko's.
  So, I just ordered another rear Shinko to use as I finish the front Shinko.

Will see what mileage it gives me this time...

Ride safe, Ted

 
I've crossed 6K miles. I reckon front tire will reach 0/32 before the rear tire. I reckon it has another 1K miles before deemed worn out. I shall see.
I've already ordered another set of 016s.

 
A dips*** once told me how he put a set of shinkos on and they weren't round so had to take them off. Guess he had no idea how to seat a bead. But he was bashing shinkos w all his might. Arguing w him made me feel like meathead arguing w Archie.

I agree that Shinkos give the most bang for the buck. I just stopped trying to explain it to every numskull that comes along. Now I let people buy their brand loyal favorite junk w a banner and inflatable marshmallow. I gave up. The old man quietly smiling makes sense to me...
 
I put my first 30 miles on these tires last night to start the break-in. They feel good and much more confidence inspiring than the last tires were on (old, crusty OEM tires)!
 
At about 7K miles on the tires.  They seem to have a few more.
Front tire is becoming a bit tipsy at ambitious lean angles. Otherwise no weird handling or noises or cupping.  Tire pressure between 38-40 psi.
I'd be a monkey's uncle if 016's last more that 8k.
We shall see.
 
"8K Miles"!!!
That's amazing!
I don't get near that, even with a PR-4..

I spooned another Shinko rear on recently.
  {Had a flat on the last one and decided to replace it.}
Will see how this one does.

Ride safe, Ted
 
I can't say one bad thing about Shinko tires.
:)Great savings in money over others brands, and they stick in the turns and give me good mileage.
 
Crossed the 8K mark. I've noticed left side of rear tire is more worn than right side. I attribute that to road crown.
There still 1/32 left. I'll wait until "normal" Seattle weather resumes before I put new rubber on.

I am impressed by these cheap-O-tires many dismiss as a bad juju.
 
Cheers...
 
@ about 8200 miles rear tire, all of the sudden, has shown cords. I'd gone for a ride, came back home, checked tires and saw it. :eek:
New tires are on.  :great: :motonoises:

Cheers...

 
connie_rider said:
"8K Miles"!!!
That's amazing!
I don't get anywhere near that, even with a PR-4..

I spooned another Shinko rear on recently.
  {Had a flat on the last one and decided to replace it.}
Will see how this one does.

Ride safe, Ted

Update; I rode 300 miles of twisties in Arkansas last weekend.
After I got home, I was amazed by the amount of wear I had on the new rear tire.
As I sed in an earlier post I'm very doubtful if I'll get 2500 out of these, (Particularly if I keep doing Arkansas twisties with Cliff)  :great: but I have to admit,,, they stuck like glue...


 
I think I am going to give the Shinko rear tire a try.  Low expectation, but should get me thru the winter riding season hopefully and I get get a better tire in the Spring.

Steve
 
connie_rider said:
As I sed in an earlier post I'm very doubtful if I'll get 2500 out of these, (Particularly if I keep doing Arkansas twisties with Cliff)

Don't blame me. You just keep coming up here to see my smiling face!  :nananana:
 
It seems like I got a defective rear tire. At about 35-40 mph handbars shimmy. At higher speeds rear end bobbing. When on center stand, gear engaged, with engine running, I can see a low spot on the left side of rear tire. It is as if bias ply tires develop flat spot after sitting a while.
Bummer...
 
Yes, I agree. Mine is a radial.
Maybe that explains the difference in mileage that we're seeing?

Ride safe, Ted

PAS: Cliff I don't blame you, and it sure ain't the smiling face..
        Arkansas roads are sorta like an addiction.
            Gotta have "MORE"...  :motonoises:
 
Is it stepping into turns too easy it's probably because the front forks are too soft low or sag adjustment is inadequate. tires have little to do with the way of bike dips into turns unless the profile the tire changed the height of the bike.
 
Douglas said:
Is it stepping into turns too easy it's probably because the front forks are too soft low or sag adjustment is inadequate. tires have little to do with the way of bike dips into turns unless the profile the tire changed the height of the bike.

Douglas, more than once a change of front tires significantly changed how my bike dips into the corners.  I don't believe the tire heights varied that much. Maybe but they were all 120/70's.  I think it's more tire shape and construction.  Hek Angel GT's (non A-spec) with 2k miles had much different dip-in than when they were new.
 
connie_rider said:
All, (after looking at RoadKillHeaven's photo's), I looked at my rear Shinko again and the wear was not as bad as I thought.
  ie; It has a bit of a flat center, and my rear tire looks worse at 2000 miles than RoadKillHeaven's look at 4000 miles.
            But the deeper/larger grooves appear ok.

Unfortunately,,, it has a flat from a puncture.  :-[
{Plugged twice at the National due to a flat; with poor result}

I will admit I was pretty impressed by the way the bike handled with the Shinko's.
  So, I just ordered another rear Shinko to use as I finish the front Shinko.

Will see what mileage it gives me this time...

Ride safe, Ted

Update on mileage; Since the installation of the new Shinko on the rear I made 2 trips to Arkansas.
                                  I kept the used Shinko on the front to finish it out.

                            The new rear is pretty badly worn after 733 miles of Arkansas riding and the front is also worn badly. No flat spots. Worn uniformly...
                                (I think the front has less than 3000 miles on it).
                              Neither has cord showing, but their too far gone to try another trip/long ride.
                            NOTE: I trailered the bike to Ark so there are no road miles...  All the miles on the rear were done while playing.
                              On the plus side; They handled/stuck really well...  :great:

NOTE: I've been doing some local rides as it's not actually showing tread yet.. <grin>
          Now at 1153 miles on the tire and still handling well..
 
Hi RoadKill;
Saw that you are also using Andrew for mounting your tires.  He does a great job at a reasonable price, about half of what most shops would charge.

I have about 9,500 miles on my current set of Pirelli Angel GT A-spec tires.  They still have some mileage left in them, but I ordered another set of Pirelli's yesterday and will have Andrew install them sometime during the next couple months.  Best tires ever!
 
I just picked up my 08 last weekend.

The dealer put on brand new Shinko Verge tires on front and back.

Since then, ive put on about 350mi. About 100 of those was riding on hard twisty corners normally reserved for my Ducati.

I am very pleased with their performance with gripping the road.

I cannot comment on longevity at this point until I put on more miles.

My Pirelli's on my Ducati seem to struggle to get to 5K so if these make it to 8K I will be pleased.
 
Big Brian said:
I just picked up my 08 last weekend.

The dealer put on brand new Shinko Verge tires on front and back.

Since then, ive put on about 350mi. About 100 of those was riding on hard twisty corners normally reserved for my Ducati.

I am very pleased with their performance with gripping the road.

I cannot comment on longevity at this point until I put on more miles.

My Pirelli's on my Ducati seem to struggle to get to 5K so if these make it to 8K I will be pleased.

Verge?  Or Verge 2X?  Shinko makes both...
 
CRocker said:
Big Brian said:
I just picked up my 08 last weekend.

The dealer put on brand new Shinko Verge tires on front and back.

Since then, ive put on about 350mi. About 100 of those was riding on hard twisty corners normally reserved for my Ducati.

I am very pleased with their performance with gripping the road.

I cannot comment on longevity at this point until I put on more miles.

My Pirelli's on my Ducati seem to struggle to get to 5K so if these make it to 8K I will be pleased.

Verge?  Or Verge 2X?  Shinko makes both...

The Verge not the Verge 2x
 
I will refrain form saying negative things about F016 Shinko. After all, it is/was my subjective experience with these tires. Second set did not fair well as I had to claim warranty twice. Each time front tire under-performed, exhibiting the same shimmy.
Since then I've replaced front tire (I know mix-n-match is not the best solution) with BT016 and my shimmy issue is completely gone! 

I do not think I will ever go back to Shinko tires.

 
I just ordered a set as the front tire is all but bald & the rear is close behind. With a 55 series rear they were $212 shipped to CO from Amazon. That was the best price I could find.
 
Adding my experience with the Verge 011. Just turned 8000mi on the rear, 6k on front. Handling has been good. I don't push it hard in the corners but overall the leaning/turning feel has stayed pretty neutral. Front tire is much rounder than any others I've tried after lots of miles (not a half hexagon). I'm not convinced dual compound on the front is better. Used the 180/55 since they don't make a 190/55. I don't ride in the rain much so no opinion on them in the wet. Going to try the 016 190/50 on the rear next.
 
I put on Shinko 016 Verge 2x tires last week, and with about 400 miles on them, the rear tire came off the bead while on the freeway. That was a terrifying few seconds! Thankfully I was able to avoid the crash, and me and passenger are fine. Towed to the closest shop, now waiting to hear what the mechanic says. I have the Shinko on the front too ... that rattled me enough that I may get that changed too. Whether it was mechanic error or defect, I am waiting to find out.
 
Matthew said:
Could someone take a picture of this tire installed? I specifically told the tire shop to notice the direction of the tire and install it, but they did exactly opposite of how it's supposed to go but wouldn't believe me, no matter how I argued. I would have done it myself, but I broke my mojo lever dismounting the old, stiff, crusty tire.  :-[

Matt, there are arrows imprinted on the side of every tire indicating what direction it MUST rotate in.  Check the side of your tire to make sure the arrow imprinted in the rubber is rotating in the correct direction.  If it's not bring it right back to the manager of the shop that installed it and point this out to them.  If the tire is put on with the arrow pointing the opposite direction (backwards) the wheel rotates in and you get caught in the rain the water will build up (puddle) in front of the tire instead of going through the tread grooves, like it's supposed to.  If you were to get in a accident because of this the shop is 100% liable.  You will have lawyers lining up at your door to "help" you.
 
Dan 86
When you posted the tire came off the bead the hair on the back of my neck stood up!
Holy shit.
Have you found out why yet?
Those tires are so hard to dismount and mount I can't envision that unless it was the wrong size and too big.
Nick
 
Nickrides said:
Dan 86
When you posted the tire came off the bead the hair on the back of my neck stood up!

You're not alone.  :eek:  I had to go change my underwear after reading that.  :rotflmao:

I shattered a tire on a drag bike at the end of a run in 82 - it came apart like a grenade was in it. That still scares me just thinking about it more than 30 years later! :-\  I was more than ready for something and going dead straight with room to coast. But popping the bead on some of the mountain roads I travel would probably be the end. :??:

One thing is for sure, I would only let it happen once, and if I survived I would not ever consider another even if they were free for life!  :truce:

Take care,
Jon
 
Nickrides said:
Dan 86
When you posted the tire came off the bead the hair on the back of my neck stood up!
Holy s***.
Have you found out why yet?
Those tires are so hard to dismount and mount I can't envision that unless it was the wrong size and too big.
Nick
+1.  Curious to know the cause, hate to blame the brand...if that's not the culprit. I can't imagine what would contribute to this other than incorrect tire size?
Glad your okay.
 
I'm sorry, but however good the Shinko brand may be these days, it's just too hard to convince myself of ever needing to go any cheaper than the new Roadsmart IIs manufactured by Sumitomo Rubber in Thailand. Cheap, work like a champ and don't fail ever!
 
Tundra said:
Nickrides said:
Dan 86
When you posted the tire came off the bead the hair on the back of my neck stood up!
Holy s***.
Have you found out why yet?
Those tires are so hard to dismount and mount I can't envision that unless it was the wrong size and too big.
Nick
+1.  Curious to know the cause, hate to blame the brand...if that's not the culprit. I can't imagine what would contribute to this other than incorrect tire size?
Glad your okay.

Tundra good points,

But I'm not sure there is a solid answer for that. Damaged rim possibly, but without detailed forensic investigation beyond the obvious causes it would be hard to determine. So if all things were equal, speaking only for myself I would never trust the brand. Years ago I had some trouble with Goodyear Eagle GT tires on a car. I not only quit the model, I quit the brand as well for close to 20 years.  :mad:

I am guessing you are referring to rim size which would directly impact seating the of bead, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility that a radically different tire that is the correct rim size, and well beyond spec could impact the bead. But that would be tough if it was properly inflated.

Come to think about it, low inflation could definitely cause the bead issues. So I would hang my hat on very low inflation in that case.

But let's have some fun with the rim size a moment.  >:D  A 17" tire on a 17" rim should work fine. I'm not sure how you could seat an 18 on a 17 rim, and there is no way on this pale blue dot would I ever consider releasing the clutch on that arrangement - assuming it actually worked. And we all know how difficult the 17' is to replace, can you imagine the struggle to even try, never said succeed, with a 16?!?  :-[:-\ :rotflmao:

So outside of improper inflation I'm afraid I would have to blame the brand I am sorry to say. :??:

Take care,
Jon
 
Very true regarding the under inflation, however I would assume any seasoned Connie Rider would feel it and know.  If my front tire is down just a lb. Or two I certainly feel it, especially low speed parking lot maneuvers on a big heavy bike. I'd certainly be interested in follow up, even if just for safety for others. Glad you escaped this without incident or injury!!
 
Tundra said:
Very true regarding the under inflation, however I would assume any seasoned Connie Rider would feel it and know.  If my front tire is down just a lb. Or two I certainly feel it, especially low speed parking lot maneuvers on a big heavy bike. I'd certainly be interested in follow up, even if just for safety for others. Glad you escaped this without incident or injury!!

I'm right there with you on that.  :great: 

I'm slightly over spec on my inflation because it feels better to me, but I do not speak for the masses - they need to do what is "right" for them.  ;)

Take care,
Jon
 
For track days we drop tire pressure way down they say 28 to 30 rear 30 to 32 rear for sportbikes, I like 32 F 34 R with the fat girl at Jennings GP, our yearly track day.
 
Dan86, please post back with your findings. Curious if some kind of tire failure, install issue, tire pressure issue.
This would be useful information to share with others please.
 
One more question for Dan86. I'm reading this that a mechanic mounted the tire on the wheel, was this done with a machine or manually?
 
I have to imagine when Dan 86 said the tire came off the bead, he had a flat and rode it until the tire came off the bead. I've done that. I was on a dirt road and thought the swaying was just the dirt surface, until it got really bad and I looked down, surprise!
Nick
2014 C-14
 
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