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Post by scootdude on Jan 24, 2015 21:50:25 GMT -5
I want to put some whitewall tires on my scooter. I was looking online at scooter tires, and I keep running across a brand called Shinko. The tires look pretty nice, and they're priced pretty decent. I've never heard of Shinko before. Maybe I should just stick with brands I know like Michelin and Bridgestone. Anyone have any experience with Shinko tires? What's your tire of choice?
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 25, 2015 0:05:20 GMT -5
What size are you looking for?
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Post by trailheadmike on Jan 25, 2015 9:36:45 GMT -5
Love my Shinkos. the story goes that Shinko purchased the technology for these tires from Yokohama when they got out of the small tire business. All I can say is that I've had Michelins and Shinkos on my scoot, and the Shinko ride is comparable and they are lasting a lot longer than the Michelins did. I got mine through Motorcyclesuperstore for a good price with free shipping.
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Post by scootdude on Jan 25, 2015 12:44:57 GMT -5
What size are you looking for? I'm looking for a 140/70-12 for the back tire and a 120/70-12 for the front tire.
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 25, 2015 15:38:15 GMT -5
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Post by SylvreKat on Jan 25, 2015 16:17:03 GMT -5
You've got the Grand Vista, like Leo/oldchopperguy, right? You apparently won't find whitewalls for one of them (I think it's rear). But Leo has a thread about painting a whitewall on his tire. And his Minnie Mouse really looks sharp with the whites.
>'Kat
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Post by scootdude on Jan 25, 2015 17:11:29 GMT -5
You've got the Grand Vista, like Leo/oldchopperguy, right? You apparently won't find whitewalls for one of them (I think it's rear). But Leo has a thread about painting a whitewall on his tire. And his Minnie Mouse really looks sharp with the whites. >'Kat Really? No whitewalls for 140/70-12? Dang! Whitewalls might look out of place anyway seeing as I've countrified the scooter with colored tape to cover up all the feathers. LOL
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 25, 2015 18:17:17 GMT -5
Honestly the way tire sizes work is: first number is tire width in millimeters. The /xx is the aspect ratio in percent of the first number (width), this translates into the height of the sidewall of the tire (a 100/60 tire has 60% of the sidewall height as the treads width=60mm height). the third number is the rim diameter and is sometimes accompanied by a speed rating letter.
Dont worry about specific size on the rear. a 130/60-70 and 120/60-70 will work just fine. for the front you should use stock size or you may throw off your speedo.
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Post by scootdude on Jan 26, 2015 2:21:32 GMT -5
Honestly the way tire sizes work is: first number is tire width in millimeters. The /xx is the aspect ratio in percent of the first number (width), this translates into the height of the sidewall of the tire (a 100/60 tire has 60% of the sidewall height as the treads width=60mm height). the third number is the rim diameter and is sometimes accompanied by a speed rating letter. Dont worry about specific size on the rear. a 130/60-70 and 120/60-70 will work just fine. for the front you should use stock size or you may throw off your speedo. I get where you're coming from. But the 120/70-12 is 20mm narrower than the 140/70/12. Wouldn't that affect handling, cornering and braking characteristics? Eons ago I used to work at a shop where I did vehicle inspections and emissions testing. If a car or truck came in with modified suspension and wheels and tires that weren't stock sizes it was an automatic fail. Manufacturers give a lot of consideration to ride, center of gravity, handling, etc, etc. Safety is the main concern of most manufacturers. I'd be worried that a narrower tire on the back would reduce the overall safety of the vehicle. Am I off track with that line of thought?
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Post by SylvreKat on Jan 26, 2015 9:25:11 GMT -5
I just had a thought about your taping. Did you use duck tape? If so, it screws up the paint's finish. I've seen it happen on cars when they taped up bumper or door damage.
>'Kat
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Post by scootdude on Jan 26, 2015 12:05:16 GMT -5
I just had a thought about your taping. Did you use duck tape? If so, it screws up the paint's finish. I've seen it happen on cars when they taped up bumper or door damage. >'Kat LOL! Yes I used some duct tape. I truly hope it ruins the finish. When the tape finally weathers off I'm going to wet sand the rest of that gawd awful paintjob off and paint it a nice army camouflage, maybe mount some deer antlers on the handlebars, and mount a shotgun on the back of the back trunk. HA! I really don't like the feathers, the purple, the beak, or any of it. My wife even decided she doesn't like it either.
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 26, 2015 18:37:33 GMT -5
The link I provided show the tire being available in 130/70-12 and 120/70-12. These are the same sizes and tires used on the larger engine piaggio and vespas. I am currently running a 130/70-12 on the rear of my scoot in place of the 140/70 that came stock. The only difference i noticed after the tire swap was a bit more takeoff as the 130 has a bit less overall tire diameter than the 140 therein reducing the engines perceived gear ratio. in theory this should lessen my top speed but in the case of my lil 50cc it actually helped. Since you have a 250 right? It may and or may not make a difference that is even noticeable. I had to try really hard to notice the difference on my scoot and it may still just be placebo effect. I have not noticed any other ill effects. I worked as a tire tech for 4 years back in rhode island and it is very common for tire sizes to be swapped around. Besides that in normal riding you are only using ~50% of your tires width anyway. In the summer I really carve corners to the point that my pegs have hit the ground and flipped back up (Not many scoots have pegs but mine are "breakaway")and i still only use about 75% of my tires width. Call a scoot shop or motorcycle shop and they will concur.
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 26, 2015 19:05:09 GMT -5
And as far as shinko goes....Ill show you my new shinko rear tire delaminating after just 1000mi. Im going to get have to get a set of Kenda or Michelin come summer because i was so disappointed i ended up throwing studs in them for winter as to not waste a new set of tires.
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Post by scootdude on Jan 26, 2015 20:12:44 GMT -5
And as far as shinko goes....Ill show you my new shinko rear tire delaminating after just 1000mi. Im going to get have to get a set of Kenda or Michelin come summer because i was so disappointed i ended up throwing studs in them for winter as to not waste a new set of tires. Only 1000 miles, OUCH! Yeah that'd make me mad for sure. I'll probably follow your lead and pick up a set of Michelin tires. The tread on the tires that are on there right now is actually pretty good. The scooter only has 3700 miles on it. But they're the same tires the scooter was manufactured with back in 2006. They don't look like there's any dry rot going on. I don't see any cracking along the sidewalls. But I'm going to be doing a lot of riding at around 65mph, so I don't want to risk it with 9 year old tires. I'd rather "waste" a couple of "good" tires and have some peace of mind. You're on 2 wheels after all. A blowout at freeway speed isn't fun on a bike. Heck it's not even very fun in a car come to think of it.
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Post by psychedelicode on Jan 26, 2015 20:26:30 GMT -5
I will add, alot of 50cc riders do not have any issues with shinkos. They are the stock tire for many many scoots. In my experience $10 more for a nice tire is better than being worried. My scoot came stock with a kenda k761 rear tire that lasted 6kmi and I had only replaced it after picking up a few nails on a jobsite. I still have it around as well as a brand new k761 and I will take pictures. Its not half worn. It cost the same as a shinko.
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