tyres
The bike comes preloaded with Pirelli MT 60 RS with
an 18 inch front wheel and 17 inch rear. They are
meaty looking things with a strong tread that does
beg for a green lane or fire track to play on. I was
more than happy with their performance on the
tarmac and they gave ample confidence to lean in
and out of the corners.
The tyres have been specifically designed for the
Scrambler and feature a chunkier tread with
varying-sized tread elements, providing a multi-
pitch design instead of the single-pitch of the
original tyre. Pirelli says this results in a significant
decrease in the land/sea ratio and a greater contact
surface. The said benefits of these tweaks include a
reduction in braking distance and greater stability
both in the straight and when leaning in curves.
Finally, thanks to the multi-pitch tread design, the
noise generated by the tyre rolling on asphalt is
significantly decreased compared to the original MT
60 RS.
Upgrades to the tyre are completed by the use of
new compounds; on the front a balanced silica/
carbon black compound derived directly from the
Diablo Ross II has been used, and Pirelli says this
provides a dynamic ride and a high level of grip on
both wet and dry surfaces. On the rear, a high silica
content sport touring compound has been used to
ensure good mileage and a high level of grip in the
wet.
The MT 60 RS is now a radial carcass construction
meaning that the patented technology enables the
structure of both front and rear tyre to be achieved
using a radial carcass and a single layer belt made of
steel. Depending on the rolling direction of the tyre,
the belt is wound circumferentially around the
carcass giving an angle close to 0°.
The advantages of the use of steel are its extremely
high rigidity and the possibility to tune the winding
spacing thus differentiating the stiffness distribution
from shoulder to crown. Sounds simple enough
right?