I have a 2005 VTX1300R, Honda, that needs a new rear tire. The Bridgestone and Dunlops are the cheapest brand names that I can find ($180 ish installed). I found good deals on Kendas and Shinkos, but I am not sure how good they are. The guy that did my inspection told me that my bike would eat Kendas fast but didn‘t know much about Shinko. I had them on my old bike but only for a couple hundred miles. They seemed fine, but had an odd tred pattern. Should I save my money or get a Sinko or Kenda?
Japanese made Dunlops always did me well. I had USA made Dunlops on my HD - and NEVER again. Every single one weathercracked in a few months. I used to run ChengShin tires on everything else. Decent in most respects, not great in any except the price. Wear was reasonable, about 10-12K per rear and never changing a front due to wear. Those were lighter bikes than your VTX. Wear seems dependent on weight as well as other factors. I'm currently running a set of Metzler ME880 Marathons. Still low miles, but I like them better than anything else I've run. Unfortunately, they were more expensive than my other pick - Night Dragons from Pirrelli. Interesting to note: the Metzlers are made by Pirelli in Brazil. One thing you MUST watch for and consider - the weight and speed rating of the new tire. Do NOT go under.and it could happen simply by not looking (no offense). I didn't like the looks of the Kendas or the Shinkos. Duro got me 6k on the rear of a CB650. IF you can find one in the proper weight rating, I'd suggest ChengShin as an inexpensive short term tire. Otherwise, I now feel it's worth the extra for good rubber. Yeah, I ran cheap crap when I didn't care about myself. A bit bettter now, thank you.
THE Most Important Parts On a Motorcycle are the things that keep it adhering to the road. Lose it there and you've lost it all. Jump on one of the Honda VTX Forums for better info from other riders of that particular bike. Myself, I don't scrimp on tires, those two palm-sized patches touching the road are all I got.
