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11-04-2008, 10:33pm
Was able to get out for a quick run today so did the Old Pacific Hwy. This is the first real outing on the Shinko's. I can only really compare to my last tyres which were M1's.
Warm Up - As good as the M1. It was a coolish day with not much heat in the tar. Warmed up and grippy within a few minutes/km. Until then (with the preservative coating) I wasn't pushing much anyway.Front seems to get heat in faster than the rear and you can feel it (see F/R sync below)
Turn In (warm) - Faster than the M1. Less effort. Using the same amount of input as for the M1, I was over-steering. Once I got that sorted, turn in was very predictable, smooth and progressive, probably due to the rounded profile. When cold they aren't quite as predictable - but you'd expect that.
Front / Rear sync : The tyres are a matched pair (both 005's) and the rear follows the front faithfully without any perceived delay, flex or protest - once warm. It seemed that the front warmed about a minute faster and I could feel the merest (and I mean... very slight) hint that the rear wasn't responding as fast. There's no drama about it, and it might just have been me being over-analytical.
They respond well to weight transfers (hanging off and peg hopping), and no squirming / resistance during rapid direction changes (tight "S" bends) and U turns. Plus they make the bike feel light and flick-able and always feel rock-solid stable.
Grip - Excellent. At least as good as the M1's when new. Bit surprised by that. Especially noticeable when crossing the rivers of trickle tar all along the Old Road - no movement at all. Was even able to get the gas on whilst crossing trickle tar rivulets and there wasn't the merest hint of drama. Those who know that road will remember there are small rivers and streams running across some of the corners for days after it rains and a few spots that never dry out because they never see the sun. No drama's in any of these spots even when transitioning (dry to wet to dry) under steady power. Same as the M1's when new.
Feedback at all speeds was very good.
Low speed steering : Trickling through traffic was a breeze! Getting around traffic snarls and cutting across lanes (cars stopped) easy as pie.
Basically, they are as confidence inspiring as the M1's and the Bridgestone 014's I had previously (Shinko markets the 005 is their alternative for the Bridgestone 014/015, the 009 as the BT05X and the 003 as the Bridgestone 004/005).
Things to note : I'm not a speedster. My riding style is best described as smooth and 'swoopy'. I tend to set up for corners well in advance and have trickled down to my desired approach speed (and exit gear) by the time I need to turn in - rather than coming in hot and using gears/brakes to bring me down to approach speed. You'll rarely see my brake light in the tight stuff (remember that if you're ever following me). I'm on the throttle all the way through the corner and bleed in more power at the apex rather than dropping off and then giving it a fistful on apex. My cornering speeds are not to be regarded as 'punishing on tyres' - so the information above needs to be read as such.
Don't get the impression that the 'cold' performance is iffy. We all know that cold tyres can be unpredictable and I don't want to give anyone the impression that there's an issue there. I'd like to get a few more km's on them before I make a definitive statement (they only have 255km on them at the moment, so its way too soon to be seriously reviewing them anyway). What I can say is that once warmed up, they are very predictable and confidence inspiring - as good as the M1 or the 014 as far as I'm concerned (for my riding style).
Warm Up - As good as the M1. It was a coolish day with not much heat in the tar. Warmed up and grippy within a few minutes/km. Until then (with the preservative coating) I wasn't pushing much anyway.Front seems to get heat in faster than the rear and you can feel it (see F/R sync below)
Turn In (warm) - Faster than the M1. Less effort. Using the same amount of input as for the M1, I was over-steering. Once I got that sorted, turn in was very predictable, smooth and progressive, probably due to the rounded profile. When cold they aren't quite as predictable - but you'd expect that.
Front / Rear sync : The tyres are a matched pair (both 005's) and the rear follows the front faithfully without any perceived delay, flex or protest - once warm. It seemed that the front warmed about a minute faster and I could feel the merest (and I mean... very slight) hint that the rear wasn't responding as fast. There's no drama about it, and it might just have been me being over-analytical.
They respond well to weight transfers (hanging off and peg hopping), and no squirming / resistance during rapid direction changes (tight "S" bends) and U turns. Plus they make the bike feel light and flick-able and always feel rock-solid stable.
Grip - Excellent. At least as good as the M1's when new. Bit surprised by that. Especially noticeable when crossing the rivers of trickle tar all along the Old Road - no movement at all. Was even able to get the gas on whilst crossing trickle tar rivulets and there wasn't the merest hint of drama. Those who know that road will remember there are small rivers and streams running across some of the corners for days after it rains and a few spots that never dry out because they never see the sun. No drama's in any of these spots even when transitioning (dry to wet to dry) under steady power. Same as the M1's when new.
Feedback at all speeds was very good.
Low speed steering : Trickling through traffic was a breeze! Getting around traffic snarls and cutting across lanes (cars stopped) easy as pie.
Basically, they are as confidence inspiring as the M1's and the Bridgestone 014's I had previously (Shinko markets the 005 is their alternative for the Bridgestone 014/015, the 009 as the BT05X and the 003 as the Bridgestone 004/005).
Things to note : I'm not a speedster. My riding style is best described as smooth and 'swoopy'. I tend to set up for corners well in advance and have trickled down to my desired approach speed (and exit gear) by the time I need to turn in - rather than coming in hot and using gears/brakes to bring me down to approach speed. You'll rarely see my brake light in the tight stuff (remember that if you're ever following me). I'm on the throttle all the way through the corner and bleed in more power at the apex rather than dropping off and then giving it a fistful on apex. My cornering speeds are not to be regarded as 'punishing on tyres' - so the information above needs to be read as such.
Don't get the impression that the 'cold' performance is iffy. We all know that cold tyres can be unpredictable and I don't want to give anyone the impression that there's an issue there. I'd like to get a few more km's on them before I make a definitive statement (they only have 255km on them at the moment, so its way too soon to be seriously reviewing them anyway). What I can say is that once warmed up, they are very predictable and confidence inspiring - as good as the M1 or the 014 as far as I'm concerned (for my riding style).