Diablo Rosso ll tires

[quadcrazy]

Hey guys, i was wondering if anyone has any experience with these tires. Not necessarily on the ninja 300 but any experience at all. I'm in desperate need of doing my first tire change. Also any other recommended tires? All I basically do is street riding. Mostly commuting to and from work but I love joy riding every now and then taking corners and what not.

Thanks!

[csmith12]

You could say a few of us use these. They are not really a commuting tire though. About a 6k lifespan, give or take, the front a bit more. I feel there might be better choices for you, a compromise between mileage and grip. What is more important to you?

[Bentley813]

They are highly recommended. They are probably the first choice of more members than not here.

[quadcrazy]

Originally Posted by csmith12

You could say a few of us use these. They are not really a commuting tire. About a 6k lifespan, the front a bit more. I feel there might be better choices for you, a compromise between mileage and grip. What is more important to you?

I am honestly not too concerned with mileage. I don't commute far, my joy rides end up being much more distance than I ever commute. I would prefer the confidence in the grip over getting more mileage. I've got 6800 miles on the OEM tires now and I'm more than satisfied with that. So I take it you like the tires?

[JohnnyBravo]

Everyone loves the diablo2
Diablo 2 thread
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=93241

All you ever wanted to know about these bikes and those tires

[csmith12]

Yes, I do like them very much. If your like me and care more about grip and twisty riding, at the expense of straight line mileage then you can't really go wrong with the rosso's. Honestly though, don't rule out other options just yet upon my review though, tire preferences are such a fickle thing. A set of dual compound tires may fit your riding habits much better vs. the rosso's. Maybe a tire that has a harder center compound and sticky edges would serve you well?

If memory serves me right, Lake worth is in FL right?

[quadcrazy]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Yes, I do like them very much. If your like me and care more about grip and twisty riding, at the expense of straight line mileage then you can't really go wrong with the rosso's. Honestly though, don't rule out other options just yet upon my review though, tire preferences are such a fickle thing. A set of dual compound tires may fit your riding habits much better vs. the rosso's. Maybe a tire that has a harder center compound and sticky edges would serve you well?

If memory serves me right, Lake worth is in FL right?

You got it, I'm in Florida. I will definitely do some more research before making a final decision but this thread is proving to be very positive toward those tires. Would you mind explaining what a "dual compound" tire is? Like any advantages or disadvantages?

[JohnnyBravo]

Hard in the center sticky on the sides... Keeps your tires from squaring off down long straight roads, has plenty of stick for the corners

Advantage more tire life, with less squaring off
I know in Jacksonville fl you would be hard pressed to need diablo2's. y'all have plenty of twistes, mountains, canyons, and track days in lake worth?

[fast1075]

Hey, Flaw'da has a curve. All 21,458 sportbike riders here line up every Sunday to have a go at it. Actually we do have a few twisties in my neck of the woods.

[csmith12]

Have a peek at the "Similar Threads" section at the bottom of the thread, some good stuff in there.

Here too.

A dual compound tire has 2 zones, a harder compound in the center for your straight line mileage and a softer/grippy compound on the sides for cornering performance. Basically what Harper and I said.

You can also mix tires to get the best of both worlds. You could.... go with a rosso front and bt45 rear for mileage. Food for thought.

[CC Cowboy]

The best Florida tires (Michelin Pilot Road 3 or 4) don't come in Ninjette sizes. The smallest are 150s.

I go through a Pirelli every 2500 miles but they are very safe tires for my riding style.

[old3]

I'll put it plainly, if you rode on the stock IRCs for that many miles with no complaints you are shopping tires in a grade way above your needs. My advice is to try a few tires that are better than the IRCs but not as performance bred as the DR2.

I'm running a little known brand, Duro HF918, super cheap and the street performance is excellent. They are far better in feel and grip than the IRCs, so I doubt you'd have any problem with them.

I replaced the IRCs at 400 miles as they were just numb to me. They gave no sign they were letting go, then they were gone. The Duros give good feel, so you know when they will slide, and they do it very controlled. Easy to read. They lack the ultimate grip of my Conti Force SM race tires I ran the first replacement, but they are around 85% of those track tires IMO.

$125 shipped for front and rear together!

[quadcrazy]

After doing more research I'm actually leaning towards the battleax bt45s. They just make more sense for the style of riding I do. Will these tires at least provide the confidence in gripping the corners that I get out of the stock tires? (Which isn't a whole lot)

[csmith12]

bt45s "should" feel better & outperform than the stockers in the corners. The confidence part is up to you.

[quadcrazy]

Originally Posted by csmith12

bt45s "should" feel better & outperform than the stockers in the corners. The confidence part is up to you.

I really appreciate yours and everyone else's help in this thread! This will be my last question I promise. Maybe haha. But what would be the advantage of putting a DRll on the front instead of using both bt45's? Would it really make a noticeable difference? And how so?

Thanks again!

[Alex]

Not a great idea to mix those two tires. For one thing, it's a radial design up front and a bias-ply in the rear. The general rule is to never mix those two tire constructions on one bike, but there are exceptions every once in awhile. In terms of what could happen, cruising down the road straight up and down will cause no issues with just about any tire combination. But as the cornering loads and lean angles ramp up, the behavior of the bike as it gets closer to the limits can be unpredictable.

[quadcrazy]

Originally Posted by Alex

Not a great idea to mix those two tires. For one thing, it's a radial design up front and a bias-ply in the rear. The general rule is to never mix those two tire constructions on one bike, but there are exceptions every once in awhile. In terms of what could happen, cruising down the road straight up and down will cause no issues with just about any tire combination. But as the cornering loads and lean angles ramp up, the behavior of the bike as it gets closer to the limits can be unpredictable.

Great advice! Thanks!

[old3]

Originally Posted by quadcrazy

After doing more research I'm actually leaning towards the battleax bt45s. They just make more sense for the style of riding I do. Will these tires at least provide the confidence in gripping the corners that I get out of the stock tires? (Which isn't a whole lot)

You can spend more $ but I'm betting you are getting a tire about equal to the Duro I suggested.

I'm glad you noticed the confidence issue with the IRCs. That means you can benefit from a tire with more feel and grip. I've had the Duros in summer temps, hard use mountain roads, fast gravel/dirt and now winter with salt and gravel on cold tar. Very predictable, a lil greasy when ice cold but so is everything else. They slide very smoothly and let you feel where they will let go.

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

The best Florida tires (Michelin Pilot Road 3 or 4) don't come in Ninjette sizes. The smallest are 150s.

I go through a Pirelli every 2500 miles but they are very safe tires for my riding style.

I think people have mounted up the 150s on the PR3 with no issue. Its actually a narrow 150 on the inner mounting width according to dennis kirk or some site like that (I can't remember lol)

I would not want to run the 150s at track/race speeds but would likely find little issue with the profile of a 150 on a PR3 or sport touring tire that gets moderate hard use.

But then again I only have experience on the BT16 120/150

[cbinker]

I have a set for track days, only one day on them, so not much to compare them to, it was also my first time at that track. they seemed to grip real well. but i would have to use them on a track i am familiar with to notice any difference.