Diablo Strada's

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NovaFlyer

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Wondering if anyone has mounted these things ( that's on the bike Odot so steady there big fella ;) ) and put some miles one 'em. I have the promo set sitting in the garage and the stockers are about 2/3rds worn so it's just about time.

Just wondering what the initial impressions are?

 
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Wondering if anyone has mounted these things ( that's on the bike Odot so steady there big fella ;) ) and put some miles one 'em. I have the promo set sitting in the garage and the stockers are about 2/3rds worn so it's just about time.
Just wondering what the initial impressions are?
Thre have been several comments from the boys who have them mounted (I'm in same boat as you). Generally the comments have been very good as I reecall - do a 'search' for more info.

 
I have mixed feelings about the Stradas.

Turn in is not as quick as with the Avons. That really bothered me at first. But, the Stradas seem more stable once leaned over. Easier to hold a line. Stradas also seem smoother - able to absorb bumps/road imperfections better than the Avons.

I was very disappointed in rear wear. I was showing metal belts on my "E" spec rear at 3780 miles. Now granted, those were some extremely hard miles as they included my 2k+ day, but that was totally un-satisfactory. I got 14,700 miles on my last rear Avon and it had 2 BBGs on it.

Also, you can't tell when the center is about to go on the Stradas. Just before I left Ely, NV, for the 600 mile ride home I checked the rear tire and I thought it looked fine.

I think I will try one more, perhaps the non-"E" spec rear, to see how it holds up to more "normal" abuse.

 
Tire wear is a HUGE "YMMV" topic. It all depends on how disiplined you are with your right hand, your braking habbit, road conditions, etc.

My generic answer to this question is "They seem to be good wearing tires." My guess is you will get about the same amount of wear out of them as you would a set of Avons. *** This is based on the non "FJR specific" rear and my riding habbits.

 
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I think I will try one more, perhaps the non-"E" spec rear, to see how it holds up to more "normal" abuse.
Skoot, I'm sure you know that the non-E spec Strada does not have reinforced sidewalls and all it gives you in return is an extra 1.4 mm tread.

Stef

 
I think I will try one more, perhaps the non-"E" spec rear, to see how it holds up to more "normal" abuse.
Skoot, I'm sure you know that the non-E spec Strada does not have reinforced sidewalls and all it gives you in return is an extra 1.4 mm tread.

Stef
Yep. But several are running the non "E" spec, and vectervp1 was happy with his. I believe he replaced it at about 8000 miles. But then he rides like my dead grandma. :eek:

 
Yep. But several are running the non "E" spec, and vectervp1 was happy with his. I believe he replaced it at about 8000 miles. But then he rides like my dead grandma. :eek:
Yeah, but she could ride circles around your ass when she was still kicking... B)

 
Thanx folks.

Will be curious how they turn out as the factory Bridgestones seem to be wearing rather quickly and I'm not a squid by any means :p .

 
I have ran 2 standard Strata rears and am in the middle of the E spec rear on my bike and they have worked great. That being said, I got 4500 out of the first rear and only 3700 out of the second rear, although I replaced the second without going all the way to the cords. The second one is now my backup tire. I took it off because I was going to ride the Minnesota 1000 and didn't want an issue. Those 3700 miles were a week in Colorado and the rear tire looks cupped from all the twisty road out there. I have had two fronts on now and they sure seem to handle the miles a lot better.

Speaking of Colorado the front saved my ASS because it stuck after hitting some rocks in a corner on Highway 92 on the way to Crawford, CO. Tires stick great, but the mileage is so so in my book. We will see if the E spec gets me more miles. Looks good so far with 1900 miles on it.

My .02

Dana

 
Thanx for the feedback Dana.

From what I've gathered so far, I can expect excellent grip, but average to below wear mileage.

Will be interesting when the time comes.

 
I went from P.R.s to Stradas. Originally I mounted the non-"E" spec, but had the "E" spec tire mounted before my Streetmasters Class. IIRC, I have about 5K on the rear and it looks like I should get another 3-4K, or so. Its hard to gauge because the center of the tread is "solid", but it is not "squared off" and still has a good countour.

While I like the throttle on my FJR, I have learned to "roll it on" at lower speeds which seems to extend the tire life.

I like how they feel, but the rear seems to like the suspension preload set firm (The non-"E-spec felt a little "squishy" for the first 100-150 miles. I added 2 clicks of preload to the Wilbers shock and keep 40 lbs of air in the back tire. They really do feel "planted" in corners and will change lines if the need arises, something I was never confident in doing on the stock 020s.

I have a set of P.R.s in the garage (I've run the Michelins before and like them) to mount when these are done...then I can do a comparo.

 
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I have 2000 on an "E" spec and it still has a good contour with what appears to be normal wear. I'm gonna probably try a Pilot Road next but the Pirelli has been a good tire so far.

 
Compared to the Avons, the Diablo's turn in slower, and require more effort at the bars. I prefer the extra edge that the Avon gives me for quick handling, and once I burn through the 2 sets of Pirelli's I have, I'll go back to the dark side.

I also don't like it that the Pirelli does not warn of impending cords coming through the rear tire.

 
I also don't like it that the Pirelli does not warn of impending cords coming through the rear tire.
Yep, there are no wear bars. I think the Pilot Roads and the Avons feel about the same, but I find myself being less aggressive lately so I haven't pushed the Stradas. Hmmmm, I do seem to remember dragging pegs through a nice "S"-turn on ramp yesterday. :rolleyes:

 
I also don't like it that the Pirelli does not warn of impending cords coming through the rear tire.

Oh really ??? ... That is something I definitely 'don't' like. I wonder why they wouldn't put wear bars in the tread?? Every tire I've had used these handy little indicators.

Hmmmmmmm. Time will tell.

 
Actually, the rear Diablo Stradas DO have tread wear bars. The problem is that the tread does not go all the way across the tire. There is a "no tread" zone about 1.5" wide in the center. So while the tread and wear bars may look fine off to the side, you can be dangerously close to hitting belts in the center. And NOT know it. Don't ask me how I know.

:angry:

 
So while the tread and wear bars may look fine off to the side, you can be dangerously close to hitting belts in the center. And NOT know it. Don't ask me how I know.
That is the reason I changed the first one out at 4000 miles. I had no idea how much farther it could go. It would be nice to have some grooves all the way accross, if only to gauge when the tire was ACTUALLY bald, instead of just looking bald, as the Stradas do from the outset.
 
First set of Pirelli Diablo Strada's, after stock Metzlers, Michelins, Avon Venoms, Avon Storms. So far (4k miles) best tire of the bunch, by far.

 
4500 moderately agressive miles on my e-spec rear and it should have a couple hundred miles left on it, but, picked up a nail and decided to order another one. Getting the non e-spec this time to get me through the winter and then I'll throw on a set of Pilot Road 2s (unless a black '08 shows up on my doorstep before that).

 
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