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According to our friends at Wikipedia, Split Personality syndrome is described when a single person displays multiple distinct identities, each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. So what does it mean when a tire shows signs of having multiple distinct identities that perceive its environment differently? It means that we're talking about the new Pirelli Angel ST sport touring tire. As the successor to the popular Diablo Strada sport touring rubber of old, the Angel ST seeks to meet the demands of the ever-evolving sport-touring segment, which includes riders of varying skills and machines of vastly different performance capabilities.
When we say that the Angel ST has two distinct personalities, we weren't kidding-the actual tread pattern clearly shows an image of an angel, wings and all, but after about 650 miles the angelic image wears off to reveal that of a demon. We're not making this up. Honest. Pirelli actually worked closely with art students at a major university to best incorporate artistic angel and demon designs with something that could actually be effective and mass produced.
See the angel in the tread...
See the angel in the tread pattern? He's even got a halo and wings. After 650 miles he turns into a demon. A scary one, we're told. Note the rain grooves that extend to each side of the tire. This maximizes water dissipation.
If you're wondering what it means for a tire to have a split personality then the story behind the angel and the demon reveals the design goal behind the tire itself. Structurally, the zero-degree belt provides stability and uniformity by reducing the tire's tendency to deform at speed or under heavy load. This also provides more braking stability and maintains the maximum contact patch at all lean angles and under braking. A high silica content combined with Pirelli's new proprietary curing process allows the tire a stable feel and long life. This combined with the central rib in the rear (for wear resistance and maximum grip), minimized block movement (for stability) and rain grooves of varying depths and width constitute the Angel within.
It's when pushing the bike to the limits that the demonic side comes out, characterized by quick warm-up times thanks to advancements in the carbon black compound, a higher silica count, and specific resins. Longitudinal grooves in the tread pattern creates a more compact tread design, which ultimately means more rubber meets the road at any given time.
We found the Angel ST to cure...
We found the Angel ST to cure the mysterious handling issues we've had with previous Connies, yet overall wet grip left some to be desired.
Pirelli chose the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina to showcase its new tires. Here we'd be met with plenty of twisty roads to exploit the inner demon, and as luck would have it, the rain gods made an appearance as well. Perhaps to send down an angel in the form of black rubber donuts? It didn't take long after leaving the hotel to reach the first of many sets of twisty roads the Blue Ridge has to offer. True to form, instant confidence to lean the bike from side to side didn't take long to achieve-the tires worked well in the low temperatures, coming to working temps quickly. Grip at extreme lean angles felt a little vague, but that's not surprising for a non-race tire.
While we mainly rode Triumph Tigers, Sprint STs and Speed Triples, there was a lone Kawasaki Concours 14 on hand. As luck would have it, the rain started to pour during my stint. It was clearly noticeable that the hesitant steering anomaly we've experienced on the Connie with the standard Bridgestone tires disappeared with the Pirellis. The rounded profile made turn-in a breeze and didn't require any extra bar inputs to maintain a line. However, grip in the wet never felt sure-footed and tire slippage under acceleration only required moderate lean angles. Because of this most in the group, myself included, were reluctant to push the limits.
Tire performance, especially in the wet, is claimed to last significantly longer than its Diablo Strada predecessor with improved mileage to boot. That being said, the Angel ST is being touted as a fashion statement as much as it is a performance accessory. And while dry grip is decent, the sport touring segment has some stiff competition. Competition, we feel, that's more focused on performance than marketing gimmicks.-T.S.