Longevity and handling, what more do you need?

You know a motojournalist likes something when he pays for it rather than trying to describe it as a “test” product. And if, for instance, said motoscribe bought the same tires no less than five times for his 2018 much-pampered Suzuki DL1000 XT, well then, that would be the ultimate proof of genuine admiration.

Now, truth be told, I pay for most of the accessories I test within these pages. That doesn’t alter the fact that I did buy five sets of Avon Trailriders in a row for my V-Strom. Blessed with decent longevity, excellent grip and — the main reason I loved them so — perfectly “linear” steering, never once, after having tested numerous other brands, have I opted for anything else.

Until Avon — recently acquired by Goodyear — decided the Trailrider was superfluous to its much-diminished lineup. Oh, they still, for some reason I can’t fathom, make the 50/50 Trekrider, but my 90/10 Trailriders are no more.

So, I’m looking for a replacement. The first candidate was Pirelli’s Scorpion Trail 3. They were chosen first because a) Pirelli has a great reputation for sporty tires and I do like to grind a footpeg; and b) because the reviews of the Scorpion 2s were almost universally positive.

After some 8,000 kilometres on the Trail 3s, I can see why. For one thing, the Pirellis may not steer quite as perfectly as the Avons I loved so, but they are pretty darned close. A little heavier on turn-in, my old Suzuki still dives to apexes with alacrity, surprising more than a few “real” sportbikes as I chase them or — okay, I’m bragging now — out-brake them into the Stelvio’s many tournantes. A+, then, on the whole precision-steering thing.

They are also surprisingly durable. I say surprisingly because, with a tread pattern so overly sportbike-like, I suspected they’d wear accordingly. The photos accompanying this article were taken at 8,000 kilometres and, as you can see with your own eyes, they’ve got lots of life left in them. I suspect that the rear might be capable of 14,000 or 15,000 klicks before needing replacement, a record for any tire on any of my V-Stroms (I’ve had three). The front, meanwhile, will probably suffer from terminal “cupping” before the tread runs out of depth.

The corollary of that durability, however, is that, despite Pirelli’s reputation and my previous experience with the company’s tires, they’re not quite as grippy as my much-missed Avons. Oh, for most riders, they will offer more than enough traction. Hell, for 98 per cent of riders, they’ll never put a wheel wrong. 

But, on more than one occasion, either the front or the rear got a little looser than I find comfortable, usually when I was doing one of those passing-a-Panigale-in-a-hairpin manoeuvres. And, while I may be stupid enough to still pursue such silliness, I — now some 50 years into this motorcycling thing — am no longer brave enough to continue said silliness when the tires cry that they’ve had enough. And, just to clarify, unlike so many other reviews of tires that make comparisons on different roads and varying conditions, my experiences are the result of testing on the same roads, at the same speeds, and largely in the same conditions. In other words, the comparisons are valid and repeatable. 

That said, the new Scorpions do offer decent traction in the wet. I didn’t try any lean-angle heroics on wet roads, but I did do some ABS-triggering stops and the Pirellis really dug in despite the dampness. And when it’s raining, I suspect that being able to stop in an emergency situation is a lot more important than grinding footpegs. Come to think of it, that probably should be true on dry roads as well.

Overall, the new Scorpions Trail 3s offer excellent durability, precise steering and prodigious wet-weather grip. Their sole compromise is grip that, on dry tarmac, is merely good. I do not think that that last point should discourage anyone from buying a set. Unless you really do spend your summers trying to grind once-pristine Gilles footpegs into dust, these Pirellis really do perform well and offer surprising, if not segment-leading, durability. They are available in virtually all adventure touring sizes, including 21-inch fronts that will fit the likes of Africa Twins, various KTMs and Yamaha’s Tenere 700. A 150/70R17 that fit my 2018 V-Strom 1000 XT costs $251.99 while the front 110/80R19 front sells for $212.99.