Pirelli Angel GT: long-term tyre test

Bikesales recently attended the launch of the new Pirelli Angel GT road tyre. But as our hard-charging road tester, Martin Child, noted at the time, a dry-weather test will do little to foster an opinion of tyre designed for ‘improved wet-weather performance’ -- one of two areas Pirelli says the new hoop excels. The other is longevity.

So, what better way to discover just how true these claims are than to throw a set of boots at yours truly for an extended period?

Fitted to my 2013 Triumph Street Triple R, the compound of the sticky bits felt -- to the thumb at least -- quite similar to the Pirelli Diablo Rosso I’d recently finished shredding. The Pirelli black and rounds had survived 6600km of service before being given the flick.

As a former Continental Road Attack 2 loyalist, I found the Pirelli-branded rubber (fitted as OEM to the 'Stripler') predictable of grip and pretty consistent in wear -- even if you have to keep a close eye on tyre pressure.

But would a heavily siped tyre like the Angel GTs feel squidgy under hard cornering and braking?

I’d previously sampled the Michelin Pilot Road 3 and, despite my initial warmth for the tyres, decided the ‘fall’ upon tip-in, and movement under heavy braking and manoeuvring, was not to my liking.

But on closer inspection the sipes of the Angel GT are wider than those of the PR3s, and the blocking in between notably thicker. Probably a good thing considering just how deep the tread is!

I had a good push and prod of the Angel GTs before fitting them and found the carcass quite rigid, although perhaps not to the same degree as the Continental Road Attack 2s. By the same token, they’re not as pliant as the Bridgestone Battlax tyres I’d toyed with in the shop.

The thickness of the tread is substantial, too. No doubt this is where that 30 per cent gain in lifespan will come from. This extra rubber (or silica as is the case) has, however, come with a weight penalty.

The set of Angel GTs tips the scale at 10.5kg, a whole 1.5kg more than the Diablo Rossos just removed. (No, I didn’t weigh the old ones -- I weighed the new set I have in the garage awaiting summer.)

I rode back from the tyre shop via the same route I’d travelled to get there. Fortunately for me the weather and traffic conditions hadn’t altered a great deal. It’s always nice to be afforded the opportunity to ride new tyres ‘back-to-back’ against the old set, even if I’d be the first to admit the old ones were looking a little worse for wear.

For the record it was a cold but dry day, about seven degrees, the road surface damp and just a little greasy, the cold temperatures allowing the tar to retain the overnight moisture.

The conditions aren’t what you’d call ideal for a set of new tyres still coated in mould release, but it did highlight a few immediately noticeable differences over the OEM tyres.

There was quite a bit of grip from cold and the tyres offered a genuine amount of feel, virtually straight off the blocks. Even through the back tyre, the level of feedback was telegraphed quickly; I could feel it slipping around in tight bends as the release compound started to disperse, which meant I could back the throttle off and find grip straight away, before the bike had a chance to slide.

The tyres also felt slightly ‘dense’, the effort to turn the bike from centre fractionally greater than those I’d just removed. They didn’t seem to wander or ‘track’ through depressions in the road quite as readily as the old hoops, either. I’ll get back to you about straight-line stability once I've had a chance to ride the open road.

Braking performance felt consistent with those just removed, though I’m quick to point out that I wasn’t really trying too hard -- the damp road and slippery new skins aren’t one of my most favoured combinations. But still, I have to say they didn’t squirm as much as the Michelins I’d mentioned earlier.

We’ll be back with an update on the Pirelli Angel GTs again soon, hopefully once they’ve been scrubbed in a little more. The initial impressions are very positive, and I’m looking forward to seeing just how many clicks I can get from them.