Recommendations to get slight used or new tires?

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I see cracking in the thread valleys of the front and the rear looks to be squared off a bit. Time for fresh rubber. Good rubber will feel really nice. Trust me on that. ;)

@fuwafuwa : I used to spoon my own tires....I go to a shop for it now. Only thing a shop has seen of my bikes in decades. Though, the last tire I got on was done by a buddy in his garage with spoons and he has a better/more powerful compressor than me.
 
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I most likely would. The rear looks a little squared off which can make the bike feel a little funny leaning into turns, bigger concern is the front is pretty dry rotted. See all the small cracks in the treads, that tire is old and due for a change.

Most importantly since you've already questioned the tires change them out. Having confidence in your bike while you're learning is to me extremely important. That alone is worth the money.
 
That's pretty cheap. Wonder what the manufacture date is on them? Might be worth looking, but I wouldn't hold my breath on them being good. And that price might be on that tire only, if it's sold there are others at a higher price. Bit of a scam to get you in the door maybe.

Come to think of it....should your front tire have even passed a safety if it was like that when you bought it?
 
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The only thing between you and the road is two relatively small rubber contact patches. This isn't the place to save a buck in my opinion and you should buy new.

I see ad's from that shop frequently but don't have any experience. If you had to absolutely buy used tires buying from a shop would be a good idea instead of some random off Kijiji. But again I would spend the money on new tires and not second guess it.
 
Now to more questions.. recommendations on brands... there are so many and so many types...

What am I looking for? Brand? Radial/Bias? Free shipping/cost for shipping?
Stores? Install?
Someone you have used before and had good experience with? Ya... I know... newbie has lots of questions...
 
Any of the major brands should be fine. Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli, Avon, Metzler, Michelin, Continental . Depends on who has a good price and the right size available. Stick to stock size for now. 2011 Ninja 250, 110/70-17, 130/70-17

Do you have the ability to take the wheels off and take them in with tires to get the new ones mounted? If not, you would be best to go with a shop that will either match the price of the tire and mount them or factor the total price of a tire service and purchase from a shop. I haven't used a shop in decades, so can't recommend any particular one. I have taken wheels and tires to either Rosey Toes or Good Wheel Motors in the last few years for them to mount. VOS is near you, don't know what their service is like, I only ever got parts from them.

From Petes:
https://www.petes-superbike.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=110+70+17&x=0&y=0
https://www.petes-superbike.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=130+70+17&x=0&y=0
 
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I have a set of Shinko's on my VTX right now. Started with a 777 Shinko front last July and I was so impressed with it I put the matching 777 rear on it this spring. The front has over 14,000KM on it now and is wearing exceptionally well - I will have no problem getting 25K out of it, if not more, and traction both wet and dry have been excellent, even during some spirited riding pushing them to their limits. I have no chicken strips, FWIW. ;)

A lot of people crap on Shinko because they're not an expensive tire, but for me...proof is in the pudding - I don't see the need to spend twice or three times the money for a fancier brand in the end, at least for my usage.
 
 
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Riceburner said:
Any of the major brands should be fine. Bridgestone, Dunlop, Pirelli, Avon, Metzler, Michelin, Continental . Depends on who has a good price and the right size available. Stick to stock size for now. 2011 Ninja 250, 110/70-17, 130/70-17

Do you have the ability to take the wheels off and take them in with tires to get the new ones mounted? If not, you would be best to go with a shop that will either match the price of the tire and mount them or factor the total price of a tire service and purchase from a shop. I haven't used a shop in decades, so can't recommend any particular one. I have taken wheels and tires to either Rosey Toes or Good Wheel Motors in the last few years for them to mount. VOS is near you, don't know what their service is like, I only ever got parts from them.

From Petes:
https://www.petes-superbike.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=110+70+17&x=0&y=0
https://www.petes-superbike.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=130+70+17&x=0&y=0
Click to expand...

I would probably put them in the front and rear stands and then try the "5 minute" removal techinique mentioned earlier in the thread, but would probably take way longer since I don't have the tools yet. Thank you for the searched links. It helps alot to see the comparison in the prices.

@PrivatePilot, I never even heard of Shinko before. Good to know.
 
I found this vid for my bike, don't know if Kawasaki has similar resources for maintenance work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdnJsX2gUpg

looks pretty straight forward, I guess I just need to make sure the bike is firm on the stand (rear first, then front stand) and get the correct torque value on the axle bolts?

Anyone know what torque wrench he is using in the video? Is it the 1/2 or 3/8? Gonna go to Canadian Tire today to grab it
 
OP, if you can afford them, middle of the road pricing from Riceburners list

Pirelli Angel ST

fantastic tire, especially on the rain

maybe a bit of overkill on a 250 tho
 
You'll need both sizes of torque wrench eventually. Get them when on sale. Will also need the rear axle nut sized socket in 1/2". what size is it?
 
PrivatePilot said:
A lot of people crap on Shinko because they're not an expensive tire, but for me...proof is in the pudding - I don't see the need to spend twice or three times the money for a fancier brand in the end, at least for my usage.
Click to expand...


I will crap on Shinko. My personal experience with these tires is that they don't handle nowhere near as well as the big boys. Which is not surprising, considering that a company like Michelin or Bridgestone probably spends about 100x more $ on R&D. I also avoid discount lines from reputable companies (example Continental Conti Motion - one of the worst tires I have ever had on a bike).
 
Guess it depends on what you're using them for. For my couch, I haven't seen nor experienced any issues over many thousands of kilometers so far. Quite to the contrary.

Biggest cries I heard from some when I bought my front last year was that I'd be lucky to get 10,000KM out of it as they would simply wear out super fast. Again, I've proven that wrong. I'll post a pic of my front tire in this thread later.
 
I agree. Of course it depends on the vehicle. Cruisers are not performance oriented.

However, as I deal with tires every single day of my life, I can tell you that saving money on them is not always the best option. Something that performs just fine 99.9% of the time may not perform at all in a drastic situation, whereas a tire that has better technology may just save your life.
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