Does anyone have experience with the new Pirelli Night Dragon Tires? I ride an '06 RKC and am interested in them. thanks!!!

 

i was also looking at them for my 01 fxdl...after reading some reviews and information online i decided i would go with something else...their website says you can expect 6-8000 miles on a set...didnt sound too good to me after that.......

 

that seems to be the consensus. what did you go with? (not that I am unhappy with the stock tires, but I am always looking at how to make things better) thanks....

 

i ordered a set of michelin commanders from motorcycle superstore..$237.98 to my door...they are supposed to be here today..

 

let us know how you like them. I am a few months away from a purchase. thanks again!

 

That's just the point. The Night Dragon is a high-performance motorcycle tire designed for use on cruisers.

Pirelli already has a "bread & butter" cruiser/touring tire with their Metzeler brand, the ME880 Marathon. Why be redundant?

The tire's intended application is for aggressive street riding; you know, guys who like to scrape their pegs and so on and so forth.

According to all the press about the tire. the new tire's design allows for increased grip without a major change in tread compounds; this means that the tire has only marginally less treadlife versus an ME880, for example. Not so much a sacrifice as it could have been if Pirelli had to resort to using softer compounds, like that of a sportbike-type.

Pre-production reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, so I would say give it some time and give the tire a chance. It won't be a tire for everyone. If you don't consider yourself an aggressive rider, why get the Night Dragon when you can get an ME880 or another tire? No sense in that. But if you want the grippiest cruiser tire around, my guess is that the Night Dragon (for the time being, at least) will be it.

Pirelli has a stellar reputation with supersport and sport touring tires (anybody that follows motorcycle racing would see how many riders are winning with Pirellis on their bikes the past few years, World Superbike in particular, as Pirelli is the exclusive supplier through the 2012 season). Now some of that technology has finally trickled down into the cruiser market. I think that is a welcome change!


Cheers

 

Good review on the Pirelli, I have wondered about them.. I probably install over 200 tires a year in my shop.. I find the Metzler 880's as the best all around tire for a harley. What most miss though is the increased air pressure required.. 45 rear and 40 front for the 140 and 130mm tires. Mileage is generally 20% better than others.. Tire pressure is the key. 98% if the bikes I service have low air pressure . This is critical to tire wear.

Stroker

 

I went from the stock Dunlops(the front tire was out of round from the factory), to Avons( the front tire grabbed every little crack on the road), to ME 880's. The ME 880 tires are awesome. The bike rides over all the cracks and divots without the slightest twitch and overall the bike handles excellent. Very much recommended!

 

Very well stated there, Prog Rocker~ Although I was under the impression that the Night Dragon is a mixed compound with the harder compound in the center and a softer compound on the sides~ Perty much like the Pilot Power 2CT that Micheline makes for the sport bikes~ Thus giving a lasting wear coupled with good grip in the corners..
I've been thinkin about getting a set for the Train~ I tend to ride that one in the corners pretty hard, myself~ I'll most likely still try out a set~ Even the Pilot Powers were said to get about the same milage mentioned above, but I had used them on my Busa, back in the day, and still got anywhere from 8-10k out of them before swaping out~ Then again, I don't mind sacrificing a few 'k' miles for peace of mind when it comes to grip in the corners~ It really does boil down to riding style as to how long they will last you.. in my opinion~

 

My understanding is that the Night Dragon is a single-compound tire.

Pirelli does make a dual-compound tire, called the Diablo Corsa III. But that is a tire meant for sport bikes for track day use.


Cheers