Review: Shinko 700 dual-sport tires

When not running full knobbies on my WR250R (preferred combo the Dunlop D606 120/90-18 on rear, and Pirelli MT21 90/90-21 on front), I've tried the Mitas E-07 front/rear and Heidenau K60 Scout front/rear. Both the Mitas and Heidenau have great attributes are are justifiably well-rated, but they ultimately proved to be a poor match for my lightweight bike. The stiff sidewalls of the E-07 made the tires the hardest I've ever installed, and gave a stiff, uncompliant ride. In fact, one day I took off for a ride with a flat front tire and didn't really notice until I'd gone a few blocks--it was so stiff, it rolled like a regular tire slightly under-pressured, and I had to use a gauge to see if it was indeed flat. As for the Scouts, I found the rubber to be long-lasting but way too hard, especially in cooler conditions and in the wet. For both brands, I found the designs offered moderately improved traction on gravel roads versus a street-oriented dual-sport tire, but not enough to justify the choice. In particular, both the E-07 and Scout tended to wash out easily in the front, making gravel riding a little nerve-racking.

The Shinko 700 tire has been on my radar for a while, having received good reviews for traction, wear, and price. I ordered the 90/90-21 front and 4.60-18 rear. Here they are mounted on my bike beside an MT-21 (front) and D606 (rear) mounted on separate wheels for comparison.

The Shinko 700 tread looks to be more street-oriented than the E-07 or Scout, which is why I had originally hesitated to try the 700s over more aggressive designs. However, I can attest that the tread indeed performs very well on gravel (both front and rear) and achieves predictable grip with lean and changing surface conditions. In mud they perform poorly compared to a full knobby--no surprise there--but it's not as bad as I'd anticipated.

Straight-line traction in mud is decent; the real short-coming is side-traction along ruts, which is completely expected given the lack of side lugs and the high, rounded profile. As long as you hit the mud straight, keep your momentum, and spin to fling out the mud, the 700s will get you through. (Not the case for this poor KLR on a slightly less aggressive tire.)

Street performance of the Shinko is excellent, with minimal noise and vibration, and excellent cornering and acceleration. I never felt like these tires were squirmy or about to lose traction, even on wet pavement.

The flexible sidewall of these tires is key to them achieving high compliance on a light bike, and therefore improved traction and control. Although I ordered the rear in 4.60-18 (which actually measures to 4.6" or 116mm wide when mounted), it's also available in 130/80-18, which in theory is about 5.1" wide. I wasn't sure the larger tire would fit, but having run the 4.60 I can see there's plenty of room on my bike, and would recommend choosing the wider size. It should also improve floatation and grip in softer conditions, especially if you're carrying luggage and are concerned about dinging your rims.

To test these tires I rode a few hundred kilometers through some rough dual-sport terrain which included gravel, water crossings, rocks, mud, grass, and pavement. Conditions were similar to what we rode in the Rockies this past summer, on full knobbies. My sense is that if conditions are generally not muddy, the Shinko 700 would offer 90% of the performance of full knobbies while making the inevitable long paved stretches more tolerable. Overall, they seem to be an excellent tire for a great price, and I'm looking forward to seeing how they hold up over the longer term.