Tyre Test: Pirelli Angel GTII Final Results

After putting the Pirelli Angel GTII through absolute hell with everything from long-distance treks, heavy rain rides and pressure tests through the twisties most weekends. This is my final impressions of this great all-round tyre on my Honda CBR650.

Clocking in at around 5500km of mostly straight line riding, the Pirelli Angel GTII are still going strong.

Check out all our tyre tests here…

I’ve put another 3000km on the Pirelli Angel GT II’s since my initial review and I’m amazed with how they’re coming along. They’re sitting on about 5500km and I can’t stress enough how well they’re holding up. The vast majority of these miles have been the Central Coast to Newcastle, NSW, Uni commute, which consists of straight lines and more straight lines. They’re beginning to square slightly but the bike feels almost as nimble and ready to tip as it did when I first put them on.

The aggressive tread lines aren’t just there for show, they expel water well in the rain.

Pirelli advertised the Angel GT II tyre as something that suits all road bikes.

Similar to the previous GT’s, the GT II’s use a dual compound design. The centre region is harder, allowing for increased durability and stability at highway speeds. The outer edges are substantially softer and really let you tip it over. In terms of tread, the new version is near identical bar the dual channels down the centre line coming from PIRELLI DIABLO™ racing tyres. Pirelli argue this increases wet weather performance and straight-line stability. I haven’t ridden the prior, but click the link below to read our review on them.

Check out our previous review on the first generation Angel GT here…

The tyres have performed much better than I had originally anticipated, there is after all, some fairly substantial competition in this class. On the longer corners it feels as agile as it always has, there is no issue in leaning it over and I’ve got the confidence to get my knee down easily. While the CBR isn’t much of a beast, I had no issues powering out of the bends with as much horsepower as the little LAMS machine had to offer and there is no sidewall pump at all, even though I am over 100kg in gear. For a set of “sports-touring” tyres, they definitely seem to lean towards sports when you need it.

Nick made sure to test out the Pirelli’s in almost any condition. Putting them to the wear test with his long ride to Uni everyday.

I’d have to say the wet weather performance is where I really noticed these tyres coming to life. They really upped the comfort level for both braking and cornering in the wet. So far, I haven’t had any of those heart attack moments, even in the worst of weather. For those three weeks where it rained non-stop, I still had to commute, and I was more than comfortable doing so with these tyres. I’d have to say they’re the best wet-weather tyres I’ve personally used.

Pirelli have offered them in a number of different rear wheel sizes to suit most street bikes.

Despite long-rides in a straight line, they held up incredibly well.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to get these on the track just yet, it seems like by the time I get a chance I’ll have killed them on the straight-line commutes, but we’ll see hey? Despite the lack of track day fun, I have managed to push them up on my local roads a lot. They have more to offer than I have to give, so I’m left comfortable and content under hard-braking, cornering and acceleration. There is plenty of feel in the front-end. Braking stability is more than I’ve ever noticed on the CBR using the Pirelli’s, the front-end didn’t move or track across the tarmac. When trail-braking, the bike was solid and stable in the corners. The rear felt great on the longer corners, much the same as the sports tyres I’ve been riding recently.

“These tyres are perfect for the LAMS rider, or any rider, who needs highway miles plus weekend fun, as they offer a comfortable and hard-wearing design, with the ability to push a little harder on the weekend rides.”

In terms of the colder tarmac, they take absolutely no time at all to warm up. Even when they’re cold I struggled to notice much of a difference in overall grip. They seem to have a very broad operating range, well below 10ºC through to over 60ºC or more on the road.

Nick has been itching to take these tyres for a proper thrash around a track, but the local roads will have to do.

Overall, another awesome competitor in the sports-touring class. I honesty can’t fault them, if you’re looking for a solid all-round tyre you’ve got plenty to pick from, but with a set of these you won’t be upset. These tyres offer the perfect balance between a sports and commutes. Even if you consider yourself a hero on the track, these will have you covered for whatever you get up to on the road. Let’s hope I can get them to a track before it’s too late! As for pricing, the 160/60 17 I use has an RRP of $299.95 and the 120/70 17 has an RRP of $219.95.