[Vacuumdog]

Im wondering if you didnt just end up with a lemon of a tire somehow. You are probably the first person iv heard complain about the stradas. When I had them, I loved em.

[Mat0302]

okay, i've went through my pirelli diablo strada rear tire and with 6,500 miles on it, i think i can make an decent review. as i stated in the first post, it slipped. i started with my normal 40 psi, then went to 38, then to 36. it handled okay and was a fairly smooth riding tire. it's definately not the best tire i've ridden, but okay. i can say that i won't be putting another strada on my bike. i know "to each his own", and for some riders it may be the "bees knees", but it's still just not the tire for me. it slid on me a couple times and as it got more miles on it it started cupping. now, i've never had a rear tire cup on me except for a dunlop on one of my cruisers, so i don't know if this is normal for this tire, but i didn't like that. also, the mileage was dissappointing...only 6500! i know i'm not gonna get 10,000 out of a tire, but i got 6000ish out of an Avon Viper Sport rear tire. i do have to say that i've always been an avon fan, but i'm open minded to all tire brands. heck, i have a shinko podium on the rear now just because i wanted to see how it is. i have a set of Michelin Pilot Powers waiting to be put on for the mtns, so i'll review those too. now, i don't want this to be taken as a bash, just an opinion. hope i haven't ruffled too many feathers!

chris

Well try the Conti Road-Attacks now and let us know how they work for ya. I'm on my 2nd set and get more than 12k miles out of them. but I'm not that hard of a rider.

[The CyberPoet]

okay, i've went through my pirelli diablo strada rear tire and with 6,500 miles on it, i think i can make an decent review. as i stated in the first post, it slipped. i started with my normal 40 psi, then went to 38, then to 36. it handled okay and was a fairly smooth riding tire. it's definately not the best tire i've ridden, but okay.

Here's what I haven't seen or heard that I'm hyper-curious about:

What make/model/year bike, what size rear wheel, which tire sizes, and (if a Kat) what sprocket ratios?

For example, the stradas are great on a 98+ Kat in a 150/70ZR17 rear when running OEM sprocket ratios, but if you step up to a 160 (or gawd-forbid, even larger), the contact patch goes larger & hotter, and the loading per square inch drops, making it far more likely to slip on even minor sand/oil/etc. Radical changes in the sprocket ratios can rip the tire's traction away under throttle when banked over, and may also affect the results... If you're not even on a Kat, and ride something far more powerful in terms of torque (say a GSXR750), it may be a very poor tire-choice for you at any pressure, knee-down, given Georgia's road temps at this time of year...

I'm also curious about your riding style -- are you smooth, or are you the type that physically man-handles the bike with lots of muscle-strength involved? The stock suspension on the Kat isn't particularly robust, and you might have been losing traction from front-rear loading transitions yo-yo'ing on the stock suspension (literally making the rear go light at times as the yo-yo'ing dies down).

If you find the stradas aren't grippy enough for you, and you have a 4.5" rear wheel or larger, I'd highly suggest trying out a set of Metzeler RaceTec K3's or a set of their M3 SportTecs. They trade mileage for outright grip...

Meanwhile, if you can out-ride properly sized & properly pressurized stradas on a stock Kat on the street, I'm concerned for your safety...

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[cpark_12]

okay, it's an 02 600 kat. suspension is stock, depending on who i ride with is to whether or not i ride smooth, more aggressive, or man handle the bike. the tire is a 160/60, sprockets are 14/49.

[The CyberPoet]

okay, it's an 02 600 kat. suspension is stock, depending on who i ride with is to whether or not i ride smooth, more aggressive, or man handle the bike. the tire is a 160/60, sprockets are 14/49.

OK, so we've got a very aggressive sprocket ratio (11.7% more effective torque than the stock 15/47), on an +1 oversized tire shoe-horned into a 4.5" rim, and when your leant over, your bike has the ability to rip the tire off it's contact patch, with even the slightest bit of anything in-between the tire and the ground.
And given that Pirelli and Metzeler sizes tend to run large anyway (e.g. - their 150/70ZR17 Metzeler Z6 is actually a 159/61ZR17** when measured mounted up on a 4.5" Kat rim; the stradas are virtual clones of the Z6's), the effect could easily be amplified even further...

Then your impressions of the tire (a 160/60) are accurate for your particular situation (3.5:1 gearing ratio), but aren't representative of what most riders will encounter using stock gearing and the correct tire size (150/70ZR17).

But it does also point out that you do need a stickier tire, and it should be (ideally) narrower at the same time for both better contact patch loading and for more nimble handling -- you'd be best served by a sport-based 150/70ZR17 instead of a sport-touring 160/60ZR17...

** - Tire sizes are "reference sizes" for fitment, not absolute tire sizes. Thus a 150/70 could be just about anything from 141/79 to 159/61, as long as it is designed to fit a 150/70 mounting equivalent, especially once tire-growth through the initial heat-cycles occurs (most street tires grow about 7-8% during the first few heat cycles; race tires can grow up to 24% during their initial heat cycles).

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[xxstreetdemonxx]

Cyber,

It seems you know what your talking about when it comes to tires..so I was wondering if you can give me some input..I'm about 6ft. and close to 280lbs give or take a few lbs..I ride moderately aggressive in the twisties, and normal on higway/street..I dont drag knees..

I have the stock Michelin Macadams? on the bike..its a 2006 Kat 600. Off hand I am not sure the size...I want to say 150..but I am wondering if it will be better if I go up a size to get more traction? and I too have looked at the Diablo Stradas..I hear good things and I would like to try them out..

Any input from you or anyone is appreciated..

Thanks!

[thetable]

Any input from you or anyone is appreciated..

Thanks!

Z6, stock size, 42psi rear, 36-38 front.

[scottynoface]

have the stock Michelin Macadams? on the bike..its a 2006 Kat 600. Off hand I am not sure the size...I want to say 150..but I am wondering if it will be better if I go up a size to get more traction? and I too have looked at the Diablo Stradas..I hear good things and I would like to try them out..

This is a common misconception. Wider tire does NOT equal more traction. You have a 4.5" rim, max rec. tire size is a 160. There is a limit (think calculus style) to how much traction you have on a certain size. X is your rim size 7 is your tire size. So more tire actually slows your turn in if your rim is not equipped to handle the larger tire. A 180mm tire does not inherently gain more traction than a 150mm simply because of surface area of rubber. How it fits on the rim is much more important than the outright size.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

stay stock size - i like michelins .. i have pilot roads but the pilot road 2 have the dual compound which is better with traction even though i cant complain with what i have they feel real safe in the corners my other choice are conti or avons

[The CyberPoet]

Cyber,

It seems you know what your talking about when it comes to tires..so I was wondering if you can give me some input..I'm about 6ft. and close to 280lbs give or take a few lbs..I ride moderately aggressive in the twisties, and normal on higway/street..I dont drag knees..

I have the stock Michelin Macadams? on the bike..its a 2006 Kat 600. Off hand I am not sure the size...I want to say 150..but I am wondering if it will be better if I go up a size to get more traction? and I too have looked at the Diablo Stradas..I hear good things and I would like to try them out..

Any input from you is appreciated..

Z6, stock size, 42psi rear, 36-38 front.

It would appear thetable knows me well enough to know exactly what I was going to say, except that at 280 lbs +gear I'd recommend 38.5 - 39 psi at the front, 40.5 - 41.5 at the rear... and I'd also recommend looking at replacing the fork springs with some stronger ones from RaceTech or Ohlins.

This is a common misconception. Wider tire does NOT equal more traction.

Very well said...
Imagine you are putting on shoes to go running, and your primary concerns are stopping and turning. Oh, and just for this comparison you're going to be running on icy sidewalks...
Do you get shoes that fit your feet really well, or do you get shoes that are a couple sizes larger?

This topic comes up so often that I actually created two separate webpages on it to avoid having to retype a zillion words every month... I suggest you go read them:

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/Katana/kat_tires.html

and

http://www.motorcycleanchor.com/motorcycle/how_to/mc_tires.html

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet