I've run a few Dunlop D404's on the front and rear of my K75 since like mid-last season. They're not a bad tire...get decent mileage out of them (rear lasted about 8k miles, mostly running 70-80 mph on grooved concrete slab of I-96), pretty cheap ($94 front, $96 rear locally), good in rain, don't really follow grooves or spider patches, but I've built up my riding confidence since then and felt the rear slip a little once. With that and the more critical issue of them developing cracks in the tread, which I suspect is due to them being old stock (manufactured in 2011) I decided to try running Shinko 712's.
My previous thread on the D404's cracking:
If you don't corner hard and can find them fresher than my local dealer, the D404 is a good tire though.
But...
D404 front on top, rear on bottom. Rear had 7734 miles and a little tread left. 9269 miles on the front and it still had pretty good tread left but cracks were getting to be bad in my opinion. One could very well argue that there should never be any cracks. The rear had some minor cracking. Front was mounted 3/27/15, rear was mounted on 4/15/15.
Cracks were not as pronounced with them deflated and not mounted.
Front 712:
Rear 712:
So far I'd say they're good. Like the D404's they don't really follow grooves or other longitudinal road imperfections. I haven't racked up enough mileage to push them harder, and of course the "worst" motorcycle tire will feel better than the "best" tire when comparing new vs. old, but I'll update this as time and mileage passes.
The Shinko's are made in Korea (South Korea, hopefully :yes). One of the D404s was marked Indonesia and I can't remember the other. One of Shinko's is dated from 2014, the other 2015, so I don't think age will be an issue with them.
According to Shinko's website, JT Cycle of Battle Creek, MI (Arctic Cat, Husqvarna, Suzuki, Ariens, and Gravely) was the closest physical retailer. I called and asked for them...were not in stock but arrived in two days. I rode the bike down to them and had them mount and balance the tires this morning.
Front MSRP was $66.95, rear was $76.95, but they knocked $10 off of each of them, so they were $56.95 and $66.95. Labor for mounting and balancing (with the wheels still on the bike) was $40 each. $4 disposal fee for each of the D404's. Grand total was $211.90.
Front size is 100/90-18, rear 120/90-18.
Locally I was paying like $94 for a front and $96 for a rear with the D404's and I think mounting/balancing was $30 (I was bringing my wheels in to them).
So yeah. I figured I'd post this info in case anyone was in the market for tires. I'll keep this updated as the next few months pass with how they are in rain, cornering, and what kind of mileage I get out of them.
