Motorcycle tire test 2013 Pirelli Angel GT

For the launch of its Angel, Dunlop put dishes in the - very - large and offers us as a theater of this presentation spearhead the Italian Navy: the aircraft carrier Cavour. Press conference halls operational briefing, lunch at the officers' mess and wet braking test on the flight deck is the first half-day of this trial. The next day we will have four sessions on the circuit handling the technical center of Nardo. In short, what this somewhat tortured Pirelli Angel GT and take your eyes!

Salute

Upon entering this giant metal - 220 meters long and 27 000 tonnes! - What the Cavour, we say we are lucky because it is very rare for civilians to walk the bridge of this type of warship. The rise of the flight by the aircraft elevators way Top Gun deck, with guest star Giacomo Agostini, impress your guests!
front of us, Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS equipped with Pirelli Angel GT, the runway covered with seawater and the Admiralty fleet. It throws! This workshop will consist of a braking test from 90 to 0 km / h in the wet, just to gauge progress in this area by the Pirelli Angel GT compared to the Angel ST. In our comparison of tires Sports / GT, the latter effect, we had not convinced on this point. Investment in early bridge starting signal and go.

Apontage succeeded!

In the first run, the tires are cold, and that's a good thing to judge the immediate effectiveness of the Pirelli Angel GT. The benchmark braking force I grab with the right lever. Fork dive, the tire hits the tarmac and deceleration produced not long a net stop the machine. Good stability and little trigger anti-lock:. Lot
Second test, this time it is no restraint that I grab the brake: the same conclusion or almost the ABS kicks in but finally not much work to do, so hang it on the ground is good. The last attempt confirm the sensations and even if the strong grip of the flight deck and the non-uniform moisture benefit the Angel GT, progress, however, seems very real.

More stable Agile

Having had the chance to attend the start of the sea of Cavour (with its six diesel engines developing 100 000 ... horses!), Here we are now inside the technical center of Nardo. The weather is good, and among the great range of machines available, I head for my first session to a Yamaha FZ8 Fazer ABS. The first loops performed at a moderate pace highlight stability.
's Yamaha, although flexible set, not tacks at full load, although a small blur of the front is emerging in the fast curves. Nothing bad, but the feedback we lose the tire for a few seconds. Forcing the pace, one quickly reaches the limits of the machine, but not the tire. It is time to change horses for something more rigorous.

Big promotion on the grip

At the helm of the powerful and rigid Yamaha R1, I think now be able to push the Angel GT into a corner. And once the new pins similar track and the machine well in hand, I decided to attack. First observation, the light (and short) blur is still there, even if it is more discreet on the Yamaha superbike. The big left curve after the pit straight as we approach more than 250 km / h, which closes will be my test location during the day to highlight this phenomenon.
During heavy braking against by the front tire is perfect. The carcass crashes under duress, gum does not answer and you can start tipping the bike on the corner without a problem, as the transition is discreet profile, progressive. Another good point: the neutrality of the Pirelli Angel GT if the brake lever on the angle you catch. The bike just does not move. When I extirpate the turn, the heavy load of 4 cylinders crossplane happens to be lacking the excellent adhesion of the rear tire.
At full power zone and interim reports, the Pirelli Angel GT wins, but returns to its line with TCS traction control R1. Pressing the button a little muzzles and I support this, too intrusive for my taste, in the middle position. Now, sliding are more pronounced. The tire landed a blow, but the shifting movement is relatively small, before hanging up just as quickly, and leave the same way soon after. We then end up with a machine that moves a little around his steering column, but it is very healthy and it is not necessarily required to continue to ease. Even after a brisk session, no performance loss is a lament, consistency is good.

Lambada in German

Session Three: I go on a BMW R1200R to see if the technical features of the Bavarian roadster chassis adapts well to the new Pirelli. The front of the German Telelever reduces blur felt a little far, serenity is greater. The grip is still important, both at the front and rear, however even giving big blip when downshifting, the rear wheel locks and creates a lot of movement. A brake test on the angle when approaching a hairpin turn will cost me a good session lambada! Forcing the machine to its line, the motion stops, but this is not very reassuring, and I have to manage these scans - a much lesser extent, fortunately - throughout my session . I must say that I push the BMW in its farthest limits ... and two towers at a normal pace did not reveal the problem. 
To check if this is not the agreement toggle / Angel GT that problem, I take the keys of the Yamaha FJR 1300, another machine equipped with a transmission shaft. After a phase of grip, I take the Yamaha GT tease Pirelli. Despite its heavy weight, the FJR is left lead with ease and comfort - thank you progressive profile Angel GT! - And it does not take long to arrive after the ground clearance of the machine. The footrest rub with love bitumen and soft suspensions require the bike waves full load in large curves. Short stall / hang-recorded with R1 earlier in the day can be found here accentuated by the inertia of the moving mass, but again this is very healthy and it feels safe.

Conclusion: A significant improvement to be confirmed on the road

Difficult to find fault with the new Pirelli Angel GT on this presentation. The grip is important, both in the front and the rear, the announced escalation is there and the DNA of the sport certainly this brand. Only a small reservation on the little fuzzy felt largely prevents the curve to the no-fault (in the dry) but once seated on the corner, nothing to say. The wet grip seems to have made a leap forward, but only one test in more normal conditions will confirm (the grip with a flight deck of aircraft carrier is not quite the same as our roads!)