Pirelli Problem

Edited Date/Time 11/11/2020 9:45am
Has anyone else had problems with the Pirelli Scorpion Soft splitting at the side nobbies?

For deep sand i think these are by far the best sand tyre you can get. They are so much taller than the competition.

However the last two i have had have split after low hours. The first one i got a flat & rode for 2 laps so that one was on me. This one has about 7 hours use & as its on my practice bike i would like to get a lot more out of it.



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Motofinne
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11/8/2020 9:04am
How old is the tyre, and what surface did you ride on?
1
1
11/8/2020 9:15am
They tyre is stamped that it was manufactured in 2019 maybe june. Im sure iv had it for about 4 months now but i have a spare rim with an intermediate tyre that i use for non sand surfaces. So this one has only ever been used on fairly deep sand.
1
Jbulz
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11/8/2020 9:31am
I don't have experience with that exact tire, but in my experience that means the sidewalk is flexing too much from low air pressure. The carcass flexes and strains the tire at the base of the tread block
2
disbanded
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11/8/2020 9:34am
You gotta slow down bro
16

The Shop

TeamGreen
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11/8/2020 9:43am
I'd contact Pirelli and see what they have to say. I'm pretty sure that tire is suppose to run at "1 bar"/14.5 PSI.
11/8/2020 11:41am
Jbulz wrote:
I don't have experience with that exact tire, but in my experience that means the sidewalk is flexing too much from low air pressure. The carcass...
I don't have experience with that exact tire, but in my experience that means the sidewalk is flexing too much from low air pressure. The carcass flexes and strains the tire at the base of the tread block
Thats a very good point. I just went & checked & its at 11psi. So it must have been flexing too much. Im sort of old school with my tyre pressures. 🤦🏻‍♂️ I usually just give it a wee push with my thumbs & if it seems a little soft i will put it to exact pressure. 11 in that tyre still feels firm tho, but obviously its not enough. Every days a school day and all that
4
chump6784
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11/8/2020 11:53am
I had the same happen but only on the fronts as I never used the soft on the rear. I was running around 13.5 in mine and some of the tracks were fairly hard packed. I've since switched to the Maxxis ST and haven't had the same problem and I prefer them to the Pirelli
11/8/2020 11:54am
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT!

Id say you've used it on a surface which isn't soft enough- maybe it had a soft 3-6 inches of sand, but below that, a hard base (Think, Mildenhall, or Wildtracks)

Even just 1 or 2 corners on the track where its dug down to a hard base, flexing the nobbles to the point of tearing off.

The Pirelli MS32 did this exact same thing if used on anything other than wet mud or loam.
11/8/2020 12:15pm
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT! Id say...
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT!

Id say you've used it on a surface which isn't soft enough- maybe it had a soft 3-6 inches of sand, but below that, a hard base (Think, Mildenhall, or Wildtracks)

Even just 1 or 2 corners on the track where its dug down to a hard base, flexing the nobbles to the point of tearing off.

The Pirelli MS32 did this exact same thing if used on anything other than wet mud or loam.
Good point that. Its only ripping the nobs on one side so must have been a hard base or a rock in one of the ruts in a left hand turn.
11/8/2020 12:49pm
Scorpion mx soft, 8 hours of sand track riding without concrete jumps. Has been contacted with pirelli but haven’t heard anything for 2 months now.

1
aees
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11/8/2020 1:42pm
Something has happened with their compound. Im getting 4h out of tire i used to get 10h+ on. Mainly front tires like mx32 and mx extra.
11/8/2020 2:29pm
I dont mind losing a nobby or 2 but when it splits like that the integrity of the tyre is gone & its wrecked.
1
LKHill
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11/8/2020 2:50pm Edited Date/Time 11/8/2020 2:50pm
Every Pirelli I have even owned has cracked out on me before the tread was beat.
5
Jack_4196
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Franklin, MA, USA
11/8/2020 6:27pm
I had 3 rides on a mid-soft and lost 2 knobs running spec PSI, it’s a shame because it’s a great tire...
Rotaholic
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11/8/2020 7:31pm
Michelin sand tyre is really good for wear
Mr. Info
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11/8/2020 8:12pm
It is an air pressure issue. The Geboers Suzuki I bet is using moose inserts. There are the same issues with the Dunlop’s fronts from low air pressure.
mwssquad827
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11/8/2020 8:28pm
The xtra x intermediate tires do the same thing... WPS gave me a replacement set.. but the replacement did the same thing... they used to be very long lasting tires.. after the 2sets I have bought them again..
11/9/2020 4:00am
Do yourself a favor and get a geomax mx12. It will last.
Camp332
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11/9/2020 5:08am Edited Date/Time 11/9/2020 8:30am
Way back when I had a discount deal from Pirelli, this happened to me a few times. Pirelli was cool when I shared pics, and they replaced the tires I had issues with.
mx317
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11/9/2020 5:17am
I've had good luck out of my newer MX32 mid-soft tires, but I only run them on prepped MX tracks. I had some old ones break off knobs on the front tire after several hours. The newer ones have a different compound that is better than the older ones.
dl117
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11/9/2020 9:53am
mine looks so close to that, I thought you were taking pics of the old kawi......I did ride a harder base track a couple of days and that is what did mine in.
7eleven
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11/9/2020 12:51pm
One issue over the years has been how the distributors store them. If they are put in freezing conditions, the tires can be chemically upset, which leads to knobs breaking and cracking.

And to the genius who said tire pressure doesn't matter.... C'mon man, are you serious? These tires are designed to flex a certain way, at specific pressures, anything else is a compromise to tire integrity.
Snapper
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11/10/2020 2:52am
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT! Id say...
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT!

Id say you've used it on a surface which isn't soft enough- maybe it had a soft 3-6 inches of sand, but below that, a hard base (Think, Mildenhall, or Wildtracks)

Even just 1 or 2 corners on the track where its dug down to a hard base, flexing the nobbles to the point of tearing off.

The Pirelli MS32 did this exact same thing if used on anything other than wet mud or loam.
Spot on, in my experience, if you use a Pirelli on anything other that the surface it's intended for it'll split side knobs.

I can't think of any track in the UK that warrants a paddle tyre really, unless somewhere that's next to a beach like Tain.
LKHill
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851
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11/11/2020 9:18am
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT! Id say...
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT!

Id say you've used it on a surface which isn't soft enough- maybe it had a soft 3-6 inches of sand, but below that, a hard base (Think, Mildenhall, or Wildtracks)

Even just 1 or 2 corners on the track where its dug down to a hard base, flexing the nobbles to the point of tearing off.

The Pirelli MS32 did this exact same thing if used on anything other than wet mud or loam.
Snapper wrote:
Spot on, in my experience, if you use a Pirelli on anything other that the surface it's intended for it'll split side knobs. I can't think...
Spot on, in my experience, if you use a Pirelli on anything other that the surface it's intended for it'll split side knobs.

I can't think of any track in the UK that warrants a paddle tyre really, unless somewhere that's next to a beach like Tain.
It is a shame they cannot prevent this. I favor the way they work but this issue makes me balk at buying them. It's not an issue if you change the tire even 2 rides. They do race what they sell, lol.
11/11/2020 9:32am
Just curious, were you riding in cold temps?
11/11/2020 9:42am
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT! Id say...
Its not to do with pressure- Ive been out at Dunkirk when Geboers Suzuki was there testing and their rear tyres were literally FLAT!

Id say you've used it on a surface which isn't soft enough- maybe it had a soft 3-6 inches of sand, but below that, a hard base (Think, Mildenhall, or Wildtracks)

Even just 1 or 2 corners on the track where its dug down to a hard base, flexing the nobbles to the point of tearing off.

The Pirelli MS32 did this exact same thing if used on anything other than wet mud or loam.
Snapper wrote:
Spot on, in my experience, if you use a Pirelli on anything other that the surface it's intended for it'll split side knobs. I can't think...
Spot on, in my experience, if you use a Pirelli on anything other that the surface it's intended for it'll split side knobs.

I can't think of any track in the UK that warrants a paddle tyre really, unless somewhere that's next to a beach like Tain.
Desertmartin our top track is definitely worthy of a paddle tyre. Then my main practice track Magilligan is right beside the beach & is bottomless sand.


6
11/11/2020 9:45am
Just curious, were you riding in cold temps?
Not that cold. It was about 8 Degrees C & my Garage i store my bikes in is insulated. Im waiting on a reply from pirelli to see what they say.

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