New Tires For My Tiger 800 ABS!

[No1UKnow]

Hey Y'all, and greetings from New Orleans were it's been hotter than Hades

My 2013 Tiger 800 ABS has about 7K on it, or a bit over 11K kliks. I think the tires on the alloy wheels are the original P Scorpions (I bought the bike second hand). They still have LOTS of tread but are now ten years old. Time for some freshies. I plan to use the bike mostly for road touring, but I will probably do some fire roads to get to some cool places. Probably zero single-track or the like.

I've been looking at tires and had just about settled on the Shinko 705's. Folks seem to like them for the riding I plan to do and the price is certainly right. I see they come in radial and bias versions of the 110/80-19 fronts and 150/70-17 rears I need. Further, the bias version is "Q" rated (99mph/159kph) and the radial is an "H" (130mph/210kph). Same load rating of "59" (243kilos/536lbs). I weigh in at about 160lbs or ~73kg, and I plan to carry about 50-60lbs or 23-27kg of gear. I certainly will not be cruising over 99 mph, but hey... I might want to test the top speed of the bike for a quick second.

Are these tires "good enough"? What are the pros and cons of bias vs radial? I've read radials provide greater road contact (and better mileage?) but are more "fragile" on unimproved roads. If I "test the top speed" of my bike for a second and its 110mph, am I risking a tire failure, or do speed ratings apply only to sustained speeds?

Thanks very much in advance for sharing your thoughts and experience

No1UKnow

 

[CarlS]

I think either radial or bias will work for you. You would have to do some serious off roading for radials being fragile would be an issue. Your cast wheels would be problem long before radial tires would be.

 

[Vector]

I've been pleased with Shinko in the past.

 

[Qship]

Dunlop Trailmax Missions or Mixtour.
I have the Trailmax Missions and am quite pleased with them. Long lasting as well.

 

[Name Etc.]

I’ve used three sets of Shinko. 705 and 805 both and most others have been a waste of money. Double sometimes for same wear and usability. I went fro Bridgestone back to Shinko because of how they wear

 

[2WHEELST100]

Hey Y'all, and greetings from New Orleans were it's been hotter than Hades

My 2013 Tiger 800 ABS has about 7K on it, or a bit over 11K kliks. I think the tires on the alloy wheels are the original P Scorpions (I bought the bike second hand). They still have LOTS of tread but are now ten years old. Time for some freshies. I plan to use the bike mostly for road touring, but I will probably do some fire roads to get to some cool places. Probably zero single-track or the like.

I've been looking at tires and had just about settled on the Shinko 705's. Folks seem to like them for the riding I plan to do and the price is certainly right. I see they come in radial and bias versions of the 110/80-19 fronts and 150/70-17 rears I need. Further, the bias version is "Q" rated (99mph/159kph) and the radial is an "H" (130mph/210kph). Same load rating of "59" (243kilos/536lbs). I weigh in at about 160lbs or ~73kg, and I plan to carry about 50-60lbs or 23-27kg of gear. I certainly will not be cruising over 99 mph, but hey... I might want to test the top speed of the bike for a quick second.

Are these tires "good enough"? What are the pros and cons of bias vs radial? I've read radials provide greater road contact (and better mileage?) but are more "fragile" on unimproved roads. If I "test the top speed" of my bike for a second and its 110mph, am I risking a tire failure, or do speed ratings apply only to sustained speeds?

Thanks very much in advance for sharing your thoughts and experience

No1UKnow

 

[2WHEELST100]

Hi No1UKnow, I bought a 2014 800 Tiger in 2017 with 3K miles and was not happy with the OEM tires by 2020 with about 7K miles. They were scary to drive on in corners. 99.9% of my riding is on local roads and state highways. I ended up throwing on some Michelin Pilot Road Trail tires, 4 on back and 3 on front and gained all the riding confidence lost with the old tires. I have 10.5K miles on the bike now and so in 3500 miles they hardly show wear. 150-70-17 Rear for $220 and 110-80-19 Front for $180, discounted in 2020 prices. There is a 5 series out now so getting a set of 4's might get you some discount. Fresh rubber of any kind should help.