Pirelli, Shinko or Kenda

[Rocketforme]

I haven't been around for quite a while, but spring is getting closer in New England and its time to get my little Ninja ready to go. I'm in dire need of tire replacements to replace the stock weathercracked IRC's that she sits on now. I need an inexpensive tire and was looking for some real world reviews of these tires on the Ninjette.

Pirelli Diablo 130/80-16 & 100/80-16

Shinko 741 130/80-16 Rear
740 100/80-16 Front

Kenda K671 130/90-16 Rear
K671 100/90-16 Front

These are the most affordable options I have found so far. If you know of some other options, please let me know. Keeping in mind I am not a very experienced rider, but intend to spend a lot of time on my bike this summer. Will be mostly cruising secondary roads, maybe a little highway.

I've got fresh oil and filter in hand and need to charge up my battery and see if its still good or not. It's gonna snow later so I still have time.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[ninjamunky85]

My vote is for the Kendas. They're a good tire that's pretty sticky and has lots of tread on them. Currently I'm running a Shinko 712 rear and a Kenda 671 front on my pre gen.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Rocketforme

..........

If you know of some other options, please let me know. Keeping in mind I am not a very experienced rider, but intend to spend a lot of time on my bike this summer. Will be mostly cruising secondary roads, maybe a little highway...........

These are all your options:
http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_ti...fit_the_250%3F

I have had a great experience commuting on highway and city in sunny and rainy conditions (Florida) with:
Front: Avon Roadrider 100/90-16
Rear: Kenda K671 130/90-16

[Ghostt]

I run the Kendas on my EX, great all around tire.

I'm currently running the Bridgestone BT45 on the Ninjette, have about 4,500 miles on them, they are also awesome as well.

[MrAtom]

Every Kenda tire or tube I've had on my pedalbike has given me problems. That being said, I enjoy the kendas on my motorcycle. Haven't had an issue with em yet.

[MrAtom]

But I'm new as well and don't really know much about tires.

[Ghostt]

IMHO Kenda wins bang of the buck award

[Roark]

I have a Shinko on the front of my 250, and it's nowhere near as confidence inspiring as my friend's Pirelli front..

[Ghostt]

On my Ninjette I was going to put the Kendas but decided to try the Bridgestone BT45s, as they seem popular on the 1st Gen EX owners.

They cost more, yes, but the duel compound design seems to work. Wet traction is important to me, as these seem to perform well, in the twisties they preform well, as advertised. I'm by no means pushing these tires, they have served me extremely well, and would recommend them to someone looking for a bit more performance than the Kenda

[Z1R rider]

We have 5 Ninjettes in the family and they all have different tires and I've ridden all of them on the street and 4 on the track. First let me say that they all have a different "feel" when riding, none have a bad feeling (like the stock Dunlops) just different.

Bike one has Metzeler Laser Tec 100-90 on front 130-90 on rear, this is my personal favorite on the track or the street, very stable on the straights or the corners, turns in quickly and holds it's line. It seems that the tread doesn't wrap around as far as the others as it has no "chicken strips" left on front or rear, or maybe I push harder on them because they feel good to me.

Bike two has Shinko SR740 100-80 on front and SR741 130-80 on the rear, contrary to "wiki; Shinko tires: No better than the Dunlop K630" these are a surprise!! they are good enough to take the stock forks to their limit, you can drag footpegs all day long with them, stoppies, no problem! Turn in is quicker than the Metzelers, and they feel a little bit "twitchy", but never scared me. One of the racers on a 300 was amazed when he came to our pit and saw it has Shinkos.

Bike three has Pirelli MT75s 100-80 front and 120-80 rear, turn in is quick like the Shinkos, and are a little twitchy, but no unhappy surprises. Shorter rear tire lets the pegs drag sooner than the others.

Bike four has Pirelli Sport Demon 110-90 front and 130-90 rear, turn in is a little heavier than the others but no where near as heavy as a 600 or 1000. Is stable everywhere and taller front tire gives extra cornering clearance, feels to me like it wants to stand up in the corners. Had to move the front fender up to clear the tire.

Bike five has the Pirelli Diablo Scooter tires, 100-80 front and 130-80 rear, I haven't ridden on the track with this bike, but on the street it's the only one that I've had the rear "step out" on the 1-2 shift. Might be it just needs a little more heat in it to grip good.

None of the bikes have enough miles to say which one will last the longest, the Metzeler is, by quite a bit, the most expensive of the bunch, and if past experience means anything, the rear will last around 7000 miles and the front about double that.

[Rocketforme]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it. I guess I'll continue to mull it over until payday and then just pull the trigger.

[atxninjette]

i burned through the perelli in under 8k w/ highway usage.
i'm getting the same performance w/ the kenda and already 10k+ w/ minimal wear for 95% highway

[agentbad]

I have the Kenda's and they hold up really well.

[MrAtom]

I had a rear kenda and replaced it with a Shinko. The shinko's way less sticky than people say, and it has pretty bad wet grip. Just my experience. I'll be going Kenda again. Maybe I'll do some burnouts to speed up the process because the Shinko's bugging me.

[WolFeYeZ]

Dunlop... but you didnt offer that :P

[Yamahawk]

Pirelli makes a really good tire, and the Kenda's are way better than people would think, I had a 671 on my RD350 and it handled well. Now, the Bridgestone BT45 would be my tire of choice, unless I could get the European Pirelli Sport Demon in the 110/70-16 size they list on their website, along with the 130/70-16 rear... but, alas they are only sold overseas. My Yamaha Vision XZ550R has Shinko 712's, which are about as cheap as you can get, and I took my race school on them and they had balled up rubber all over them, and never stepped out, and never slid... good tire for both front and rear, shipped to my door, for under $90 hehe... But, they were 18" rims too, not sure if they are available in our 16" sizes.