Shinko 705 first impressions

Hey guys, just finished editing my review, hope you find it useful!

For those answering the poll at the top of the post, if you've had bad experiences, pictures would be cool. So far it seems like the majority who used the latest version of the SHinko 705 (2011 and up) haven't had significant issues, but will be interesting to see if some do. And to be fair I think we can find bad tires from all brands if we search the web...

I put a set on my GSA a couple of months ago and now have 400-500 miles on them and can't complain. It's the first time I've ever put tires this dirt oriented on any street bike I've owned and so far they haven't scared me on the road. I was following my son (on his 990R) on a gravel road and I didn't feel as confident as he was but a big part of that was I didn't want to drop my beast.

My friend has a GS with Shinko 705s and its a really fun bike to ride, feels so much lighter than it is.

Great review! Timely as I will be needing to replace the tires on my Tiger 800 soon. A tire review on Chapparel Motorsports also rated the 705s pretty high. For the cost, I think I will give them a try.

So far they have worked great with everything I threw at them, don't think you would be disappointed. Always depends on the type of riding you do. If you're looking more for a 50/50 tire, I'd highly recommend the Shinko 804/805 as well (just that the rear tire on those won't last much over 5-6000km).

I put a set of Shinko 705’s on a ‘13 KLR. I put 3,000 miles on them before I sold it. They were a great all around tire for everything except mud (as you would expect).

I considered putting them on my ‘19 DL1000, but opted to go for a 50/50 tire instead.

At the moment...wishing I’d gone with something else. If I don’t fall in love with the 50/50’s in the next 1,000 miles or so, I’ll probably just get a set of 705’s to put on it.

What 50/50 are you running?

Dunlop Trailmax Mission. I read a ton of great reviews on the tires, so I think it’s more a personal taste issue than an issue with with tires.

I’m just hoping that by the time the break-in is over that I’ll be happier with them. Ex. Steering input seems slower vs. the stock tires.

Haven't tried those but I'm a big fan of the Shinko 804/805 when I want a 50/50 tire, I actually prefer them over the TKC80.

The only reason I didn’t go for the 804/805 is the tread life. These are supposed to be good for over 5,000 miles. We’ll see.

I had 705s and they were fine for an 80/20 tire. I had no objections at all (except mud was expected). With no objections, you'd think this post would be more enthusiastic, but I didn't fall in love with them either.

For 50/50 I preferred TKC80. I tried Kenda Big Block once and went back to the TKC80s. Never did try the Shinko 804/805. One bike switched to Shinko 504/505 Hybrid Cheater trials tire and got 4,700 miles out of the set. I called them "magical tires" with my tongue only half in cheek. EDIT: those Shinko 504/505 are the not-for-highway-use tires. Maine has some roads designated as "access routes" for registered ATVs which that bike is. There's a different Shinko 505 that is road legal but it's less aggressive, about 50/50.

Yeah that Shinko 504/505 is a just ebough thread between the spaces to get you to the dirt hehe
I had the TKC80 on RnineT UGS and swore I would never put that on any bike again. They vibrated, were noisy (specially the front), wore super flat super fast, and aside from in the mud, they didn't perform better than the 805 and just cost more. I've tried the 805 on a tiger 800, 1200GS, Scrambler 900, Africa Twin, and really they are a heck of a good 50/50 tire. I was even able to ride on it for about 30 km with no air, without damaging my wheel.

And I'm not sponsored by Shinko in any way, if their tires were crap, I'd say it.

They do exactly what you'd expect. More street oriented than dirt. Shinko 244 for more dirt less street but decent wear.

I've got them front and rear on my super tenere right now. The rear went on first and has been excellent so far, a really great tire. The only real let down has been grip - they slide pretty easy. I would be hesitant to really push this tire.

The front, on the other hand, has absolutely RUINED the handling of the bike. It feels like it's incredibly dead in the center, but as soon as you turn in, it falls over waaay too much. Makes for both a very dead feel when straight and overly twitchy feel when turned over. The front will go in the trash once I kill this rear. Easily the worst handling front tire of any I've ridden. Strange, because the 804's I've ran have been excellent, even when cupped.

Wow very strange indeed. I had that feeling on my Scrambler with the Heidenau K60s, took a while to get used to it, the bike felt like it was falling into corners. In terms of handling I can't say I've seen a big difference with the 804/805, feels quite natural. I'm assuming your tire pressure is all good? Only other difference I could see is maybe the 19" front wheel vs 21"?

I've had no bad experiences and the longevity is better than I expected, especially the front. Grip has not been a concern wet or dry, but they are not good on mud, even if it's shallow. I really wanted to like these tires but subjectively, I just don't like the feel when initiating a turn on the road, the feel is fine off road. They make my bike feel like it's doing different things at the front than at the rear, as if the profiles are way mismatched or something. I remember having a similar feel on another bike I owned when I fitted too large a front tire. It's interesting that like Bikedude987, I too am using them on a Super Tenere. I've not used the 705 rear without the 705 front, so wasn't sure which tire to blame.

I've had a few sets of 705s on my Tiger 955i. I like them fine for my riding. I get maybe 8-10k from a rear and twice that from a front. One issue is that the front cups quickly for me.

This is my second set on the Tenere and they work ok. They work well on the street (not quite as good in the rain as they could be) and they’re good on dirt roads. Good mileage on the front till it wears funny and starts cupping.
No, they are not good in any kind of mud. They are better than street tires on dirt/gravel though.
And, of course, they are a great value.