What do you guys think of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires?Avons?

[UCLAscholar]

Hey guys,

I'm a newbie.

Can anyone comment on the quality of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires for a 98 Katana 600? I've also heard that Avon tires are good, too. Which is a better bang for my buck?

Is there cheap and reliable online dealer I can purchase them from? Will the front and rear tire be the same thing? Also, does anyone know the correct size/model# off the top of their head?

Thanks for your time and comments!

[tzortn]

Do a search for Diablos and will find answers to all of your questions. Using the search button will save you time.

[JACKAL]

pirelli diablo stradas, or Metzeler Roadtec Z6. Two tires I'd highly recommend. There was an arguement earlier about which of the two was better. Turns out that Metzeler is owned by pirelli, hence both tires are actually pretty similar. Good luck with whichever you go for.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: What do you guys think of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires?Av

Can anyone comment on the quality of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires for a 98 Katana 600? I've also heard that Avon tires are good, too. Which is a better bang for my buck?

Is there cheap and reliable online dealer I can purchase them from? Will the front and rear tire be the same thing? Also, does anyone know the correct size/model# off the top of their head?

Thanks for your time and comments!

Avons are dual-arc tires with good cold-weather properties, reasonably good lifespans and a road hazard warrantee for a certain amount of tread-depth. It's a good choice if your riding is primarily commuting and touring in cool, cold climates and mostly dry surfaces, IMHO.

The Metzeler Z6 or Pirelli Diablo Stradas (pretty much the same tire) are triple-arc tires with better warm-weather properties and extremely good wet-weather properties, very good lifespans. But no road-hazard warrantee in North America through the manufacturer (if you buy them through some dealers, including CycleGear, you can get a dealer-backed road hazard warrantee). The triple-arc tire design will give you a bit more nimble handling. It's a good choice if your riding is primarily commuting and touring in warmer climates and in foul weather of any sort, IMHO.

If your riding is primarily railing (i.e. - canyon carving, most of the time spent knee down or canted over), although the above tires will work well, you should look at stickier performance tires which trade an additional increase in grip for much shorter lifespans, such as the Pirelli Diablo (not Diablo Stradas) and the Metzeler SportTecs or M1's.

As for sizes:
88 - 06 Kats will normally be best served using a 120/70ZR17 in the front and 150/70ZR17 in the rear. For certain brands, this size option is not available (example: Pirelli Diable [not Stradas] rears are available in a 160/60ZR17 as their smallest size, which is mountable safely on a 98+ rear rim, but not safe for a pre-98 rear rim).

A lot of us order from
www.americanmototire.com which offers very good prices.
Other reliable mail order vendors include:

https://www.ronayers.com

https://www.denniskirk.com

Please check with your local dealerships; in some places (west virginia comes to mind), dealers' policies are that they won't mount tires purchased from other sources.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[paradoxmd]

Re: What do you guys think of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires?Av

As for sizes:
88 - 06 Kats will normally be best served using a 120/70ZR17 in the rear and 150/70ZR17 in the front.

don't you mean that other way around?
120 in the front and a 150 in the rear.

[The CyberPoet]

Re: What do you guys think of Pirelli Diablo Strada tires?Av

As for sizes:
88 - 06 Kats will normally be best served using a 120/70ZR17 in the rear and 150/70ZR17 in the front.

don't you mean that other way around?
120 in the front and a 150 in the rear.

Ah, yeah!

I'm going back to correct that now...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[KitKat]

I'm on my second set of Diablos. I love them

[The CyberPoet]

I case you haven't seen the other thread, Pirelli is offering a $25 front (effectively free other than S&H) if you buy their rear Strada in a 160 to 190 size from any authorized dealer (including mail-order)

The details are at:

http://www.getpirelli.com/home.html

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[paradoxmd]

the stradas will be my next tire as soon as my refund comes in!

[katcurvincorners]

I've been running Metezler Sportec M-1's. I've run these on everything I've owned, and I've never been disappointed. The only problem being, you have to drop to a 150/60ZR17 in the rear. However, with the M1's much higher crown, it makes for great cornering. The only 2 downsides are : the price (about $150 front, and $170 rear) and, you don't get quite the wear of some of the other competitors.

[meanstrk]

I absolutely LOVE the Stradas. Plenty of grip in any situation and quick to warm up. If I can drag a knee with them, they work well.

Avons are also an excellent tire and will last you longer, but tend to go off a bit once they have been heat cycled repeatedly. For that reason alone I don't use them anymore.

[Range]

Avons are also an excellent tire and will last you longer, but tend to go off a bit once they have been heat cycled repeatedly. For that reason alone I don't use them anymore.

EXACTALLY...they last forever...but then go away really quickly.

great tyre....as for the Stradas...never tried, but my regular Diablos are a fantastic tyre.

[Drache]

The more I've read the more frightened I get of the stock Katana tires, which I'm currently rolling on; these Diablo's sound like pretty good tires.

[md86]

I tried both , and I like the Stradas better . I think I felt the Avons get slippy a few times (okay , they WERE a little old and blue by that time) , whereas the only time I felt that way with the Stradas was in the rain .