I'm being tempted to the darkside by considerations other than strict mileage gain vs the MC tires, and it seems to me that the Pirelli may be the ticket for me. Can I get a bit more information about the conditions you ran your Pirelli under e.g. did you run the bulk of your miles above 50F? If so, the extended mileage likely under my cooler average temps might make this selection worthwhile for me.
I'm faced with the fact I can't run my ST1300 in Quebec between December 15 and March 15 (winter), regardless of road conditions, unless it is fitted with winter or studded tires - both of which are about as common for the ST as toothed fowl. There is an exemption certificate if I ONLY intend to ride out of the province (like heading south!), but that pretty much precludes weekend rides. Given the corrosive nature of our winter environment, I might also opt for spare wheels that would be used only in winter - pretty much the same thing I do on my cage. So I'm thinking about getting a winter CT for the rear and running a studded MC tire in the front (Double dark or not). Does anyone have any kind of experience under this scenario that I could build on?