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Shinko 705 Adventure Touring Tyres tested

Shinko tyres CFMoto

Shinko tyres review by tyre expert Dale Schmidtchen

The standard tyres on our long-term review CFMoto 650 MT have been my only real complaint about the hardy bike which is now coming up to 4000km.

It came fitted with Chinese-made Cheng Shin Tire (CST) Adreno radials which worked well on dry sealed roads, but were inadequate on any other surface.

Shinko tyresShinko tyres CFMoto

I had been looking around and there wasn’t much on the market that actually fitted the bike as a matched pair.

Wheel size was the main problem with a 17-inch front (unusual on an adventrue bike) and the odd 160/60R17 rear combination.

However, Bruce Collins Enterprises came to the rescue with the suggestion of a pair of South Korean Shinko 705 Series Adventure Touring tyres.

Shinko Tyres bought the almost new radial tyre plant from Yokohama Tire Japan in the late 1990s.  They have since become one of the most versatile and innovative tyre manufacturers in today’s market.

So we chose a 120/70R17 front ($147) and 170/60R17 rear ($212).

Ivan and Louie at Tyres4Bikes, Brisbane, handled the fitting duties with their usual professional and friendly service.Shinko tyres CFMoto

They settled on 34psi in the front and 38psi in the rear for pressures.

The 705 Series tread pattern gave the bike an instant look of aggression, credibility and capability.

First thing I noticed as I rode home was that the steering was more stable and turns were more deliberate.

Much of this feeling comes from the wider rear, combined with a flatter tread pattern which is common with adventure tyres.

Tyre tread noise is a little louder, but not a major issue. Added vibration from the aggressive tread is not noticeable above 25km/h.

Shinko advise that the tyre is biased towards “80% road” use, and while they perform well there, I also can report excellent off-road manners.

Front and rear braking is now possible on unsealed roads with good feedback and confidence.Shinko tyres CFMoto

On a recent dirt/tar run out to Mount Berryman and Schultz Lookout, I was soon able to power slide out of gravel corners and really start to enjoy this bike in its intended environment.

After a few hundred kilometres, wear hasn’t shown itself to be a problem. We will update later with another review.

Surprisingly, I have noticed a small improvement in fuel economy over the past three tanks of unleaded. That’s unusual as the tyres are noticeably heavier than the road tyres they replaced.

Shinko 705 Series tyres would suit most Adventure riders on mid to large bikes.

  1. Have been following your bike thru mbw, glad your happy with her – you write ‘Surprisingly, I have noticed a small improvement in fuel economy over the past three tanks of unleaded.’ it is possibly the bike getting run in, keep us posted Happy Riding.

    1. Thanks, Andre. I am glad someone is reading my ramblings 🙂 . You are probably correct. The bike started out really tight but continues to loosen and improve with every trip. Interestingly (I hope), I haven’t really noticed any difference in fuel economy or power between 91 and 95 fuel. I normally get the flashing fuel gauge at 280 – 300 km, and it takes around 12 – 13 litres, meaning if the manual is accurate at 18 litres, there should be a safe 350km range before things get desperate.

      1. Thanks, by reading up on this when someone say CFMoto are ‘choose your expletive’ I can say “Dale from MBW doesn’t seem to think so & he owns one” – or alternatively when someone says those CFMoto’s seem ok I can reply “Dale from MBW seems to thinks so as well”. A tent & sleeping bag seem like a good bet to test out the fuel range – 320 one way out & 320 a different way back, just do it safely.

        1. A tent? I would just keep circling around until it ran out in front of a pub 🙂

  2. Hi Mark thanks for the reply to the price on the c.f. 650mt tyrers I notice the price the next day when I re read it
    Cheers Dale Ebert

  3. Thanks Dale,
    Bought a new 650 MT in Feb 2020 and have been looking at replacing the standard tyres with adventure tyres and finally found your write up. Had the same problem looking for suitable tyres shinko seems to be to only one in 17”. Helps heaps thanks.

    1. All good, Scott. I have just clocked 10k on the MT and about 7k of those on the Shinkos. They are still looking great and perform well above my level of ability. I will be posting a 10k update story soon.

  4. Hi, I have just bought a mt650/2019 and after coming from a ZX10R (which i still have)I am very pleased with this little bike. I have used it on both dirt and bitumen and it works pretty good on both. But is better on the hard stuff.I do ride it pretty hard.
    When i bought it the previous had done some good things, removed the restricter, added some good Pirelli tires, and Handle bar risers, Once i did some miles on it i actually liked the bike. There were a couple of small adjustments necessary, Add some engine transmission additive to fix the crunchy shift, set the front shock setting to get it to turn in and screw up the tension on the rear to stop it from bottoming, then fine adjustment on the compression. Changed the oil and filter at 5000ks then looked in the service book to see it needs changing at every 3000 (woops). The bike has now done almost 7000ks and i have destroyed a rear tire. I do most of my riding on hard stuff.
    I have just changed the gearing to allow it to reach the rev limiter in top gear at 185 Kph it works pretty good. I ride with guys that have high powered sports bikes and let me tell you when they stop i am right there. In fact they all now look more closely at this little rocket ship. Anyone that says Chinese rubbish Need to ride one for a while because they are well worth the $$$$. I am now chasing some new (well rear only at this time) tires and i have decided to have a go at the Shinko to see how they perform. (I have one on the rear of the ZX10 and it works pretty good.)I did have some concerns about the high running tempreture but now it has a few Klms on it, that has all settled down. But remember i do ride it pretty hard. Anyhow i do recommend these bikes to anyone wanting a mid size adventure bike.

  5. Hi Dale, for someone who is primarily a blacktop rider but wanting to dip into off road on a 2021 650mt do you think these or the Avon’s? Was also looking the anakee’s but too many negative comments re the noise I think.

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