I’m not a huge fan of those “How It’s Made” programs on cable TV. I guess there are worse things (many of them involving the Kardashians), but I’ve just never really wondered how a 10mm socket is made. I’m more concerned with where I lost the one I was just using…
However, I’ll make an exemption for this sneak peek inside the Shinko motorcycle tire factory, where YouTube gives us a relaxing walk-through of the moto-rubber production process, starting with raw material and ending with a spin around the parking lot on freshly-mounted sneakers.
No doubt the peanut gallery will pipe up now with some comments about “made-in-China Stinkos” or something similar. Reality is, Shinko was founded in Japan and these motorcycle tires are actually made in South Korea; while the brand had some teething issues in its earlier years of production, you don’t hear the same horror stories these days. Yes, Shinkos are built to a price point, but the company isn’t based on pirated ideas. Shinko bought Yokohama’s old designs and production machinery and started making moto tires in the late 1990s. The official Shinko website says the company now makes more than 200,000 motorcycle tires a month, including rubber for dual sports, sportbikes, cruisers, dirt bikes and scooters. You never hear of hot new technology coming from the company, but its tires are always affordable, and they get the job done. Personally, I’ve put down many, many miles on Shinko 244s and 705s.
And, thanks to this video (thanks, Revzilla/Andy Greaser, for bringing it to our attention!), now you know where those tires come from.
