New Tires! Pirelli Diablo Rosso

[JonKerr]

I have 4500 miles on the stock tires. The front looked fine. The rear was really getting worn out and I had developed the dreaded commuter strip in the middle from the first couple thousand miles of me learning how to ride. But the "nail" in the coffin for them was just that, a nail in the rear. Plugged it to try and make it last while not riding hard in the winter. Eventually it developed a slow leak so I had to bite the bullet and get them replaced. I thought about just replacing the rear but I really didn't want another stock tire. And I've read a number of articles about mixing brands and models of tires and how it's not a good idea. Grip levels and profiles are designed to work together front and rear. And if you've got one profile and grip level on the front that doesn't match the rear, you could have a problem.

So got some new rubber on the bike today. Got a set of Pirelli Diablo Rosso's for a pretty good price. I went a head and stuck with the stock sizing, (120/70 front and 160/60 rear) and kind of wish I hadn't. I haven't had a chance to ride it more than just the few miles home, but just based on looks, the profile of the Pirelli makes the 160 rear tire look A LOT narrower than the stock Dunlops on the bike. I mean a lot. Kind of wishing I'd gone with the 170/55 now. Oh well. I'll try that next time if I end up liking the tires. I'll take it out for a break-in ride tomorrow morning to get them nice and scuffed up. I'll let you guys know how they feel. Just the few miles I rode I could tell the bike feels like it wants to tip into the corners much more easily than it ever did with the stock tires. That's probably mainly due to the more crowned profile of the tire. From what I've read, they'll also give me a larger contact patch at full lean. Plus they're a much softer compound than the rocks that come stock on the bike. So I should be able to ride a bit harder without scaring myself like I did a few times on the stock tires. I'll keep you guys updated.

[JonKerr]

OK guys. I got about 120 miles on the new tires today. HOLY CRAP! Why was I holding out buying tires so long? Even not totally scrubbed in these tires have far more grip than those stock tires ever did. I had begun to loose confidence in the rear tire on my bike. It moved around a lot, especially in the cold, and was just feeling really sketchy. One thing I noticed about the stock Dunlops from the beginning is how long they took to warm up. These things are up to temp so much more quickly. When I left the house this morning it was about 45ºF. So the road was very cold. Within 4 miles I'd say, the tires felt completely up to temp and surprised me how much grip I already had on a truly brand new tire. After about 60 miles I headed home for a bit. By the time I headed out to get my dad for the second half of my ride today, the temp had gone up to the mid 70's and it was very sunny. The asphalt had to be in the high 80's to 90's. They really began to shine with some temp in the road. There's still a good 1/2" of squid mark on the edges but I don't want to push new tires too hard just yet. But give it a couple of weeks and those squid marks will be gone. (As long as the weather holds that is.)

Here's a pic of the rear of the bike before I left this morning. Like I said, it just looks a little more narrow than the stock tire but it really wants to tip into the turns better and hold better in the corner. Not sure if that's all due to the softer compound, the larger contact patch from the steeper sides, or a combination of both.



And another couple of how the bike is sitting as of this morning.





And yes, one of the passenger pegs is down. Have no idea why but I didn't notice it until after I took the pics.

[Professional_Noob]

That rear tire does look more narrow than the stock! I was thinking of getting the Pirelli Diablo Corso or the Michelin Pilot Road 2! I'm still not sure which one yet, but I have around 1000miles left to make a decision! You think jumping to a 170 would effect the bike any!? Keep us updated on how they ride!

[JonKerr]

If the front out lasts the rear like they usually do, I'm going to go to a 170/60 when the rear needs replacing. I don't think it'll effect it negatively at all. Especially with the amount of grip these tires give to begin with. I was considering going with the Pilot Power's from Micheline, the Dunlop Q2, or the Bridgestone BT-016. They're all in the same category as the Diablo Rosso as far as life and approximate grip levels. The Pirelli was the best priced I found. I'm thinking of trying the Pilot Powers next time I need to get both front and rear.

[Roaddawg]

That rear does have quite a bit of crown to it.

[JonKerr]

I put another 90 miles on them today. Man I'm in love with these tires. I'm hanging off the bike a lot more than I used to so I'm not getting the huge lean angles to get rid of the chicken strips completely. But I don't need to. I ran Old Julian Highway faster than I ever have today. I'm talking 50-55 on turns with 25mph warning signs. And I'm not touching knee or peg yet. Kind of pissed my Dad off this morning. Left him and his Harley Fat Boy in the dust quickly.

[angelsneverlose]

glad these tires are seemly great! these are prolly what i will use next time as well, but im thinking of getting the bigger size after seeing these pics... i wonder if that will mess up the handeling at all though?

im thinking of going with these on my R6S also - since that will be my new bike/track bike = my fiance will be riding this now. I will prolly use the FZ6r for commuting to work also though

[flyingminno]

I'm considering swapping for better tires when I wear these out. Though, with mountain rides twice a week, my peg scrapers are ground down almost to half a sphere, so lean angles aren't a main concern. But how is the performance in the wet and at speeds above 90 mph? I'm an all weather rider and need my bike for commuting as well as fun.

[JonKerr]

I live in San Diego. We don't ride in the wet!! LOL. I have no idea how they really handle in the wet but reading their website, they talk specifically about them being a good wet weather tire. So far the tires are doing great. Yesterday I got into some sand on a road that was, until 2 weeks ago, covered in a foot of snow. The front felt a little nervous through that at 55 around a 30 mph corner. But otherwise no "Oh $#!t" moments with them like the stock tires. One thing I'm really noticing, I'm going far faster around some corners with the combination of better tires and better body position with less lean angle needed. But I also did scrape the peg a couple times yesterday an both directions. On the stock tires, as soon as I started scraping peg, the chicken strips were gone completely. With the much more rounded and steeper side walls of these tires, I don't think it's going to be physically possible to use up the whole tire. I still have a good 3/4" of chicken strip left. We'll see the next time I hit up Palomar Mountain. That's where I've scrapped peg so hard I felt them lift up under my feet. That's when I'll know if it's going to be possible or not.

Oh and as far as speeds above 90, with the CHP out in force like they've been that last few weeks, you're going to be in deep you know what right now if you're hitting 90 on any of our back roads.