Modern Vespa

Two years ago I bought front and rear standard Pirelli tires for my GT. But the front tire had a fair amount of life left in it so I decided to leave the old one on. A new Pirelli Diablo rear tire arrived today and is ready for installation. The front tire is also worn enough to where replacement seems necessary. But I'm wondering now if having the standard Pirelli tire on the front is a good idea. Most of my riding is around town but I do occasionally get out on the mountain roads that surround this area. Whadda ya think?

Many folks, including myself, prefer to change both with the same brand at thee same time.. But I may be the exception to the rule

I wouldn't hesitate to run them as a mismatched set. It's not like you're running a bias ply on the front and a radial on the back. It's likely little more than a different tread pattern. I have run different front/rear tires on my bikes for years and never had a problem.

-Craig

I've done it on one of my Harleys and suffered no ill effects. One of my BILs is a PHD-holding accident investigator (and he is good; he could study the scene of a two-boat collision in the middle of a lake, and tell you who did what just by examining the the leftover tracks) and he always insists that doing so is a very bad idea......he just can't tell me why.

Like Craig stated above, though, I don't think it would be very groovy to mix and match steel-belted radials with those that ain't.

I think the difference might be just tread pattern. But when the Diablo arrived the first thing I noticed was the depth of the tread. It seems like it's about double that of the older, standard Pirelli tire. I've always felt like there wasn't much tread on a new scooter tire anyway and before I knew it the tire was worn down and needed to be replaced again. That's with the rear ones but not so much the fronts. I didn't think to mention it before but I wonder if the Diablo has a softer rubber compound?

Is the older tire down to the wear bars yet?

Well I appreciate the input. No one dredged up a horror story about a former MV poster still fondly remembered who should have listened to sage advice. I'll just go with the equipment on hand. What, me worry?

Come on... Some of us ride on a rear car tire. And it is definitely not the same model as the front one

Jah,
I believe you.

The condition and age of the tyre is much more important than the tread pattern or make. Tyres have a date code on them so if you don't trust your own judgement about the rubber condition, that is to say you are not sure whether it has started to harden, crumble, or crack, then go by the date stamp and change it when its five years old or more.

I ride my scooter like a sport bike, hard cornering, hard on the brakes. Be good if the front and back tires react the same way when stressed. Particularly in wet weather. If you are just toddling around town, then anything that keeps the rims off the ground will work. Even tires of the same type (radial or bias) can have different construction details that will cause them to behave differently. Riding at 5/10, the differences won't show up. RIding at 8/10, likely they will.

Keep in mind that you have two relatively small contact patches between you and the hospital. I personally prefer not to conduct R&D on tire behavior.

+1
I'm riding on mixed brand on my TMAX and taking it very easy until the front is worn out in about two thousand more miles. The Pirelli Diablo is ready to go on the front then!

I started this thread about 18 months ago. I had just received two new Pirelli Diablo tires. I was reminded of it when I saw a recent thread by Jim McClain about being nervous about cornering.

The first week of June a year ago I put the scoot down on a routine left turn on city streets right near my house. I was leaned into it a bit but not excessively. The rear tire just gave way. I suppose there could have been oil, but there was nothing visible a day or so later. And I didn't see sand or gravel. I haven't taken a sharp corner since and I take that particular turn like an old woman.

So I've just been wondering since then whether anyone else has had issues with these same tires? It's wet and cool here a good part of the year so the riding season is underway but with fits and starts. While I am getting around town it is somewhat gingerly. I keep wondering if those tires need to go away.

These are some what performance tires, was the tire warm or still cold when you went down. If you hadn't ridden a few miles they may have just been cold.

Probably less than two miles of riding and not more than 75 degrees about mid morning. So you may be right.

I am always right, you just have to ask the right question and my answer will be correct

I'll keep that in mind

After reading the thread on the Pirelli Angels that may be my next purchase. A hot day here is pretty much a normal day in much of the rest of the country. It's going to be 88 degrees here today. A relative scorcher. People here wither away when it hits 100, me included. So having a tire that performs best when it's warm or maybe hot will be a continuing safety issue.

Probably cold tires. Also watch for them dang painted lines/cross walk strips as those things tend to be super slippery. Also in my city there are always manhole covers in the absolute worst freaking places.

Then in the fall and winter we have free citywide leaf collection. All you have to do is rake your leaves into the street and the street suckers will get em. That means almost all neighborhood city streets are insanely dangerous for most of the fall and winter.

I hear you on all counts. We may live in sister cities