Do You Need Race Tyres? Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II Review 

This channel is sooo under-appreciated. Great video!

Yeah, make this same mistake on my bike.. throwing a pair of Dunlop Sportmaxx Alpha race tire for weekend use just because I can.. it is indeed an excellent tire. Until just recently, I changed it to a metzeler M7RR suggested by a friend who happened to be a good track rider.. He said that it'll actually handles and grip better for my style of riding.. and oh boy was he right. This "sport touring" tire warms up a lot faster and can tolerate wide range of road conditions.. the profile is a bit more narrow so flicking from side to side in tighter slower street corners is much easier and effortless. Absolutely not going to waste money to buy another pair of race tire unless I plan to use it all on track.

This guy makes a lot of sense when it comes to qualifying the tire to the rider. Excellent video.

Well done on this advice, only problem is to many riders fear of crashing will continue to make them think race rubber will keep them safer. Lots of riders like 650ib, all the gear and no idea

Should talk about tire profiles. Constant radius verses parabolic will really change how the bike feels and turns in. A parabolic profile will fall into the corner and feel more sketchy but faster to flick from side to side. A constant radius profile will feel more predictable. I changed from Pirelli Diablos to Bridgestone Battleaxe on a 748 and the feel was totally different immediately just due to profile.

OK I'm convinced, just ordered some! I was looking for something for a couple of days with Jamie Witham race school, the supercorsa's are near the end of their life and the weather looks variable. I've ridden on the supercorsa's in the wet. I have also rideden a bike in snow. Similar levels of grip confidence!! Thanks for another excellent quality video.

This video was very useful for me. I found your comments to be “with the feet on the ground”. I did on my bike track days with Super Corsa SP and since I chose Diablo Rosso III also did with those (well had to because didn’t want to spend on a race track set). Anyway want to say that I correlate with your conclusions about rider level and the theoretical limit of one’s performance vs. the feel on the tires. I concluded as well that yes could use slicks or the SBK’s Super Corsa but i would need more money and yet don’t have the level to have them perform for me and extract the most of it. So comes back to your comment yes, with these new generation of tires we are getting closer to a very good track day tire and on TOP a very decent street tire too. .... Would this be the END of the Super Corsa SP street??? The graphic speaks for itself.....

I've completed 3 track days on these tyres, 2 dry and one at Silverstone that started wet conditions and they felt good to me in all instances. Appear to be wearing nicely and they'll be staying on the bike for 3 days at cartargena in December. First tyre I've used on the track fitted to my SRAD 750. Also got them on my RSV4 which I did a couple sessions on in Silverstone and they handled the power of that bike nicely for my throttle habits. You won't be disappointed with this tyre if your like me and still finding your feet on the track and don't have wet wheels.

this was a really good video. thank you for the hard work you put into these videos. I look forward to your next video. I run a set of hypersport S20 evos, and on and off the track, I get great performance and wear out of them. they haven't let me down, and they heat up really quickly. its a good affordable tire, ( more on the lower side of the price scale ) but they work well for my application. extremely responsive.

I had the (original) Diablo Rosso Corsas and found them good when in perfect conditions with heat in the tyres but to be honest I wasn't overly impressed. I then went to Metzelar Sporteck M7RR and what a revelation! They warmed up quicker, felt grippier, better in less than ideal conditions, kept there profile throughout life of tyre and gave me more confidence. Now I am using the (newer) Diablo Rosso Corsa Il and find them even better! They seem to do everything the Metzelars did but better in everyway. What I do like though is the sportier profile that makes my bike feel more agile. They are great for the road and found them great on track too. What a wonderful tyre.

Your analysis is very good as I use the same tyre on a S1000RR and this is a 4th set. At higher temps they seem to wear quicker however I have had no issues with grip through the temp range and yes on the road even in the wet grip is good. I found that the correct pressures and suspension set up are a must as the tell tell signs of over and under pressures will show after a few laps. Very good tyres.

Earlier this year I replaced the worn Diablo Rosso Corsas on my bike with the Rosso Corsa IIs and have been very happy with them both on the street and the four track days I've done on them. They seem to hold a little better on the sides and have been wearing very well.

Got these on my 2009 R1 gone over 3300 miles on mine so far and still going strong, road riding only mostly on my weekly 330 mile a week commute on A roads. Good in all conditions and in 51k miles on this bike these are the best tyres for feel from the front.

I own an mt-07 which had bridgestone s23's on i was so afraid and could not trust my tires at all it's been six months since i have the rosso corsa ii's now and they still hold on and now i got the courage to go on tracks and im even an intermidiate on my way to become a racer It's a wonderfull pair of tires and honestly in my opinion worth every buck

Have Diablo II tires on my ktm duke and they are fantastic. I initially tested them in wet weather and found them to be very good at various speeds. Replaced the rear tire 3 times while going 24,000 miles on the front tire.

I ride intermediate over at pitt race. Some of the best pavement out here on the east coast. I swapped out the supercorsa SP's with the Rosso Corsa II's when i hit a nail on the rear. I run 6-10 track days a year and the durability and performance of these tires for the price is insane. I feel very confident at my skill level with these tires on my 765RS. Even in the wet I had very little to no issues even at steeper lean angles.

Sometimes choosing a more race focused tyre is not all about how sticky it is. Race tyres have more aggressive profiles more suitable for the track. That means that more portion of the tyre gets in contact with the tarmac while in lean and is easier and quicker to turn.

I really enjoy this series of videos giving short simple advice that newish track dayers like me can learn a lot from. The ”which tyre argument” has always fascinated me and it seems to be repeating in the comments here. I ride a BMW S1000R and generally do 3 or 4 track days in the UK per year plus 1 European track - 3 days at Portimao next month can’t wait . The tyres I use on track are Diablo Rosso III which as I’ve discovered watching this video are primarily a road tyre; nonetheless on track they warm up quickly, allow my bike to corner to the limit (foot pegs), stay planted on traction out of corners and brake hard without too much drama. Only when the tyres are getting worn does the rear start squirreling out of corners. Yet everyone tells me I need better tyres and of course tyre warmers, paddock stands, generator etc.… I’m a middle group rider and my track days are for fun only but I don’t understand the need for of more expensive stickier tyres if the Rosso III’s will let the bike and me go to the limit.

Just about to step up to these from Rosso 3's. Not sure if I reached the full potential of the Ross 3's but I don't really want to find the limit of any tyre on the street. I don't have a fancy bike with electronic aids. Very informative video mate. It just further fortified my decision to step up to the RC 2's. PS, always love your videos. They have helped me out a lot having only been road riding for about 3 years now.

I have a set of these waiting to be mounted on my CBR250R. I’ve been wearing out the new OEM IRC Road Winner tires that were mounted on it when I purchased this motorcycle used. I have to say I’m impressed by what I’ve been able to do on the OE tires during my first four track days. I got the rear tires blue on the edges and anticipate changing them out soon, but they buffed out nicely at the cooler event in early October…. Still lots of tread left too. (Please forgive my North American spelling/ I’m in California and it’s been really hot this summer and is cooling off nicely now)

Used a set of Bridgestone BT-016 tyres on both my gsxr and r6 for over a year now. I’m moderately fast on track so using these on the road I was sceptical but even these tyres were great enough for my riding pushing hard. No need for race tyres on a road bike .

Must say, I agree with what you say. I run Bridgestone BT016 pro's on my 2000 R6. More than good enough for the road and track in the medium group. If you're on race pace, use race rubber, if not, you're just wasting money. Keep up the very informative videos 👍

I run the same tire on my track bike. I love them. Great value. Totally agree with your review.

1:23 - The way you describe cold race tyres is spot on, it's a horrible feeling!

Couldn't help but feel like you were going around Barber - quite a few similar turns. As a side note, I agree with you. I couldn't get a new rear on my SV last year, so I took out my 2010 Multistrada S on Angel GT 2's, "won" I group, and they only flinched twice, both times on the second lap coming out of the slowest corner. I was stunned.

I love these tryes, iv have them on zx1400r Kawasaki, x 4 time full set, they are a beasts of grip in dry, as to rossi 111, they are great for wet weather more then the 2's, iv push them hard on winedy roads. They have amazing feed back and the g-forces as to cornering. They take so little time to heat up, say temp at 24 degrees, 10 mins at most. When i get off i test them, just placing my thumb on the outside radius and pressing down, hot feel and stick as. I recommend these types to anyone. Enjoy

Total novice here, got my first bike a couple of months ago (Kawasaki Z900) and just installed Michelin Power GPs based on online reviews and a well known bike prepper recommendation, will be testing them on the track in 2 weeks.

Your videos make me buy this setup. Road use and track use, suits perfect

These type videos are my favorite. I wish more people would test these street oriented tires and show that you don't need race tires if you ain't fast. I honestly wish someone fast would test the sport touring tires that I run(BattlAx T31). I ride way too many highway miles to run hyper sport tires even, and on the street they work great. I'm planning to run a track day on them in two weeks. But according to most people, they wouldn't even consider this type tire on the street.

This guy knows his stuff best track day info! Hands down wish he was in the USA! Great vid

I bought a Aprilia RS125 with these tires on, they were 300-400kph old and they were fantastic on the light 2 stroke😎 I went to a local industrial estate where there's a rectangle of left or right handlers, & on a Sunday morning i wore them in there with many laps each way , once warm they had a great level of grip and they lasted for 8,000miles , the front tyre actually got better grip the more it was worn ., 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 great tyres 👍🏼 next set I get is Pirelli diablo rosso lll 💪🏼

I love my Supercorsa Sv2's on my 2013 bmw s1000rr i recently upgraded to the Supercorsa SC1 on my track day at COTA. Amazing grip as long as you dont ride in the rain. On my 2017 s1000r im running the metzler k3 with a 200/55 rear, very nice grip on the sidewall and they heat up really fast with no warmers also did a track weekend at COTA with them.

I’ve done 3 track days at intermediate with Michelin road 5. They held up great.

Thank you for the extensive and very good review, been waiting for one around these tires for a while!

Great ! I have a new pair on my Bandit and haven't tried them out yet. Actually, The whole bike gets a go over this winter before I try them out. Old guy on a old bike ! Great laps too !

Great channel !! Youre totally right about over spending on race tyres.. I noticed you were riding at the Brands hatch Indy Circuit and doing 1 minute lap times. Usually at race level 46 to 50 seconds a lap should be possible on these tyres at the Indy circuit. Thats when the tyre quality trully starts to kick in. At this pace those tyres should last a long time..☺

I've been using the corsa 2's on my 04' zx10r since they came out and am still verry impressed with them. Only issue i have is running over the sides of the 190/55 , but the good thing is the loss of grip comes on clearly, and does not suprise you. Im going to try the 200/60 nest season and at least keep them on in 2020 before moving up.

Common error, seeing this at the track all the time. The common belief that a race tyre will help a "slower" rider makes me cringe, as they rarely get up to temp they were designed to work with. A cold race tyre will provide ample brown-moments for a beginner or even some intermediate group riders. Let alone the wear patterns ripping holes into the wallet. Thanks for another good video

One thing I've noticed as an expat to the USA is track temperature and it's affects on road biased tires. In the UK most tires stay in their window, infact sometimes it's tough to keep track tires warm because it rarely gets above 30c But over here road biased tires quickly overheat and become greasy and basically start falling apart .

It would be really helpful if you could make a comparison between the tyres manufacturer . Like Dunlop, Bridgestone, Metzeler . I know it cost money, but maybe but can get price discount , because you are a blogger. Lot of people becoming discount for a little commercial about a shop

Hi Dan, I ride in Australia, mostly at Phillip Island Raceway, where the weather conditions can vary from high 30 deg C to 4 Deg C and rain. I was recommended to use the Pirellis on my Aprilia RSV4 and have had great use from them. I have gone with the Supercorsa SC 2 for the rear and SC 1 for the front. The same tyres are used here in Australia for the Supersports series as a control tyre. My friend who races in the 600 class put me onto them as his experience says that most riders who use the slicks (Sticky Tyres) can't even get the proper temperatures into them and that I would get more grip on the DOT approved tyre than they would on slicks. He was correct. I often find myself at the pointy end of the group much to the disgust of the guys on slicks!! :) I run tyre warmers at 90 Deg C with Front 35 Psi HOT and Rear 27 Psi HOT (With approx ambient temp of 24-28 deg C). Phillip Island is harsh on the Left hand side of the tyre, but these pressures and tyre combination seem to work well with good even wear and no tearing. I have never had a real moment with these tyres (Except for user error!!) and find the feel to be excellent, especially under trail braking. I have used them in the rain, and with reduced speeds and being loose and relaxed, they seemed to work perfectly fine and offered more grip than I had expected. (Although the Rosso Corsa would offer slightly more in the wet) Once I drop into the 1:45 lap times, I will then look at slicks. Currently at very low 1:50's on road tyres in the second fastest group. I sometimes look at the other guys tyres in the paddock, and they seem to get an ego boost because they have shredded a rear slick tyre. All I see is cold tears and incorrect pressures!! Whatever floats some peoples boat I guess!! :) Thanks for your channel and your contribution to safe riding. We have the California Superbike School here in Aus, and I find that the stuff you speak about is very much in line with their teachings. Keep it rubber side down! Cheers, Marty.

I was quite pleased with the performance of my Avon Av 79 and 80. Great performance at high lean angle as I became accustomed to track riding. Could not beat the cost at 130 front, 160 rear. Ran cold pressures of 33 front 32 rear.

nice video bro! because of that ill buy this tire for my ktm rc 390 as daily tire and occasional track use. becuase last track i lowsided using metzeler because of the front tire. love u man!! cheers ill definitely watch more videos!!

Can you make a video explain difference between tire sizes ex. 200/55 vs 200/60 and maybe 180 all the way up to 200 advantages and disadvantages... for track purposes...

Taken off the worn supercorsas that were on the track bike I bought and put some bt 16 pros and found myself with more confidence..Just to emphasize the point I did my first track day at snetterton in 1999 in my trx 850 on Michelin macadams and got my knee down!!

fantastic! thanks for this! my new bike came with these tyres :) and you just answered all questions i had regarding them!

Great info, great testing, great video. This will probably save a lot of money for up and coming riders looking for a economical alternative for there practice tires.

Thank you for sharing. I love this track in Forza xD

I have the same helmet..... wrecked hard on the highway and head bounced off the concrete hard..... had a headache for all of 10 seconds and that was it..... great helmet.

I had these on my Panigale V2. 250 road miles and it's first trackday and it started to split at the compound join at the rear. On way back to Pirelli to look at. I don't think this tyre is good for fast track riders. That's only my personal experience. Could just have a defective tyre. The tyre itself before I spotted this issue was really good. No issue trail braking, accelerating early out of corners and provided confidence at high lean angles.

This is the setup I want!! Great review

Just end a supercorsa sp on my street triple 765 rs and will try the rosso corsa II! Track ride mostly

2:30 shows typical Corsa 2 wear at the sides that always looks pretty rough. How many tracks days did they last? Next tire on your list should be the Dunlop Sportsmart TT.

This is an excellent channel. Great video production

I got a pair of the sp’s. They are really nice. Had a few hairy moments on greasy roads but in dry beautiful on road and track

Guys usually overestimate their skills on track and think they need a blinged-out bike with all the best Öhlins, Brembo and Pirelli has to offer. They don't. Although that helps it's never a substitute for skills. I'm a mechanical engineer, I've raced in the past, I also work as a circuit training instructor and I find that supposedly advanced riders on superbikes have a very hard time keeping up with me on a CBR500R...

I was using a pair of Dunlop Alpha13 110/70/17 14/70/17 in my CBR 250R, for a lot of track days and street riding, those tires are amazing but they don't long last very long, I'm looking for a good grip option but also a longer mileage, this rubbers might be the option!

Hey, first thing: thank you very much for your videos. They are a great help! I was wondering if you could do a video on riding in wet conditions. So far I had only one really wet track day and tried to make use of it. (Tire choice was, with a quite similar mindset, the metzeler m7rr). But after that day I struggle with the benefit of using the time, at least with this kind of tire. I can't ride as usual so I feel like I can't do much to improve myself. That being said, I still was mostly preoccupied with riding in the wet itself as the track was quite slippery at some spots...

Im running rosso 3s on my track sv. Great tires for lower hp bikes.

Review Michelin Power RS please.

Hi Dan. Question and video suggestion. When the phrase is used "when you tyres are at temperature"....for those of use that dont use tyre warmers or go on regular (if any) trackdays what is "temperature" is it different for one tyre to the next? and how do you know when they are? Could be a stupid question i know but i thought id ask none the less. Absolutely top notch vids also...please keep them coming.

I have rosso corsa iii's on my rsv4 factory at the moment....i dont do track days, id love to but, wife, 3 kids and mortgage say no!....the base supercorsas are the bar for me....i dont use it in the rain, the iii's to me dont give the feel that the supercorsas do....so, while i would say i dont take full advantage of them, they do inspire ( for me ) the most confidence.

use to used same one back in the days when was novice on my 899/ than tried "power cup" now im in Advance group on supercorsa TD or SC3 and Racetec RR K1 and K3. super good tires but killing so quick. SC is double price but stays longer than metzeler RR

I think you just sold me tires....got my first track day coming up. im not poor but im definitely not rich so i like the idea of a good (enuf for me at my low ability) tire that will last a while

I ran these tires on my MT09 thinking i would do a lot of track days but then the Covid hit and I ended up riding more on the road......result was a big flat spot wore in the center of the tire...Definitely not a road only tire...My fault

I have the Battlax S21 and I am feeling so unconfident on them on track. They're not good at lean angles, you have to ride carefully and not lean more than 50 degrees. Looking at getting Corsa 2's for my R6.

m7 rr road tyres on wet track: "Yamaha R6 POV | Wet Track | M7RR | Mettet" from channel "Murtanio"

I use SC and Racetec on track and street. For track I do prefer slicks though.

Thank you for great videos. What tire pressure did you prefer on the triumph?

I am researching road tires that can also be good on the track. I recently bought a Ducati 939 Supersport. and It has Pirelli Diablo Rosso lV tires on it that are still like new. is there a difference between Rossa and Rossa Corsa ? I feel like mine are very confident inspiring. I never feel like they are going to let loose. and they hold a line very well. but I have not pushed them to hard yet. but overall I am very happy with them. I am hoping to try a track day sometime where I feel feel more comfortable pushing myself and the tires a little bit. I wonder how they are different than the tires in this video from four years ago. and what is considered the best street tire for handling in 2023. but won't ware out in too short of a time.

Mitas sportforce for my medium group at track 🤘😎

i consider myself a decent rider but not pro level i normally ride top of group B or nearly top and in my good days lower back in group A i have change a set of supercorsa sp and after that a set of superbike sc2 slicks my time was almost identical from oem sp v3 in fact i felt more comfortable on my sp3 v3 then the slicks and sc they seem to be alot more friendly now im on the rosso corsa 2 and there just as good as the supercorsa sp and for exceed my skill level

Excellent, relevant, cogent. Perfect for a rider like me, it sounds...

i guess you are right under certain circumstances. You are absolutely right about mentioning these tyres are used on 100hp mid-weight class. They are generally more forgiving and good learning bikes. Together with these tyres with a lower ceiling, it will taught you about "feel" and allow rider to get use/build confidence to some of the funny feedback from tyres.. However, if you are moving 200hp superbike, I would personally stick to race rubbers as they are far too powerful and require a higher grip to be kept on the ground on track. If you are wrong then either you stayed on and shit yourself or end up in grass/gravel with a higher repair bill. In the end of the day, tyres are the best insurance you can buy and you buy what is the best fit for you.

Couldn't agree more with you. Currently running Michelin Power RS, and I feel the tyres are more than enough for what I'm skilled to do at the moment. If I had $1 for every bloke I see on track with slicks, wearing in a way that shows very poor suspension setup, incorrect tyre pressure, etc. I'd be doing quite well... A modern hypersport tyre on a well set up bike (not even saying perfectly set up) will be as good if not better than a slick tyre on a poorly set up bike... And there's no need to be super careful with tyre pressure and use warmers, etc, etc. For me personally, hypersport is the way to go.

Just got these for my track day for this weekend. Hopefully they are good. This will be my second track day so hopefully goes well.

Have the rear on my bike after using full slicks on track. Haven't been to track since would love to know how it handles 200hp on a hot day. I refuse to use the fronts as I'm already maxing out the Diablo corsa's grip on the hard breaking turns. I shudder to think how a less grippy tire would handle.

I use this tires very aggressively I think they’re better then the Q4, more sticky on the edges because SC3 race compound.

Ditching my SuperCorsa SP for Dunlop Q3+, something I just realized isn't available in Europe. But much like the Rosso II, slightly less track focused for a more well rounded ride.

Rosso 3 very impressed as a slower rider 1:33 at Morgan park they get and hold there temp quite fast and they have a large window between sliding and letting go completely so plenty of time to correct your self with out ending up in the grass when your learning like myself

Good topic. This is my first year on the track. Picked up a 01 sv650 and having a ball. Now the question is the previous owner put brand new pilot powers a few years back and rode a few hundread miles. I have 5 track day varing from cold to hot and one down pour conditions. When should i change these due to the age. The thread is full as it has less than 1000 miles on them. I am thinking of the new pilot power RS which is very similar to the one you reviewed. Unlike road tires i believe a track bike tire should be changed before wear bars are reached?

Do you have a recommended tyre pressure for both hot and cold on track? There's no guide for them with Pirelli for track use, just a myriad of different recommendations on forums! Thanks

so, lets take supercorsa, doesnt softer means more grip even in street riding? whats wrong with buying supercorsas for sporty street riding? lets say money is not an issue. by my logic, its softer so it will bring more grip while cornering on curvy roads.. am i wrong?

I haven’t seen much talk about miles....I’ve tried all of the Hyper family of tire’s and they all seem to give me about 1500 miles before they are shot. While I understand that they have amazing traction and that’s what I’m paying for. I’m always looking for that tire with amazing traction that will give me more miles for my money. I’m currently about 1k miles into a Bridgestone Battlax S21 and it’s looking like I might get 2k miles. So far my favorite has been the Dunlop Q3+ with the Pirelli Supercorsa equally as impressive. But paying $400 for each set every 2k miles is getting old. 💰

I’m debating these for my RC8R when my Contis wear but they would be strictly for the road no track

How about the diablo Rosso lll tires are those good for the average bike rider in town and out of town no track days just riding around racing every now and then and canyon?

keep up the good work mate

Adjust your rear shock.. Your rear tire on the right side is melting. You may have to much load on it. Great show by the way.

Pirelli tires are crap when it gets wet or cold, but on a hot and dry track they are God sent. The best budget solution for all kind of weather that I think is the actually sportmax 1 rear tire where u can lower the pressure like on a real race tire and at the front I would pick the sportmax 2 front tire with its more aggressive wedge like profile. Sportmax2 rear is pretty meeh.. I have not tried to newer one though.

Question mate - where and how is your camera mounted exactly? Great content too!!

Hi Dan! Can I ask what pressures you was using on your hot days? And did you use warmers at any point? Thanks john.

Hi Dan. Watched a good few of your videos and like how you present and give info. I was wondering if I could pick your brain. I am needing new tyres for my 2014 S1KR Sport. I use my bike all year round, hot, cold, dry and wet to commute and bash the B roads. The DRC2 were on my shortlist. How do you think these would cope with that conditions or would the Rosso 3 be the better of the two tyres? I'm not doing track days at the moment. Thanks

Thoughts on these compared to Michelin power rs tyres for a zx10r mostly road ridden but not keen to have less grip than my power rs tyres

I just ran these after 3k on the street for two days in Mettet. Very impressed with the performance, was able to go for 1:15 times on both days, just limited by my skills... The rear is now gone, the front still good for 1-2k. What pressures were you running?

Just got these on my Daytona 675r , what pressures would you recommend ? Mainly being used for fast road early morning blasts , can’t seem to find any info !

Warm-up is important on these tires; I just low sided today within two blocks from my house.

So pirelli updated the rosso 2? Its about darn time. The old one sucked I left pirellis after 5 years of being an avid customer and bought a set a BT S21's and haven't looked back.

Does it make sense to use tyre warmers on these to make them even more effective?

Do you know the tire pressure for track ? I can't find any information on it on internet ...

Can I use Supercorsa SP 120 on front and this Rosso Corsa II 190/50 on rear? For a 675?