Pirelli Angel St

Pirelli Angel ST

CW EVALUATION

Guardian grip

WHEN A TIRE MANUFACTURER INTROduces new sport-oriented rubber, its primary focus is typically a technological advancement. With the Angel ST, however, Pirelli is breaking the mold, so to speak. This new sport-touring tire instead establishes a new category: Extended Mileage Sport. The philosophy behind EMS is a good one: high grip—in both dry and wet conditions—and high mileage at a reasonable cost.

Proven know-how, such as zero-degree steel radial-belt construction and Enhanced Patch Technology, is at work here. In fact, according to Pirelli, the only real “innovation” is the way in which the Angel ST “communicates” to riders.

To visually demonstrate the DNA borrowed from the Diablo family of sportbike-oriented radiais, the deeply grooved tread of the Angel ST is stylized to conjure up the image of a winged demon. To convey comfort and safety, a “guardian angel” is also molded into the tread. It’s all a thinly veiled lead into an advertising campaign that proclaims the Angel ST is the first tire with a “double soul.”

In any event, the angel wears away in about 650 miles, leaving behind only the devil. Pirelli claims a 10-percent improvement in handling response, dry grip and stability compared to the previous Diablo Strada, an 18-percent increase in wet performance, and comfort and durability on par with the Strada.

We spent a day in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina on three Triumphs—Tiger, Street Triple and Sprint ST—all shod with Angel STs to show the wide variety of machinery Pirelli is targeting with this new tire. In every case, steering was reasonably light and neutral, stability solid and nary a slip in grip at the moderate sporting pace set by our tour guide.

When the heavens opened following lunch, our confidence remained high while riding rain-soaked roads during our return to Asheville’s famed Grove Park Inn. Coincidentally, this centuryold historical hotel was built by Edwin Wiley Grove, an innovative marketer who amassed a fortune selling Grove’s Chill Tonic, a syrup elixir with broad health claims.

So, marketing run amuck? Yes, and unnecessarily so, because when it comes to the Angel ST’s primary role— providing safety, stability and mileage—the devil is in the details. And Pirelli got those right.

DETAILS

Pirelli Tire North America 100 Pirelli Dr. Rome, GA 30161 706/368-5826 www.pirelli.com Price...$394 per set

Ups

Neutral steering, stable at speed, excellent water dispersion

Last March, Pirelli set an FIM World Duration Record at Italy’s Nardo Technical Center—24 hours, 3190 miles, 133 mph—on a single set of Angel STs

Sizes to fit both 17and 18-inch wheels

Downs

Tread pattern: Rorschach test or performance first?

Hey, what happened to my “guardian angel?”

The Diablo made ’em do it