These tires came stock on my TM.. I've never tried a Pirelli on a bike before, so I wasn't sure how they would perform..
Performance: Excellent. The front is probably the best I've ever tried, on a huge mixture of terrain. This front tire is very confidence inspiring and predictable, until it got worn down, it tended to wash out on dry hardpack and off-camber. The rear is a good all around performer as well.. Not quite as good of bite as a Michelin S12 but extremely predictable. I like to steer with the rear wheel so I got along with this tire well, and it's tendency to controllably slide on hard, flat turns.
Durability: Not too sure on this one.. The rear did okay but not great, it lasted 3 months, not quite as long as I get out of a Michelin S12 but much longer than a Dunlop or Bridgestone. The front was also worn out after 3 months.. Usually I get a lot more life out of front tires, only needing replacement in the time it takes to wear out two rears.
The rear stayed sharp for a long time, then it began to chunk badly, even losing some complete tread blocks on the side, and rounding off. The front knobs just shrunk considerably and rounded off as well.
I just put on a set of Michelin S12 tires front/rear, we'll see how these ones do compared to the Pirelli's.. First thing I noticed is that the front doesn't do nearly as well on hardpack, especially downhill ruts etc. The rear is hooking up like crazy, clawing on anything and everything for perfect traction. It bites better than the Pirelli, getting no wheelspin, even in the turns.. I might miss that a bit, but I'll adapt to it.
Read into this report what you will.. I really liked the Pirelli tires, both were great performers, but the front wore awful fast for my liking and the rear doesn't bite as well, or last quite as long as an S12.
If I can't get used to this S12 front, I may go back to the Pirelli MT32 front, the short life span is worth the amazing traction it gets at severe lean angles.. In the mean time, I'll work on these S12s and hopefully be able to provide a better comparison once they are worn out.
Performance: Excellent. The front is probably the best I've ever tried, on a huge mixture of terrain. This front tire is very confidence inspiring and predictable, until it got worn down, it tended to wash out on dry hardpack and off-camber. The rear is a good all around performer as well.. Not quite as good of bite as a Michelin S12 but extremely predictable. I like to steer with the rear wheel so I got along with this tire well, and it's tendency to controllably slide on hard, flat turns.
Durability: Not too sure on this one.. The rear did okay but not great, it lasted 3 months, not quite as long as I get out of a Michelin S12 but much longer than a Dunlop or Bridgestone. The front was also worn out after 3 months.. Usually I get a lot more life out of front tires, only needing replacement in the time it takes to wear out two rears.
The rear stayed sharp for a long time, then it began to chunk badly, even losing some complete tread blocks on the side, and rounding off. The front knobs just shrunk considerably and rounded off as well.
I just put on a set of Michelin S12 tires front/rear, we'll see how these ones do compared to the Pirelli's.. First thing I noticed is that the front doesn't do nearly as well on hardpack, especially downhill ruts etc. The rear is hooking up like crazy, clawing on anything and everything for perfect traction. It bites better than the Pirelli, getting no wheelspin, even in the turns.. I might miss that a bit, but I'll adapt to it.
Read into this report what you will.. I really liked the Pirelli tires, both were great performers, but the front wore awful fast for my liking and the rear doesn't bite as well, or last quite as long as an S12.
If I can't get used to this S12 front, I may go back to the Pirelli MT32 front, the short life span is worth the amazing traction it gets at severe lean angles.. In the mean time, I'll work on these S12s and hopefully be able to provide a better comparison once they are worn out.
