Tire buying assistance for a motorcycle noob...please?

[gibsonbass76]

Hello,
I am the proud owner of a 2012 NC700X I bought last Friday (6/7/2019), and then layed it down in my driveway Sunday morning trying to move it around my garage. The bike has 28,000 miles, and besides some general maintenance that needs to be done seems to be in pretty good shape. I was told when I bought it that it needs a new front tire, and so far I have heard great things about the Shinko 705 tires. From my understanding they do not make the stock size for the rear, but do for the front. I would like to get the closest to stock, and am looking for the best bang for my buck since I don't know how much I'll ride the motorcycle yet. I plan on ordering them from Bikebandit, unless someone suggest other wise, and have my local Honda shop install. Is there any reason I should get the 170 rear instead of the 150? I am completely new to the motorcycle world and appreciate any help or suggestions. This is the contents of my cart below;

Shinko 705 Motorcycle Tire
Front, 120/70-17, Radial, 17, Tubeless, 58, H, 4-Ply
Part Number: 4121188


Shinko 705 Motorcycle Tire
Rear, 150/70-17, Radial, 17, Tubeless, 69, H, 4-Ply
Part Number: 2773309

 

[Jt105]

Most people buy the 150 rear. Some have used the 170 because they found it less expensive.

I purchased the 150 (based on favorable reviews on this forum), but haven’t installed it yet so no experience with it yet.

JT

 

[1wiseguy2]

So I have to ask since you are new. Why the shinko's? They are for those who are likely to go in a little dirt or on dirt roads or gravel roads. Do you plan on doing any of that? If not I would start out with a good pair of straight street tires. Many can tell you what they prefer. I personally like the Michelin Pilot Road 4's (PR4) due to the wet weather performance.
I would also shop at Americanmototire.com if I was going to mail order them.
As you are new to motorcycling it is good to facilitate a good relationship with your dealer. Many dealers will charge big bucks for their tires but if you don't buy their tire they will charge a $25(?) upcharge for mounting your tire besides the fee for labor. They're trying to stay in business too and pay the mechanic, property taxes, utilities and fees. I have one dealer who was $6 cheaper than the mail order price but then I had to pay taxes. So some will be competitive. I mount my own tires now so I do mail order. Go in and talk to your dealer and see about his price or if there is an upcharge. If there is or isn't see if he will match or come close to your mail order price.

And welcome to the forum! I am in the State next door.
Guy


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[gibsonbass76]

Most people buy the 150 rear. Some have used the 170 because they found it less expensive.

I purchased the 150 (based on favorable reviews on this forum), but haven’t installed it yet so no experience with it yet.

JT

Thank you for the response. I'm leaning towards the 150 as well. I guess I didn't notice a price difference, but I wasn't paying that close of attention.

 

[TacomaJD]

Thank you for the response. I'm leaning towards the 150 as well. I guess I didn't notice a price difference, but I wasn't paying that close of attention.

In order to receive proper advice, we must know what type of riding you are planning on doing. As previously stated the Shinkos are more offroad oriented than say the Pilot Road series of tires.

Also, it is often difficult to beat Dennis Kirk's online prices, that's where my last couple sets have came from. Definitely check there before buying from Bikebandit.

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[gibsonbass76]

So I have to ask since you are new. Why the shinko's? They are for those who are likely to go in a little dirt or on dirt roads or gravel roads. Do you plan on doing any of that? If not I would start out with a good pair of straight street tires. Many can tell you what they prefer. I personally like the Michelin Pilot Road 4's (PR4) due to the wet weather performance.
I would also shop at Americanmototire.com if I was going to mail order them.
As you are new to motorcycling it is good to facilitate a good relationship with your dealer. Many dealers will charge big bucks for their tires but if you don't buy their tire they will charge a $25(?) upcharge for mounting your tire besides the fee for labor. They're trying to stay in business too and pay the mechanic, property taxes, utilities and fees. I have one dealer who was $6 cheaper than the mail order price but then I had to pay taxes. So some will be competitive. I mount my own tires now so I do mail order. Go in and talk to your dealer and see about his price or if there is an upcharge. If there is or isn't see if he will match or come close to your mail order price.

And welcome to the forum! I am in the State next door.
Guy


Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Thank you for the welcome! I live in rural Iowa and grew up roaming the gravel roads for fun. I am still getting used to the weight of the bike (I have mainly had scooters in the past), and would like the added confidence of a tire better suited for that. As far as the Shinko's, its more about getting the best bang for my buck.

I have a pretty good relationship with my local dealership from buying scooters and shooting the breeze with the staff. Last time I asked they said they charged $50 per tire for installation. I typically try to support our local brick and mortar business's, but our Honda shop doesn't have the greatest reputation. I will ask them again before I order them, and see if they sell Shinko's.

 

[gibsonbass76]

I have a ton of gravel around me, and in my younger days would spend hours with friends getting lost on back roads. Being a youth in Iowa you had to make fun. The 705's are listed as 80/20 for road/off-road. That sounds about where I would like to be. The bike is a commuter/fun for me. I'm not worried about wet performance because I wont currently ride in the rain, maybe some day with the right gear.

 

[1wiseguy2]

My daughter's bike has Shinko's on it and for an Iowa gravel road they should be great. I'll stop by and see what size tire she has on the rear.

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[TacomaJD]

If you price tires at the Honda dealer they will likely be higher than what you can get them online for, but they may cut you a deal on mounting if you buy from them so be sure to compare quotes with buying online and having mounted vs buying from dealership and having them mount them.

 

[670cc]

Check prices at americanmototire.com. I find that 90 percent of the time they beat everyone’s prices. And for me, I receive the tires from them generally in 36-48 hours.

As for the Shinko 705 rear, I bought the cheaper of the two options, which I thought was the 150. It worked fine. The only negative aspect I found with the 705 tires is that they are very squirmy when riding over tar snakes. Maybe that’s due to the diagonal tread pattern.

 

[TacomaJD]

Check prices at americanmototire.com. I find that 90 percent of the time they beat everyone’s prices. And for me, I receive the tires from them generally in 36-48 hours.

As for the Shinko 705 rear, I bought the cheaper of the two options, which I thought was the 150. It worked fine. The only negative aspect I found with the 705 tires is that they are very squirmy when riding over tar snakes. Maybe that’s due to the diagonal tread pattern.

I never heard of that site (always good to learn of new sites to shop). They are cheaper on the Shinkos than Dennis Kirk but I shopped Pilot Road 5's and Dennis Kirk has them beat on that particular tire's price. Will have to remember that place though if I ever decide to depart from the PR5's.

 

[Jt105]

Check prices at americanmototire.com. I find that 90 percent of the time they beat everyone’s prices. And for me, I receive the tires from them generally in 36-48 hours.

As for the Shinko 705 rear, I bought the cheaper of the two options, which I thought was the 150. It worked fine. The only negative aspect I found with the 705 tires is that they are very squirmy when riding over tar snakes. Maybe that’s due to the diagonal tread pattern.

When. Bought my 150 rear, the 170 was less expensive by about $5. I guess it depends on the day and what sales are going on.

I bought mine from americanmototire. At the time they were least expensive.

JT

 

[potter0o]

I bought my tires at Rocky Mountain ATV. They price matched the cheapest price I could find and I got cash back dollars for future orders.

 

[Junkie]

I'd recommend learning to do your own maintenance, including at least pulling the wheels off. It'll save you quite a bit on tire mounting.

The mounting itself isn't something most people DIY - I do, but that's uncommon.

 

[TacomaJD]

I'd recommend learning to do your own maintenance, including at least pulling the wheels off. It'll save you quite a bit on tire mounting.

The mounting itself isn't something most people DIY - I do, but that's uncommon.

This is what I do, local shop has been charging me $50 to mount both tires if I bring him my wheels and tires. Although I haven't had to have a new set in 4 years, so he may have went up on his price now LOL. But, my Ducati buddy told me he bought a tire machine, so I might be getting them done for free now, which is huge!

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[Junkie]

Yeah, racing means I do enough tires that it was worth buying a used Coats 200 with a couple bars, 3 irons, clamps, lube, etc for $200.

 

[gibsonbass76]

Thanks for all the advice everyone!
For the two tires through American Moto Tire it would have been $157 shipped then my local Honda shop would charge $50 per tire to install. I had them give me a quote on buying and installing the tires through them and before tax it came out to $257 but I have to pay tax. I don't mind spending a little bit more to support a local business so I went through them. Hopefully the Shinko 705's live up to their reputation.