Shinko 244: the best budget dual sport tire?︱Cross Training Adventure
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2020
- crosstrainingenduro.com tractionerag.com The Shinko 244, is it the best dual sport tyre in the budget range? I always thought Shinko was a Chinese brand, but it isn't. Shinko is a Korean company making tyres since 1946. And in 1998 they bought the rights to Yokohama motorbike tyres, so these are actually Japanese designed tyres now made in Korea. A riding buddy of mine has used them for years. I have had a few rides on Pete's 690 in the dirt, and the traction is surprisingly good. On many tracks the grip is almost the same as a fully knobby, although you can tell the difference once you hit soft sand or mud. They still do a decent job as a 50/50 dual sport tyre, but not quite the same as a proper knobby. Once I saw Pete's tyres, I realised I used to run these tyres on my XR400 twenty years ago. Our group did a mix of dirt riding but also chasing road bikes around twisties in our local mountain ranges, and knobbies slid around too much and wore out fast on the road. Incredibly cheap, long lasting, and they performed well on and off road. Our group was definitely impressed with the 244 as a true 50/50 dual sport tyre. Regular viewers will know I don't normally review tyres much as it's such an individual opinion about what makes a good tyre. So here are some other opinions I found on the forums. The Shinko 244 consistently gets good reviews, so I don't know if it's the best 50/50 tyre in the budget range, but it would have to be up there. Mind you, there are problems reported too. A few guys reported a lot of tyre noise when road riding. However, others say this disappears once you pump them up to the recommended maximum for road use... 29 psi. A few riders said they found the Shinko 244 tyres did start to chunk if run over 75mph on hot tarmac for extended periods. But obviously you should aim for a more road oriented tyre in that case. I never did on road riding in the wet, but while some riders reported the Shinkos were fine in the rain, one rider did comment that the grip was poor on wet roads. So what's with the Goldenboy name? Apparently this was the original name, but it's now called the Shinko 244... I suspect because Goldenboy sounds like something a Chinese marketing department would come up with. I have heard riders say they were trying to copy Goldentyre's name, but this tyre has been around long before the European Goldentyre brand. A few of my riding buddies are getting into adventure riding, I'm advising them to get the Shinko 244 tyres and I'll eventually post a long-term review based on their experiences. If any of you guys use them, let me know what you think the comments. The Shinko 244 series has been around for a long time, the Australian distributor is not exactly sure how long. He said he prefers the name 244 series but agrees that a lot of people (old school guys) still call it the Golden boy and it is marked on the tyre sidewall. Today Shinko Tires produces approximately 200,000 motorcycle tires per month. Shinko Motorcycle Tyres began as a company producing bicycle tires and tubes in Japan in 1946. In 1998, the Shinko Group acquired the motorcycle tyre technology from Yokohama and began production of Shinko motorcycle tyres. A relative newcomer to the motorcycle tire industry, Shinko tires utilize innovative Japanese engineering and design with extensive testing and R&D at their multiple US warehouses. Made in Korea. Shinko motorcycle tyres are available no matter what your riding style, offering a variety of standout products.
AVAILABLE SIZES & MAX PRESSURES shinkotyres.com.au/shop/244-s...
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SIZES & MAX AIR PRESSURES? shinkotyres.com.au/shop/244-series/
MORE LONG TERM COMMENTS: I've just about worn out the rear Shinko 244 after 7000km. Very happy with the wear as I can barely get 2500km from the standard rear Trailwing which is an even more road oriented tyre. The front Shinko 244 barely looks worn at all. Grip on road was fine although I never pushed it that hard. Offroad it was surprisingly good until hitting mud. Like any 50/50 tyre it clogs up fast! In retrospect, I'd probably fit a more aggressive front like a Pirelli MT21 or Dunlop 606 to match the rear Shinko 244... just to get a better grip offroad and the occasional bit of mud.
CORRECTION: We stated Shinko was a Korean company, but more correctly all their tyre manufacturing is located in Korea, they still 'design' their tyres in Japan so their head office is probably located there.
OUR TYRE REVIEW STRATEGY
Ever researched a specific tyre and find some riders love it, others hate it? Some say it lasts forever, others say it barely lasted three rides? Our strategy is to spend hours collecting as many owner reports (and any objective reviews) as possible. We combine this with our own experience with the tyre, then publish a review that hopefully will show what most riders think. We also invite viewers to comments on these videos. If any positive or negative comments are really relevant we'll post them here in the pinned first comment.
I've run the shinko 244 on both my xr and dr, nothing but good experiences. For how well they ride on pavement I have always been surprise by just how much traction they have off road. Especially for smaller displacement dualsports these are great. My buddy has an older xt250 and he uses kenda k270s,The tread pattern is identical however the shinko is much cheaper.
Back in the 80s and 90s Cheng Shin was making a tire called the 858 that looked identical to these. We ran them for the same reason. Inexpensive and worked well both on and off road. Did not last as long as the Shinkos seem to, but we were paying a litttle over 20 bucks for a front and around 35 for rears.
Agreed, one of the best tires out there for true 50/50.
I run the 244 on my DR650. 5000 miles (99% road unfortunately) and still has a bit of life left. Love this tire.
Wow, that's a lot of mileage. Just what I'm looking for in a tire.
Shinko 244 is all I run on my KLR and my DR. Good, cheap, and Good. I recommend them to people, but they would rather get talked into paying three times the price for a tire that ends up not being a good 50/50.
Kendas suck on pavement when leaning in hard, My Shinko 244's will hold on in the corners.
just got mine ordered for my DR. Glad I'm finally replacing the trailwings that came stock
This is actually my very first year riding motorcycles. I recently bought my first ever off or on road motorcycle a used DRZ 400 and I replaced the very very worn out pirelli scorpion knobbies that came on the bike almost instantly with a set of shinko 244 goldenboys. Due to my lack of experience I can't compare them to much else but they were insanely cheap and after 300/400 miles there are still factory fresh rubber spokes coming out of the tread as well as rubber flapps in between the center knobs on the front tire. I take it occasionally on mountain trails suited for SUVs and trucks and they perform beautifully on and off of pavement with only the slightest loss of traction on extremely loose unpacked gravel. 10/10 will definitely be buying another set after I wear these out. Which doesn't look like it will be any time soon.
I have been running the 244's on KLR's for years (I don't know how many sets I've been through) and keep coming back to them. From British Columbia down to California, in temps between 2 C and 42 C. Never had chunking issues and that includes when I've had a full load of camping gear on the back. I've not found a better tire for 50/50 riding. When pushed hard on the road with luggage, the outside knobs can fold over in fast hard cornering at speeds over 100 km/h, but let's face it, they're really not meant for that. Rear tire life is around 4,000 km for me in mixed use. Hard to go wrong with this tire.
Excellent tires. Use them on my DR650, front and rear, and I'm on my second rear. I commute to work, ride with friends on the road, and with others off-road. I ride year round in all weather -- hot, cold, wet, dry, soft mud, loose gravel, twisty roads -- it does it all. Push hard off-road in single track, push hard on the highway, it takes it all and doesn't complain. Cheap with great mileage and performance.
This is what I needed to see, I’ve been running the 705’s on my ‘99 DR650 which are also great, but just need more off road traction. I think I’ve found my next tire!
Glad to here this. I’ve run the Kenda 270 from the past 4000 miles on my 690. Very pleased and was going to put them on again this time but the are currently back ordered. My dealer is substituting the or with the these. This makes me feel better 👍
Never tried the Shinko’s but really happy with Kenda K270. Excellent traction and wear over 5500 miles per set on 50/50 roads.
I have been using the Shinko SR241 on my MZ250. A bloody great all round tyre with a tough sidewall.
Excellent info on the tire. The 2:00 Wheelies got me subed. Nice, Nice.
I run the 244 Rear tire operation as the front tire on my TW 200 gives wonderful traction over the stock one for sure.
0:52 my 244 wore just like that maybe worse at only 1300miles lol, this tire got me up mountains and almost some sand hill climbs. On the road I could slide out on loose sand and recover instantly while leaned over, then I even did many ice road treks where the road is solid black ice doing 45 no problem gripping all the grooves and even the smoove spots from the snow plow. I push my bike (2015 dr200s) hard and even hit curves at 70 with less than two occurances of speed wobble due to the lug pattern
I've used them for some time now too. Good all arounder.
I use the Kenda 270 on my XT350, perfect 50/50 tire imo, I really do use them on paved roads and dirt and it can do both well enough, only downside is they pack up really easily in sticky mud and turn into slicks
Great tire! It’s twin sister, the Kenda 270, is slightly better for the dirt. The 244’s have rib bracing on the outside knob to help with cornering on asphalt. The Kenda’s have a slight advantage in the dirt without the bracing. Both still good as a 50/50 in my book. My wife runs the Kenda 270 on her XT250. I also think they do pretty well in the rain till the siping wears down on the knobs
Kenda is a Chinese tire.
Roy McCausland and thats perfectly ok. Ever try a Kenda Ibex? They kick ass!
The company if Taiwanese not Chinese. And being made in China is irrelevant. The IPhone is made in and uses Chinese parts. Yet people pay tons on them anyway.
Beat me too it. Amazed at the 270 offroad, even in sand dunes it pushed my heavy dual sport no problem. But the soft tall knobs were wobbly on tarmac
Shout out for the Shinko 700. It's another great cheap dual sport tire, with a fairly innovative tread pattern. Great and QUIET on paved roads all 4 seasons in BC Canada (cold / wet / dry). It's great off road, deep knobs, probably the same limitations as the 244 in mud / sand. Side walls are stiff enough to air down to 10psi for off road, they take my XT250 pretty well anywhere it's capable of going, including plenty of gnarly single track. Some people say they aren't quite the best for larger adventure bikes when knee-dragging twisty roads, but on a 250 I have never found any limits. And they last well too. I think the angled tread pattern is key for keeping road noise to a minimum, because you don't have row after row of hard edges smacking down.
unfortunately we don't get the 700 here in australia, it looks like another dual sport option that is a fraction more road oriented than the 244 as you say.
I wound up switching from these tires to the kenda k270 on my KLR 650, but only because the k270 is rated for 85 mph while the 244 is rated for 70 if I remember correctly. If I didn't take my KLR on the highway regularly, I would just buy the 244 and be happy. I used Shinko 705s for about 30k between a few sets of them, and I would recommend Shinko to anyone.
Thank you Sir !!! - Just got a set. Haven't been out to the desert yet (Glendale, AZ) but they seem just fine on the road. I can already tell you that they are way more towards the 70/30 (off road/on road) as you said...maybe 65/35 - but that's best case...
Привет, как они по песку?
Still have a set of goldenboys on my dr350 that came with it when i bought it years ago. Probably wont need to replace the front for at lest a few more years at the rate i'm going unless they dry rot first(clearly i'm not riding enough), rear that started at like 25-30% is finally down to less then an 1/8 an inch and jagged spots where the previous owner chunked out center lugs.
I use the kenda k270 as my cross country tire. An aggressive front dot knobby with a k270 rear is my daily and weekends on the klr. I really don't have access to shinko.
Those old pics and video💪👌
The shinkos have no siping on outer lugs. The kenda has siping on every lug and slightly more aggressive sidewall.
Use them on my KLR. Great, cheap tires, which last a long time. I do lots of highway miles, but need good traction for offroad, mainly AZ and NM. I stay out of soft sand and mud whenever I can anyway, KLR is hard to pick up. Rocky Mountain ATV is my source.
I did the kenda version with the similar tread pattern on wr250r and it was amazing street performance with ok off road. However the rear tire seemed to be a lot more dirt aggressive than the front with the nobs spaced out a lot further. I was impressed with how the rear was able to still tractor threw deep mud some how. Totally the best for long distance travel.
that's a good point. if i had my way i'd probably make the front tyre slightly more aggressive... i'll be getting another adventure bike soon and i will probably pair this shinko rear with something a bit more knobby-like on the front.
@@crosstrainingadventure Yes, try the IRC TR8 front.. low cost lasts forever grips very well on and off road.
For “dual sport” / adv riding try the Bridgestone AX41. Im very impressed with it so far.
The last golden boy I used went 5000 km on my XR 650l.
The kenda K270 lasts 7500 same tread pattern same price.
Thanks for the great vids :-)
interesting... i noticed on the forum many riders were saying they are comparable with the kenda but the kenda usually costs more?
Will have to pick some of these up once my trailwings are done
I've only got 2200 miles on my trail wings and the rear is getting real close to needing replaced. I ride mostly pavement on my drz400s.
I use the Maxxis M6006. They are decent on road but perfect offroad and handle well in dry, wet and muddy conditions
I personally have used the kenda k270 tires on my crf250l and xr200r and I have had a blast using them, great performance in all weather including snow. And unlike the shinko 244 I took my Motorcycle exam ("M" test here in Canada) In a tropical downpour with no noticable drop in grip on flooded roads. Note: a good portion of my current riding is on road, and weekend single track on that 310kg LRP. The only aria I feel uneasy about using the k270 is in the deep loose sand. It is doable as I've done it before but it lacks the "paddle" effect a lot of knobbys have. The k270 also last a long time too.
Good feedback, Chris. Quite a few guys have said the Kenda is a comparable tire.
I use the 244 on my XR650R, and I think they are the best value for money on the market
Приветствую, как они в песке?
Love em.
Only tire I run. Paired with IRC tr8 front makes i killer combo, great steering and wear.
Why do you run this isntead of the irc tr8 rear?
I really like the 244 for my 2011 KLR650. They are fantastic on the road and off. On the road I keep the rear at around 37psi. I keep the front at 42psi. This is above the recommendations on both tires but they definitely last longer with the higher psi. I've ran them at what the KLR manual recommends, and as with all tires I've done that with they wore out significantly faster. I have never experienced chunking. I live in an area with plenty of very tight and twisty roads and these things grip and feel like a road tire even when leaned over hard. I've even accidentally scraped a peg or two on banked turns and scared the hell out of myself 😳
The also do fantastic in the dirt. Hard pack, soft stuff, rock slabs, loose rock. For me, they are a true "do everything" tire. My off road riding habits are mostly hard pack fire roads with tons of rocks strewn about. I wouldn't recommend them or the KLR for deep sand. I'll find out how they handle in the snow on my xmas roadtrip to the Sierra Nevadas!
My last 244 set went on just before a 20 day, 5k mile trip. About 60/40 pavement/dirt.. This included 2 full days of running from stormy weather from central Montana down to northern Nevada. 80 miles sustained all day long for 2 days straight and no chunking, no funky wear patterns. I'm still running the front tire 7k miles later. The rear just got changed out for another $82 Golden Boy. Long live Shinko!
Do you get any tyre noise with the higher pressure? I find the rear has a bit of tyre howl at 26psi so I've been thinking of increasing it.
I had them on my klr. They did really good for the price.
that's our experience so far too, kal. there could be a marginally better 50/50 option but at this price we still with the shinko.
Well I’ll be damned, can’t believe I’ve found a review you’ve done on the tyre I’ve put on the back of my XL, I choose it because as you say made in Korea and it had similar pattern to Bridgestone’s TrailWing
Enjoying it, Thomas? I searched far and wide and couldn't find anyone actually unhappy with the Shinko, only some comments about road noise.
The 244 were a good tire for me. Surprisingly grippy for road and was not good in mud. They pack up and don't fling mud out. For a few bucks more the tusk dsport fixed all the cons of the shinko 244. Even the road noise on the tusk is less.
I'm my third set on my XR650L, the front end can be washy in loose dirt, but other than that they're a good tire for the money.
Have had them for years on my dr650, they do whine when you get cupping eventually.
Never had chunking, amd I push them hard.
Great tire for the money
Keen to try them when the stock Deathwings wear out on the new DR650. Some guys reckon they don't cup if you get the air pressure right? Any truth to this?
@@crosstrainingadventure that's been my experience with them. Keep them properly aired and send it.
About 4k a set
I have a dual sport and would love to get on the roads/trails I see you riding on instead of baby sized boulders most of the time..
I used them on my DRZ, didn't have the offroad grip I was after but were decent all around. I went with MotoZ RallZ tires and haven't looked back.
DarkFox6211818 how do the rallz handle on the highway or the road in General? I have a 244 front and 700 on the rear of my drz and long for some traction off road but don’t want a tire that is not descent on street or is scary to ride on highway. Please let me know
@@doughooser9708 supposedly they stick very well to the street. The rear is a softer dual compound tire so not the longest lasting but very grippy
I have a set on my xr650l. I ride about 1/3 pavement/ 1/3 gravel/ 1/3 woods. These were big confidence boosters on ALL surfaces when new. I have about 2500+ miles on them and the rear is getting ready for retirement. Great soft rubber compound 50/50 tire, cheap, not super long lasting. I plan on trying out a D606 rear next as I depart for the TAT in August. But will likely buy again for average riding around home.
Don't expect tons of miles out of the 606 but man, that sweet traction...
If youre getting D606 rear, pair it with MT21 front ;
I run the kenda and I’m using the tubliss system. When it is run at low pressure it starts to look a lot like an hybrid tire witch make the grip pretty good overall off-road.
What is the tubeless system if u dont mind.
scoobs bdoo The tubliss system is a kit sold by Nuetech. It consist of a small inner tube that just push on the sidewall of the tire. Then you can put the pressure you want in between the tire and the tube. The main advantage is because the small tube protect the rim, you can run smaller pressure for more grip. For more information, watch the videos that CROSS TRAINING ENDURO SKILL did on it or Nuetech website.
1:48 That Husaberg tho!
I can tell you this, the 244 is a solid tire for the price. On the klr I never had an issue in any way. A rear a year and front every other. On the drz that cruises 80mph on freeway and gets pushed a lot harder down fire roads and trails I notice cracking around the nobs but still see good mileage.
I bought a klr with 11 year old 244s on front and rear. Apart from that being a terrifying thought with some mild cracking at the knobs, they were absolutely solid until sidewall dry rot scared me into buying a new set of e700's.
great !
I ran them on a long-ago-sold XR250L, and currently have the rear on my DR350. (Two sets of wheels.... pure dirt wheelset, and street/dual sport setup.) I find that the front 244 isn't so stellar when it comes to traction in pure off road, whereas the rear can be pushed a bit farther. Good grip when aired down, and fairly predictable slides on forest service type surfaces. That said, for a general 50/50 dual sport with a decent amount of road use, they're hard to beat.
i know some guys opt for the pirelli MT21 at the front and the shinko at the rear if they want a tad more grip at the front when offroad, which works well as long as you aren't pushing it hard on road. knobby flex ain't much fun on corners, especially at the front lol.
What is tyre chunking ? I think it could be bits of the Tread rubber ripping of with use ?
Did two sets on my KLR and loved them. I do a lot of road to get to off road, but I push my bike pretty far off road.
This last set of tires is I tried the Motoz Tractionator GPS and they suck compared to the 244s in everything but longevity.
I'll be going back to the 244s on my next set.
That's the overall impression I got from reading piles of reviews. Not necessarily the best at anything in particular but just very good value, long lasting, and a good compromise tyre. Looking forward to putting them on my DR650, it's so sketchy on the stock rubber the moment I'm on a dirt road.
@@crosstrainingadventure great way to describe those tires...and my KLR lol
I'm currently planning to put Michelin s12 on the lighter bike and Dunlop Trailmax on the heavy one. Any experience with either?
Currently on an MT21 front , D606 rear combo on my DR650. I like this combo a lot but the rear is wearing pretty quick. Will try a 244 on the rear next.
I am going to stick to the full knobby fronts though as front traction is VERY important for me. So far the MT21 has been my favorite DOT front.
I'm going to try the Shinko 244 combo again on my latest DR650, Ben... but if I end up doing more dirt than planned I would probably swap the front to something like the MT21.
@@crosstrainingadventure I am running MT 21 and D606 combination on my DR650. I am unsure of the front tyre sizing of the 244, looks like the only front I can get is 300-21? At 3.15" wide is it too narrow for the rim? I like the MT21 and D606 combo but I am also not getting much mileage out of the rear, the MT21 seems to be holding up OK, so far only have 2150k's on them both. Had a good run with Shinko 805 and 804 on my R1200GS so thought the 244's would be great on the DR?
Using them on my crf250l. I ride around town on the weekdays and explore the hills on the weekends and they are a great 50/50 tire if you ride them like a 50/50 tire. I will definitely buy them again.
Good to hear!
How many miles have you gotten out of them?
@@sarahdell4042 I got 10,000 km out of them, mixed use dirt and pavement. They still had another 5,000 km in them i would say, but sadly i sold my bike.
Kusheen oh wow. That’s a lot of miles. How were they on wet pavement? Gravel? Thanks
@@sarahdell4042 Yeah they lasted me a long time but I'm also pretty light at 130 lbs. It rains a lot where I am and they are decent on wet pavement. Not the best grip but if they do break traction its a gradual slide and they regain grip right away unlike some tires once they break traction they just keep sliding. They also perform well in slick hard pack mud and loose dirt/gravel when it rains. Not as good as full knobbys but you can manage. However when the mud turns to pudding everyone is slipping, sliding and getting stuck regardless of tire choice hehe.
I have IRC tyres on my new Honda-250L and they are perfect on wet/dry roads and dirt roads
People on the forums like to talk shit about the IRC’s but honestly I think they are a great and true 50/50 tire. I think all the negative comments come from people thinking they are the bike’s stock tires so they must be bad. They are really good in the twisties actually, I do a lot of canyon carving with my 250L in SoCal and they have great on road traction. They also had very acceptable off road performance too.
The rear wore out before the front, so I’m now running a D606 rear, and it’s very slightly, but noticeably worse on road in terms of the feel you get mid corner, and I don’t see a huge performance increase off road. I might actually go back to the IRC’s front and rear.
I have to replace my front soon, and have been looking at stuff like the Shinko 244, Shinko 700, Bridgestone AX41, Kenda K270, Motoz Tractionators, but ultimately I think I might just go with the stock IRC again. Very little head to head comparisons available between dual sport tires unfortunately
Just ordered a set for my MABDR ride this year! Wanted a good 50/50 tire that wouldn’t break the bank.
Hope they work out well for you, Donald. I can't wait to get them on the DR650 when the stock rubber wears out!
Loved them on my tiger 800. Loved them on my 1090 adventure. Can't beat that price, plenty of grip for adv riding, regularly dragged pegs on my tiger... I never understand why shinko gets such a bad rap.
We've always been hesitant to do reviews because you get so many opposite opinions. But nowadays we trawl around to get as many intelligent sounding reports as possible, mix them with ours, then hope there's a vague kind of truth in there somewhere lol.
@@crosstrainingadventure reviews are hard, because people. I get it. But 804/805 are made in the same factory that makes pirelli scorpion rally tires (and it shows). Anyhow... Yeah... Shinkos are good to me.
I run them. No problems.Inflate to max on long highway trips to get rid of hum. Deflate for offroad.
I run the 244 on my Honda XL 250 Degree for the last yeah and yeah they're great, took a long time to wear in (about 1 week I think) and I ride every day as I use my bike to go everywhere. I'm amazed at how good they are in corners (on the road) and you can really feel the grip on gravel tracks. The best bit about them is their predictable traction on any surface which give me a lot of confidence in them.
The only thing I cant comment on it how they do in the rain on road as I'm always really careful when it's wet since I have had a few front wheels slides on previous tires (saved myself in all of them thank god), if you do a review id love to know how they do in the wet.
yeah jordan, we figure any tyres that last so long simply can't be that good in the wet due to a hard rubber compound. it rains so rarely here it could be a long time before we get to try them on wet roads.
@@crosstrainingadventure just get out the hose! We need your reviews!
I have run several 244's on my Drz. The rear is great 50/50 tire. However I did not like how the front 244 tracked off road. I switched the front to a IRC TR8 and have not looked back. The TR8 tracks so much better off road and does not give up anything on the road. So the best 50/50 tires setup for me is a Shinko 244 rear and a IRC TR8 front. I go through two rears to one front.
How is this combo at freeway speeds?
@@sarahdell4042 Way late highway speeds with my DRZ gearing is 60-70mph. At those speeds it is just fine.
@@goforfish99 thanks!
Running them on my on my 08 KLR here on Vancouver Island.
Working well?
@@crosstrainingadventure Fantastic. Couldn’t be happier.
244 for more road use as they have a rib bracing the outside knob. Otherwise the Kenda version is better for the dirt
I've run this tire on my klr650 exclusively until I stopped commuting. I went through several tire changes and always went with the Shinko. I live in the mountains and commuted down the hill and the tire worked great, handled corners, freeway and city streets. It handled good on most dirt roads but I could tell a difference between the knobbies I run now and the Shinko on single track. I keep set around for long adventure type rides.
Wish they held up to highway miles cause these are a fantastic 50/50 tire! I've tried but I just ride too many highway miles for them and they chunk the center knobs. Otherwise, they're awesome!
On what bike?
@@sarahdell4042 Back then I had a KLR650 that I was commuting a long distance on the highway to work but also exploring dirt roads on the weekend. Great tire for exploring dirt roads but not so good if you're commuting on the highway for long periods.
@@nathanfant I’ve seen reports of lugs missing with very low miles. Yet some people have good luck even with loads of highway use. Luck of the draw I suppose.
I do lots of highway, and lots of off road. It’s so hard to find that perfect tire. Everyone raves about the d606 & MT21 combo, yet I’m not a fan of either for gravel use. Still searching for that perfect 50/50!
I like the motoz adventure rear and the motoz rallz front.
Does anyone have experience with the Mitas MC23 Rockrider?
Pretty cheap, great offroad traction and was surprised when they held up extremly well when flogging my XR 600 on the tarmac.
Rode K60s before and don't miss much on the tarmac, sure its less precise but the grip is there.
However can't tell how long they last yet.
Would be interested in other opinions.
Definitely worth looking at... im interested in them for some time. Read some very good reviews, cant be sure where (advrider prolly?) Pattern looks very promising.
I’ve had good luck with the Kenda K270 rear but the K270 front wears weird on my DR650. I plan on trying a 244 front and see if it does any better.
K270 runs weird on klr too. The front of a bike does slide though corners though. Full knobbies or dot knobbies do the same.
i remember dunlop D606 fronts wearing strangely on the DR650, i suspect getting your air pressures correct for road use in critical?
CROSS TRAINING ADVENTURE That’s certainly possible. Also I didn’t fully balance it when I mounted it. It’s weird though. Every other lug is completely worn flat while the rest look brand new.
Mounted up a new 244 front today. We’ll see how it does compared to the Kenda. The Shinko is a six ply so it was harder to put the tube back in vs. the four ply Kenda K270.
Update time: After a few hundred miles/kilometers, I’d say the front 244 is a good tire. I haven’t noticed any strange wear like on the K270. I’ve been keeping it at 25-28 psi. It does seem to hop a little when I’m decelerating. Also, take note that there are two speed ratings available, L and P. I ordered the P but they sent me the L. I believe L is good for only about 72 mph, whereas P is rated up to 91mph. (I think.) I rarely go much over 70 on my DR650. Good info to know though.
1:01 > Excuse me, what?? LOL. I had the 244 rear on a dual sport, it gripped surprisingly well aired down. The front....nope thought it was junk offroad. The Kenda 270 was the same pattern, except deeper knobbies and was really good offroad, but the knobs were so soft and tall u could feel the flex on pavement.
i've never used the kendas but everyone seems to be saying if you are happy to pay more they are a bit better off road.
Thinking of using shinko 244 on my CX 500. I know it's heavy but have heard from others using them on CX 650s. Anyone have any opinions on a heavier bike? I don't ride fast and have to ride over slick mud, rain, and loose gravel.
2 years on a 244 17.000 miles still got 30% life left i beat the crap out of them in south hot ass AZ good tire's !
Damn, that's some serious mileage! Way better than I managed, and I'm not heavy on the throttle...
@@crosstrainingadventure small cc every thing last longer lol ya getting a new set soon good tires
@@crosstrainingadventure i'm 80% sand lol
I have a set on my 690 and they seem fine until speeds reach 70+ mph. Then the front end seems not so connected to the road and I back off the throttle. I was wondering if the tire could have something to do with this and after watching the video I’m pretty sure that it does. I’ll be giving a set of Motoz tracionator gps a shot once these tires are shot.
Interesting point, Mike. It could be worth experimenting with air pressures, but I figure you already have.
Thanks for sharing!! I've always run the TKC 80 on my DR650, but maybe I'll give these a go. They are definitely cheaper :).
i used to run them on my XR400 many years ago, these will definitely be my choice when i get a DR650 again soon
@rockenjoshy the Tusk D-Sport tire is a cheap alternative to the D606 and looks and behaves just like it.
Me too Josh
@@crosstrainingadventure ?? A new DR... again?
frogzie What else! You’ll be getting back on a DR after you remember how much better they are on the tracks than your Beta! 🤣
Can anyone suggest an enduro tyre that dosent get hurt too much on the road. I have just used a set of Dunlop at81s. My bike is a ktm 450 exc 2018. Thanks in advance
I guess a small road bias but mainly off road
244's on my crf250l. great tire and super inexpensive
I was thinking about the Shinko 244, but decided on the Kenda K-270's instead. The Kenda's just came in 2 days ago, so they aren't even on the rims yet. I ride (about) 60%-70% off road, so I'm hoping they'll perform. I'm looking for an extra back rim to mount a D-606 on for those off road rides I trailer to - strictly a luxury. We'll see how it goes.
Update: I put the Kendas on my bike - definitely a different feeling. I'll have to get used to the cornering on blacktop. The front tire has a dip. I mounted it, noticed the dip, broke it back down to double check everything carefully, remounted it and there's still that dip. I can feel it at 10-20 MPH, but not at higher speeds. But boy-oh-boy does that front fender give it "what for". I'm open to suggestions.
If you really ride so much offroad D606 will be much better option imo. Im happy with 606 front, but have to avoid asphalt like lava lol :D
@@Angry-Lynx Yeah, that's what I was afraid of regarding the asphalt. In hours, my 30-40% road riding is quite a bit. I ride my DR to what ever trails I'm riding (8 out of 10 times; "some" trailering), plus I take rides on country roads for relaxation. I'm retired, so I spend most afternoons riding. I get a lot of seat time.
Why do u have to avoid asphalt on the d606?
Is it bc it handles so poorly or bc it wears so fast?
@@IAmYourReflection it wears out fast, handling is ok for a knobby, rode aggressively on asphalt a lot with them, even at almost full lean
@@Angry-Lynx what do u run on the rear. Have you tried tusk dsport?
Do you find the d606 front to be noticeably heavier than others?
I have a 805/17/145 shinko at the rear of my DR.That tire is deflated to the max off road with unbelievable grip.on the road I run it at 22-25 pounds and same thing with wet riding all winter between tofino and Victoria sometimes snow. Ih and very heavy loads(last trip was 300$ of grocery,tools and what not).I like my corners.it will last about 12-15000 km.never had a flat.
The bike has 61000 km in two and half years.the tire looks weird but don’t let it mislead you. Oh and no buzzing .
The ugly....heavy tire so the fuel economy went to 160 km per 10 litres...I use to get 185 after the mods.
I like when sales person call them “cheap crap tires” again,don’t let the tire guy mislead you.
Cheers
For doing light offroading and FSRs apart from price, how would they compare to K60s on a midsized adv?
Personally I have no idea, John. Never used a Kenda in my life. But if you trawl through all these comments you'lll find guys comparing the Shinko against the Kenda...
The stock size for the rear tire is 12/80-18 in metric. What are they in inches? 4.0, 4.1 or 4.6? I goggled up and internet says it's 4.0 or 4.1. But the dealer in my country insist it's 4.6. What are your thoughts?
No idea, they'll probably have good info about specifics like this on DR650 forums or Facebook pages....
I prefer the kenda k270 I liked the Shinko but someone turned me on to the kenda and it took my opinion
What size shinko 244 is on the 690? I'm interested in trying them out.
not my bike ken, so i'm not sure. it's an 18 inch rear rim so i don't know how many sizes they do in that size.
Not dual sport exactly but I run Michelin Enduro Mediums Barry. What's your thoughts on them?
not familiar with them, phil. i know very little about most brands and types!
I bought a dr250 with these and my God, the amount of lowsides I had with these tires on gravel and damp trails was ridiculous. Though, my driving obviously didn't help either.
It sounds like you will definitely need a set of knobbies then (or at least on the front)... and a DR250 should be light enough to not wear them out too quickly. What air pressure did you run? You can usually still get reasonable grip offroad (except for mud) with these if you take some air out.
Ran the 244 on a klr for quite a while and thought they worked great on and off road. Passed some Lukewarm hot dogs on motards on the dragon on that set up while wearing overalls which made me and them giggle a bit. They came over after a pass and said damn man you’re flying on that klr and then looked down and said “you’re on f-ing knobbies?” Now a 5 year old on a goldwing would probably smoke me, yelling the older you get the faster you were while passing.
Tell me about it, Cade. 😂 A constant theme on our enduro channel is "it's 80% the rider, 20% the bike". In most cases, a good rider will smoke the average one regardless of bike, tire choice, engine oil, flash riding gear etc etc.
I have learned a ton from your enduro and trials channels, I figure I will have all the current material down if I turn into a vampire, live 100 more years and watch each video 300 times in between practice sessions. Take your time on the instructional videos, I have plenty of homework to do.
It's funny with the training vids... there are guys complaining about the lack of new ones and I always ask have you mastered the first 80 vids yet? They never answer lol. I am keen to update some of the earlier ones though as we have learned more.
The lack of updates are definitely the reason I can’t ride like Graham Jarvis...Yet
I'm torn between these and the tusk dsport adventure for my wr250r
I guess it depends on your road/offroad mix of riding. And the longevity you want. The Tusk is modeled on the Dunlop D606 which don't last too long on a DR650... but almost any knobbies last way longer on a 250.
@@crosstrainingadventure I want enough front traction on the road to be able to stop quickly. The knobbies I have now seem to slide without too much brake pressure. I ought to practice and measure stopping distance.
Any updates on the long term testing mentioned in the video?
Just about to replace the rear now, Ben. I put some final long term comments in the pinned first comment... I usually put something there for most of our reviews.
@@crosstrainingadventure Thanks for the update!
What is the manufacturer recommendation for tire pressure
You mean maximum pressure? On their website.
Hi. How does this tires apply on wet condition?
? Discussed in the video.
What pressure is best offroad for these tires?
Impossible to say, it depends on your weight, the bike, do you carry luggage, road or offroad, pillion passenger, wet or dry and a pile of other factors. czcams.com/video/JqraGcke42w/video.html
I've had kind of a bad experience with the 244's on my DR650. off road its all good plenty of grip in most places but on road they aren't holding up. every time I brake hard or go above 70mph (112kph) I lose a chunk of the tire. maybe I go a bum tire or something I'm going to switch to D606's and see how they go. I commute about 45 miles a day mostly highway for reference
Damn. How many miles on the tyres when it happened? There was another guy saying his tread started to come off at around 4500 miles. I occasionally see comments like this about almost every tyre brand though. It makes me wonder if sometimes it's just very old stock that's been sitting at some depot of years and the rubber has already aged? I've seen this with all sorts of products. E.g. Occasionally you see Gaerne boots massively discounted and the manufacturing date is five years old already...
@@crosstrainingadventure I've only got around 1000 miles on them and they are dated for 2021 so not crazy old. I got them from Procycle so a trustworthy seller. I figured that I just do to much high speed highway riding for these tires. The front is holding up well but the rear is missing a lot of chunks at this point
did they by any chance also knock off trakmaster k760?
i doubt it! this design has been around for decades, originally created by yokohama in japan back in the 20th century. kenda only started doing car tyres in 2001 and their motorbike tyres are even more recent. maybe they copied they shinko if they are identical?
Anyone in Oz know where these can be purchased? Cant find any :(
most dealers should be able to get them in, often you have to ask as they won't stock them. not sure why... maybe the mark up price is better on other brands?
Supplied by Whitespowersports, most decent bike shops will have an account with them and will be able to provide them :)
Tusk Dsport adventure tire hands down. I can get 5k miles out of them on mostly pavement, they are great on wet and dry roads, gravel, dirt, single track over roots and logs, hill climbs, mud and even snow. and I only paid $104 US for front and rear shipped.
I have run many dual sport tires in my search for the best one, and they all have high and low marks, but the Tusk is the only one that does it all
I did run them but find the Shinko 700 better for road & mud snow loose gravel than the 244
i've heard that from a few sources, unfortunately we don't have the 700 in australia at this stage.
CROSS TRAINING ADVENTURE to bad I have 5000 km on the back & the front is still like new. The back may have about 1000 km left but will still clim a steep loose grave hill very well with 19 pounds It’s a drz 400 S & I do travel a 50% pavement but if I didn’t nothing beats a knobby there is a lot of clay styl mud here on the east coast of Canada I do avoid that , my son has a new set of Michelin enduro on a 250L we enjoy your videos & your hummer. Keep up the good work 😉. If I had extra money for the supporter bins I would definitely support. Thank you 👌🏼
How do this compare to the Dunlop D605?
I've never used one, Guillermo. But a viewer might have...
@@crosstrainingadventure Thanks for the reply. Always great content here, keep it up!
So what’s the next step up from this ?
Tread pattern? Everyone seems to say the 805 Shinko is great for riding dirt roads.
@@crosstrainingadventure I just got a trail master. I hope it does okay in the woods
@@crosstrainingadventure I just got a trail master. I hope it does okay in the woods
Dude, what happened to your other channel?
youtube took it down due to alleged 'spam, scams or misleading info'. i complained immediately and it was reinstated six hours later. 🤔😢😂
@@crosstrainingadventure Good the hear. I missed you already.
I don't mind this back tire on the 450. It is good enough in most places off road wise and good on pavement. The front tire however is another story. While it is fine on the hwy it is down right scary if you try to push your bike hard into a corner in gravel. Expect your front to wash out before your back does. Worst feeling ever!
I didn't seem to have problems with the DR650 but yes, I think it would be better to pair the Shinko rear with a more aggressive front if riding a lot of gravel!
What is a tie-uh?
It’s the Aussie accent.
Also, aussies spell it as “tyre.”
You have $9000, and want to ride from your house to the local trails and explore your home town which offers a variety of gravel and dirt tracks, you love wheelies.
Options:
2012 husaberg fe450 40 hours, nice condition
2020 Dr650 - brand new
2014 KTM 500 exc 200 hours no engine work
2020 DRZE - Brand new
You only have 9k not another 1k for suspension or 1500 for a potential rebuild. What you taking? I am at my limit with options and research and need some advice!@!
p.s love your channel
that looks like a pretty good range of choice, cameron. a secondhand CRF450L might be worth throwing in too although not many of those around.
@@crosstrainingadventure I agree, perhaps I should save more and get the crf, 0 used in nz for sale so would have to be new. Then you're brand new wr450, ktm 500 and beta rr territory which just makes things more difficult :( 1st world problems i guess aye
Ktm 690 yo ;
But im allergic to all small enduros, so may be biased :D
Isn't shinko a Japanese company that just produces tires in Korea?
All their tyre production is located in Korea but they say their 'design' still occurs in Japan, Jannik. I can't find any statement from Shinko about where their head office is located but I figure the Shinko Group is probably based in Japan. I don't know whether management for the tyre division is there or in Korea.
@@crosstrainingadventure wow I really didn't expect an answer for a comment to a video, that's over 2 years old... Greetings from Germany, I love your videos, they always make me smile👍🏼
I was just going of of a Fortnine video I recently rewatch, where Ryan called them a Japanese brand.
I always read every comment and try to respond when I can, Jannik. It's strange that there's so little information about Shinko online. And their own website doesn't give a lot of detail!
SHINKO ftw i use 804/805 on my at love them best tire there is im on 3rd set
have you tried the 244s? i'm trying to decide between the 805 and the 244.
@@0xsergy not yet still on 804 /805
Ive got a seperate set of 17/19" wheels for my DR,I have worn out about 5 sets of Shinko 701's on them,they work great on pavemento and get me by on gravel. I destroy rears in under 3K due to years of flattrack racing in my youth. I Am A Squirrel I admit it. I have to be drifting both ends or I feel like a pussy all day. I will have to try some 244's on my other wheel on the back anyway. I would rather have a real knobber on the front. Pirelli M-21 or Dunlop 606.
I agree, stick to a knobby up front as it shouldn't wear too quickly on the DR. But the 244 is a great rear, I can't wait to get it on to my latest DR when the factory rubber wears out.
@@crosstrainingadventure Does clutch life suffer any with the days long wheelies? Ive gone over backwards twice in 5th gear out showing off for the ladies. I try to keep it calmer now.