Shopping for new tires for my 4v RS.  I like Shinkos for the price to value ratio.  Trouble is, like most of todays tire manufacturers, they don't have a lot of tires in the sizes our old bikes wear.

I'm looking at the Shinko Podium radials which I've never used before.  The price is right for giving them a try, but I can't get a rear in 160/60-18.  The choices are for a 170/60 or a 150/60.  I'm pretty sure the 170 will raise the rear of the bike about 8mm and rub the swingarm while the 150 will lower it by that amount AND make the speedometer read even more optimistically.  

I'm thinking the 150/60 with a speedo recalibration is the way to go, so the question is: should I go for the 120/70 front that is spec'd for the bike or the 120/60 that will lower the front by an amount similar to the rear?  

Would I be better off raising the fork tubes in the clamps to lower the front?  Will the lower profile tire have an effect on cornering, especially in wet conditions?  I've already resigned myself to the added effort to get the bike up on the centerstand.

I have wheel shims for the rear, so I could also shim out the 170/60 rear tire to clear the swing arm.  Would moving the wheel further to the left side affect the handling?

I have a 170 fitted to my 16v RS (on a k1200 5.5 rim - 17" not 18") it clears using the standard shim.

Point Seven Five,My full title is Professor Moriarti specialist fields are The Subconscious melodramas of Tyres, Engine Oils and Old Farts Remedies.
It is clear from your post that this episode is a result of Virus lockdown,in order to prevent development to Lockup situation,please follow the following.

Consume 3 to 4fingers of JB or similar, a number of beers, and then sleep .

Upon awakening your senses will offer a clear answer to your quandary

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I put Bridgestone Battlax BT45/46 on everything. Love the confidence in cold damp conditions.

Olaf and Prof. Moriarti, I've used BT45's in the past on other bikes and found them to be very good tires, but alas, they don't have any sizes for the 4 valve K100RS. The dearth of available tires in the specified sizes for the 4 valve bricks was the reason for my question.

I realize that these sizes are available from European tire manufacturers, but the price to performance ratios for those tires aren't as good as on the Oriental brands. The Shinkos I am looking at will save me well over $100 from what a set of Metzler or Pirelli tires will cost and from personal experience I can say that at my age and riding style I cannot see a difference to justify the added cost.

I'm thinking that I'll take the professor's advice and have a couple glasses of Tullamore D.E.W. tonight and buy the 120/70zr17 front and a 150/60-18 rear in the morning. The savings from buying Shinkos will cover the cost of several liters of Tully that will douse any concern over the loss of 10mm in rear tire width. As far as the speedometer, I have all winter to get it calibrated for the new size.

As for using a '60 series' tyre in front, I tried a 120/60ZR17 on the front of Big Block for a while, thinking that the lower profile would help with turn in due to the 'relaxed' rake and trail numbers of the K11 frame with stock Marzocchi forks. It made the bike twitchy and lacked a steady feeling in corners. Now, I was going for some of that, but it was not confidence inspiring at all - this from a bike that is significantly lighter in weight than a stock K1100RS or 16V K100RS. BTW, it was matched to a 5x17 K1200RS rear rim using Pirelli Corsa (170/60ZR17 in rear) tyres, front & rear.

Metzeler make the Z8 Roadtec in your bike's stock sizes, 160/60ZR18 & 120/70ZR17. It is an old soldier that does the job very well, and can sometimes be found from the big discount houses like Chaparral and Rocky Mountain for a fair price. We use this very tyre on three spoke wheeled R1100 and K1100. I sold a set yesterday. Last time I checked you can still find the excellent Continental Road Attack 2 & 3 series, as well as Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 & Pirelli Angel GT in an 18" rear as well.

TWB, I agree about lowering the front end. My RT has been lowered by raising the forks in the clamps and after only 3-4000 miles on a new set of tires the front end gets twitchy enough to take all the fun out of riding in the mountains. Also makes getting on the centerstand noticeably more difficult.

I think I'll get the 170/60 rear. It looks like there might be enough clearance for it. If worse comes to worse, I will try an additional shim.

Going to go with the Shinko Podiums. I can get a set for just a bit more than a Metzler rear tire. The saving are enough to buy a gallon of Irish whiskey to ease my guilt for getting inexpensive tires.

I've just had a look at the local supplier (Western Power Sports) of Shinko and see no reason those 006 Podium tyres wouldn't do the trick on your bike. The load range is appropriate. The price is certainly right. They're made in Korea: Shinko being the Korean version of Yokohama Rubber Co. from long ago. It'll be a good test to see whether a 170/60V18 squeezes in there on a Paralever, with or without the 2mm spacer. Sure, they're a budget tyre, but you're not draggin' a knee like Marquez. Unless you've a bit of Walter Mitty in you you're not telling us about. 

I've had really good luck with Shinko Tourmaster and 712 series tires on my K75's For the money, they are a pretty good deal for an old fogey who doesn't drag the pegs anymore. Since my 4V RS only gets about 4k miles per year, mostly commuting, I thought I'd try the Shinko radials to see how they work.

I've ordered the 120/60ZR-17 for the front from Chaparral Motor Sports, $82 shipped, but they don't have any 170/60-18 rear tires in stock, so it will be a bit before I get that one. I'm figuring about $112 shipped so the set will be under $200. Not too bad for two years of riding.