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I've pretty much worn out the stock tires on my 800GS so I guess it is time to make my first GS tire purchase. Everybody seems to have strong opinions regarding the best tire. I'm looking at 50/50 tires and leaning to the heidenau K60...very expensive but seem to last the longest and get very good reviews. The other tire that gets good reviews is the TKC80 which is priced about the same as the heidenau. If I want to go cheap I can get about two of the Shinkos for the price of one Heidenau or TKC.

Has anybody had any experience with any of these tires or, recommend something else?

I really like my 705's, but some guys on heavier bikes have issues with the rear delaminating. They handle gravel much better than they look like they should. There is a Full Bore tire that looks the same but I haven't heard of the delam. If I had heard of the full bore I would of tried it on the rear instead of another 705.
I wouldn't choose either if you ride alot of mud though.

allkidd wrote:I've pretty much worn out the stock tires on my 800GS so I guess it is time to make my first GS tire purchase. Everybody seems to have strong opinions regarding the best tire. I'm looking at 50/50 tires and leaning to the heidenau K60...very expensive but seem to last the longest and get very good reviews. The other tire that gets good reviews is the TKC80 which is priced about the same as the heidenau. If I want to go cheap I can get about two of the Shinkos for the price of one Heidenau or TKC.

Has anybody had any experience with any of these tires or, recommend something else?

Have you looked @ Motorcycle Maniacs? 140/18 (my bike's size) is $150 with shipping.

http://www.motorcyclemaniacstore.com/ca ... ycle-tires

Cheers,

MrHix

I'm definitely not a tire (or riding) expert, and I tend to lean way towards the off-road side. While knobbies are not as good on pavement as a good street tire, street tires REALLY suck off-road. Therefore, I make the compromise towards a knobbier tire and just deal with the road vibration, noise, and fast tire wear.

Right now, I have Kenda Big Block tires on my F800. I really liked these tires. When I first put them on, I thought, "now THAT'S the way the F800 is supposed to look!" I took the bike down to Arkansas and did a rugged 3 day ride that included lots of twisty pavement, too. I've done a 2 day rugged forest road ride in MO on these tires. Other than that, I've ridden some paved roads in the KC area. I like how these tires perform in all conditions. BUT, the rear tire is REALLY worn out now, and I bet I don't even have 2,000 miles on it! (I don't keep any records of when I put tires on, etc. Yeah, I'm lazy.) The front is still looking good. A bike as heavy and powerful as the F800 is going to eat a soft knobbie on pavement. The great news is that the tire is relatively low-cost. I'm going to buy another one. I'm very satisfied with the Kenda Big Block.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Tire.aspx


The last tires I had on my Vstrom 650 before selling it were Shinko 705 series tires. These are more of a "dualsport" tire but lean a bit more aggressive than some. I thought they were great tires and a great value.
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/2/ ... -Tire.aspx


By the way, if you end up buying tires from Motorcycle Superstore, be sure to use the RideForum Affiliate link at the bottom of this (and every) page.

MrHix wrote:Have you looked @ Motorcycle Maniacs? 140/18 (my bike's size) is $150 with shipping.

His F800GS rear is a 150/70 17, which is $180 for the K-60.

troy wrote:The last tires I had on my Vstrom 650 before selling it were Shinko 705 series tires. These are more of a "dualsport" tire but lean a bit more aggressive than some. I thought they were great tires and a great value.

The mechanic who balanced my tire after getting my rim fixed, stated that the "Shinko's were pretty good tires..for re-treads."

I can't find anything to back his side of the story up - anyone heard anything similar? Seems wrong considering that Shinko bought all the molds from Yokohoma when their tire plant was earthquake'ed about ten years ago. And why re-tread when you have the molds?

But, as for Troy says, I bought those exact tires upon his recommendation when the stock tires on the 650 were toast. I've since bought two sets of the same tire and have been very happy with them.

Will buy again. A++++++++++

If I lived closer to the good riding in Arkansas I would move towards a more aggressive tire. While I think that I will ride more offroad with my GS, in the 6,000 miles so far I've only been offroad (not including gravel as offroad) one time. Therefore, I'm thinking of a more versatile tire like the Heidenau or Shinko. The Shinko reviews are good and the Heidenau reviews are great but $180 for one tire...I'm going cheap and trying the Shinko. Front and rear Shinko are $140, front and rear Heidenau are $330...yea, I just convinced myself to get the Shinkos.

Whether I buy from MS or RM I will use the rideforum affiliate link at the bottom of the page.

Seems like I have tried most of the main options on my 990 and I am sticking with a combo of TKC80 on the front and Mefo Super Explorer on the rear. Good combo for mixed riding and the Mefo lasts way longer than the others I have tried. Never tried the Mefo front but I am happy with the life and capabilities of the TKC front.

The Mefo can be hard to find and is somewhat pricey but there is a ADVrider guy who does wheels that sells them at a discount to ADV members. I forgot his name but he is the guy I think in Cali who has a very strong accent. Maybe others on here have bought from him?? If you can figure out who he is you can save about $30 over everyone else. You do have to call in to get the discount as his web site does not give it. I will look in my file cabinet tonight to see if I saved the receipt. I have 3k miles on the Mefo rear and it still looks nearly new. The TKC would be almost shot by now.

Jim

allkidd wrote:Whether I buy from MS or RM I will use the rideforum affiliate link at the bottom of the page.

Cool. I'll be sitting back watching the fat checks roll in, baby! It's easy street from here on out.

Seriously, though, thank you.

jasoomian wrote:

troy wrote:The last tires I had on my Vstrom 650 before selling it were Shinko 705 series tires. These are more of a "dualsport" tire but lean a bit more aggressive than some. I thought they were great tires and a great value.

The mechanic who balanced my tire after getting my rim fixed, stated that the "Shinko's were pretty good tires..for re-treads."

I can't find anything to back his side of the story up - anyone heard anything similar? Seems wrong considering that Shinko bought all the molds from Yokohoma when their tire plant was earthquake'ed about ten years ago. And why re-tread when you have the molds?

But, as for Troy says, I bought those exact tires upon his recommendation when the stock tires on the 650 were toast. I've since bought two sets of the same tire and have been very happy with them.

Will buy again. A++++++++++

That's BS. A local stealership was telling me Shinko's were junk and they'd never order them. They'd much rather sell me tires 3x as much and then screw me over on mounting charges. Well guess what brand of tires they sell now?
They don't get my biz and I learned to mount and balance my own tires, even 17" street tires.

If you're thinking about the 705's, you might check out and search info on the Full Bore's...

Here's a fresh 705

When I converted my old DRZ over to road riding I bought 50/50 Shinkos (don't remember the model # for sure). I didn't research at all, I just took a chance and bought them because they were cheap. For riding OFF ROAD in wet and muddy conditions they pretty much sucked. But, for everyday trail riding and roads, they were a fantastic tire. I didn't put a lot of miles on them...maybe 1500 with a lot of that being pavement...but they didn't show much wear at all when I sold it last spring.

Just mounted a set of Shinko 244's on my Drz. They look good but I haven't been able to ride them yet. They were $87 shipped. I didn't go through the link on the bottom of the page for MSS. I didn't see them until after I bought the tires.

I'm going riding down at Glade Top between Christmas and New Years so I'll be able to try them out then.

Mick

I've got a 244 on the rear on my 300 and front/rear on the 350. They are great tires all-around tires(unlike kenda 270's). I have 1800 miles on the 300 and it still has pleny of tread and it's not loud going down the road.

Thanks for everybody's input. I went the cheap route and bought the Shinko 705's...$135 for a set from Rocky Mountain. For that price figured I can't go wrong.

I think you'll be surprised how well they do on gravel and rocks. Just be ready to get squirrely if you go through mud.