PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires
So that we, journalists of the leading motorcycle publications of many countries, are imbued with the importance of what is happening, Pirelli representatives first of all held a presentation of the new Diablo Rosso tire - “Red Devil”. We were shown an interesting film about the 100-year history of Pirelli in the world of motor sports, about victories from 1907 to 2007. There have been many victories. But here is what I noted - the Italians completely forgot to mention an important achievement: for many years the company has been a mono-supplier of sports tires for the World Superbike Championship, and since 2007, the authoritative one - the British Superbike Championship. The intrigue is that in England there is "its own tire worker" - Dunlop, historically he held a very strong position. And they managed to beat such a colossus on his field!
PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires
After the film, the developers said that the ideology of the new product is passion, because it is inherent in man, and not a soulless technical characteristic. I must clarify that in the name of the tire is a game of concepts: Rosso means not only “red”, but also “passion”. The Italians also have other truly national associations associated with the concept of Rosso - the “red” Ducati and Ferrari. And at the same time, the organizers of the test drew attention to the fact that the new tire was developed taking into account the wishes and advice of ordinary motorcyclists collected from around the world. Last year, Pirelli tests were conducted in a total of 3600 hours, testers rolled over one million kilometers. Pirelli Diablo Rosso is positioned mainly as road rubber for sportbikes with engine sizes of 600 and 1000 cm, but also for motorcycles of the Naked class: the tire is 85% road, but the “remaining” 15% will provide you with pleasure from pokatushek on the track. And here is a digital expression of the advantages of the new tire compared to the previous one: grip on the slope improved by 5%, by 7% when braking, and 10% when accelerating out of the corner. Diablo Rosso, developers said, absorbed all the best that Pirelli embodied in previous models - the road Diablo and sports Diablo Superbike. You will notice their features in the tread pattern: individual grooves in shape resemble the Japanese Katan sword. Another feature is the patented technology of Italian tire workers Zero Degrees ("Zero degree"). The “cunning” cord provides greater carcass rigidity and at the same time the maximum possible contact patch between the tire and the road surface in any incline, and also gives stability to braking.
It’s important for the masses of Russian motorcyclists, and here’s what: the sizes of the “Red Devil” cover the “four hundred” class, which is very popular in our country. The troubles of the owners of small-sized "Japanese", always worried about the question of where to get the rear cylinder, are simplified: Rosso will produce both the "150th" and "160th" widths!
It all sounds so that at least take the bus and hang it in the red corner (well, here it is again red). But that’s what journalists are to trust, but to check. And when we were asked to ask questions, all as one with jokes-jokes said: what to ask there (they say, enough words) - we will test the “devil” in action.
It’s not for nothing that the wise advise: don’t call the name the devil - you’ll cry out: he’s right there. In the morning, when we fully assembled in front of the hotel, where Diablo Rosso shod motorcycles were waiting for us, the devil was clearly circling somewhere nearby. The air temperature collapsed to + 4 °, the sky was cloudy, raindrops changed the color of asphalt in the color of our near future. “Cheered up" and test instructors. When they had already given everyone a detailed map of the route, emergency phone numbers, they explained: if any of us manages to get lost or get lost, then he needs to go there.
And the ride went again … The instructors and the most advanced fellow students on the move took such a crazy pace that only a feeling of patriotism (read, fear of screwing up) made me turn off the gas to the fullest … When I finished, I realized: it’s good that everything turned out that way. In harsh conditions, I was able to feel all those properties of the tire, which Pirelli engineers talked about.
Rubber heats up very quickly. I emphasize, not quickly, but very quickly. On the serpentines of Catalonia, we had to “swim over” not only puddles, but also small mountain streams of yellow color (the water was painted with clay washed off the rocks). A wildly slippery cocktail, I'll tell you! Here it became clear how the "rain component" of the tire works. On the front, the drainage grooves go to the very edge of the wheel - they provide a “dry” track, passing along which the rear balloon clings to the road. The sensations during the passage of "water barriers" in the slope are unambiguous: excellent feedback and reliable grip.
PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires PIRELLI Diablo Rosso, tires
Having descended from the serpentine between the towns of Tosa and Lore de Mar, we got to the embankment, reminiscent of the famous Cote d'Azur: calm, unusually beautiful sea, unhurried people, open cafes, expensive cars … And the sun just appeared on you! Having admired all this charm (and, I admit, myself in the reflection of shop windows), I did not notice that all our cavalcade had already stopped in front of the “red” traffic light. It was then that the Italian "Red Devil" with all the passion demonstrated what stability is under braking: the track from the locked front wheel was no more than a meter. But it was enough to stick into the ass of the beauty Aprilia Tuono - she was piloted by an Australian journalist. To be exact, I managed, not aiming, to come to his foot. But since the braking was even, and I already touched it "at the end", I didn’t get anything from him, except for the cheerful squint of the colleague’s eyes and the thumb raised up (well done, they say!) Or he out of kindness of soul did not want to upset?..
Next, we were waiting for a stunning mountain serpentine, over the twists of which, probably, the same demon worked. But he helped the Italians with the development of the Pirelli Diablo Rosso! So everything went superclass.
Upon returning to Moscow, I tried, with words and fingers, to convey to my motorcycle friends all the extreme sports and ecstasy that I tasted in the mountains of Catalonia. But, I must admit, the story came out rather faded compared to what I experienced in Spain. Words are powerless - this must be experienced. I’ll say one thing for sure: it’s Diablo Rosso, the rubber, thanks to which I remember the infernal serpentine with enthusiasm, on my personal road bike.
The finale of the trip - the track “Catalunya”, well-known by MotoGP, one of the best in the world. Finally, I was lucky: after the first “wet” session, the sun came out and the coating soon dried out.
What to say? It was not a race - the pursuit of pleasure. Rubber allowed him to catch up, and forgetting about everything, we drank the incomparable thrill of piloting with tanks. With each lap, every turn you drive faster and faster, slow down all the time, “open” everything earlier, almost don't feel how the suspension works - the motorcycle rushes like on rails. But the tires in the hard test mode passed along the roads and already here, on the track, several hundred kilometers, but behaved like new.
