Tyre Review - Pirelli Sport Demon

I've been running these tyres now for about 3200 miles. I have a 2000 Kawasaki Concours, and the size installed is 110/80-18 on the front and 150/80-16 on the rear. I've ridden the gamut of roads, from simple straight highways to gravel side roads to muddy parking lots; freezing cold to blisteringly hot. Below, then, is a short review.

Traction - For the most part, very good. Holds the road extremely well at 6/10ths. At 8/10ths lean angle, it starts to get a little squirrely in the rear. This could also be due to my rear shock, so ymmv. Wet traction is excellent, barring a tendency to slip on painted lines and sewer grates (fairly normal behaviour for mc tyres in general, though.) Fairly quick to warm up, balances easily, holds air well and does seem to have a very sporty feel to it.

Headshake - Present from installation. Steering head bearings were checked shortly after and found to be spot on. As previously mentioned, this could be caused by the rear shock or suspension. Seems to happen right at 45mph.


Lean Angle - The total tread area appears to be less than that of the OEM Dunlops or the Avon Storm/Azarro combination. Still, for the average rider, commuter and occasional backroads blast, there will be more than enough lean available to most riders. Road feel is excellent, and you can definitely tell what type of road surface you are on by the communicative feel given up through the bars.

Wear - So far, these have covered just about 3200 miles total, and neither the front nor the rear has cupped yet. Overall wear seems to be fairly even, and judging by the current tread depth, I'd venture a guess that I'll get at least another 1000-2000 miles from these. Your mileage may vary, based on overall load, riding style and road surface types. In the Northeast, most of our roads are asphalt, so they may cause tyres to wear faster.

Price - At $198 shipped, from Motorcycle Superstore, they're definitely a good budget tyre choice. For the price, the only other rival at the $200 price point are the Bridgestone BT-45s, which I'll review as a set once these are finished.


Overall Rating - 4/5. An excellent tyre for the price, with good handling; nice, even wear and excellent traction in all situations. The headshake at 45mph keeps this from being a 5 star tyre, but overall I'm quite happy with them and would definitely consider them again. These are definitely worth a try if you need new rubber and don't want to spend a fortune.