New tyre ordered.

[garynortheast]

Brand new Pirelli Diablo Strada 160/60/17 just bought from Sticky Stuff Tyres in Trench Lock, Telford. £76.90p with free postage. Should be with me on Tuesday, so time enough to fit it and scrub it in before the BPW at the end of next week.

[Craig380]

Nice weather to trash the old one this weekend, too :)

[DarrenSV650S]

Nothing like new rubber :)

What made you go for the strada?

[Adam Ef]

Interested to see it and get your opinion.



I'll be after new tyres for the Tracer soon. Currently leaning towards Roadtec 01 or Road 5.

[garynortheast]

Nice weather to trash the old one this weekend, too :)

The old one is pretty well trashed already Craig. Squared off and tracking grooves and tar banding in the road. Bald enough around the middle now to make me think twice about cornering at much of a pace.

Nothing like new rubber :)

What made you go for the strada?

Been using the Stradas for a long time now Darren, when I can get them. Now and then I've had to fit an Angel ST when the Strada was unavailable (Pirelli stopped making them for a while) but Angel STs and Stradas have pretty much identical handling and roadholding characteristics. The Stradas are cheaper though.
They are great in the wet or dry, warm up quickly, and react very quickly to cornering input. Much less pressure needed on the bars to tip the bike into a corner than any of the other tyres I've had (Avon Storm, Michelin Pilot Road, Maxxis, Metzeler Roadtech Z6). The Maxxis were good in the dry, poor in the wet, the Metzeler Roadtechs were probably the closest in handling to the Strada/Angel ST but the Pirelli tyres just have the edge on them.

Interested to see it and get your opinion.

I'll be after new tyres for the Tracer soon. Currently leaning towards Roadtec 01 or Road 5.

The Pirellis suit the SV really well Adam but I don't know how they'd be on a more powerful bike. Probably ok, but quite short lived. I only get 5000 miles out of a rear tyre on the SV so unless you ride like a nun you'll probably get no more.

The proprietor of the place I bought them said he suspected that Pirelli were going to stop making the Strada again this year, which means I'll have to buy the more expensive Angel STs for the bike.

[garynortheast]

The new tyre was waiting for me when I got home.

Nice new Strada.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48128172651_9976a68787_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVsYc)
New tyre (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVsYc) by garynortheast (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67411872@N03/)

Off with the old one and on with the new one.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48128262777_0f34f173d8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVVL6)
New tyre (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVVL6) by garynortheast (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67411872@N03/)

Wheel back in and the rear is ready for the weekend (fnarr fnarr!).
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48128262942_9058733138_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVVNW)
New tyre (https://flic.kr/p/2gjVVNW) by garynortheast (https://www.flickr.com/photos/67411872@N03/)

[Craig380]

pity you can't keep the numberplate like that for the speed cameras :)

[garynortheast]

pity you can't keep the numberplate like that for the speed cameras :)

:p

[Adam Ef]

eBay have a 20% off again for certain sellers, including Demon Tweeks. Found them selling a Roadtec 01 set at a discounted price and then used the voucher too to pick up a set. I don;t quite need them yet, but too good a deal to pass up. I'm hoping to save them for a month or two to replace the Dunlops that came on the Tracer when the rear starts to flat off more. Starting to get that way already and I think the previous owner only did a couple of thousand on it, so probably won't be long.

[garynortheast]

There will be plenty of corners to round the tyre off again this weekend Adam! :-D

[shiftin_gear98]

Gary, what are they like in the wet?

[shiftin_gear98]

What size do you run on the front - just looked online and they seem to only have 120/70's.

[garynortheast]

Gary, what are they like in the wet?

I find them very good and predictable in the wet, although I'm a little more cautious in wet conditions than dry. Never had a "moment" with them so far though.

What size do you run on the front - just looked online and they seem to only have 120/70's.

I run a 120/60/17. There aren't many around now and I'm told it's quite an "old fashioned" size. This is the only one I could find.
(https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-NEW-120-60-ZR17-M-C-55W-PIRELLI-DIABLO-STRADA-DOT-CODE-4905/292587583629?hash=item441f94388d:g:IwMAAOSw7kVbDq9 a)

I think the Angel ST is available in that size and works exactly like a Strada when paired with a Strada rear.

**I've just been out to the bike and checked and an Angel ST is in fact what I have on the front.

[garynortheast]

New rear Strada nicely scrubbed in now. :-D

[shiftin_gear98]

As your recommended set work out to £128.84 - Demon Tweaks - Compared to £185.88 for PR4's from Tyre Leader.
I thought sod it, and just bought them.

Only one way to find out if you like a tyre.

[garynortheast]

As your recommended set work out to £128.84 - Demon Tweaks - Compared to £185.88 for PR4's from Tyre Leader.
I thought sod it, and just bought them.

Only one way to find out if you like a tyre.

Is that the Strada rear and Angel ST front?

[shiftin_gear98]

Yeah.

[garynortheast]

Great stuff, look forward to hearing how you get on with them. You'll need a lot less input at the bars to tip the bike into the corners, so be gentle for the first couple of bends.

[shiftin_gear98]

New shoes.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48171264216_0b28a8b87a.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2goJjAd)New shoes (https://flic.kr/p/2goJjAd) by martin cockerell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/155901659@N02/), on Flickr

[garynortheast]

Nice!!

[garynortheast]

Well, after the BPW last weekend, my new tyre is well and truly scrubbed in!

Did you get the new tyres fitted Martin?

[shiftin_gear98]

Not had the chance yet what with kids evening taxi duty to and from one club or another. Plus lasts nights run. Hopefully I'll escape to the garage tonight, as I won't have much chance over the weekend as it's the missus birthday.

It'd be a shame to die riding on worn out tyres when I have a set waiting.

[garynortheast]

It'd be a shame to die riding on worn out tyres when I have a set waiting.

:shock: :smt046

[shiftin_gear98]

So far I'm not liking Angel St. I just can't get the bugger on. Rear tyre on easy. Fronts a real git.

PR4s are definitely easier to fit.

https://flic.kr/p/2grPMZt

[shiftin_gear98]

Out of desperation I removed the straps and stood on the tyre at 9 and 3 o'clock whilst levering at 12.

Thankfully it only bloody worked. Just in time before rage mode kicked in. Time it get it back on the bike and go for a beer.

[garynortheast]

Glad you got it on in the end. the trick is to use tyre soap, long levers and something to clamp the wheel. I have a bead breaker and the wheel clamps to it through the spindle hole. Makes tyre changing quick and easy.
Took me longer to remove and replace the wheel than to change the tyre last time.

Not that you'll be wanting to hear that!

[shiftin_gear98]

I think you are bang on about the wheel being clamped. That was half the problem. If only ABBA had thought of that. Their bead breaker, which I have is fairly rubbish.

Now they are on the look the part and I'm looking forward to trying them out.
By way of a passing comment I know my old PR4s were pretty worn, but these Pirelli tyres did feel substantial heavier.

[garynortheast]

D'you know, I'd never even considered the weight of the tyres before! I just fitted them and really liked them, so used them ever since.

Let me know what you think once you've had a chance to get out on them.

[shiftin_gear98]

Having ridden into work this morning, round tyre's are better than square ones. It'll be good to see how they compare tonight on my way home, without a 10/15 kilo tank bag fitted.
With it this morning they tipped in super fast.

[garynortheast]

Having ridden into work this morning, round tyre's are better than square ones. It'll be good to see how they compare tonight on my way home, without a 10/15 kilo tank bag fitted.
With it this morning they tipped in super fast.

That's what I like about these tyres, the effortless tipping in to the corners. It makes an already very flickable bike even more flickable (oo-err missus!).

[shiftin_gear98]

Gave them more of a blast this morning, so far I am liking them. I need a little more time until I trust them, but that's just me. I always have a little voice in the back of my head warning me of lean angles, from my cycling days . I'm still trying to teach myself that motorbikes lean further. I don't think I'll ever get my knee down, but hopefully my new commute, which actually has corners will help.

So far however they grip well, and don't seem to mind the odd scattering of gravel in the middle of a corner!
Looking forward to seeing how they perform in the wet.

[shiftin_gear98]

RIP rear tyre - see gripe for today.
2 weeks today it was fitted.