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

Read the previous posts. My rear mousse is on its third tire. I took pictures of it after removal and during the rear tire change on Friday. It has absolutely no damage since last November and Zero degradation. It will last for some time I'm sure.

I only changed the front mousse to try out the Nitro Mousses from Nuetech because they say they have a more lively feel to them, Not the common dull, dead feel that is common to the Michelin Mousses or other brands, which I had experienced first hand. After riding yesterday 185 miles and approximately 80+ or more of that distance at 55 to 65 mph on pavement. I can say the Nitro Mousse feels very neutral on the high speed dirt roads with the Shinko 216 MX Fat tire. Much better than the GT216 DST with the Michelin mousse I had on there the last 9+ months.

It was removed after 80 hours and since I was changing the tire I just wanted to look at it.

The front had not been opened up and re-lubed since last November either. It had no surface scuffs, holes, heat abrasions of any kind whatsoever. Surface was in perfect condition, the only indentations on its surface were ridges from the inside of the tires carcass and a small recess from the rim lock. After a good rinsing off and sitting out all day in the sun any shrinkage it appeared to have and it looking like it was distorted to the shape of the inside of the tire it was in had been in was no longer noticeable.

It will be getting installed in my G450X.

Here's a few pictures below of both tires after breaking them in with 80 miles of that on pavement and another 100+ miles on high speed 2 track trails and dirt roads.

I used all of your advice 3 years ago. I did a year test then with Michelin Mousses, Metzeler Unicross Tires and using a lot of Murphy's Tire Soap. My intent was a bombproof setup for a season and I used a slightly imperfect setup just to see what might happen. I only rode a few miles total on pavement that year. 20 miles max. In the end they lasted a year but rear tire had exposed chords on the inside and any more use could have been dangerous. I have to say the initial fit was probably not entirely good as the Unicross tires may have been a slightly larger volume, even at 90/90-120/90 sizing. Front actually was OK but after the season/year exhibited what might be expected by heat, chafing, etc... To me pavement use and hard accelerations just are things one might want to avoid and this is backed up by people I know who use them in front but not necessarily in the rear and are placing racers in Baja.

http://www.cafehusky.com/threads/mousse-testing.82511/#post-558959

In any case I am willing to give them a go now. Going to buy the Enforce and first mount my new/unused 1 year old Michelin Mousses in my Pirelli Scorpion Pros for the fall as they have some miles left but also want to try a Fatty and appropriate mousse in front and same on the rear. I expect, by the reports here, that the Enforce will prove much better than the Murphy's and a better tighter fit of the mousse should mean less heat and less tire breakdown. I still wouldn't mount them if I planned on much pavement use, but that's just because I have see what can happen when a tire begins to come apart from within.

I get about 3 tires per mousse, relubing only w each change. Mousse looks almost new after the third time but smaller. I could probably use it a couple more times but retire it for sectioning.

https://www.shinkotireusa.com/product/mx216-series/224799

haha...

• Proven for years in Europe's Erzberg, Romaniacs, and other extreme Enduro events.

Shinko used to be Yokohama I beleive

And Yokohama used to make a great rear tire, Dirt Digger, or something like that.

Shinko is yuuuuuge they bought Yokohama

well, I gotta admit that until Robert pointed it out- I did not know that shinko==yokohama. OTOH, Dirtdame wrote the same thing about 7 years ago... so I guess this "news" is old.

Loving my 505 cheater too. I'm replacing my worn GT fatty with a VE35. I like the GT but it's expensive for a front. and heavy at 10+lbs

Shinko bought the MC tire part of Yokohama only

From what I've been told from a source I can not name. Shinko owned the molds that GT were made in. Shit went south between the 2. about the time GT changed there compounds so.... so enter the 505 and 525 cheater tires and the 216 fatty. Shinko is using their own compound now which preforms very well.
it is one of the softest compounds I have seen for a dirt bike.

I just pulled the Shinko 216 off the front and put one of my serviceable GT216 Goldentyres back on.
The Shinko side knobs were blown off it's trashed. I noticed that the Shinko sidewall was quite a bit softer than the 2 ply GT216AA. off the bike I can push my finger into the Shinko but the GT216 2 ply is much harder. My rear is still the Shinko 216 SX super soft, which I will blow off this in this weekend's race. both are moussed.

from my understanding the 505 is more of a hard/rocky surface tire. does not clean that well.

Been using the new 525 cheater. Loving it so far with a nitro mousse in there.

525 next for me too

Shinko is Japanese owned and designed and made in Korea. They also make tyres for Continental such as the TKC80 (they also make their own 90% copy).

I just did 40 ks on a shinko 525 cheater - its looking a bit worst for wear already. A few knobs ripped . The standard 525 is probably a better option. I had one before and it was hooking up good.

Not used to big pieces of rubber coming off but i guess thats what soft tyres are like