Shinko 705 Series Tubeless Tires

[MotoNews]

Published in: Gear

When the time came to replace the tires on my DR650, the temptation was to swap them with more of the same. Most riders are aware of the personalities of similar tires, knowledge often acquired by a fair amount of hard-earned trial and error, making it easier to just go with what you know.

Although I knew of the Shinko 705s, and had friends who swore by them, I was nevertheless a little reluctant to sway from the tried ’n true. What if they were too hard or soft? Or lacked cornering grip? And, how would they behave on gravel and dirt roads?

It was with those considerations banging around my noggin that I mounted a set of Shinko 705 Series dual-sport tires. I was living in Borrego Springs, California, an ideal dual-sport proving ground. But there were cacti and desert plant thorns everywhere, just begging to puncture tires, in an unforgiving world of rock, sand and scorching-hot sun. Yum!

Considered an 80/20 tire (or 70/30 by some), the tread pattern has enough grip for gravel and mild dirt, that demonstrate excellent performance on the hard stuff. I felt planted on high-speed long and sweeping bends as well as non-paved roads. The bike was extremely stable on pavement, which I attribute to the heavier rubber and wider profile more than the tread pattern. And, the 21-inch front didn’t seem as squirrelly as it had been, an unexpected bonus. For longer hauls off road, I dropped the front and rear 10 PSI and was surprised by how well they gripped on mixed dirt and the sandy desert roads, paths and trails.

Wear seems to be far better than average. With 2,500 miles of mixed but mostly hot desert pavement riding, there are few signs of wear (see photos), and it appears I’ll get at least another 2,500 miles out of the rear, with likely far more on the front tire. There are reports of riders getting as much as 10K miles on the rear and upwards of 20K on the front, making them a particularly excellent long-distance dual-sport tire—especially for those planning cross-continent journeys. I also noticed that the tires showed very little chipping and gouging, despite the high temps and extremely mixed riding conditions, indicating that the compounds used are superior to the tires I’ve used on this bike in the past.

The Shinko 705s are tubeless tires, but they fit just fine on my DR650 equipped with Warp9 aftermarket tubed rims. Further, they’re not overly stiff, making them easy to mount and remove—a feature that’s more than desirable if you’ve ever had to patch a tube in the middle of nowhere.

The tread pattern is deep, staggered and beefy, but not exactly knobby. They’re a little noisy on the highway, but no more than I’d expect for dual-sport tires.

My recommendation? All I can say is that when it’s time for new shoes, I’m gonna stick with the 705s.

MSRP: $68.95–$150.95 ShinkoTireUSA.com

PROS	CONS
▲ Not overly stiff, easy to get on and off the rims	▼ There's a few reports of tire bulging, but only after extreme mileage
▲ Tubeless and four-ply
▲ Plenty of dual-sport sizes available
▲ Great value and incredibly long life

 

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