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New sports tyres


Baldini

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Need new tyres. I'm very happy w/ Diablos & maybe I'll stay w/ them but I just wondered about stickier compound tyres. Never used them & would like to see what grip they offer. Use it for twisty road & very occasional trackday. Corner grip is what I want most but not really daft wear (Diablos do about 2.5 - 3K miles) or weird behaviour.

 

My understanding is that track/sports type tyres offer better grip & sharper profiles, but take longer to warm up & are not so good in the rain (cos of less tread cuts & higher temp operating range?). Are they also more sensitive to tyre pressures & ambient temperatures?

 

I've noticed that the Diablos are good straight from the off, & work good in the wet. They're grippy enough, but if you corner them very hard for a few miles, they sometimes start to slip (very slow & predictable, consistent, not like they suddenly break away) - feel like they're overheating. Do sports tyres have a higher temerature operating range than sport/touring tyres?

 

I like Pirellis so was thinking of Diablo Corsas. Metzelers? I've found Michelins very sticky in the past, but not sure which ...Pilot Power/Pilot Sport etc...They also seem to have a very sharp (towards triangulated ) profile...

 

Can someone describe the pros/cons of using sports/track type tyres & which currently are best?

 

Thanks.

 

KB :sun:

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If you like the characteristics of the Diablo's & want something a bit grabbier, the Corsa's seem like a logical move.... generally a higher performance tire will have tighter specs as to operating range, tire pressure, etc..

 

Tire technology has really moved forward - what many consider an ok tire now, we would have killed for when racing 10 -15 years ago.

 

You may want to check with Ed, Todd, or others that are currently racing the Guzzi's to see what works, what doesn't, and what would be overkill on our bikes.

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I just put a supercorsa on my front wheel. Its incredibly better than the stock Bridgestone. I dont know how many miles it will last but the performance is awesome, its like a whole new bike. The size is 120/70-17 & the part # is mrs 12909 if you'd like to give that one a try.

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...I just put a supercorsa on my front wheel......]

 

With Pirelli does it go progressively Diablo, Diablo Corsa then Supercorsa in stickiness & associated characteristics. So the Diablo Corsa isn't really an extreme sports tyre? If you gone from BT020 then I guess that's a big jump. Things used to be so much less confusing.

 

What's the downsides of running sticky tyres on the road (wear, warm up time, wet weather grip) & are they worth it for the grip at the extremes & on track?

 

Thanks.

 

KB :sun:

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The only possible downside to that supercorsa is that it may wear out fast. Other than that its great for the bikes performance. If you live in an area without lots of curvy roads it may not be that useful. I can lean the bike over to where my footpeg scrapes the pavement without a problem now. In fact I think the bike is the limiting factor & not the tire lol

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Well now I'm more confused. I dug out a recent copy of MotorCycle News which had a comparison test with all latest tyres. Test was done on a track & laps timed, using 2 riders:

 

They put tyres into 3 categories: sports, performance & extreme. Mich Pilot Power was classed along with the std Diablo as a sports tyre. Lap times were similar but they preferred Diablo. Diablo Corsa was categorised as a performance tyre & rated the best of the bunch. This backed up by lap times that were markedly faster than either the Diablo or the Pilot Power.

 

KB :sun:

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...What tyres were in the extreme league?...

 

Supercorsa Pro SC1, Mich. Power Race, Metz. Racetec K1, D209GP, BT-002.

 

I just wonder - with the Mich Pilot Power; It looks more like a racetyre than the Diablo - could that be why it's popular? I mean the Diablo looks like a street tyre tread....Looks count for a lot I think.

 

KB :sun:

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Guest aironepony

I'm still on the Bridgestones that were original equipment. They seem OK but I sometimes get a disconcerting slither on corners and islands. I can't be sure if it's the roads around here. Long dry spells might have some effect in not shifting the oily crap deposited on traffic islands

 

There is general concern in the press nowadays about the state of our roads as far as skid resistance is concerned. Apparently a high percentage of newly repaired highway in this country fail these tests..................... :thumbsup:

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....I'm still on the Bridgestones that were original equipment. They seem OK but I sometimes get a disconcerting slither on corners and islands.....

 

I found BT020's would break away quickly & unpredictably.

 

KB :sun:

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I am still a fan of the Pirelli Diablo Corsas, used them on the last track day on the Ghezzi-Brian and the bike felt great! The temperture was in the mid 90's the first day and it hit over 100 degrees on the second day. The tires held out better than me. Never slipped, always predictable.

 

What is weird is, my buddy was on his new Ducati 999 and it had the Michelin Sport (?) tires and his tires were melting off after the first few laps. He was right in front of me and we were going the same speed etc. My tires just barely showed some signs of this.

 

Track_day11.jpg

 

 

 

 

I do agree, I would like to try out the Michelin Powers the next time around to do a comparison of my own. :race:

 

Mike

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