NEWS I deleted the blog and went back to this method of News but I am not sure why.
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May 12, 2012
I bought this lower cowl a long time ago for really cheap for obvious reasons. Since my RC30 project is complete and these parts are always handy I might have time to restore it and show how to do it. This one has gone down pretty hard on the right side. So hard you could read "HONDA" in the fiberglass where the clutch cover pushed on it. Since this cowl needs some obvious FRP work I may also modify the front of it. As a Japanese spec cowl it does not have the depression in the front to clear the front fender. Guys who work on this stuff want you to think it is difficult or they know some kind of black art. To be honest it is pretty easy if you use the right methods and tools. The only bad thing about fixing this stuff is the mess and toxicity of the whole process. Of course I will paint it also. This lower cowl has a good grille in it, the only thing I would not want to fabricate. I have already made the foam pieces for the inside from 3/8" flameproof closed cell neoprene.
May 7, 2012
Dunlop has decided to introduce a new Roadsmart II tire which resulted in the correct 170 section width 18 inch tire being replaced by a 160 section. A section width of 160 is getting narrow for a 5.5 inch wide rim but my own 170/60 Roadsmart measures out at 176 to 177mm wide on the rim with Honda's recommended pressure. Maybe a 160 would not be bad.
For the adventurous Shinko still make their 170/60-18 in the Podium 006 line. Ron Ayers will sell you a rear one cheap for $94. The matching front from them is $64.
May 7, 2012
This would be fun. A 1993 Moriwaki Zero VX7. Probably fairly low miles since it was 18 laps down on Scott Russell and Aaron Slight at Suzuka. They only want about $31,000 for it. It is in Japan.
May 1, 2012
Whoops. The Superclassix TTF1 races are back on. With the ZXR moving up to the open class the RC30 will have a bit easier time. Jan's NLOB is up and running and Heinz has some extra power now that he is running FCR39's. The DUcati 851 had some, uh, technical problems.Lausitz - Race 1 - TTF1 Superclassix
1 - Mikal Henriksen (RC30 NL0B)
2 - Heinz Cordes (RC30)
3 - Wolfgang Harbusch (RC30
4 - Daniel Groth (RC30)
5 - Otto Blaser (YZF750R)
6 - Olav Bock (GSXR750)
Lausitz - Race 2 - TTF1 Superclassix
1 - Heinz Cordes (RC30)
2 - Mikal Henriksen (RC30 NL0B)
3 - Wolfgang Harbusch (RC30
4 - Daniel Groth (RC30)
5 - Otto Blaser (YZF750R)
6 - Olav Bock (GSXR750)
The next race is German TT on June 8th to 10th. Be there and watch the big bangs make beautiful music. Maybe you'll get to see Pirker Blechmusi do some Kiss or some AC/DC!
Thank you Daniel for getting me the information. Good luck.
April 30, 2012
My project RC30 has been started (on April 27th). Runs perfect. Look for some pictures of it on the site soon. It really turned out nice. Better than what Honda put together. After all these years it was so cool to hear it running. 725 engine parts working in perfect harmony.November 3, 2011
A guy emailed me some pictures of a magnesium front wheel he has for sale. He claims it was rebuilt by an expert. There must be a different definition of expert in Euroland. Who the hell paints the brake disk mounting surface?? I don't make this stuff up, look at the picture immediately below. Holy moly that paint looks thick, it filled up the threads for the bolts as well. Keep trying! Anything with paint this thick is suspect, magnesium wheels more so but I don't want to speculate what is underneath.
Now below is a wheel prepped by a real expert, that being yours truly ; ). Note how the flat and peripheral mounting surfaces were taped off as well as the bearing surface. It really isn't that difficult. The threads are perfectly clean also. Very important for getting even torque on the little bolts that will hold the disks on.
October 28, 2011
It has been kind of slow RC30-wise around here lately so I thought I would put up images of parts I restored in anticipation of project completion this winter. I used the word completion 3 years ago though too. Better to do it once than do it twice I say.October 12, 2011
I didn't think it was possible but there is another Canadian RC30 nicer than mine. This is the last RC30 that was made for Canada and isn't even due for it's first oil change yet if you only look at the odometer. Though this beautiful machine is not for sale this is the kind you want to find if you are in a buying mood; used but still negligible mileage. Better than a zero miles.
October 7, 2011
Cancer claims another at an age that isn't fair. Regretfully I announce the passing of Jim Lindemann. Many will know Jim Lindemann from tuning and rebuilding RC30 suspensions over the years. My condolences go out to Jim's family and friends.
September 29, 2011
UPDATE Oct 10, 2011 - Offer of Services Retracted
I have been waiting for some time to try the water pump I rebuilt. Today I installed it and can report that it worked perfectly. I am going to offer water pump rebuilding if there is any kind of a need for it out there. The water pumps are discontinued by Honda and are unique to the RC30. A VFR-F pump will not work. The RC30 water pump part number is 19200-MR7-000 if you want to ask your Honda parts dealer.
The rebuilt water pump is essentially a new pump and includes new:
- OEM integral shaft bearing unit
- OEM carbon/ceramic mechanical seal
- OEM oil seal
If you think you can do this yourself then I welcome you to try, but please do not call me and ask where I procured the bearings or seals, or if you can borrow the tooling ! These pumps are easy to damage if you don't use the correct tooling and equipment. I did it as a personal challenge, not to make money, but that doesn't mean I can give up my secrets. If you know someone already doing this please let me know, I don't want to take someone's bread and butter away.
All you have to do is mail me the pump. If the impeller is scrap I'll ask you what you want me to do with it. I can rebuild it at your risk, or return the parts in box if you pay the postage, or send it to water pump heaven.
If you are interested use the Contact Page. I have a limited amount of parts to do this with so it won't last forever. Nothing does.
UPDATED September 30, 2011
September 26, 2011
UPDATE 11/09/30 - Daniel emailed some information on what happened in the final two races of the TT-F1 race. Many thanks Daniel for letting us know what happened.
- Heinz Cordes had engine problems in the warmup ending his chances. He was fast in qualifying.
- Daniel says his bike is faster than him so over the winter he will work on the gap between his capabilities and his RC30s capabilities. Daniel says his RC30 is 8 seconds a lap faster than him at Oschersleben. I have the same problem just to a greater extent.
- Mikal's NL0B engine was not used in these final two races. Jami racing used a spare motor with just some kit parts in it. He did good in the first race (shortened race after the medical vehicle blew up on the track spreading oil on the 270 deg curve). In the second race Mika had his face shield come off so he had to stop. No time to make up for that with such short races.
The final SuperclassiX TT-F1 races were run over the weekend. I'd like to say the RC30s dominated but the Ducati 888 Corsa of Ralf Wobker took the win in both races so he clinched the 2011 TT-F1 championship. RC30s did nonetheless come out in force with 7 machines signed up. I would like to have seen a better placing by Mikal Henriksen (JAMI Racing) but it appears he had some problems, finishing 4th in the first race and a non-starter for the second race. Franz Tröster did get on the podium with his RC30 in race 2.
Congratulations to Ralf Wobker, his team and everyone else who keeps these old superbikes at the intended lean angles. I will post the championship results here when they are published. As far as I know the TT-F1 series will be run again, so until then.... I leave you walking on sunshine.
September 20, 2011
CMS has a starter clutch in their stock. It is pretty steep at 216.50 Euro (CAN $294.30) but it beats pushing your RC30 down the street or parking on a hill. You can support the owner of CMS and his kids' college fund here. I think I have a new one tucked away so I won't hoard this one on you guys. You don't get the drive gear with it, but you do get the all important sprag unit. If you don't buy the CMS one you can support my kids' college funds in 10 years when I sell mine!Also... David Silver has one of the discontinued throttle cables in stock, part number 17920-MR7-000. Unfortunately they only have the "B" cable. Beats fitting a poor quality aftermarket cable. I've never had good luck with aftermarket cables but that's me I suppose. You can buy the "B" cable here. Sometimes links to David Silver go sour so you may have to search by part number. Someone must have agreed with me, the throttle cable is gone.
September 11, 2011
The All-White RC30
Now and again you will see something on the internet regarding the all-white RC30’s. I have received a couple of queries regarding these peculiar machines. These are RC30s that do not have the normal tri-color paint job (more accurately quad color as there are two blues). I have seen a few for sale over the years but without actually having seen them in person I couldn’t say for sure if any of them are real albino bikes. My knowledge of these bikes is admittedly fairly limited, however I can say a few things with confidence about these machines.
-
The all white RC30’s are real. They
did exist as a Japanese spec only edition.
- There are part numbers for the all white bodywork. The parts are the same part number as a regular RC30 except for the suffix which is ZB, not ZA (or ZC for some of the later parts).
- All of the bodywork is discontinued.
- The color is NH-196. The color label is located on the rear fender under the seat cowl. A normal RC30 has a color label stating of NH-193P-A.
- The body work was cheaper because it didn’t take as much material or labour to paint.
- The paint is Ross White like the wheels.
- Other than the paintwork and decals they are the same as a standard Japanese spec RC30. There is no truth to the rumours that they were at a higher state of tune or had any HRC parts on them.
If anyone has more information or history about these peculiarities I would be pleased to pass it on here.
As a side note there are no factory RC30’s
with Rothmans livery paint jobs. If an importer (or anyone else for that matter) repaints a brand new RC30’s
as a dedication to Rothmans that doesn’t make it an official Honda paint job.
It is just a repainted RC30 in my eyes. If you can’t buy parts or decals from Honda for
it then it isn’t a real Honda paint job. End of story. If you want to see one of these "official" Rothmans bikes this link should work for a few months. Enjoy.
September 7, 2011
The final TT-F1 SuperclassiX race is the weekend of September 24th/25th at Oschersleben. The list of starters is here. I am rooting for Heinz Cordes to be the 2011 TT-F1 Master, however it may take some infamous Ducati reliability to make it happen. Some extra horsepower for Heinz and less weight is going to make it interesting. Seeing Mikal Henriksen back out on Jan's NL0B machine would be worth the trip in itself.TT-F1 Info for Biketoberfest
First Qualifying: 10:00 am Saturday
Second Qualifying: 12:07 pm Saturday
Third Qualifying: 2:02 pm Saturday
First Race: 6:00 pm Saturday
Warmup: 10:10 am Sunday
Second Race: 2:15 pm Sunday
August 22, 2011
I couldn't keep these pictures to myself. A few of Jan's NL0B powered machine again. I like this bike in case you didn't figure that out already. Here it is being prepared for the final race in September. I should really move these pictures to the race bikes picture page. Probably will in the future. Nice '30 on the stand in the background.
And the guys who make it happen. I think this picture is from the 2010 season.
July 24, 2011
Sorry for dragging my heels on this but pressing matters have taken priority over the website. The Art Motor TT-F1 SuperclassiX races were run at the Most circuit on July 17th. The RC30's did pretty good.For the Race 1 the follow guys were on RC30s.
- Heinz Cordes#139 (3rd)
- Martin Huber #165 (4th)
- Wolfgang Harbusch #177 (6th)
- Daniel Groth #112 (7th)
For the Race 2 the follow guys were on RC30s.
- Martin Huber #165 (3rd)
- Heinz Cordes#139 (4th)
- Wolfgang Harbusch #177 (5th)
- Daniel Groth #112 (7th)
Full Results
Race 1
Race 2
Below are some images of the ex-Fogarty NL0B machine that unfortunately did not make the Most race. These guys need some parts to make the final race in September a success. If you can help out at all (see July 19th below) I am sure they would be very appreciative in getting the spare NL0B in operable condition.
Thanks to Jan for the images who was persistent in getting them to me.
Very cool side-mount radiators to reject the calories produced by the NL0B.
July 19, 2011
Some good guys in Europe are currently looking for the following parts to ensure they can keep their race bike where it belongs, on the racetrack.- A set of NL0B valve covers.
- Pistons in 70mm/standard bore (Don't have to be Honda but high compression is obviously preferred).
- Connecting Rods (Honda or others like Carillo etc).
If you have, or know where to find the above please contact me through the contact page and I will direct you to the man looking for these components and you can work out the details.
Thanks!
July 8, 2011
I finally mounted and balanced the Roadsmart tires. The installed width of the 170/60-ZR18 rear is 176 mm on the stock 5.5" RC30 rim which is 9mm wider than the Dunlop specified 167mm on a 4.5" wide rim. That sounds about right considering the width difference. I talked to Dunlop and they said a 5.5" wide rim is OK for the 170 width. That's good enough for me. Clearance to the chain and swingarm should be OK but I am not so sure about the rear fender. It will be a while before I can try them out. I am really more anxious about trying out the vintage Moriwaki cast iron brake rotors. They are works of art and resemble the stock ones except the carriers are machined, buttons are removable and of course are heat treated cast iron with 5 slots versus Honda's 4 slots. The are also thinner than the stock rotors for better handling.For the articulate types... I know the yellow tire spot does not match up with the valve stem. I put it at the true heavy spot on the rim, not just the assumed heavy spot like Dunlop says to. The front required 91 grains of balance weight and the rear needed 399 grains. 15.4 grains = 1 gram. The tires were really good, it was the rims that needed the compensatory weight for 1st order balancing. I hate mounting tires but don't trust anyone to do it to properly around these parts. I also use SKF's "Explorer" bearings.
Check out that pearl white finish to match the bodywork. Hard to tell in the picture.
June 24, 2011
Do you wear purple suede shoes? If you do then this pink base jellybean painted RC30 is all for you . Complete with matching jellybean helmet. Reagan would have approved.
June 22, 2011
June 8, 2011
1. The German SuperclassiX race was run this past weekend. The competing RC30s had one of those "oh well, thats racing" weekends. The Dutch team running the ex-Fogarty bike didn't make the show, they are looking for some NL0B parts to piece back one of the engines. When they get me some detailed information on what they are after I will post it on here in the hope that maybe someone out there can help them out with parts or contacts. As for the other RC30s Daniel did good in race 1 but had a moment of exuberance in race 2 and lost the rear. Daniel and his bike are thankfully both OK. One of the two Wellbrock backed bikes didn't make the race. Wolfgang was not up for it physically. Everyone hopes he is better for the next race. Heinz did make the race with his Wellbrock #139 and took home a 5th and 4th place (Heinz's bike is incorrectly listed as a CBR1000 in the results). With more ZXR-R's showing up the racing has become very competitive. The ZXR always could be encouraged to make good power and with the relatively short races the RC30 doesn't get to show off its durability.
Thanks to Daniel for the race info.
Here are the results from the weekend at Schleizer Dreieck:
2. Shockseals has those Fox Twin clicker rebuild kits on their website now for purchase. They are $15 a kit with a discount for 2 or more kits. Nice quality rebuild kits and you don't have to deal with Fox. Shockseals part number is AHD-F20-625MC. The original Fox rebuild kit is part number 803-00-014-B.
Lastly here is a picture from this past weekend at the German TT courtesy of Daniel. Doesn't this look like fun? Hard to beat RC30s, racing, and lawn chairs.
May 29, 2011
And a friendly reminder that the German TT is this coming weekend at the Schleizer Dreieck circuit. If I was within riding distance I would be there cheering on the RC30s. Too bad the race durations are not a bit longer. 15 minutes + 1 lap is still worth it to watch RC30s going at it. The race track's website is still under construction but you can visit it here. Qualifying starts on Friday.
May 27, 2011
Check it out here. I had to wait for Youtube since I don't actually own a television.....
May 23, 2011
May 16, 2011
2011 Race Dates
- April 16/17
- June 3/4
- July 15-17
- Sept. 24/25
The 2010 series winner rode a Kawasaki ZXR750R. This year it looks like it might be Ralf Wobker on the Ducati 888 Corsa that will cause most of the angst for the RC30 guys. He won both races in April. The Danish team that runs Carl Fogarty's ex TT bike had the factory motor go bang. Such a shame. Hopefully they can get it back on the track.
2011 Results (I'll post them here as the races are completed)
Bikes up to 1994 are permitted, but the RC45 and 916 are specifically excluded, as are those ridiculous carbon composite wheels.
Permissible bikes (PDF file)
Pictures of the riders and machines from 2009
May 11, 2011
Here is a link to Shockseals.com. They don't rebuild shocks, they just sell shock kits. Their FOX rebuild kits are reasonably priced with discounts for multiples. As of today I don't see the Fox MC kit listed on the site, but just drop Shockseals.com an email and he will know what you are asking for. I saw a bare-bones kit on eBay for $30 but it only included the dust and pressure seal, that's it. The Shockseals.com kits have the dust and pressure seals, ten o-rings and the two piston rings. You shouldn't need anything else, just some oil and N2. If the rod is scratched, pitted of otherwise surface damaged you'll need to have it hard chromed and centerless ground,
April 27, 2011
April 18, 2011
Wemoto also sell Hagon shock absorbers. I still have sweaty nightmares about Hagon's products.
April 14, 2011
STOCK RC30 (SHOWA) SHOCK ABSORBER REBUILD
I went searching for a place to rebuild a
stock RC30 shock absorber (I like the term damper). I was going to do it myself, but decided I don't have time to chase down the seals and tools. I asked a few companies
here in Canada about it and most said it was not rebuildable (umm..
huh?) and probably wouldn’t be worth it anyway (what the? are you sure you rebuild shocks?). I asked why, in technical terms, they couldn’t rebuild it, since I could do it myself. I never did get a proper
answer. I was usually facing a discussion with some kind of “Application
Service Specialist”. I've now realized that means they don’t know which way is Up. The stock RC30 rear damper is still better than what many new motorcycles wear. The stock Showa is often all
that is necessary for the street or track days. If you don’t want to drop $500+ for
a new damper that won’t have much adjustment right on up to $1400+ for
something with both high and low speed damping adjustments then rebuilding the Showa
is a great option. It is much more important to have your damper dialed in to your riding than who manufactured it. Not even a gold reservoir and yellow spring will help you if you don't spend the time to set it up..
Undeterred by the “experts” manning the phone lines I sent a few desperate emails off with inquiries. One of the places that replied was Lindemann Engineering. Now everyone, and rightly so, will think of Jim Lindemann, but since the new year LE has changed ownership and locations. Ed Sorbo now operates Lindemann Engineering. He said he could rebuild the shock absorber but it might take a while to find seals if they are not in stock.
Before I sent the damper I cleaned it really good and rough refinished the remote reservoir. I also tried to get the cap off the reservoir
using a vacuum pump and pulling, but was only just unsuccessful. I boxed up the damper, cap still in place,
without the spring or spring collars and off it went via the post office to
Lindemann. If you do this send it in a strong box with lots of packing and
bubble wrap. Ed will appreciate proper packaging, and so will your damper. You
should at minimum insure it for the price of another used damper.
After the damper arrived in sunny California I got a couple of emails from Ed asking my weight and what spring I used. Ed later sent me an email saying he ordered a compression bumper for it to try and match up to the sketch I had sent of a stock Honda bumper. The stock bumper had crumbled away on this particular unit but fortunately I had a NOS damper to measure a sample. Ed trimmed back the new bumper to make it work.
After speaking with Ed I can vouch he is a good guy and very knowledgeable about dampers. He is a still busy setting up
his new shop and functionally operating Lindemann and his EDventure Racing enterprise. Somehow he managed to find time to help a lowly RC30 owner. The damper returned to my door in just over
2 weeks. I think that is pretty good considering most of the time is spent on a plane
or truck, or just lounging with the friendly folks at customs. It was only in
Lindemann’s hands for six days including a weekend. I will mention I told him I
was not in a hurry.
The price was US $210, which at first
glance may appear costly compared to what some outfits charge, but Lindemann
also includes most parts. Most places say about
$175, and then proceed to nickel and dime you. The compression bumper
was the only item over and above the $210. I didn’t require any valve shim stack changes but I see Lindemann only charges $80 if you need it done. Note that the (ugly lawyer inspired) cap on the
reservoir is sacrificed when it comes off. This is of no real consequence and
even though Ed returned the chewed up cap I am going to leave it off. It looks more
like a real damper reservoir without it and makes the next rebuild that much easier. This
damper was in really nice shape except for the fact it had near zero N2
charge remaining. Ed replaced the dust seal, pressure seal, rebound bumper and
external compression bumper. Of course it got new fluid and an N2
charge. The obligatory LE racing stickers were included (and thankfully not applied, I am not quite finished refurbishing it).
I recommend Ed Sorbo at Lindemann if
you need your RC30 damper freshened up. LE can supply a spring to suit if you need one. RC30 springs are standard 60mm ID, so the springs are easy to source. I am using the stock spring on this one.
Jim Lindemann may be mostly out of the picture these days but the tradition continues in the company that bears his name.
Above: The stock RC30 shock after refurbishing by Lindemann and me. I replated a lot of the parts, powder coated the spring, cleaned up and clear coated the reservoir and put on a new warning decal and a custom made Showa decal. I also spun on a chrome Honda Shrader valve cap. You can't see it in the picture but I also added a shim/washer between the spring and adjusting rings so the adjusting rings will not chew up my powder coating setting the pre-load.
Click on the logo to visit |  |
April 9, 2011
There are a few differences between the RC45 and RC30 collars:
- The depth of the RC45 collar is 5 mm, not the 4 mm the RC30
collar comes in at. This will locate the long link arm towards the right by 1 mm and
the short link from the caliper bracket to the swingarm to the right 1mm
also. A check will also be made to ensure the extra depth of the RC45 collar does not eliminate the cotter pin.
- The flange of the RC45 collar is 17 mm in diameter versus 16mm
in diameter. There is no consequence to this other than it increases the
load bearing area.
- The RC45 collar appears to be made by stamping (call it forging if you want). The RC30 collars are machined from solid. Another small example of the quality built into the RC30 versus other bikes. Both collars are zinc plated and converted.
- You can buy the RC45 collars. You can’t buy the RC30 collars.
Note also the through bolts (10mm) that hold the linkage together are discontinued but at least Honda superseded the part number. The new bolts are in the cold formed state as opposed to machined like the RC30 originals but they work. They are just rounder on the edges. The new/superseded bolt also has some thread-locker on it and the cotter hole.
RC30 Collar is part number 43433-MR7-000 (discontinued)
I sketched up the collars so you can see
the differences yourself. This drawing is good enough to have some made from.
Material selection is by your engineer’s choice. A proper bolting material
alloy steel is recommended. I have seen these collars made out of aluminum by
someone who may have been dropped as a baby. This is not the time or the place for soft,
low strength materials because they are easy to machine.
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April 8, 2011
March 2, 2011
February 9, 2011
I had a gold color listed (YR502P) on the paint codes web page but recently took it off. The information may have been incorrect as advised by someone reading the web site. On the RC45 forum the site administrator stated that the code is YR502P but apparently this is an automotive code. You can view that posting here.
Here is a PPG sample of YR502P. It looks close, but I think it is just a color someone "matched" by looking through the Honda automotive paint books because nobody has an equivalent for motorcycles.
I mix my own coatings to match/suit so I don't have a code I can personally give you that I have used, but if I was going to give a paint shop or paint supplier a paint code I would go with Honda's Magtec Gold Metallic. It is very close, if not the exact color. Magtek made RS250 wheels so I don't think this is a mere coincidence. The Magtec Gold Metallic color is Honda code YR159M.
This YR159M color code was used on the Honda X8R (scooter) front fork lowers so you can get a look at it on the internet, if not in person.
Proof Color Exists -> http://www.cmsnl.com/products/51500-gcm-891za-fork_51500gcm890za/
Picture of the YR159M Color on the screaming Honda scooter forks below.
I think most guys go with too dark of a color when eyeballing a color like this. The Magtek color looks very pleasing, if not perfectly correct.
For a more detailed close up image of a new fork lower painted with YR159M click here. | |||
Honda Magtec Gold Metallic code YR159M (on fork lowers). Love that phony USD look.
November 29, 2010
November 26, 2010
May 4, 2011
It is my understanding the 170/60ZR18 tire is not available in some places in Europe.
The 170/60ZR18 rear tire is available in the US where I purchased mine as well as Japan and Australia.
May 11, 2012
It is my understanding that we are all out of luck. They stopped making the 170/60ZR-18. Darn!
This is what the Roadsmart tires look like for tread pattern | |||
November 23, 2010
I uploaded a spring calculator so you can calculate the spring rate of a coil spring. Very handy if you have a spring but don't know the spring's rate. I used it to calculate the spring rate of the HRC spring I have for sale. It calculated out at 17.5 kg/mm and is specified as 18 kg/mm. At the same time I also calculated the spring rate for a stock RC30 spring that is supposed to be 17 kg/mm but it calculated at 16.7 kg/mm.
The numbers are entered in US Customary Units but it shows metric numbers so you can check your conversions. When you open the file those are just dummy numbers in the cells, they are not for an RC30.
It is here in the Articles page as #6.
November 17, 2010
This may not be news to
anyone else but here goes... I noticed today that Shinko makes a 180/55VR18 tire in
their 003 lineup. It is 4mm narrower than Dunlop list for
the VRod tire in the same 180/55 size when spooned onto a 5.5” rim. This Shinko 003
tire is really cheap so it might be worth a try. They market it as a drag tire primarily. Beggars can't be choosers as they say.
I found a review of the Shinko 003 on a Buell here. You never know who is paying who with tire tests though. Seemed to do OK I guess. If I have to use an 18" rear tire I think I'd stick to a Dunlop Roadsmart, just because it is the correct 170 width. The Roadsmart tire is also a modern dual compound design that you don't have to worry about getting heated up.
In spite of what Dr. Otto says I am a believer in that you usually get what you pay for, but I am also curious by nature; just like a cat without nine lives. I would like to hear back if anyone has tried these on an RC30. Pictures of damaged irreplaceable bodywork not required...
RETAIL SHINKO 003 PRICES (2010)
120/70-17 is $65
A picture of the Shinko 003; an odd looking tire. | |||
November 3, 2010
Put up an article we did on the RC30 exhaust sound. A fun topic touched on in a light-hearted fashion. Have a read and see what you think. You can find a PDF in the Articles page as #2. If you don't know what the RC30 360 degree big bang firing order is you will after 15 minutes of reading.
