Diablo Strada tires

[bramfrank]

After doing a bunch of looking around I have determined that the 'E' (FJR) spec version of the Diablo Strada differs from the 'regular' one in the following ways

- 5 mm wider

- 1 mm taller (there's a 2 mm difference in diameter)

- 1.4 mm less tread depth

- 0.8 pounds lighter

So, should I go with the Spec tire or do I take the extra rubber? I am lean toward the 'non spec' version for now.

 

[skyway]

After doing a bunch of looking around I have determined that the 'E' (FJR) spec version of the Diablo Strada differs from the 'regular' one in the following ways
- 5 mm wider

- 1 mm taller (there's a 2 mm difference in diameter)

- 1.4 mm less tread depth

- 0.8 pounds lighter

So, should I go with the Spec tire or do I take the extra rubber? I am lean toward the 'non spec' version for now.

Based on this info, the 'E' version would be my first choice:

General Replacement Strada 180/55

Tread = 1 ply rayon + 1 ply steel belt

SW = 1 ply rayon

Strada E 180/55

Tread = 2 plies rayon + 1 ply steel belt

SW = 2 plies rayon

 

[Reg# 43897]

Have a regular spec tire in the pipe. Won't need it for a while though...

John.

 

[FJRocket]

Go with the E version.

In my unqualified, squidly experience, I think we will find that the Pirelli Strada E could end up being the standard. I'm riding on one now, and it's the best I've ridden on so far. Wear and grip are excellent, even in wet. No shake or walking (so far as I can tell). This tire really makes the bike feel more confident in the twisties. Well, OK, it makes ME feel more confident in the corners. I REALLY like this tire!

 

[GalaxyBlue]

This tire really makes the bike feel more confident in the twisties. Well, OK, it makes ME feel more confident in the corners. I REALLY like this tire!

Yeah, for someone who does not have twisties, You sure rail that thing! :haha:

 

[FJRocket]

This tire really makes the bike feel more confident in the twisties. Well, OK, it makes ME feel more confident in the corners. I REALLY like this tire!

Yeah, for someone who does not have twisties, You sure rail that thing! :haha:

Yeah, the only twisties we have here in corn and beans land at the edge of the prairie are dodging potholes. :angry2:

The E tire is doing pretty well on the slab, too! But if I keep trying to follow Smitty141, I'm STILL going to go through tires pretty fast. :yahoo:

 

[daviddowns2000]

After doing a bunch of looking around I have determined that the 'E' (FJR) spec version of the Diablo Strada differs from the 'regular' one in the following ways
- 5 mm wider

- 1 mm taller (there's a 2 mm difference in diameter)

- 1.4 mm less tread depth

- 0.8 pounds lighter

So, should I go with the Spec tire or do I take the extra rubber? I am lean toward the 'non spec' version for now.

Not having read this thread before buying, mounting, and starting to scuff up a set of new Pirelli Stradas, I didn't know there WAS a model-specific rear Strada for the FJR. So, I made a few phone calls about the different rears and got the following replies:

1. The tech in Sales at Pirelli USA said he could not recommend the standard rear Strada for the FJR. When I asked if it was a safety issue, he said "of course." When I asked if there had been failures with the standard model, he was evasive and would not answer yes or no. He said something to the effect that there is a model-specific tire for a reason, better for a heavy touring bike all loaded up, etc. I got the impression that he was trying to tell me that there HAD been problems without actually admitting it. I was thinking maybe there are lawsuits out there and he didn't want to really say anything because of liability issues? :huh:

2. Spoke next with a VIP at Southwest Moto Tires, from where had I bought the set of Stradas online. Mainly, I wanted to suggest to him that they should list the FJR-specific E model NEXT to the standard 180/55 Strada on their website so people looking for a 180/55 would realize there was a choice. As it is now, the E spec tire does not show up in their list of sizes until about 4 or so different sizes down the screen after the standard 180/55. Not likely to see it if you are just looking for a 180/55. He said he couldn't do that because there was no easy way to rearrange items in the list...it would take hours to delete all the items and re-enter them and he would probably lose sales while the site was down. He can easily add items to the end of the list, but not rearrange them. In any case, he said either tire would work perfectly fine, knew of no safety issues with the standard tire on the FJR, had not heard of any failures, motorcycles are dangerous anyway, if you are concerned about safety you should drive a truck, these tires are so cheap anyway you can consider them disposable, uses Michelins on HIS bike, etc. He said they sell more Pirelli's than anyone in the universe, but I got the distinct impression he did not like them or the company. :blink:

3. If you look on the Ron Ayers website for Pirelli's, they do not list the E-spec tire. However, if you know the correct number to enter in the site's part number search, it will come up. I haven't looked at other sites online to see how they handle it.

Had enough of all this crap, went for a ride and the tires felt fantastic, really planted in turns, smooth, no negatives at all. Maybe I'll keep it under warp speed until I wear out the new, standard rear. B)

 

[Toecutter]

Maybe I'll keep it under warp speed until I wear out the new, standard rear. B)

Trust me, the regular Pirelli will handle warp, but just for not as far as the "E" spec will. BTDT

 

[Constant Mesh]

The Pirelli tech said "the E offers enhanced high speed stability when the bike is heavily loaded". Probably a similar comment would be offered by Bridgestone when comparing their OEM rear tire to their 'universal' BT020 rear tire.

 

[SkooterG]

Well, here's my .02:

I mounted my first rear Pirelli Diablo Strada recently. It was the "E" spec version. Right after mounting, I took it for a test ride and got up to 140mph. Immediately noticed high-speed instability compared to the Avons I have been running for 70,000+ miles. Bike was unloaded, sidebags on but empty, and fuel cell on but empty. Not how I normally run, so perhaps the empty sidebags, or some other set of circumstances were present. Did not inspire confidence however, and I had some serious running coming up mui pronto.

So this last weekend while playing in the Nevada desert, I ran the FJR harder than it's ever been run in a 24 hour period. No sidebags on, but fuel cell on and full, and with a partial load on top of it. No problems whatsoever with stability at ummmm.......elevated speeds up to a GPS indicated 160mph. That tire was wore pretty good though.

On the way home, with sidebags on, and loaded, noticed some of that instability again. There might have been some crosswinds, but it seems to be a sidebag issue. I have noticed that with the Avons, but not has much as with the Pirelli.

So, upon my return home, as I am un-loading the FJR, I notice freaking steel belts showing through in the center of the tread!!! Cripes, only about 3700 miles on that rear tire! I mean, those were the hardest miles I ever put on a rear tire, but most of you will know that I get lots-O-miles on my rear Avons. Hell, the last rear Avon went 14,700 miles and had two BBGs on it. Also, I had checked the rear before starting the 630 mile journey home, and it looked fine. On these damn rear Pirellis, because the tread doesn't go all the way across, you can't tell how close you are to belts. Not good.

And to add further fuel to the fire, vectervp1 has been running the non "E" spec or normal rear Diablo Strada, and he loves them. He will have to chime in, but I believe he had 8,000 fairly hard miles on his last non-"E" spec and it was doing fine, but he had to take it off for the upcoming desert hijinks in Nevada.

So who the f*** knows?

YMMV. Literally.

 

[bramfrank]

I wound up with the 'E' - same price, so there's only the 'why' to consider. They wouldn;t make them if they weren't necessary - so that was what swung the decision. It seems that of the two nationwide Pirelli distributors, Parts Unlimited foes NOT list the 'E'. So if your dealer says he can't get them, tell him to check the alternative supplier.

I managed to pick up a nail last week-end at 3000 miles (d*mn) and had the rear mounted on Tuesday - managed to have the bike roll of the sidestand at the dealer while I was at it, so now I have a new mirror and stator cover on the way (Skyway's sliders saved the plastic itself).

All in all an expensive week. . . . but the Strada is so much like the Metz Z6 I had before that I never considered replacing the front.

They're about scrubbed in and the weekend is coming. They certainly seem to handle about the same as the OEMs, so I'm not complaining.

At least I don't have deccel wobble like I used to have on the last bike when I installed Avons.

 

[Constant Mesh]

Amazing! One might expect that an empty sidecase might fly off the FJR at 140 mph. Did you gently scuff the tire a 100 miles or so before the test?

 

[SkooterG]

Amazing! One might expect that an empty sidecase might fly off the FJR at 140 mph. Did you gently scuff the tire a 100 miles or so before the test?

Nope. I have a little not-so-gentle routine that I use to scuff the tire in about 30 miles. Always works great. And I did do that before the high speed run.

 

[Toecutter]

Amazing! One might expect that an empty sidecase might fly off the FJR at 140 mph.

Not at any speed with these in place:

 

[Bike Effects]

Well, here's my .02:<snip>

No sidebags on, but fuel cell on and full, and with a partial load on top of it. No problems whatsoever with stability at ummmm.......elevated speeds up to a GPS indicated 160mph. That tire was wore pretty good though.

On the way home, with sidebags on, and loaded, noticed some of that instability again. There might have been some crosswinds, but it seems to be a sidebag issue. I have noticed that with the Avons, but not has much as with the Pirelli.

<snip>

YMMV. Literally.

I think it is a pretty tough test of stabilty at ultra high speeds using bags and a fuel cell and/or trunk. I lot of aft CG there.

 

[Tim05fjr]

I'm on my 2nd set of stradas. non E spec rear. I didn't even know it was aval. until after I ordered them.

I love these tires. Got over 12,000 on the 1st set an probably could have ran them longer but I wanted fresh tires on the bike for a three day run to Lake George last month. I haven't had any trouble fully loaded 2up.

Tim

 

[SkooterG]

Well, here's my .02:

<snip>

No sidebags on, but fuel cell on and full, and with a partial load on top of it. No problems whatsoever with stability at ummmm.......elevated speeds up to a GPS indicated 160mph. That tire was wore pretty good though.

On the way home, with sidebags on, and loaded, noticed some of that instability again. There might have been some crosswinds, but it seems to be a sidebag issue. I have noticed that with the Avons, but not has much as with the Pirelli.

<snip>

YMMV. Literally.

I think it is a pretty tough test of stabilty at ultra high speeds using bags and a fuel cell and/or trunk. I lot of aft CG there.

Not necessarily. The fuel cell is not near as high or in the windstream as a trunk. Especially my Tanji fuel cell. And remember I was comparing them to the Avons, which I have run in exactly the same set up at those speeds with better stability.

 

[daviddowns2000]

I mounted my first rear Pirelli Diablo Strada recently. It was the "E" spec version. Right after mounting, I took it for a test ride and got up to 140mph. Immediately noticed high-speed instability....
On the way home, with sidebags on, and loaded, noticed some of that instability again. There might have been some crosswinds, but it seems to be a sidebag issue. I have noticed that with the Avons, but not has much as with the Pirelli.

I put about 800 highway miles on the new Stradas this weekend. There was definitely some strange shimmying, beginning at about 85 MPH. I had the sidecases on, solo, not too heavily loaded. At one point it was so bad it scared the crap out of me. It seemed to be worst when the shield (stock '05) was fully up. Didn't really notice it much with the shield fully down.

When I first installed these tires and rode a track-like course for an hour or so, I thought they were terrific. After the highway experience this weekend, I'm perplexed. They do corner great, but I can't live with that wobbling at highway speeds. With the OEM BT020's, the bike was rock steady up to 140 MPH under identical conditions, shield up or down, even with a moderately cupped front tire.

 

[Randy]

I put about 800 highway miles on the new Stradas this weekend. There was definitely some strange shimmying, beginning at about 85 MPH. I had the sidecases on, solo, not too heavily loaded. At one point it was so bad it scared the crap out of me. It seemed to be worst when the shield (stock '05) was fully up. Didn't really notice it much with the shield fully down.
When I first installed these tires and rode a track-like course for an hour or so, I thought they were terrific. After the highway experience this weekend, I'm perplexed. They do corner great, but I can't live with that wobbling at highway speeds. With the OEM BT020's, the bike was rock steady up to 140 MPH under identical conditions, shield up or down, even with a moderately cupped front tire.

Were your tires spin balanced or static balanced?