Pirelli introduces the new 110/80-19 size for the front and 150/70-17 for the rear, specifically designed for high displacement adventure bikes that have a strong off-road attitude programmed into their DNA.

Brisbane, 5 March 2012 - Pirelli introduces new sizes of the Scorpion Rally tyre to Australia, 110/80-19 for the front and 150/70-17 for the rear. These are designed specifically for high displacement enduro street bikes like the BMW R 1200 GS and Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré which, besides being popular Adventure Touring bikes, maintain a strong propensity for off-road use in their DNA.

The new Scorpion Rally sizes were designed to guarantee excellent off-road performance including better traction, tear resistance and less wear on the knobs, thanks to Pirelli's racing experience with the 90/90-21 and 140/80-18 Scorpion Rally sizes. The Australian outback however is a long way from the city and in order to reach them long stretches of sealed roads have to be travelled. This is why the new Scorpion Rally sizes are also designed to provide high mileage and excellent road stability, even at high speeds and fully loaded. The rear tyre also boasts better traction while the front capably transmits a feeling of safety to the rider.

In order to ensure that large enduro bikes enjoy the same performance that brought the Scorpion Rally to victory in the 2009 Dakar and, more recently, to the Cross Country Rally 2011 world title with Portuguese rider Helder Rodriguez, the tread pattern for the new 110/80-19 front size maintains the same 4-5-4 layout of the blocks used on the 90/90-21 size with a central prism. The new 7.7 mm height of the knobs was chosen deliberately to optimise handling, directional stability on sand and soft terrain, and to increase the life of the tyre. The 150/70-17 rear size, on the other hand, has wider blocks with long transversal bridges designed to provide better traction on soft terrain and to reduce slides, so that riders can have full confidence when leaning into turns.

The primary focus of structural development was to provide the rider with stability at high speeds, confidence and safety, especially on long distance street and highway rides. Stability at high speeds is achieved thanks to the use of a carcass with thick ply cords arranged with just the right angling to provide greater lateral rigidity, which helps to offset the vibrations which are often associated with large enduro bikes at high speeds.

These structural characteristics of the carcass ply also guarantee a vertical rigidity which, together with the use of reinforcing elements for the tyre's bead, provide a balance between the carcass and the tread which is itself softer thanks to the knobs.

The result of all this? A tyre with a well balanced and reliable performance capable of providing comfort on asphalt in spite of a knobby tread pattern.

The new Scorpion Rally sizes also have an innovative compound, developed with particular attention to the dual use of this tyre. In off road use, the compound is highly resistant to tearing, preventing cuts and ripping which would be even more dangerous when riding on asphalt. Great effort was also made regarding mileage: the tyre now has increased durability and wears more evenly.

Scorpion Rally tyres in the new sizes (110/80-19 for the front and 150/70-17 for the rear) are now available at your local Pirelli dealer. For more information on the entire range of Pirelli Scorpion tyres you can visit our website at www.linkint.com.au

Media Contact

Name: Don Nicholas

Position: National Product Manager Moto

Company: Link International

Email: don@linkint.com.au

Phone: (+61) 7 3382 5000

Pirelli Tyres are Imported and Distributed Exclusively in Australia by Link International. www.linkint.com.au

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