Pirelli Sport demon...what do you know?

[RJprod]

I reach the point where I need to change my tires.. A couple of weeks ago I change the rear with the kenda 570 I believe. I've read that it was a good commuter/touring tire. It made a hell of difference than stock.

Now that I wanna change my front one, I kinna want something that's good on performance, got good grips both in dry and wet surface. I've been reading good reviews about the sport demon.

But speaking from experience, how does the sport demon feels to you? I don't mind if it only lasts 5000 miles, as long as it will make a difference in the twisties. that's good enough for me..

[rojoracing53]

Sorry I've never run the sport demons but a great rear tire and grips like crazy and last for days is the stock rear tire on the ninja 300. IRC road winner 140

[FvnnyL3tt3r1ng]

I am running the sport demons right now and I seem to skid more often than the dunlops but I like this tire better nonetheless. I wouldn't describe it as sticky but probably grips better than a lot of tires out there.

[RJprod]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Sorry I've never run the sport demons but a great rear tire and grips like crazy and last for days is the stock rear tire on the ninja 300. IRC road winner 140

I already changed my rear one, a couple of weeks ago.

[RJprod]

Originally Posted by FvnnyL3tt3r1ng

I am running the sport demons right now and I seem to skid more often than the dunlops but I like this tire better nonetheless. I wouldn't describe it as sticky but probably grips better than a lot of tires out there.

How is it in the turns compared to the stock one?

[Kyle602]

I put a set of Sport Demons on a pre gen that I was getting ready to sell.
I did a short hop on the backroads to test.
They felt very good to me, very predictable and planted, I didn't push them all that hard but enough to get a pretty good feel for them.
I would buy them again!
Having a different tire / profile front to rear may change the way it may feel on your bike.
KK

[Alex]

The SD's were my favorite tire on pre-gen bikes.

[Solunatic]

I'm partial to the BT45's, I like their profile. My next set will be sport demons though, since everyone raves about them.

My only useful input is that i wouldn't run that kenda with the pirelli due to differences in tire profile/shape.

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Solunatic

I'm partial to the BT45's, I like their profile. My next set will be sport demons though, since everyone raves about them.

My only useful input is that i wouldn't run that kenda with the pirelli due to differences in tire profile/shape.

Please don't confuse info

Mixing different profiles doesn't = bad
Mixing different profiles doesn't = different

And in many cases it can be a better difference. The only reason most people run the same tire front in rear is because that's what we are told is right by someone else who was also told by someone else, or we are told by the tire makers that they should be used together because that way they sell two tires and not just one.

As long as the tires have a similar purpose like dual sport, touring, racing, off road then you can mix and match them to suit your preference.

[RJprod]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Please don't confuse info

Mixing different profiles doesn't = bad
Mixing different profiles doesn't = different

And in many cases it can be a better difference. The only reason most people run the same tire front in rear is because that's what we are told is right by someone else who was also told by someone else, or we are told by the tire makers that they should be used together because that way they sell two tires and not just one.

As long as the tires have a similar purpose like dual sport, touring, racing, off road then you can mix and match them to suit your preference.

Thnx for clearing that up.. I was getting a lil worried about having two different type of tires on the bike..

[Snake]

I now only run SD's on my bike and I love them. They handle the twisties very well and instill confidence in the bike.

[Lychee]

I am currently running sport demons on my pregen (F-Gen) and my next tire will definitely be something different. I felt the back end squirm on the very first turn I took after mounting them. Granted that the tires were cold and new, I still expected more from a tire in a low speed left hander accelerating from a red light. That didn't inspire confidence from the get go and may have biased my current opinion. I have also heard that the tire has a low upper temperature limit that is obtainable in high speed cornering on the street. In other words, the tire can overheat! So be aware and if your riding skills are good enough to bring them up to temperature, let them rest periodically. Otherwise, the tire has performed well, so who knows I may come back to them after trying a different set. I think my next choice will either be a lasertec front and GT501 rear or a set of bt 45's. One good thing about the sport demons is that they last for awhile and I don't think I will have to change them for some time.

[Solunatic]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

The only reason most people run the same tire front in rear is because that's what we are told is right by someone else who was also told by someone else.

See, this is what I've been told about street bikes from the beginning. Thanks for correcting my bad advice!

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by Solunatic

See, this is what I've been told about street bikes from the beginning. Thanks for correcting my bad advice!

Don't worry as a professional racer for 6 years here and in Europe I was under the same impression until I teamed up with a rider sponsored by Michelin and couldn't run my Dunlops because his tire rep was watching him like a hawk. So we ran seperate tires until there was a red flag and logistic chaos so I got suck with a Michelin front and Dunlop rear. I was hesitant for a couple laps but soon I was lapping at the same speeds even with the tire noticeable different in its feel. Like I said it wasn't bad, it was just different.

I currently have a Michelin radial front racing tire and a bias-ply IRC road tire(oem ninja 300 tire) on my 250 and couldn't be happier with it.

[Aggrotech]

@rojoracing should rly make a thread and have it stickied when it comes to the mixing/matching of tires. That would probably save alot of headache and double posts/threads. Was about to make a tire thread a few weeks back until i ran into one of your posts talking about how that both tires have to match is BS.

that being said..i still dont know what tires i want

[Lychee]

You can grab as many opinions as you can from talking to people / the internet / ninja 250 FAQ, but in the end every rider is different and how each tire is evaluated is also different. You may be able to eliminate a few from common opinions, but the only way you will really know is to try each tire yourself. Yes, throw money at the problem. Roll the dice. Make a list and point at one with your eyes closed. Have your non motorcycle friend pick one. Buy one of those power ball tickets with random numbers and buy the tire with its model number most closely spelled out on the ticket.

[slickt0mmy]

I've heard great things about the SD's, and I'm sure you wouldn't go wrong in getting them. My decision was either between those or the BT45's. Turns out that my local shop didn't have either of them and I ended up getting some Shinko 005's installed. I've been very happy with them so far. They took me on a trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway, ending on the Tail of the Dragon without so much as a hiccup. And they were about half the price of SD's

[quicklooker]

I just put some Kendas on my pregen to replace the crappy Dunlops and I couldnt believe the increase in handling. My GF has old Dunlops on hers and it's like trying to turn with square tires.

[n4mwd]

I have used pirelli sport demons and they are really good tires. They will last a little bit longer than the pirelli diablo scooters. There are not many tires worse than the stock dunlops.

My bike came with the stock dunlops and I was having a great deal of trouble cornering. I even rebuilt my forks thinking that was the problem. When I switched to pirelli's, it was like night and day. Cornering was suddenly a breeze.

I got about 10K with the sport demons and about 7K with the scooters. They stick about the same, but the demons are a little bit better IMHO.