Pirelli Night Dragon review
#12
08-20-2009 | 12:56 AM
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For reference, this is on an 07 Street Bob. I was running Dunlop K591’s. The 591’s are decent tires. I put a set of Pirelli Night Dragons on and all I can say is these tires are awesome. Starting with straight line freeway speed stability, these tires do not track on rain grooves or any other tire grabbing grooves in the road. They don’t seem to notice pavement snakes (tar patches) either. Once you get into the twisty mountain roads is where you REALLY feel the difference, though. The Pirellis transition from left to right with amazing ease. They feel like they are glued to the road and I found myself not having to correct my line at all. They are so very stable that they are very confidence inspiring. It’s not that you need to be a racer to enjoy them, it’s just nice to know that you’re not going to be upset by unseen road irregularities. You can relax and really enjoy the ride. I’ve already done suspension upgrades but these tires bring it all together.
These tires are so good that I would swap to them even if my existing tires were new.
Ron
These tires are so good that I would swap to them even if my existing tires were new.
Ron
CB
#13
08-20-2009 | 01:37 AM
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From: Santa Rosa, Ca
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...Rear-Tire.aspx
#14
09-08-2009 | 06:49 PM
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 42
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From: Ft. Worth, TX
Thanks Ron for getting a really good thread started. I have some experiences to offer in support of your original post.
We were about to head out on a 1400 mile trip up to the arrowhead region of MN from the Milwaukee area. I was checking the bike over a couple of nights before leaving and decided to take a good hard look at the D402s on my '07 UC. They had about 10K on them, but plenty of tread left. However, as I did a once over on the rear I thought I spotted something in the center groove. Upon closer inspection I was shocked to see a deep, ragged crack right down the center of the groove about an inch and a half long. I thank God that I took the time to check this out. It was really hard to see. A disaster averted!
Now I had to find replacement tires in just a day. And there was no way I was going to replace them with another set of 402s. So, I ended up calling a local indy and the only tires they could get me in a day were the Pirelli Night Dragons. I was a bit reluctant since they are so new to the market. But, it just so happens that the service manager was actually a contract tester for these very tires. He told me stories about the rigorous testing that they did to them (running them backwards, over-inflated, under-inflated, etc.) and that he was really impressed with how well they did. He also races a Buell so I will give him some credibility points for that. The only problem was that they do not come with a narrow white wall. Oh well..
After 1400 miles of two lane, interstate, and some city with two up and fully loaded I am really impressed with these tires. It's like a new bike. I even had to unlearn some of my old riding habits because these tires just don't fear anything. Got a long tar snake up ahead ?- no problem, just ride on. Got a funky crack to deal with for a lane change on the interstate? no problem, just ride on. Got a metal bridge deck staring you in the face? again, no problem, just ride on. Even a fairly brisk crosswind with big trucks on the interstate was way better with the new tires. I can't tell you how good it is to not have to worry about these every day road issues. We only had wet roads for about 50 miles so I can't speak to their wet handling.
The biggest test was the ride on hwy 1 from hwy 61 to Ely, MN. This is 60 miles of ups and downs with twists and turns. A really fun road. If you have been on this road you know what I mean. We did it twice!
So, do I care about the black walls? Heck no. They look great with the laced wheels. Am I worried that they might not last as long as those crummy old 402s? Heck no, even if I only get 8 or 9K out of them I will consider it a small price to pay. Am I grinning from ear to ear? What do you think?
Gary
We were about to head out on a 1400 mile trip up to the arrowhead region of MN from the Milwaukee area. I was checking the bike over a couple of nights before leaving and decided to take a good hard look at the D402s on my '07 UC. They had about 10K on them, but plenty of tread left. However, as I did a once over on the rear I thought I spotted something in the center groove. Upon closer inspection I was shocked to see a deep, ragged crack right down the center of the groove about an inch and a half long. I thank God that I took the time to check this out. It was really hard to see. A disaster averted!
Now I had to find replacement tires in just a day. And there was no way I was going to replace them with another set of 402s. So, I ended up calling a local indy and the only tires they could get me in a day were the Pirelli Night Dragons. I was a bit reluctant since they are so new to the market. But, it just so happens that the service manager was actually a contract tester for these very tires. He told me stories about the rigorous testing that they did to them (running them backwards, over-inflated, under-inflated, etc.) and that he was really impressed with how well they did. He also races a Buell so I will give him some credibility points for that. The only problem was that they do not come with a narrow white wall. Oh well..
After 1400 miles of two lane, interstate, and some city with two up and fully loaded I am really impressed with these tires. It's like a new bike. I even had to unlearn some of my old riding habits because these tires just don't fear anything. Got a long tar snake up ahead ?- no problem, just ride on. Got a funky crack to deal with for a lane change on the interstate? no problem, just ride on. Got a metal bridge deck staring you in the face? again, no problem, just ride on. Even a fairly brisk crosswind with big trucks on the interstate was way better with the new tires. I can't tell you how good it is to not have to worry about these every day road issues. We only had wet roads for about 50 miles so I can't speak to their wet handling.
The biggest test was the ride on hwy 1 from hwy 61 to Ely, MN. This is 60 miles of ups and downs with twists and turns. A really fun road. If you have been on this road you know what I mean. We did it twice!
So, do I care about the black walls? Heck no. They look great with the laced wheels. Am I worried that they might not last as long as those crummy old 402s? Heck no, even if I only get 8 or 9K out of them I will consider it a small price to pay. Am I grinning from ear to ear? What do you think?
Gary
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