Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II: track, road and wet, the tire that does everything well? [Test 2018]

The perfect opportunity
Long tire tests are not easy to organise, given that the press media remain in the editorial office for only a few weeks and that, even the tests organized by the manufacturers, last a maximum of a few tens of kilometres. Since talking about tires and doing it correctly is not trivial, it was a stroke of luck to have the bike of one of our journalists available, moreover with the previous generation of tire that we were preparing to fit. It is a Ducati Monster 796, without ABS and modern electronic controls, so from certain points of view a good test bed for our purpose.

Its air-cooled "L" twin-cylinder delivers 87 horsepower, not a lot, but the fact that the bike is used daily, as well as for trips and longer journeys, without fear of rain or cold, has made it more interesting. In fact, the "right tire" would have been the Diablo Rosso III, which we have already had the opportunity to test in the past (here you find our article), but seeing as they were freshly launched, the Diablo Rosso Corsa II could be an interesting solution for our Alessio's bike. They became so especially after receiving the first feedback from Pirelli. We were intimidated by the excessive sportiness of a product that shares many of its technical characteristics with "track" tires such as the Diablo Supercorsa SP and SC. What we were told, however, is that, although the Diablo Rosso Corsa II are also perfect for a session on the track, they can also be a 360° road product, which is not afraid of even the rain or the temperatures of the less mild seasons.

Track and wet, opposite elements that coexist very well
Let's take a step back and talk about how the new Diablo Rosso Corsa II is born. They are the evolution of the tyre, which is precisely what equips the bike in our test, which dared quite a bit upon its debut, effectively creating a new type of product. Combining the use, even if sporadic, of a motorbike on the track, with the daily use that can involve a trip in the rain, is not exactly the simplest thing in the world. Pirelli tried it for the first time with the Diablo Rosso Corsa, which raised the bar on their debut and were taken as a reference by the main competitors who, gradually, followed this new path. Now Pirelli raises the bar again and does so thanks to research, but also thanks to the experience that comes from being the sole supplier in the World Superbike championship. Compounds, more than one as we will see, grooves on the tread and casing, these are the elements that define the characteristics of a tyre.

Silica for cold and water, Carbon Black for pure performance
A racing slick tire is made largely of Carbon Black. It is a polymer that makes up the compound, capable of offering the best performance on dry asphalt, perhaps on the track and with optimal temperatures. Silica, on the other hand, is known in the more road and tourism sectors, it is able to "digest" cold and water, to the point that it is also used in quantity for winter covers in the automotive sector. How these two compounds, so different from each other, can interact has been discovered in recent years. In addition to a mix with percentages of both, what has also started to be used in competitions is the double, even triple compound. What is it about? For those who don't know, for years tires have been used that have a central band that is more suitable for releasing power without deteriorating too quickly, while on the lateral portion of the tread a different compound is used, with greater grip, given that it is used only at high lean angles and, therefore, only for curves and covering a limited area of ​​a track. Similarly to the track, this concept remains valid on the road too, with the appropriate differences. In addition to durability, wet grip also counts in tourist use, for example. Thus the new Diablo Rosso Corsa II uses central areas with 100% silica, while the percentage of Carbon Black increases on the shoulders. The front tire has two compounds and therefore three zones (the central one and the two symmetrical side ones), while the rear has even three compounds and five zones. The front rests on the central portion up to creases with an angle of 30°-35° (where it reaches even with wet asphalt), while the rear uses the same central compound as the front on the first portion of the shoulders, with the central area optimized for mileage. The silica drops to around 70% and with this solution the new Diablo Rosso Corsa II promises to last up to 20% longer than the old generation. Beyond the lean angle of 30°-35°, similarly to the front, the three-compound rear also uses a compound richer in Carbon Black and suitable for track bends, or for decidedly sporty driving on the road.

Same design, but evolved
Looking at them they are very similar to their "ancestors", in reality if the shape of the grooves is almost the same, what has been evolved is the thickness of the tread that is involved. Given that they are rather extreme in the full/void ratio, with the latter present on approximately 6% of the tread, with a legal limit for road approval of 4%, in the central part we find areas of voids that are deeper and more capable to let the water flow away, while as you go down in lean the tire becomes more and more similar to a slick. All this is combined with a rather rigid carcass, perfect for guaranteeing very high grip and driving precision. The transition from one compound to another in the various areas has also been optimized compared to the past. Pirelli has in fact used what it defines as the Continuous Compound Process, which should guarantee more uniform wear over time and without the classic "steps".

The result? On the track they don't perform badly at all
Having described all the "magic" of these new Diablo Rosso Corsa II, let's move on to the concrete part of our test. On the track the tire proved to be perfectly comfortable for him. Of course, the power involved is a fraction of what current super sports bikes can deploy, but these tires offer excellent results in terms of precision, immediate feeling and precision. The performance gap, compared to specific products for the track, is limited and does not at all affect the possibility of double use of the motorbike, without the inconvenience of having to change tyres/wheels. It is not even necessary to lower the pressure (Pirelli even advises against going below 2.5 bar) or the use of tyrewarmers. A few turns and the grip is almost immediately at the level at which it is confirmed later.

On the road they surprise
With the premise of such interesting results on the track, thinking of using the same bike, with the same "shoes", even on the road and in the wet, intimidated us a little. In reality, continuous evolution in the tire sector, where Pirelli is not for nothing one of the most important competitors, has led to an impressive result. The Diablo Rosso Corsa II guarantee an excellent result in terms of mileage, but at the same time they perform well in every context and on hot and perfect asphalt, or wet and cold. Thanks to polymers resulting from intense and very long research and development processes, but not only. They didn't disappoint us even with heavy rain, where we gradually raised the bar, without ever being put in difficulty. A tire that's fun on the track and with which you can face a downpour with peace of mind, perhaps it's the first time we've tried it. Furthermore, we say this by trustingly believing in what we have read and heard from the Pirelli technicians, excellent for a motorcycle of medium displacement and power like this Ducati Monster 796 with less than 90 horsepower, but capable of managing even more than that in the best possible way. 200 horsepower of a modern super sports car.

We close with the measurements, the Diablo Rosso Corsa II are now available with the classic 120/70 ZR 17 front, while for the rear we find 6 sizes, testifying to the ability to adapt to Superbikes with the "200", but also medium bikes with a “160”:
200/55 ZR 17 M/C (78W) TL
190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL
180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL
180/60 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL
160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL