Pirrelli Diablo Strada Front / ?? Rear Tire

[matt87951]

Hey everyone,

I have a brand new Pirelli Diablo Strada front tire for my 2005 XB9R, and since they don't make the Strada anymore - what would be the best choice for a rear tire to closely match this tire?

I was hoping to find a matching Strada rear tire, but was unsuccessful. I know the Strada was discontinued some time ago, so it's not surprising I didn't turn up any results in the correct size. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm going to replace both my tires in the spring once the weather cooperates enough to get the bike out and riding again.

My front tire has a lot of tread yet, but it has a bit of dry-rot, so I am going to be better safe than sorry and replace both. The bike has about 3700 miles on the stock tires.

Thanks,
-Matt

 

[oh9bolt]

Link

 

[Lesley]

I too liked the Stradas. I am coming up on my 6th season of Buell riding and just got my 4th set of tires. So far I have tried DunSlops,Bridgestone, Pirelli and Continental all four sets were sport/touring tires btw. I've decided I'll go to Pirelli angels (strada replacement) next time. [up]
just my opinion

 

[matt87951]

Thanks guys,

I've been watching the auction oh9bolt posted, so if I can get that tire for a decent price, that would be great. Otherwise I'll be buying an Pirelli Angel rear tire and have mix-matched tires I suppose.

I assume there are no issues with mixed front/rear tires? Other than it'll look a little funny? Any safety concerns with going with two different tires? Keep in mind I am pretty new to riding, so I am not going to be dragging my knee just yet.

Thanks,
-Matt

 

[Lesley]

If you are gonna keep that old tire up front please be careful. honestly though most on here will tell you to replace both if they are 6 years old. Tires become hard and brittle. Kind of like riding on loose sand. Once they become that old the mileage doesn't matter.. Be safe

 

[Guell]

I went down last year because of an old front dryrotted brittle front tire last year, just replace them both.

 

[myronman3]

tires are not the place to cheap out. they are your most important piece of performance and safety equipment. get 2 new tires....the life you save may be your own.

 

[Alfatango1]

Those Ebay tires are not in the states from what I'm seeing. I'd be concerned with shipping cost for sure.

 

[matt87951]

Those Ebay tires are not in the states from what I'm seeing. I'd be concerned with shipping cost for sure.

This one is: Diablo Stada

I went down last year because of an old front dryrotted brittle front tire last year, just replace them both.

My current front tire on my bike is dry rotted, which is why I am going to replace. I have a brand-new Strada (yes, they are discontinued so it is an 'older' tire, but still brand new) that I was going to mount as soon as the weather is nice enough to take the bike in and have it mounted.

If you are gonna keep that old tire up front please be careful. honestly though most on here will tell you to replace both if they are 6 years old. Tires become hard and brittle. Kind of like riding on loose sand. Once they become that old the mileage doesn't matter.. Be safe

I was thinking the same, but even in a climate controlled area the tire will dry out? This tire hasn't sat in a garage or barn, it's been kept in the house ever since it was purchased. The tire looks and feels new (It should, still had the label on it and everything) and it's definitely better than the front tire currently on my bike.

So the question remains, is the Strada I have unsafe, and should I just go with two new tires? I just feel bad if I have to throw out a brand new never mounted tire, but I guess that's what I have to do if running it would be unsafe.

-Matt

 

[GAXB9R]

It really depends on what is best for you. what does your gut tell ya?[smirk]

 

[matt87951]

It really depends on what is best for you. what does your gut tell ya?

I've had a couple other riders look at the front Diablo Strada I have, and they said it's in good shape, and shouldn't cause any issues. The only thing to worry about is getting the rear tire in as good of condition as the one I have or better.

-Matt

 

[Junkbone]

Remember when Ford got into all that trouble about roll over crashes? Most of that was caused by tire failure. Where ford used Bran new tires that had just sat for too long on the shelf. Tires actually have a shelf life. The rubber actually starts to degrade from day one. With the tires Ford used, I think they were like 6-7 years old. They just came apart at speed. I wouldn't want this to happen with only two tires on the ground. Just a thought.

 

[myronman3]

i said it before, and i guess it didnt sink in, so i will say it again....replace both tires, the life you save may be your own.
there are times to be frugal....this aint one of them.

 

[GAXB9R]

^^^[up]

 

[matt87951]

i said it before, and i guess it didnt sink in, so i will say it again....replace both tires, the life you save may be your own.
there are times to be frugal....this aint one of them.

If I go with brand new tires front and rear, what would be the 'best' tires to go with? Also - how do I know the tires I buy haven't sat around too long? From what I can tell, there isn't really a "tire rack" for bike tires, so anywhere you order them from will be more or less a smaller bike shop.

My main choice is the Pirelli Angel from what I've heard and read, but I've also looked into the Michelin Pilot Power 2CT. I know tires are like oil, the debate will never end - but what have you all used, and what seems to work best? Remember, I am a newbie, so I won't be dragging my knee just yet, but I don't want a tire that I can't corner hard with when I'm ready.

Thanks,
-Matt

 

[myronman3]

google or youtube "how to age tires"

 

[matt87951]

google or youtube "how to age tires"

I know how to check when a tire was made by looking at them physically.

I asked how do I know that a tire I buy from lets say Revzilla hasn't sat around in their warehouse for 2-3 years already? They obviously don't say when the tire was made online when you are buying it.

Based on the assumption that most motorcycles are pleasure vehicles, I would assume that motorcycle tires don't sell as quickly as car tires (Less miles driven = less tires purchased, due to wear and nails, etc). So logic would dictate that motorcycle tires, on average would have been sitting in a warehouse longer than a car tire will have been.

-Matt

 

[GAXB9R]

Based on the assumption that most motorcycles are pleasure vehicles, I would assume that motorcycle tires don't sell as quickly as car tires (Less miles driven = less tires purchased, due to wear and nails, etc). So logic would dictate that motorcycle tires, on average would have been sitting in a warehouse longer than a car tire will have been.

Average life of sport bike tire 3k-5k if your lucky. 5k-10k on a sport touring tire if your lucky. Motorcycle tires wear much faster than your average car tire which last 40-50k miles if it's a decent tire. If your only riding for 1 day a week and are not aggressive they are not gonna wear out that quick, but I know a lot of riders that ride everyday when the weather is right and even when it's not so good weather also.

If you are looking to buy off line I would just call the company and ask them to tell you how old the tire is. If they refuse dont buy from them if they are going to hide info from you. I bought my tires from sportbiketrackgear.com last time and they werent bad at all. IMO [cool]

I am not affiliated with sportbiketrackgear it's just a good website.

 

[Guell]

i just bought a set of angels for 261 shipped to my front door.

 

[matt87951]

I've found the following tires, what would you all suggest?

Pirelli Diablo Rosso II - $230 / shipped
Michelin Pilot Power 2CT Tires - $235 / Shipped
Pirelli Angel Sport Touring - $245 / Shipped

These are all prices from Revzilla.com - I know there are others out there, but I've had a good experience with them with the rest of my gear, so I'll try getting the tires from them as well.

If you are looking to buy off line I would just call the company and ask them to tell you how old the tire is.

I'll definitely call in and ask, and make sure they tell me the age on the actual tire I would be buying. I guess I never thought of that, pretty obvious when you think about it!

Average life of sport bike tire 3k-5k if your lucky. 5k-10k on a sport touring tire if your lucky.

Yeah, Like I said - I was going on the assumption that most sport bikes are pleasure vehicles, so I would say maybe 1-2 years on a set of tires. Someone who drives to work every day their car will likely do 20-50k miles (Sometimes more) per year, so I was thinking that car tires would still be replaced sooner (Because of road hazards and mileage both). Based on what you said though, I can see someone doing 5-10k on a bike if not more per year in an area where you actually can ride all year round.

Thanks again for all the help!
-Matt