VOLUME ISSUE JUNE , P113
List Price: $203-$389
Website: www.pirelli.com
• Very grippy, plenty of traction
• Has signature Pirelli
Central Flash grooves
• Front-tire confidence and
stability
• Very grippy, plenty of traction
stability
• Mileage may not match
typical cruiser tires
• Aggressive performance may
not appeal to some cruiser riders
• Encourages riding faster than
you (probably) should
POWERCRUISER TIRE
STANDOUT FEATURE
Excellent front-tire stability
RIDER ANALYSIS
There are motorcycle roads that
build hype online, but few carry the
reputation of the Tail of the Dragon
in North Carolina.
With 318 turns packed into 11
miles, the road lives up to every
bit of the hype. What surprised me
more, though, was just how capable
a massive touring cruiser like the
H-D Street Glide I was riding could
feel once the right tires were under-
neath it.
The Street Glide weighs well
over 800 pounds, which is definitely
outside of my typical motorcycle.
Coming from sportbikes and naked
bikes, I expected the Harley to feel
cumbersome on the Dragon. Instead,
the Diablo Powercruisers completely
changed my perspective on what a
heavyweight cruiser could do.
Temperatures hovered around 72
degrees with sunny skies, smooth
pavement and surprisingly little traf-
fic. Right away, the Diablo Power-
cruisers stood out because they did
not behave like traditional cruiser
tires. Pirelli designed them specifi-
cally for high-performance baggers,
club-style bikes and power cruisers
that prioritize acceleration, lean
angle and aggressive riding charac-
teristics. The company describes the
tire as blending a "sporty
soul" with "custom spirit,"
and after a day on the
Dragon, that description
genuinely fits.
What impressed me
most was the consis-
tency. Cruiser tires often
start to feel vague or
unstable once the pace
picks up, especially
on heavy motorcycles
through repeated corners.
The Diablo Powercruisers
never did that. There was
no fishtailing, spinning
or nervous squirming
on corner exits. Part of
that confidence comes from Pirelli's
Central Flash grooves, a trademark
design carried over from the Diablo
family. The grooves help promote
faster warmup, improve water drain-
age, and maintain a more planted
feel across varying road conditions.
Combined with lateral grooves that
stabilize the bike while cornering, the
tread pattern feels purpose-built for
riders who want sporty handling.
The biggest takeaway was that
the Diablo Powercruisers completely
transformed the cruiser riding experi-
ence. They gave me confidence on
an 800-plus-pound Street Glide that
I otherwise wouldn't have, and gave
the machine a far sportier feel than it
had any right to.
Sylvia Houston
Pirelli's Central Flash grooves help
promote faster warmup, improve
water drainage, and maintain a
more planted feel across varying
road conditions.
