Pirelli - Diablo 'PowerCruiser' sport touring tire
Pirelli had added to its Diablo tire range with the Diablo PowerCruiser. A new range of high-performance Custom-Touring tires designed for custom motorcycles - "especially for the sportiest models such as performance baggers, club style and power cruisers that offer remarkable levels of acceleration and riding pleasure."
"The Diablo PowerCruiser is part of the Diablo family because it embodies Pirelli's sporting DNA, this time applying it to the field of customization. It has been created to meet the needs of these motorcycles, which require specific tyres capable of offering high performance and sportiness, with the aim of becoming the new benchmark in its segment in terms of grip and handling, even in wet conditions."
The range is 'dense', both in construction technology and sizes and includes radial and conventional specifications with dimensions ranging from 100 mm to 260 mm. "Therefore, each size is specifically developed in terms of structure, materials, compounds and profile design according to the motorcycle, adopting different specifications and solutions for specific models."
Leveraging its Supersport and Racing experience, Pirelli says that the Diablo PowerCruiser is "very easy to handle and with high levels of grip - capable of withstanding strong dynamic stresses, both in lean and in braking and acceleration.
"The structures change the stiffness according to the riding style. In Touring driving mode (lower levels of deformation) the tyre offers a comfortable, smooth and predictable ride. When the style is sportier, they increase feedback as the tire deformation increases, to ensure greater steering precision, more lateral support and better control.
"This behaviour represents the perfect balance between comfort and support, giving riders confidence - on both highway cruising and sportier rides. The radial sizes feature a 0-degree steel belt that contributes to a well-controlled deformation of the footprint, resulting in better tire conformability at all lean angles and better stress distribution across the contact patch - providing an advantage in terms of grip and wear regularity."
The rear radial sizes are bi-compound and enriched with silica, combined with 'Cap & Base' technology that offers a softer lateral compound for grip when tilting, supported by a harder compound substrate also positioned at the level of the central band that guarantees performance consistency and thermal balance. The size of the compound's center tread varies depending on the tire size and contact patch, to ensure the best possible force distribution and thus provide the best possible driving feel and even wear.
The 'Cap & Base' compound pattern "provides excellent performance during sporty riding while the use of silica provides a wider operating temperature range that promotes a high level of grip, even in wet conditions and consistent performance." Fast heating and adhesion is achieved thanks to an innovative and specially developed blend of resins, plasticizers and silica present in the composition of the compounds. In addition, Pirelli's proprietary and patented mixing process maximizes the dispersion of all components in the polymer matrix to achieve a high level of homogeneity.
The profiles are multi-spoke and sharper than those typically used in the Custom-Touring segment to provide greater handling and very quick changes of direction, while the slicker shoulders provide better grip and line in corners. "The optimized sidewall height provides excellent traction both when accelerating in a straight line and when exiting corners. The balance between the front and rear contours allows for excellent ride control and neutral motorcycle handling."
