This is a strange one, and then again, it's full of intrigue, education, safety and performance. You wouldn't think so, if a tire company called and requested your presence at Daytona Bike week to introduce you to their new brand of cruiser tires. Tires, they're black, rubber and round, ain't they? But we were broke and couldn't make the run, besides the Pirelli name has that Ferrari jingle to it, so I took them up on the gracious offer. In the end it turned into much more than just a free plane fare to Bike Week.

I'll tell you a story that sort of paints a quick image of my relationship with tires. In the '60s and '70s, a large part of the riding experience revolved around bike tires, compositions, and tread patterns, but I didn't know it. I use to say, "I'll go down once a year on a slippery corner, in gravel, or on leaves in a street." Riding in the '80s and '90s changed that impression. I hit a deer at 80 mph, but never slipped in a corner, went down in the rain, or even took a spill on a sandy surface. Did motorcycle geometry change? Did handling or suspension advance with the new millennium? Hell, no, but tire design, fabrication, and chemistry improved constantly. So I packed my bags and headed to Daytona Beach.

Here are the basics: Pirelli opened their garage doors in 1872 in Italy and over the decades, expanded into Germany and ultimately Brazil. They grow approximately 7.7 percent a year in all their lines, which include motorcycle, cars, trucks, earth movers and agricultural vehicles. Some 70 percent of their biz is based around cars, SUVs, and motorcycles, and 30 percent is industrial-based.

Pirelli spends the largest budget, 3.7 percent, on research and development. They’re currently considered number one in Europe and South America, and number two in the U.S. The massive Brazilian factory produces conventional tires, whereas radials are built in Germany. They are testing nuts. They test motorcycle tires up to 700,000 miles in a year, sometimes 14 tests in a day. One of their test riders was on hand for the Daytona presentation. They own an old racecar track in Siracusa, Italy, on some picturesque coastal region, and he rides constantly. All testing is now performed with extensive data acquisition equipment and they hold 48 MX World Championships.

As the presentation progressed, the Pirelli team covered the company mantra, including a sporty attitude, passion for their brand, and their Italian heritage.

Then Kevin Allen stepped up to discuss the latest Pirelli brand, the Night Dragon line of tires. He described these round rubber straps as a performance V-Twin offering. His message was arousing, fascinating, and intriguing. He wants our market to view the Night Dragon as a performance tire, as we would consider a cam, carburetor or big bore kit. He wants to prove to us that his tires will increase HP, gain traction over mileage, improve handling, and be a clean looking alternative to OEM tires.

Over three years of testing, Pirelli focused on grip, mileage, and handling. They widened the contact patch and changed the tire shape and dimension to improve the patch on the ground by 8 percent. They studied tread patterns and groove design. They worked over the structure of the tire for best pressure distribution, heat displacement, and improved riding comfort.

The tread pattern varies from front to rear. The front tire tread pattern must split and peel water away from the rear tire contact patch area, so it must be designed to perform two functions. The grooves must remain open. Then the composition was studied to enhance grip with 30 percent polyesters, three blended polymers with high TG and carbon.

This crew of engineers, manufacturing gurus, testing nuts, and marketing guys were so Night Dragon-confident, they planned a ride for us the next day. You can imagine the doubts of a passel of moto-journalists, a scurvy lot of condescending writers who peer defiantly down their noses at anything that threatens to move in our slight and humble industry. We would see what the morrow would bring.

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