Shinko 216MX.....unabashed GT216AA clone.

Not always and for the most part that train of thought is going away.... I went and looked at a helmet manufacturer I was reping a few years back there and was totally amazed.... cleaner and more advanced than any US factory I've ever seen.... they may not be great at innovation but they are great copiers and figure out how to do it less expensive....

Agree on the 505 cheater tire. I am sold on it. I'm amazed every time I take it out how well it hooks up.

Cheap labor make it super easy to figure out how to do it lass expensive.

My chiny made AGV helmet seems well made, but the sizing is off

Right. Although there are less and less humans involved in manufacturing. Being a long time union member and rabel rouser I don't like that most if not all the money goes to the billonaires and to support a totalitarian gov. The workers and general population get squat or worse

Again, that said the tires are pretty good and the prices are tempting.

What distributer has the Shitko in stock? I'm having a bit of a time finding one....

RMATVMC and Chaparrel have it and a couple of others according to google. Reviews sound good except for the part where it runs small.

So are folks using the fatty on the 250/310? Need new tires soon. still running the 90/90-120/90 combo. Maybe go with the Shitcos.

http://www.gnarlyparts.ca/ is a good retailer for goldentyre in Canada. If you are looking to become a retailer contact the guys at Goldentyre west... https://www.goldentyrewest.com/contact/

As far as the other rumors about the brand go no one seems to know what is true about patents and who is copying what. What they do know is Goldentyre as a brand is looking towards the future and continuing to develop the next line of extreme enduro winning tires. When Shinko wins at that level you will know they are doing more than using molds that are a couple development cycles behind with who knows what rubber compound.

One thing I do know is Shinko doesn't own Goldentyre like some distributors are saying.

Later,

I looked on RM and didn't see a 216 model

Yes but its sitting on the shelf...my GT216AA is almost new..

I am going to eat crow on this one for lack of research...my apologies for fake news....
....Shinko is a Japanese company that actually bought out Yokohama Tires co. their tires are manufactured in S Korea.

Looks like Dennis Kirk has these fronts in stock in all 3 sizes. Page says only 1 of each in stock though:
https://www.denniskirk.com/shinko/216-series-mx-tire.pfp545339.prdf

I've run the 505 Cheaters since they came out and love them. Perfect tire for where I ride, in rocks that shred $$ knobbys in short order. I have run many trials tires here and the serious locals still do, but the transition to a knobby for racing elsewhere is too great. The 505 solves this problem. It works new, shot, and any condition in between. I'm running one now as an experiment to see how far I can go with it before its useless. The side knobs are cracking but the carcass is in great shape, even Tubliss @ 5.5 PSI. They mount easy and seal up tight Tubliss. For $66 they are the deal of the century for a tech trail tire. Biggest flaw is in mud, as they are a tighter pattern, but there is a new more open pattern, taller lug gummy Shinko just out, the 525X. Anxious to try this tire, its the same price.

I did try the Shinko 546 Fatty front. NOT a fan. First, its very thick in the bead/sidewall and just about the most miserable front I've mounted/dismounted Tubliss. On the trail, it made the bike feel heavy and vague up front. I pulled it after a full day and put an M59 back on. Is it just that I don't like Fattys, or the Shinko in particular? Don't know as I never tried a GT Fatty due to price and the fact that they get trashed so fast.

Just bought a new Shinko 216 90/100 x21" "Fatty" from Slavens Racing. In stock and the on sale cost is $64.95. I also bought a replacement Mousse for the front of my FE501.

I have been running Michelin Mousses since about Thanksgiving of this past year, well lubed with Enforce Mousse Lube and the rear mousse showed zero degradation to it after the first rear tire change after about 4+ months running 2 Kenda Parkers. So It should be still wet and good to go for a tire swap this weekend. This time around I'm going to install a new Kenda 760 Trackmaster on the rear. Summer monsoon rains are about over and its finally cooling down here.

The new front Shinko 216 Fatty will be going on the 501 with a new "Nuetech Nitro Mousse" this time around. They are $112.50 and in stock as well. I hope to get a little better feel out of the front Mousse in the new Shinko tire. It hasn't been off since it was first lubed up and installed about 9 months ago. So it will be interesting to see its condition when removed. I will take a few pictures after it gets taken off and I rinse it off with a hose. It will get put on my other bike if its still good and not damaged.

I have been running the GT 216 90/100 21" DST on the front since the end of last year and its held up very well but its time to try out this new Shinko. Nothing like new rubber front and rear and a 4 day weekend.

The 546 front looks like an Maxxis EN/Metz 6 days pattern and has been around for a couple of years.

Timmy, can you compare or even measure the GT vs Shinko?

I can do that when it gets here. I will take measurements of the new Shinko 216 AA fatty tire and an old GT 216 AA Fatty I have off the rim.

I have that old GT216AA Fatty right now leaning against the GT216AA DST mounted on the bike now. I was looking at the difference earlier. The DST however is a bit smaller width and I would say rolling circumference as well. It is not as big around as the GT 216 AA Fatty even though it is a 90/100/21.

My old GT 216 AA fatty with Tubliss would leave knob marks on the rear underside of my white front fender and even left a few marks on the FMF U bend section on the forward part of the headpipe on occasion after a good beating.

I haven't had that happen with the GT 216 DST. But I also went up from .48 fork springs to a set of .50 springs on my last fork service when I also installed the WP 5018 Trax rear shock.

I always have the Acerbis 4.1 gallon tank on the bike, so that alone was reason enough to go to the heavier fork springs. We shall see this Friday when I mount up the new rubber, I hope because we have a long 200 mile ride planned for Saturday at about 8:00 am out across the AZ state line to Animas, New Mexico then up to Portal AZ and back through the east side of the Chiracahua mountains through Rucker Canyon back here to Douglas AZ. All dirt single and 2 tracks except for about 10 miles of pavement.