| Author | Message | ||
     Dago |
Instead of settling on 1 do-it-all tire, I plan on purchasing another set of wheels. One set will be for touring. The other will be for the track. Ideally I'd like the only difference between the two sets to be their longevity/grip. This way, I don't have to re-setup the suspension for the different sets. For example, I don't want to use D208's for the road and Diablo's for the track. Those two tires each give the XB a completely different feel. Can anyone here offer any suggestions based off of their own personal experiences while attempting to do something similar? | ||
| Olinxb12r |
No experience with what you are doing, but there is a guy that posted a thread about powder coating his wheels, and you might be able to pick up XB12 wheels from him. Good luck. | ||
| Nasty73z |
I would say run Pirelli Diablo Stradas for your touring tires and Diablo Corsas for your track tires. Have rode both and both are outstanding. The Strada is plenty sticky (only slightly less than the regular Diablo) and should last you about 6500-9000 miles depending on how you ride. The Corsas are some the stickiest street legal tires out there and the handling feels much like the Stradas, since the are almost the same shape/profile. They are my prefered track day tire, that you can still put maybe 2-3000 street miles on. Some might recommend Michelins and while the Pilot Power and Pilot Road are both excellent tires, they are two completely different animals. The Power is tremendously sticky for a street tire and is very triangular. It falls into corners. The Road is a great touring tire, not as sticky as even the Strada, and is has a very round profile. I felt there were obvious handling differences between the two. But it's up for you to decide. I hate Dunlops and am partial to Pirelli. Never had a set I didn't like. And if you are interested in them, there is a company that sell both the Strada and Corsa on eBay for unbeatable prices. Happy decision making  | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I don't have the track tires yet (they're en route as we speak). But I'm going with Metzeler Sportec for the street and Metzeler Racetec for the track. Metzeler is currently offering a free front Racetec with the purchase of a rear tire. See my post in the Quick Board for more info. | ||
| Skully |
Dago, I have done what you are wanting to do. I am running Pirelli Scorpions on the street wheels and Pirelli Dragon Supercorsas SC1 and SC2 on the track. I am quite happy with both. I found I had to go to at least two more lines of preload on the front and reset the compression and rebound to the Buell suggested track settings or the bike felt really squirrelly under hard braking. Keith | ||
| Dago |
Thanks for the helpful feedback. I'm currently running Pirelli Diablo Corsas, and love'em. So based off of what I'm hearing here, I'm going to stick with that brand for this first round. I'll eat the Diablo Corsas off during my next track day and replace them with the Dragons shortly after. And it looks like I'll go with either the Diablo or Diablo Stradas on my other set of wheels. Decisions, decisions... Skully, why did you choose the Scorpions over the Diablos? Do you feel you'd still have to change your suspension setup if you were running Diablos on the street? (not that the adjustment is really that big of deal to perform) | ||
| Jlnance |
Newbie question here. If you take the street tires off the rims to put on the track tires, can you put them back on after you're done. Or are tires an only mount once thing? | ||
| Dago |
The simple answer is yes. But I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of people chime in with exceptions to the rule. Like if you leave the set you took off in the Texas sun for 60 days the silica compound will blah, blah, blah... | ||
| Mikej |
It all depends on how much damage is caused by the dismounting and remounting. There is no absolute answer. Meat hooks and sledge hammers used in the tire change will affect the results as some folk's reports of tire change experiences implies that some shops use those tools instead of proper tire change equipment. But if you're thinking of doing this on a regular basis then you'd probably be better off getting a second set of rims. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
One set of tires for the track and one for the road is ideal. On the Michelin side, the Pilot Power and the Pilot Race H2 or other race models are a good selection. Actually, I only do one or two track days per year, and don't race, so that one set of Michelin Pilot Powers does double duty, as the road riding uses up the middle of the tire, and track riding uses up the sides. Advantage here is that you get to know your road tires better on the track, and you feel more comfortable tearing up your local canyons. If you plan on a regular program of track days, the two sets of wheels is much better, as even the best sport tires have less grip than race tires. I have also heard that the high temperatures generated at race speed can shorten the life of road tires. | ||
| Skully |
Dago - Yes, I think the choice in tires could affect the prelead and/or the comp/rebound settings, but I brake *so* much harder on the track I think it will still require a different set up for me. Jon - I agree except that the people that I have spoken with that race the XB like the profile of the Pirellis better than the Pilots. I will probably replace the Scorpions with more Scorpions and Dragons with Dragons. Keith | ||
| Skully |
BTW Dago, you will *not* need race tires for the CMRA new rider's school. Keith | ||
| Dago |
When did we start talking about "need"?  I just HATE eating a flat spot in my nice new Corsas while counting cows on FM roads. It's just plain wasteful. | ||
| Surveyor |
Supercorsa Pros for the track....accept no substitutes!!! | ||
| Skully |
I just HATE eating a flat spot in my nice new Corsas while counting cows on FM roads. It's just plain wasteful. Well, it's not too late to go with us to some of the best roads in a 1000 mile radius and wear the sides out! Keith  | ||
| Skully |
Hey Paul, I've not seen the Supercorsa Pros advertised on Pirelli's web site. Are they new or are they not available in the US? Keith | ||
| Surveyor |
Keith, the full name is Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa Pro. They are classed as a road legal track tyre and they come in various compounds I use SC2 and I reckon you do well to get 1500 miles out of it on the road....on the track they stick like glue. I'm afraid I don't know if they are available in the US. | ||
| Dago |
http://www.us.pirellimoto.com/en_95/tires/template_categorie.jhtml?selected=desc &catid=95RCNG&productid=16194&nome=DRAGON_SUPERCORSA I want to Keith. I reeeeeeealllllllly want to. | ||
| Surveyor |
Dago's link is to the Supercorsa this is to the Pro http://www.pirellimoto.com/pzone/editorials/tech_releases/page_0001/pirelli_drag on_supercorsa_pro.htm |
