Pirelli Turns Up the Heat
PIRELLI TURNS UP THE HEAT
WITH FIVE EUROPEAN and one World Super-sport Championship to its credit, Pirelli should theoretically have a greater presence in the streetbike performance-tire market. Pirelli hopes to do just that with two new radical radials, the Dragon EVO and GTS.
The EVOs are sport-oriented. The front uses a new syntheticfiber carcass material called Pentec developed by Allied Signal. Similar to Dupont’s kevlar, Pentec is lighter than the commonly used nylon or rayon. It is also stiffer, while being more elastic. The improved stiffness aids stability, especially under braking, while the added elasticity increases shock absorption. Both front and rear EVOs benefit from what Pirelli calls Variable Groove Section tread design, in which the grooving becomes narrower toward the tire’s edges. Combined with a new tread pattern, the EVO puts maximum rubber on the road at extreme lean angles.
The GTSs are geared for sport-touring, with an emphasis on wetweather grip. Opposite of the EVO, the GTS’s updated tread pattern places maximum rubber on the road while the bike is vertical, reducing wear and increasing stability. Upping wet traction, the tread grooves are maximized as lean angle increases.
Pirelli cut loose a group of journalists at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for hot laps on the EVOs, later taking the same lot for a loop around Nevada’s Lake Mead on GTS-shod sporttourers. Track time upheld the engineers’ claims, as the EVO proved impressively stable, even under extreme braking.
Grip was so plentiful that many suspected “ringer” compounds. Doubts were eliminated,
however, when the abuse produced only negligible wear. Circulating Lake Mead, riders encountered heavy rain, but the GTS performed without drama, proving exceptionally sure-footed in the wet.
The GTS is already available, with the EVO expected by October. Both tires will be offered in popular sizes, with prices averaging $140 for fronts, $180 for rears. Paul Seredynski
