73 commando tires...

Want to purchase "inexpensive" tires for my 9000 mile 850...I only drive 100-200 a year..at 55.00 is the shinko 712 in a 100/90-19 ok to use front and rear?

Here in France, they are more expensive than K81 or AM26

Tires and brakes are areas that you should not cheap out on! You only have a couple of square inches of rubber contact patch separating you and your bike from disaster. Put generic air in the tires if you feel the need to save money but use a fresh set of quality tires. In addition to personal injury costs just price up how spendy the parts are that would get ground up if your cheapo tires let loose in a corner. Hmmm, down on the left side so; outer primary cover, handle bars, clutch lever, foot peg, brake lever, muffler, header pipe, maybe the tank and side cover, maybe even more damage. $100 extra dollars for good tires seems like pretty cheap insurance when you factor in what the actual cost could be. I don't mean to preach but if you were my son I'd beat you like a rented mule.

Shinko 712 looks like it has a speed rating of "H", so you'd better keep it under 130 mph.
Any manufacturer is gonna make a few bad tires inducing shimmy or shake or whatever, but I cannot imagine a seller refusing to exchange a bad tire for another good one, as long as the problem was reported in a timely manner. At 100-200 miles per year, I don't think it's false economy at all.
It gets good reviews here:
https://www.bikebandit.com/tires-tubes/motorcycle-tires/shinko-712-motorcycle-tire/p/13859

Eskasteve HUh...That's what I love about this forum..everyone is passionate about nortons!!..advice taken..the k81s are 149 at my local shop..think those will do.I do not ride often and am leaning towards selingl the bike...I love the looks and its history to mile #1 is known and local..but it just too different from the electric start stuff I am used to..this was a bucket list purchase and a 1.5 yr journey in the world of nortons..its all back together..not cleaned up..just getting the intimidating starting sequence down....I do admit that I am better at finding and acquiring than owning!!I have asked advice since day on this Norton and have received nothing but great results!!..Fyi the previous owner just gave me the 1973 original riders manual and tool kit!!!

Thanks. Mr rick...you have been following my rather rambling 1.5 yr posts on this bike..(see above)..and I appreciate your insights...all the bikes systems are working now I just have to get used to the nortons ..Differences!

I suspect that ANY current tire, regardless of brand or price is superior to any tire that was available when Norton Commandos were being produced.

FWIW, an Alton electric start will put the bike into "push button and go" category!

FWIW, I worked in the tyre industry recently as a consultant. I was rather naive to the process. I kinda thought there’d be a big injection moulding machine that just pumped them out and that, within reason, manufacturing quality would be fairly consistent, even between brands.

I was SO wrong! There are a lot of parts ‘assembled’ into a tyre which is then ‘cured’ at the end of the process.

There are MANY opportunities to induce errors and failures in the process. The lower cost tyres built in lower cost economies with lower standards WILL be inferior to the top brand tyres built with higher manufacturing standards and intended for 1st world markets.

So, as someone already said, tyres are definitely not something that we should ‘cheap out’ with.

I have not seen any evidence that South Korea is a "lower cost economy" or that the Yokohama (now Shinko) brand was made to "lower" standards. If there is any such evidence, I'm sure we'd all like to see it.
It's a popular conception, and in many cases true, that Asian products are inferior. Still, ALL manufacturers build to a specification, and that specification is a company target, not a regional or country-specific one. Asia, India, Eastern Europe, any or all can produce world-class product, if that's what the buyer wants, and will pay for.
I wd prefer to buy tires and rims made in Canada or the U.S., just to avoid the wasteful practice of sending stuff all around the world on ships fueled by the nastiest stuff imaginable, but that's just not happening.

As I’m sure you are aware Mr Rick after reading my post, I never belittled ANY of the brands or countries that you mention.

I thought my post was clear, it was a message against ‘cheaping out’ when it comes to tyres in general.

That’s all.

I buy Avon Roadrider AM26 Universal Classic/Vintage Motorcycle Tire -100/90-19, usually from Amazon, for the front and rear of Nortons and sometimes Tridents. For paved road use, wet or dry, I am happy with them and they cost about $100 delivered. If you shop carefully, you can get them for a few dollars less in pairs from traditional sellers. If I were dealing with dirt roads I would choose something else.

I have used Shinko 705's on my Triump Bonne recently....dang things only lasted 2000 KM's...then they completely failed, both within milliseconds of each other when I was doing 100 km/h....just after I rode over the spike strip a cop had pulled out in front of me!!!

Here's a photo of the front tire with the two fangs still embedded:

Tornado said:

I have used Shinko 705's on my Triump Bonne recently....dang things only lasted 2000 KM's...then they completely failed, both within milliseconds of each other when I was doing 100 km/h....just after I rode over the spike strip a cop had pulled out in front of me!!!

Here's a photo of the front tire with the two fangs still embedded:

View attachment 5848

Click to expand...

Now that sounds like a story just begging to be told !!

'twas exactly 1 year ago...buddy and I were just starting the last return leg of a 5 day trip across BC, Idaho, Montana, WA...had just crossed back into Canada at Osoyoos BC....not ten minutes along Highway 3 (Crow's Nest Pass) I see a cop car on the opposite side of the road....with the cop knelt down in front of front bumper....thought to myself that's strange position for him to be in to get a radar on cars. I double checked my speed was legal at 100 km/h. The buddy was in lane position three near centerline in front, I was a few bike lengths behind in LP 1 as normal....he passes the cop and just before I do I see something flying up across the road and something slithering along behind it...then I run directly over it. Took a few seconds to register in my brain that it must have been a spike strip....easing up on throttle to let the bike slow down...freaked out by what might be about to happen handling wise...but luckily all was uneventful as I coasted to a stop on the shoulder some 500 ft down the road. Hopping off the bike I immediately see both wheels fully deflated. Walked back to the cop and asked why he spiked my bike and he says very casually he thought he'd missed me and was attempting to get a car coming the other way involved in an armed robbery. I do recall an oncoming car swerving a bit over centerline just as I went by the cop...
Anyways, the cop radios for a tow truck to take me off to a repair shop. It was a Monday and here in BC that means nearly all MC shops are closed. We found one some 45 minutes away in Penticton...and he had correct sized rubber for the Bonneville. After about 5-6 hrs I was under way again with brand new set of rubber....Bridgestone Trail Wings...more than double the cost of those crappy spike-vulnerable Shinko's ;-) No matter...the cops were footing this bill, plus my over night lodging as it was too late in the day to set out on a 6 hr ride home to Vancouver. Took them about 4 months to get me a cheque....interestingly signed by HRM the Queen (she's the head of state in Canada, eh!).

The Shinko's were performing very nicely both on pavement and light off road and price was about $100 CDN per end delivered...a great price point...even if ultimate mileage isn't as good as other brands, two sets can be bought for the price of one. Will be giving them another fitment at my next change out. The Trail Wings seem quite noisey at 60+ km/h...

Tornado.
That is a great story, and it is one that you can tell your grandkids. Glad you were not hurt.

There is virtually nothing manufactured that isn't produced to a price point; the phrase, "you get what you pay for" generally applies.

Another phrase that comes to mind: If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet, and, yet, you can purchase DOT approved helmets for under $100.

When I go riding I like the feeling that I have done everything I can to insure the highest level of safety in an inherently dangerous pursuit.

I try to ride each of my motorcycles at least 30 to 60 minutes every two weeks, which doesn't add up to much annually; it sure is fun, though. All tires have a 4 digit number (week of the year, and year) on the sidewall in a line that begins with "DOT", that will tell you when they were manufactured. I change out my tires when they are about 5 years old, with high price point rubber. This also means that I check spokes for tension and the rim for true; great opportunity clean/polish the assemblies while on the wheel stand.

I used to buy investment grade firearms (still do) from a dealer that had a sign in his shop that read: "Only rich people can afford poor quality".

The sense of accomplishment some people get from purchasing the cheapest tires/brakes won't make up for the time the inexpensive elastomers/compounds let the motorcycle slide out from under them, or not stop in time to avoid a collision.

Carpe diem?

Let's look at it from Keso's POV. He's doing 200 miles/year or so. In five years, when the tyres are about ready to be "retired" on the age-related basis, he'll' have about 1000 miles on them.
He cd spend 150 each for a 300 outlay, or 50 each for $100. At the end of 5 years, he's down 200 if he buys the "first world" product. No?
I use Avons and have no Shinko axe to grind, but $200 is a lot of groceries where I live.
If there were even a hint of lower standards on the Shinko product, I'd be on the "other side" of this discussion, and I just don't see it.

Like many things nowadays, particularly safety related things, tyres are made to a standard and samples are tested to ensure they are made to those standards and are safe. So any tyre will be safe to use. Some will give better grip, feel, handling etc but they all will be safe to use.

If you have a collection of bikes then changing the tyres every five years would be a very expensive operation. I have never had a problem, or felt concerned, using tyres considerably older than that. If tyres did become unsafe at that age the authorities would no doubt enforce some sort of policy for them to be replaced.

In the UK we have annual safety checks for vehicles and tyres are checked for safety but this does not include a check on their age.

Ian

I once bought a classic race bike that had been built 10 years prior, and had 10 year old tyres on it. I thought I’d take it to a meeting just as a test / shakedown before going through it with new tyres etc.

Long story short, it went like a good un and the tyres stayed on all season. I only came second in the championship, but had a great excuse with 10 year old tyres!

My serious point is that it made me think, as has been said above, IMHO the date issue with tyres is very much ‘on the safe side’ ...

I just picked up the 5 year number from the RoadsScholar post. Ten years, 20, 100 years, he's still down $200, as far as I can tell.