P112
PRODUCT REVIEWI
PIRELLI DIABLO POWERCRUISER
P
irelli's timing with bring-
ing the Diablo Power-
cruiser tire to market
makes sense considering where
cruiser culture is headed.
Performance baggers are
exploding in popularity, espe
-
cially with the rise of Moto-
America King of the Baggers
racing and appearances during
select MotoGP weekends.
Riders want more than high
-
way comfort now. The Diablo
Powercruiser feels like Pirelli
recognizing that shift early.
The Diablo Powercruiser
uses revised mold profiles
and new structures to create
improved agility, support and
steering precision. Compared
to the older Night Dragon, the
Diablo Powercruiser has a
more responsive feel during
turn-in while creating a wider
lateral footprint for greater
precision at lean.
Pirelli borrowed heavily
from its supersport and racing
experience when developing
the tire. The radial rear ver
-
sions use a dual-compound
Cap&Base design, combining
a softer shoulder compound
for increased grip at lean with
a harder central compound for
stability and thermal con
-
sistency. A slick/grooveless
shoulder design increases the
amount of rubber contacting
the pavement while leaned
over, helping my Harley-David
-
son Street Glide test bike feel
planted instead of balancing on
the edge of the tread.
The radial Diablo Powercruiser
uses a 0-degree steel-belt con
-
struction that helps maintain a
controlled footprint at varying
lean angles while improving
stress distribution across the tire.
As for the front tire, Pirelli devel-
oped a new high-silica compound
aimed at improving braking per-
formance, wet grip, and control
across a wider operating tem-
perature range.
Pirelli says the Diablo Power-
cruiser went through more than
1000 wet and dry tests, over 600
telemetry-supported evaluations,
and roughly 18,500 miles of real-
world validation.
Turn-in speed
and feel were
greatly improved
on the Harley
when fitted with
the Pirelli Diablo
Powercruiser
rubber.
The tread has a harder center section
for increased mileage on big bikes.
planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on planted instead of balancing on
