I ordered a set of shinko tires for the bike Monday from tireexpress.com, they'll be here tomorrow!    I've searched, haven't found a lot on the review side of the 006 Podiums in a 140/60/17 but they were cheap and in the 140/60 size that I was looking for.  If anyones got any experience with them, feel free to add a review and I'll do the same as soon as I get them on and get to ride them in another month and a half!  snow snow snow snow

Been waiting for someone to buy a set and report on them here.     The Shinko 009 Raven sport touring radials are getting a following over at sport-touring.net as a budget tire for the bigger sport touring bikes.  They don't come in our sizes but the 006 Podium does.  It's a sport tire and most likely will be stickier but with a shorter life than the Ravens. 

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,5961.0.html

Whooo Hoooooo!!!!! I'm not the only one going Shinko.My oo5's just came in,about an hour before this post.I'm going 160-60-17 rear and 120-60-17 front.I can't wait to finish my service work and upgrades.I'm so excited about this riding season.Last year,was to familurize myself with my GS.This year I'm ready to do some traveling.

From what I took away after talking to the customer service guy at tireexpress, the 006 tires are somewhere between a touring and sport radial.  They're not going to last as long as some but hey, you can buy two of these rear tires for the price of one tire from most others!  Everything I've heard about them sounded very promising, so I look forward to getting them on there and scrubbing off the chicken strips... as soon as the winter storm warnings start to go away!

I've got a pair on my GS. Bought them august last year, DOT 06. They replaced the nearly 10 year-old squared Heidenau tyres i bought the bike with. Although handling improved dramatically, grip on the polished city asphalt is just slightly better. That means accelaration even while slightly cornering in first or second gear still causes the rear end to sway. It's fun though. Improvement while riding in rainy weather is also barly noticeable, but again it may be because of the awful roads. I use the bike mainly in the city and haven't taken it out to the curvy roads to test them out properly. Also this is the first set of tyres i've ever purchased, thus I can't compare them to anything else than the above mentioned piece-a-s%#t rubber.
  A few buddies of mine mounted Shinkos 009 on their 120hp+ bikes and said they weren't happy with the performance. It's true that you get what you pay for, but i think the shinkos offer sufficient performance for low power bikes such as the GS.

P.S. Either the spell check doesn't work or I haven't lost my touch. Please excuse any spelling mistakes i've made.

Shinko is the new cheng shin, but cheaper $ and worse quality. Cant wait. Love em ... OK never tried them, but love them from the sound of it.
Cool.
Srinath.

I likes them... lots!  They've got better grip than my old road riders and the 140/60 is actually a tiny bit shorter than the 130/60 so I feel like I'm riding with a 14t sprocket.  But they feel good and sticky to me.

My bike is still stripped and waiting for parts.Haven't had a chance to install and test the oo5's.