Shinko Parts

Shinko Tires is a global motorcycle tire manufacturer with Japanese engineering roots and advanced manufacturing facilities. In the electric dirt bike community, Shinko has become a household name due to its versatile, heavy-duty dual-sport and trail tires. When riders transition from lightweight stock mountain-bike-style tires to high-torque electric off-road machines, standard thin carcasses quickly suffer from puncture flats, excessive squirm under torque, and rapid tread wear. Shinko's reinforced motorcycle-grade tires provide the durability, grip, and road legality that dual-sport e-moto riders require.

Shinko began in Osaka, Japan, initially manufacturing bicycle tires and tubes before acquiring motorcycle tire technology and molds from Golden Boy / Yokohama Rubber. This rich heritage positioned Shinko perfectly to serve the hybrid nature of lightweight electric motorcycles. Electric dirt bikes like the Sur-Ron deliver maximum torque at zero RPM. When fitted with soft, thin-carcass mountain bike tires, this instant torque causes the rear tire to spin, shredding tread blocks and tearing valve stems. Furthermore, riders who use their electric bikes for both street commuting and off-road trail riding require a tire compound that does not disintegrate on hot asphalt. Shinko solved this with the iconic 241 Series. Featuring a classic square-block trials tread design, heavy-duty 4-ply carcass construction, and DOT street homologation, Shinko tires provide predictable lean-angle traction on pavement and claw through loose dirt, rocks, and hard-pack trails with exceptional longevity.

We stock the most popular tire upgrade for the Sur-Ron platform:

- **Shinko 241 Classic Trail Tire Set (SKU: SR-SHI-0019)**: Complete front (2.75-19) and rear (2.75-19 or 3.00-18) tire package sized specifically for stock and aftermarket Sur-Ron wheel configurations. - **Tread Design**: Symmetrical square trials blocks that interlock with trail obstacles while providing a continuous, stable contact patch on asphalt. - **Carcass Construction**: Heavy-duty 4-ply nylon carcass engineered to resist rock punctures, pinch flats, and sidewall flex under heavy loads. - **Street Legal**: Fully DOT-approved for street and highway use, making them the preferred choice for Light Bee L1E road-legal conversions.

Tire selection is essential to matching your bike's handling to your terrain:

- **50/50 Street and Trail Commuters**: If you ride your bike on pavement during the week and explore mountain trails on weekends, the Shinko 241 is the ultimate do-it-all tire. It rolls quietly on pavement without violent knob vibration and delivers excellent road mileage. - **Rocky & Hard-Pack Singletrack Riders**: The soft trials-style square blocks deform over roots, wet rocks, and hard-pack terrain, providing claw-like traction where aggressive motocross knobbies tend to slide. - **Riders Plagued by Flats**: The thick motorcycle-grade tread and reinforced sidewalls dramatically reduce thorn punctures and pinch flats compared to thin OEM rubber.

Mounting motorcycle tires onto narrow e-moto rims requires specific techniques:

1. **Tire Pressure (PSI)**: For general dual-sport and mixed trail riding, run between 18 and 24 PSI. For street-only riding, run 24 to 28 PSI to reduce rolling resistance and optimize battery range. For rocky technical trails, run 16 to 18 PSI with heavy-duty tubes or rim locks. 2. **Rim Band & Heavy-Duty Tubes**: Always inspect the rim band to ensure spoke nipples are covered, and install heavy-duty 2.50/2.75-19 motorcycle inner tubes. 3. **Dish & Clearance Check**: On the rear wheel, check chain and swingarm clearance. If fitting a wider tire, verify that the chain guide does not rub the tire sidewall.