Shinko 705- The ultimate dual sport tire?
Motorcyclists are always looking for a the "best" of something. Whether it be jackets, suspension, or tires, there is always a need to have a better product that can last longer or take a better beating. One thing on a motorcycle that continues to wear out is the tires, and for the dual sport rider having the right balance of street and dirt is critical to being happy on the bike.
When I first got my KLR I was running Pirelli Scorpion's, which are basically a street tire that can take some gravel roads. I ended up taking a road trip down through Oregon, California, Nevada, and Utah. These tires were excellent on the pavement, always had great grip and were very quiet. The only hiccup came when attempting to wander off the blacktop in Moab. Needless to say, street tires + loaded dual sport + sand was not the greatest combination. This sparked my interest in getting a tire better suited for the dirt.
I was new to riding dual sport bikes and very unaware of the shear number of tires that are out there for these bikes. Everything from full on dirt tires to racing slicks. Since price was a big factor and a long tread life was something I valued I leaned away from the knobbies and wound up finding the Shinko 705. Big tread blocks offered smooth on road performance while the staggering of the blocks offered decent off road traction. Bingo, I found my next set of tires!
I have spent roughly 20K miles on Shinko 705's and have learned to love their predictability, smooth ride (for the most part) and the fact that I can afford to get a new set every year. Now lets get into the details.
Wear
Depending on how you ride will greatly depend how long these tires last. Riding two up, loaded for two weeks straight? They won't last long. Running around on back roads, double track, and pretending you can keep up with legitimate dirt bikes? These tires will hold out much longer. I was seeing between 5000 and 7000 miles on the rears before they were getting too worn to provide adequate traction off road. Then I would ride another 1000 miles of just pavement like commuting to work, and weekend rides to completely wear them out. The big miles I put on during the summer are touring and fully loaded. I typically buy my new set of tires right before leaving on a trip so they are fresh. Right out of the gate I am throwing 3000+ miles at these tires. The rate of wear does increase as the tires become more worn, at about 3500-4000 miles (40% tread left) they begin to wear faster and get progressively more flat in the center.
On the front there is little to talk about. I was getting around 8,000-10,000 miles before I just put a new one on. At that mileage there is still some tread and the tire is able to handle both pavement and dirt. I would put a new one on because I was seeing dry-rot in places on the tire and would rather spend the extra $50 and have a brand new tire.
Handling
I love to carve up the twisties, and around me are several really good canyon roads and grades that are perfect for getting some throttle therapy. Riding the 705's is very confidence inspiring; they have a little big more vibration at highway speed than an actual road tire but because the tread blocks are fairly large they make for a smooth transition between blocks and thus make the contact patch with the pavement larger.
When ripping up the twisties there is none of the butt-pucker-panic that comes when a tire transitions from the center strip to the side wall. It is a linear progression, allowing the rider to swiftly transfer from one side of the tire to the other with out losing traction or confidence in the level of grip. I have drug my foot pegs around turns with these tires and never felt they couldn't handle it.
When the roads turn from groomed tarmac to dirt and gravel things get a bit different. I found that lowering the air pressure 5-10 psi greatly increased how the front tire could handle loose surfaces. The front has a tendency to push when speeds increase and struggles to find grip in muddy or wet terrain. Granted, this is bound to happen because it is not a full blow off road knobbie. To help the front tire work better I adjusted my riding style to put more weight on the front. The front wants to wander when ever there is bumps or loose sections of gravel so shifting your weight forward pushes the tire further into the ground and helps reduce this "wandering."
The rear has a more aggressive tread pattern on the sidewall of the tire, providing much better grip when the bike is leaned over off road. This pattern slowly moves from aggressive to moderate in the center strip, giving a smooth ride. After having this tire on both pavement and dirt it really only struggles when the going gets really rough, wet, or sandy. Traction is excellent on gravel/dirt roads and even on to some single track but once the tire begins to wear the traction reduces dramatically. On the pavement, traction is always available in dry conditions but when it starts to rain be aware of leaning too far. A few times I have had close calls to dropping the bike because the rear loses traction on wet pavement.
Livability
How are the 705's for riding every day? In one word, excellent. For the average rider who does a lot of street to get to the gravel, dirt, and off road stuff the 705's provide a comfortable ride and great on/off road performance. I have taken these tires on both single track dirt trails and been able to drag the foot pegs around a corner on the tarmac home.
The biggest shock to me was how much these tires vibrated on the pavement after I switched from the Pirelli's. Going from a street tire to a 70-40 tire was a big change. After a few miles though, the bike settles into a rhythm with the knobs and you become accustom to the vibrations. The 705's are not as blocky as the factory tires and a much smoother on the highway.
Overall the 705's make a great, affordable dual sport tire that gives the bike better road manners with only sacrificing a small amount of off road prowess.
Thanks for reading, have a wonderful day!
-Rhino