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Pirelli Angels, final mileage

Fred H.

Fred H.

Member
Member
I took off my set of Pirelli Angels last night, with the rear tire beyond the wear bars and closing in on the cord at 5,085 miles. Now bear in mind that I'm pretty tough on tires and my mileage is typically a lot lower than most other folks.

The front tire looks like it could easily go another 4-5K miles, but does show some evidence of "feathering" or "cupping", which I consider pretty much normal.

All in all, I liked the tires, and they performed well all the way to the end. They had a nice predictable feel and provided good "stick" when pushed and I also appreciated that Pirelli went to the trouble to put balance marks on them (unlike Michelin) and they didn't take much weight at all to balance.
 
Mad River Marc said:
So how do the Angels compare to a set of PR2's for wet weather handling?    (Just curious)
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The Pirellis seemed to stick good in the wet and I had no problems with slippage or loss of traction in the rain. I think they are about on equal with the PR2's in the wet. If there is a difference, it wasn't enough that I noticed. Though I didn't ride a lot with them in the rain since we have been in a pretty bad drought here. I think I only got two rides in the rain with them.
 
Thanks Fred,
I just ordered a set,  will see how they do (they won out over the PR3 by being 60 bucks cheaper for the set :) )
 
I've hyped the Angels since they came out. An excellent tire. And without a doubt, used the least weight to ballance of tires in the past. The Pirelli's I have used all used little or zero weight to ballance. And stuck like glue.
 
Thanks Bob,  I am hoping this fixes my 40mph "wobble"  it's def not the bearings so it MUST be the PR2 is cupped....

 
Mad River Marc said:
Thanks Bob,  I am hoping this fixes my 40mph "wobble"  it's def not the bearings so it MUST be the PR2 is cupped....
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Hmm, I was hoping it was the bearing.

My front PR2 doesn't look like it's cupped (much), but I've also got a 40MPH wobble when decelerating with no hands that wasn't there before the PR2.  Mine has about 4500 miles on it now, so it could be either the tire or the head bearings at this point.  More stuff to investigate.  :-[
 
Mad River Marc said:
Thanks Bob,  I am hoping this fixes my 40mph "wobble"  it's def not the bearings so it MUST be the PR2 is cupped....
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Well let us know if it does the trick. Although if it doesn't, it could be the expensive way to find out. But you would have needed tires sooner or later anyway, right!
 
Exactly,  I plan to do a SS1k this weekend to really finish off the PR2's then next week install the Angels :)


C1x, if you are getting a wobble on deceleration,  I would check to see if your head bearing has come loose the roller bearings on the C-14 have a tendency to do that,  I had that on my FJR (a Decel wobble) and one I adjusted the head bearing it was perfect....
 
Mark, I'm expecting it will be the head bearing, but when you determined that wasn't the problem with yours, it opens the door to the possibility that it could be my PR2 front also.  Mine still has lots of tread, so I would not look forward to replacing it right away.
 
Mine was more of a wobble at 40mph not so much under deceleration..

But I would seriously check the torque on the head bearings, mine were WAY loose...
 
Mad River Marc said:
Mine was more of a wobble at 40mph not so much under deceleration..

But I would seriously check the torque on the head bearings, mine were WAY loose...
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Thanks!  It's on the list...  ;)
 
I had a wobble when my front PR2 was near the end of it's life. I replaced it with the PR3. Night and day difference. Mostly because I went from a totally worn tire to a brand new tire. The steering became much lighter, ride was smoother and the wobble was gone. I bet this senario would hold true no matter what brand of tire you use.
 
Well, tightened the head bearings today, and although the wobble is much, much less, there is still a little there.  Pretty sure it's the tired front PR2.  I have over 6500 miles on them.

The Angle ST I replaced with the PR2 didn't have a hint of wobble, but were showing cords at 6K miles.  Perhaps it's a PR2 thing when they get old and tired.

Oh well, there's still a couple thousand more miles left in these PR2's, and should last the rest of the summer.  After that, it's on to the PR3's!  ;D
 
Wow, you really are rough on tires. I switched to Angels at 4600 miles. Originals tires sucked. I now have 10000 on these and am hoping for another month. Heading to the mountains and will mount a new set. Good tires. 
 
Nomadicfireman said:
Wow, you really are rough on tires. I switched to Angels at 4600 miles. Originals tires sucked. I now have 10000 on these and am hoping for another month. Heading to the mountains and will mount a new set. Good tires.
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You have 10,000 on a set of Angel ST's and still going?  Wow, that's pretty darn good.  Given some of the reports of guys wearing out tires much faster than me, I didn't think I was 'that' hard on them.

A lot of it has to do with the types of roads you ride on, and the temps when you ride.  I saw the Angels really flatten out the centers after riding flat out across Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota in 90F+ heat.  After that, I pushed them extra hard through extensive twisties to "make them round again".

I really toasted the PR2's this weekend.  95F+ pushing 2x plus through continuous corners.  The rear looks like the rubber boiled a little.  ::)  Also, the front end wobble is worse than ever.  Now I may have to swap them before the end of summer.  >:D
 
Well the Angels did solve the wobble for about 500 miles and now it's back (but way way less)    It still may be bad bearings but I don't see how...

The odd thing is that the bearings FEEL fine... (After I torqued them properly again)  they are smooth,  no "notchieness" and no grinding or play where there shouldn't be....
 
Mad River Marc said:
Well the Angels did solve the wobble for about 500 miles and now it's back (but way way less)    It still may be bad bearings but I don't see how...

The odd thing is that the bearings FEEL fine... (After I torqued them properly again)  they are smooth,  no "notchieness" and no grinding or play where there shouldn't be....
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I suggest you check your steering spindle bearings.  It is an easy test. Get the front wheel off the ground and see if you can pull the forks forward and back.  You will be amazed at the improvement in handling when the steering spindle bearings are set correctly. 
 
RAMrider said:
Mad River Marc said:
Well the Angels did solve the wobble for about 500 miles and now it's back (but way way less)    It still may be bad bearings but I don't see how...

The odd thing is that the bearings FEEL fine... (After I torqued them properly again)  they are smooth,  no "notchieness" and no grinding or play where there shouldn't be....
Click to expand...

I suggest you check your steering spindle bearings.  It is an easy test. Get the front wheel off the ground and see if you can pull the forks forward and back.  You will be amazed at the improvement in handling when the steering spindle bearings are set correctly.
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I'm confused.... Isn't that what Marc wrote he already did? 

 
yes that's exactly what I did.    We (Actually B.D.F) torqued them at the National which didn't help, and I did them again 2 weeks ago just to be sure.  There is no play in the bearings at this time which is why I am confused
 
Mad River Marc said:
yes that's exactly what I did.    We (Actually B.D.F) torqued them at the National which didn't help, and I did them again 2 weeks ago just to be sure.  There is no play in the bearings at this time which is why I am confused
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Is this wobble present only with your hands off the bars, or does it happen with your hands on the bars?

A "hands off" decel wobble in the 38mph range during coast down is fairly common on a lot of bikes. Rear weight bias (like a loaded trunk) can make it worse as well as cold tires. Rear suspension (pre-load) adjustment will also impact it, since it affects the bikes attitude. I've even had bikes do it with an empty gas tank, but stop when you fill it (when weight transfers to front). If it only happens with your hands off the bars, I really don't consider it to be an indication of the "problem". A new front tire will also usually fix it, until it wears out a bit, and then it will probably return.

My personal belief is that it is a function of the decay of the gyroscopic precession force of the front wheel coupling with the tire carcass and suspension, resulting in a wobble, much like a child's top will as it spins down on a table. Tire carcass stiffness, and tire compound also seem to play into the equation. The amount of resistance that the tire exhibits to a wobble may be enough to prevent it from happening, but if you remove weight from the front, the steering and tire is more easily able to turn back and forth and wobble. An out of round or out of balance tire can also make it more likely to occur.
 
Yes it's a hands off wobble (very light but noticable) when I am around 40mph,  I guess it COULD be the rear preload as I recently lost a LOT of weight (over 140lbs) and I am still trying to dial in the suspension... 


Would make me sleep easier knowing it was nothing to worry about tho :)
 
Mad River Marc said:
Yes it's a hands off wobble (very light but noticable) when I am around 40mph,  I guess it COULD be the rear preload as I recently lost a LOT of weight (over 140lbs) and I am still trying to dial in the suspension... 


Would make me sleep easier knowing it was nothing to worry about tho :)
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I wouldn't loose any sleep over it. Most every bike I have owned has done this to some degree or another.
 
Motorcycles are NOT meant  (by the designing engineers) to be "wobble free" with no hands on the bars. In the 1980s, I worked for a Suzuki dealer. We had many customers complaining that their bikes would go in to a wobble when decellerating . We would check their bikes over, and sometimes we would find a worn tire, or bad bearings,loose bearings, etc. Many times when we found these conditions and applied  suitable remedies, the owners would return to our shop and complain that the wobble was still there. The area service rep from Suzuki told us that the bikes are not meant to be ridden "hands free" , and not to worry. The hands free decell wobble is NOT an issue. The operator should not remove his hands from the handle bars.
 
i been killing the bt016 every 3000 miles or less , i have to find a tire i can get more then 4000 miles or this bike is going to kill my $$$  :'(  PS when my tires get over 1000 miles wobble present only with your hands off the bars around 40 mph all so . just a heavy  bike that eats up tires , should check to see what the CHP is using ? and what kind of miles there getting , ill go see the shop that works on them soon and talk with my buddies there , 
 
Got right at 7,000 miles on a Pirelli Angel rear.  Great handling tire, but when it went bad, it went in a hurry!  Got 12,000 out of a PR2 front.  Currently have PR2 front and rear.  Handles just fine.
 
I've got 125 miles on my Angels - great improvement over the stockers, and they are showing no signs of wear yet! :)
 
I just rolled 6k on my Angels, and while I am impressed with the handeling, (they stick like glue) they are wearing kind of funny.

I just got back from a road trip to Miami (to eat WAY too much turkey LOL) and while i expected to have a massive flat spot on the rear from 2600 miles of burning slab,  I was a bit surprised to see that not only do they have a flat spot, it looks like the rubber material "pushed outwards" and almost created lumps on the tire (HArd to photograph but I'll try when it's light out)  also the tire feels a bit "crumbly" in the center.

I expected them to be replaced at 6k so I'm not upset, so far they were are pretty darn good tire,  but my next set will be PR3's since they seem to be lasting a bit longer and therefore easier on the wallet,  I don't ride hard in the twisties so the extra grip the angels give really isn't worth lower life to me..
 
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