Marchesini Wheels

Good tires make taking the XR1200 to track days safer and more fun. Most track rubber comes in 17" sizes, so replacing the stock 18" wheel on the XR1200 is almost a must. I could have just ordered a front wheel, like they do in the XR1200 Vance and Hines race series. David Behrend at Fast Bike Industries, who did my front suspension and helped with the Cycle World XR1200 Project Bike, suggested he could get a set of Marchesini wheels for the same price. I had Marchesini wheels on my Ducati 900 SS and loved them so I was hooked. When they arrived, I couldn't believe how light they were...featherweight comes to mind, but not quite as light as the all carbon wheels that I briefly considered.

The first tires I put on were Bridgestone BT001 endurance race tires. I avoided the XR1200 race series rubber (Dunlop GPAs) because I've heard they can give handling problems if not setup perfectly. I was less than confident that my setup skills were equal to the task. The Bridgestones had lots of grip, enough to confidently get my knee on the ground, and they wore great on the track - lasting probably 10 track days and a trip to Indy for the MotoGP before I replaced them (and the front still had plenty of wear left).

Now I'm trying Pirelli's Diablo Rossi Corsa tires ...intended for street and occasional track day use. I put these on at the end of the last track day this fall, so I only have a couple sessions on them, so we'll have to see how the compare. My thought was that as a street tire, they'll warm up better for the cold winter rides. In the spring, I'll see how they do on the track.