fjrpittsburgh Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 Well, we're a little below the wear bars on the OEM rear tire and it's time for a replacement. I've run a number of tire brands on the rear of my FJR over the last 11 years. PR2's, PR4's, Shinko Ravens, etc. I keep going back to the Shinko Ravens. Other FJR riders ask me why I continue to put such a cheap tire on my FJR. Well, that's easy, because it's a great tire. It may be a low cost tire, but it's certainly not a cheap tire. I've run Shinko Ravens front and rear many times over the years and that's what I'm currently running on the FJR. They perform extremely well in all conditions. I've never experienced a butt pucker moment on them at any speed or weather conditions. One friend of mine in Virginia finally gave them a try. He's a very hard rider and can ride 2 up like you can't believe through some of the tightest twisties. I have to ride at the edge of comfort to keep up with him. His review of the tires was something that interested me since I was such a believer in the Ravens. He said he felt they were up to par with any Michelins he's ever run. So next week I'm going with the Shinko Raven for the new shoe on the rear of the GT. I was going with the Shinko regardless of what he said based on my experience over the years with them. I have a trip planned for next weekend. It may only be 600 to 800 miles depending on the weather, but having a new rear tire will be so nice. New tires always make a bike feel brand new again. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojmir Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I have Michelin Pilot5. Very good tire especially on slippery (wet) roads 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okietgtrider Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 I ran a couple sets of Shinkos on my Super Tenere. Lot of bang for the buck in these tires. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member runnerhiker Posted May 26, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted May 26, 2019 Lots of good tires available today. I have used PR4's with great results, but my favorite are Dunlop Roadsmart for great price/performance. I've never tried Shinko, but I see your point, no sense in changing what has worked for you in the past. 2019 Tracer 900 GT Niwot CO USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjrpittsburgh Posted May 29, 2019 Author Share Posted May 29, 2019 Just finished up reinstalling the newly mounted Shinko Raven on the rear wheel. One tip to pass on which may help. A small 3/4 inch thick piece of board placed under the new rear tire is just the right height to slide the rear axle in. Such a piece of cake. The torque value for the rear axle nut is 111 ft/lbs. Had to slightly tighten up the chain slack and we're good to go. New rubber means new bike. Loving the GT! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmark101 Posted May 30, 2019 Share Posted May 30, 2019 On 5/26/2019 at 12:53 AM, runnerhiker said: Lots of good tires available today. I have used PR4's with great results, but my favorite are Dunlop Roadsmart for great price/performance. I've never tried Shinko, but I see your point, no sense in changing what has worked for you in the past. Ran a set of the Roadsmart 3 on my Ninja 1000 and was very impressed with them. Pretty good in the wet and excellent dry performance for an ST tire with lots of grip. 1 There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozn3 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 On 5/29/2019 at 8:33 AM, fjrpittsburgh said: Just finished up reinstalling the newly mounted Shinko Raven on the rear wheel. One tip to pass on which may help. A small 3/4 inch thick piece of board placed under the new rear tire is just the right height to slide the rear axle in. Such a piece of cake. The torque value for the rear axle nut is 111 ft/lbs. Had to slightly tighten up the chain slack and we're good to go. New rubber means new bike. Loving the GT! Is the 111 ft/lbs torque really a pain in the ass to tighten? I recently adjusted my chain slack and used a beam torque wrench to get to this torque rating. It was really hard and am quite concerned if I stripped the axle thread 😣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmark101 Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 5 hours ago, ozn3 said: Is the 111 ft/lbs torque really a pain in the ass to tighten? I recently adjusted my chain slack and used a beam torque wrench to get to this torque rating. It was really hard and am quite concerned if I stripped the axle thread 😣 Of all the bikes I have owned this is the highest torque value for an axle nut that I have seen. Most others were around 75 to 85 foot pounds. Unless you felt it slip and then it would not reach torque after, you probably did not strip the axle. It would be a good idea to invest in a quality torque wrench for peace of mind when working on your bike. This one is good bang for the buck for the occasional mechanic. https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-Torque-10-150-Lb-13-6-203-5-24335/dp/B00C5ZL0RU/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19BTH6BHM2ESE&keywords=tekton+24335+torque+wrench&qid=1566388231&s=hi&sprefix=Tekton+24335%2Caps%2C157&sr=1-1 There is nothing like spending a day riding with friends in the grip of a shared obsession. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 On a recent tire change I reinstalled the rear wheel and tightened the nut using my 3/4 breaker bar till it felt "properly" tight. I doubt I hit 111 foot pounds (which I think is excessive, especially for a dual-sided swing arm.) The wrench in the link above is 1/2 drive. A bit small for 100 lb plus torquing? 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted August 21, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted August 21, 2019 5 hours ago, nhchris said: On a recent tire change I reinstalled the rear wheel and tightened the nut using my 3/4 breaker bar till it felt "properly" tight. I do the same thing, I have never used a torque wrench on an axle nut, never had a wheel fall off or even loosen up. On the few occasions where I use a torque wrench, I usually set it a few pounds less than recommended as some of the manuals recommendations seem very excessive. ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chitown Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Yamaha big fastener torque values have been suspect on my three. Another consideration is fastening items that I may tackle removing/reinstalling on the side of the road with the tools carried on the road. Sure some here carry a torque wrench but not me. Nothing's fallen off 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC3896 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 On 5/25/2019 at 6:58 PM, Mojmir said: I have Michelin Pilot5. Very good tire especially on slippery (wet) roads I also have the Michelin Road5's on my GT and they are excellent. I highly recommend them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankycello Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Bridgestone Battlax T31 Chalk & Cheese compared to stock. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted August 30, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted August 30, 2019 3 hours ago, frankycello said: Bridgestone Battlax T31 Chalk & Cheese compared to stock. It is amazing what a difference it makes just swapping tires. 1 ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjrpittsburgh Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 11 hours ago, betoney said: It is amazing what a difference it makes just swapping tires. Or just having any new tire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now