Pirelli is an Italian tyre company that has been in business since 1872. While the company initially focused on producing cables and other industrial goods, it soon began manufacturing bicycle tyres, and eventually expanded into the production of Pirelli motorcycle tyres as well as automobile tyres.
Pirelli motorcycle tyres made their debut in the early 1900’s when the company produced its first tyre for motorcycles. Soon the company quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality tyres that were popular with racers and enthusiasts alike. Throughout the 20th century, Pirelli continued to innovate and develop new technologies, including the first radial motorcycle tyre in the 1970s.
Today, Pirelli is one of the world's leading manufacturers of motorcycle tyres, with a wide range of products designed for different types of riding and terrain. The company is known for its commitment to quality and performance, so we’ve decided to look into some of the best tyres for the sport touring enthusiasts.
The Pirelli Angel GT is a high-performance motorcycle tyre designed for sport touring and long-distance riding. Pirelli claims that the Angel GT offers up to 30% longer life than its predecessor, the Angel ST which is also what we tend to hear about this tyre speaking to our motorcycle touring friends.
The Angel GT's advanced technology delivers superior performance in both wet and dry weather conditions, making it a popular choice among riders who want a versatile and reliable tyre that can take them wherever their adventures lead.
The Angel GT features a unique silica compound that provides excellent grip in both wet and dry conditions, and a dual-compound design that optimizes performance and wear. The silica is a chemical compound that is used as a reinforcing agent in tyre compounds, and it is known for its ability to improve traction and handling in both wet and dry conditions. Silica (SiO2) has a high coefficient of friction, which means it can grip the road surface more effectively, even when it's wet. In addition to its wet weather performance, the silica compound also provides excellent grip on dry roads, helping riders to achieve maximum performance and control. It does this by allowing the tyre to heat up more quickly, which improves its grip and supports better handling and acceleration.
One of the features of the Angel GT Pirelli motorcycle tyres is its multi-radius design, which provides a smooth, stable ride and ensures maximum contact patch at any lean angle. The tyre's micro-groove design quickly evacuates water from the tyre's surface, preventing hydroplaning and providing maximum traction in wet conditions. The Pirelli Angel GT is also designed to provide excellent stability while cornering. Its advanced handling technology provides superior rigidity and flex, ensuring the rider's safety when manoeuvring around a bend. This tyre is particularly well-suited for touring bikes, as it offers an ideal balance of stability, responsiveness, and comfort on long journeys.
The Angel GT is available in a range of sizes to fit a variety of bikes and is suitable for everything from small and mid-size sport-touring bikes to large, heavy tourers. With its combination of performance, durability, and comfort, the Pirelli Angel GT is an excellent choice for riders who demand performance and comfort whether they're tackling twisty mountain roads or cruising down the highway for hours on end.
From Pirelli motorcycle tyres, the Angel GT is also built for high-speed performance. The tyre's racing-inspired design ensures that riders are confident at high speeds, providing excellent traction, stability, and cornering capabilities. The Angel GT is the perfect tyre for riders who want to push their motorcycles to the limit while remaining safe and in full control.
In conclusion, the Pirelli Angel GT is an outstanding sport touring tyre that offers superior performance, longevity, and comfort. It is an excellent choice for riders who want reliability, versatility and quality in a tyre that will take them on all kinds of adventures. With its design-focused on providing riders with unparalleled handling, outstanding wet and dry performance, and long-lasting performance, the Pirelli Angel GT is a tyre that comes highly recommended by riders worldwide.
The Pirelli Angel GTII is the newer version of the Angel GT tyre, and it was designed to offer even better performance, durability, and grip. Here are some of the key differences between the two tyres:
Compound: The Angel GTII features a new generation compound that is said to provide better grip in both wet and dry conditions. The dual-compound design is also different from the Angel GT, resulting in more stability and less wear in the centre section.
Tread pattern: The Angel GTII features a new tread pattern with two new groves in the middle that provides better water evacuation, resulting in improved wet-weather performance. According to Pirelli this new tread pattern also helps with overall grip and handling.
Structure: The Angel GTII has a new structure that increases the contact area for better stability and handling. The tyre's carcass is also redesigned to improve comfort and reduce vibrations, making it less tiring to ride over long distances.
We have no doubts that from Pirelli motorcycle tyres, the Angel GTII is an upgrade with improved performance, durability, and grip. Pirelli has a long history of developing innovative tyre compounds, and they are constantly improving their technology to make motorcycle tyres that are both high-performing and long-lasting. In general, Pirelli uses a blend of synthetic and natural rubber, along with other materials such as silica and carbon black, to create a compound that delivers the required performance and endurance for each tyre.
It feels that the Angel GT series of Pirelli motorcycle tyres technology, is focused more on delivering outstanding durability and grip in all weather conditions. No doubt this is one of the most advanced motorcycle sport touring tyres money can buy but the question remains whether it beats the Dunlop Roadsmart IV. If you prioritize wet weather performance over the long tyre life the Angel GT II would probably be a better choice. It is not uncommon to see riders changing tyres to models with more grip and shorter lives as it’s always best to change them more frequently to avoid hardening of the rubber compound over time due to outgassing process. Read on how the tyre works here.
In other words, riders who do not put many miles on their motorcycles may not be as concerned with tyre longevity as those who ride frequently or use their bikes for long-distance touring. This has lead us to take a look at the more sporty ones from the Pirelli motorcycle tyres.
Also, we found interesting article on the Angel GT vs. Roadsmart IV here, both tyres were compared on famous Honda VFR800Fi.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso III and the Angel GT II are both high-performance tyres that are designed to provide excellent grip and handling. However, they are intended for different types of riding and have some important differences that set them apart:
Riding style: As you may see from below pictures the Diablo Rosso III is designed for more aggressive riding, while the Angel GT II is built for touring, commuting, and sport-touring. The Diablo Rosso III is intended for riders who want to push their bikes closer to the limit on twisty roads evolving from the track experience and supersport segment.
![]() Angel GT II |
![]() Diablo Rosso III |
Courtesy of https://pirelli.com/tyres
Compound & Profile: The Diablo Rosso III features a high-grip compound that is optimized for cornering and acceleration. The tyre dual compound has a profile divided to 40-20-40%. The sticky side compound made out of 100% silica covers a total of 80% of the tyre profile. The central 20% is made of functional compound offering longevity and stability. The Diablo Rosso III has a more aggressive profile that provides quick turn-in and agile handling.
Tread pattern: The Diablo Rosso III has a more aggressive tread pattern with deeper grooves and channels that are intended to provide better water evacuation and high-speed stability.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso III is an ultra-high-performance tyre intended for riders who demand top-level grip and handling. The third generation of the Diablo Rosso series has been designed to deliver an optimal combination of wet and dry grip, reduced braking distances, and superior handling performance.
When it comes to dry weather performance, the Diablo Rosso III is hard to beat. With its exceptional grip and stability, this tyre provides excellent handling on tight turns and winding roads. Thanks to its aggressive profile, riders can lean deep into corners with confidence, knowing they have a tyre that will hold the line.
The bi-compound technology employed in the rear tyre also makes it an excellent choice for riding in wet conditions. This dynamic structure delivers excellent hydroplaning resistance, enabling the rider to maintain traction and control even in rainy conditions, and decreasing braking distance.
Riders will also appreciate the Diablo Rosso III's excellent feedback. The precise and accurate information transmitted through the tyre allows the rider to have a better feel of the road, making small adjustments to grip and lean angle, ultimately improving overall handling precision.
In terms of durability, the Diablo Rosso III is fantastic, even with its high grippiness. Pirelli's focus on maximising longevity has paid off in the Diablo Rosso III's life expectancy, making it a dependable and midrange-lasting tyre. However, the high-performance nature of this tyre also means that comfort can be affected, especially on rough or uneven surfaces. Nevertheless, its main target audience is high-performance sport riders, and comfort may not be their top concern.
In conclusion, from the Pirelli motorcycle tyres the Diablo Rosso III is an incredibly well-engineered tyre that provides ultra-high-performance for every rider, making it an excellent choice for anyone seeking to maximize grip, handling, and overall performance on either dry or wet conditions. It is designed for the high-performance rider, and the result is a tyre that delivers outstanding braking, cornering, and acceleration capability, all while providing great durability.
When it comes to tyres, there are countless options available in the market. But if you're looking for a tyre that provides superb grip while braking, excellent traction in extreme lean angles, smooth feedback while cornering, and superior performance on both wet and dry roads, then the Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV is an exceptional choice. With the WSBK-derived structure and contours and silica-enriched multi-compound, this tyre is tailor-made for those in search of ultimate performance on the road.
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV has an exceptional braking capacity, making it one of the most reliable tyres in the market. The tyre's unique structure and contour guarantee a better grip while braking, which translates to shorter stopping distances and enhanced safety.
The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV is specifically designed for speed freaks who enjoy the thrill of extreme lean angles. The tyre's compound and construction offer a perfect blend of performance, stability, and control, providing riders with the confidence to push their limits to the maximum. It also excels when it comes to cornering performance. The tyre's advanced compound and state-of-the-art construction mean you'll experience a smooth and predictable transition from upright to lean angles, ensuring a safer and more comfortable ride. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV's structure and contours are inspired by the World Superbike Championship. The technology behind the tyre's structure and profile combine to provide better overall performance, grip and more exceptional stability at high-speeds.
Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV comes with a specialized silica-enriched multi-compound for both the front and rear tyres. This full silica compound ensures top-tier road grip, which translates to better handling and safer rides in any road condition. Regardless of the weather conditions, Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV delivers in both wet and dry. The tyre's dual compound (and tri-compound for rear tyres from 190/55 ZR17 above) and design guarantee reliable and consistent handling which translates to safety, even in challenging road conditions.
Riders who choose Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV are consistently satisfied with the tyre's overall performance and reliability. These reviews reflect the excellent grip, ultimate handling, and superior performance of the tyre even in challenging conditions. As a sport tyre it is not designed to last in comparison to other sport touring tyres, obviously. Riders who have invested in Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV have praised the tyre's longevity, with many noting they don't need to replace them as frequently as other sport tyres they have used in the past.
Courtesy of https://www.pirelli.com/tyres
In conclusion, Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV is the ultimate tyre for those in search of superior performance on the road. With its advanced structure, cutting-edge compound, and unbeatable design, this tyre is tailor-made for speed freaks who demand nothing but the best. Whether you're looking for exceptional road grip, advanced handling, or high-speed stability, you won't be disappointed with Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tyres.
Find your new potential tyres directly on Pirelli site by simply typing your bike model.
We invite you to share your opinion on the sport touring tyres that you have found to be the best for your needs. Your feedback could help guide others in their search for the perfect tyre, or even help manufacturers improve their products.
So whether you have a favourite brand, specific model, or some insider tips on what to look for when selecting sport touring tyres, we want to hear from you! Simply leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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