Who cares?

Just have fun!

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Personally, I don't. In fact, I've got probably 1/4" of chicken strips on both sides of the rear tire. I would rather use good body position and get my butt and upper body off the bike to the inside of the turn than to lean it over to the maximum lean angle. The less lean angle that you've got, the more of the tire surface is in contact with the pavement.

 

I don't use a tire to gauge my lean angle - too many variables. I use my knee slider to tell me how much room I have left, if that gets pinched between the bike and the road, I'm out!

Here's my rear Dunlop Q3 after last weekends ride. Bike now has just under 500 miles on it, about 400 or so on these tires.

 

whoa, cool. I was just wondering. Thanks!

 

I do believe they are referred to as "chicken strips". Rode it to work and it was one of the first things they looked at.

 

I know guys that are much faster in the turns and don't lean as far over as other guys on the same bike. I know when I'm using all of the tire when my knee puck hits the pavement. But seriously chicken strips don't really prove anything on a street bike. If you have them after a day at the track, there's a huge problem! Just enjoy the bike and use however much of the rear tire you feel comfortable with.

 

If you have them after a day at the track, there's a huge problem!.

Not sure I aggree with this statement. I have strips on my race bike and street bike and what it tells me is that my BP is working. The less lean angle you have the more you can throttle which is key. For the op, don't worry about chicken strips, worry about riding comfortably and in a manner that you are in control. As you progress you will use more of the tire and learn to manipulate the bike so you have room for error. Never know if the guy in front of you is goin to go down and you might need that last little bit of bike lean to save yourself and the guy who went down.

 

.....

 

I love leaning the bike over and feeling the Gs in the corners. While i have scuffed the entire profile of the rear tire, my average ride leaves about 1\4 inch chicken strips... I like keeping the meat of the tire on the road. I haven't had a high side on this bike... yet...

 

This is a common thread in sport bike forums, 'my tires are used to the edge, and yours have chicken strips, so you are a pansy'. Silly macho bullshit. Don't try to emulate the track guys on the street. Learn to ride at your own pace. If you are using maximum lean angles on the street you are not using good judgement. Track is different, clean surfaces. The street is dirty and unpredictable. Ride conservative on the street. If your buddies tease you about your chicken strips, find new buddies.

 

One trip to Jennings would shred my rear to the edge. But I never plan to track this bike. And I live in Florida.

So I'll have perpetual chicken strips. Even if I ride up to the Smokies.

I ride my own ride and don't care about any macho BS like how much unused edge tread I have on my rear (or my tires).

Lean shouldn't necessarily be a goal. The more lean the less traction and the more likely you are to scrape parts and hit the asphalt. I've seen many guys crash in front of me by leaning the bike too much in turn eight at Jennings.

The horrible scraping noise of a bike's parts being grinded away is not a good sound.

 

leaning the bike too much in turn eight at Jennings.

That corner got me! Was rookie shit too, came in too fast thinking the track was magic asphalt or something. Like 6 laps into the second session, ruined my whole day.

The whole chicken strip thing is silly. I knew a guy that used to brag about his lack of them, and sure enough he didn't, but then his body positioning was god-awful. Proper positioning should allow you to lean the bike less and give you more traction, which is good for everyone

 

Thanks everybody, I was just curious. I am not a "track" person. All my riding on street (been riding for 30 years or so, some of it dirt) and so far my bike is 100% stock. I maxed out the suspension and it seems to be ok although I will at some point change the shock and the springs in the front. but this bike handles very well. Yesterday I rode 218 from corwnall to west point and that road was salty and sandy (its on the side of the mountain along the Hudson river). Usually a great place to lean in the turns and test yourself a bit but dangerous cause you have limited sight around corners.

 

Yesterday I rode 218 from corwnall to west point and that road was salty and sandy (its on the side of the mountain along the Hudson river). Usually a great place to lean in the turns and test yourself a bit but dangerous cause you have limited sight around corners.

Yes I was also surprised by the salt - yet again - on the roads in that area yesterday. FF to 4:00 - crossing the bear mountain bridge.

What time where you there Nburk ?

 

Is Palomar in Arizona?

 

The red arrorw indicates how much you have left before you will need to push your knee on the ground to get the crashing bike back up on the tire. Kudos to younglion. Oldfart here is not quite to the edge.

 

The red arrorw indicates how much you have left before you will need to push your knee on the ground to get the crashing bike back up on the tire. Kudos to younglion. Oldfart here is not quite to the edge.

View attachment 4567

Yes, I have been called an oldfart. lol I have surpassed the half century mark, sure wont see a full one!

 

As a general rule I don't ride hard enough in the street to where body position becomes a factor. I feel that sort of riding is best left to the track only. That being said, I have somehow managed to come to within 0.5" of the edge just on my commute to and from work (stock Dunlops). I do eventually plan on swapping to better tires, but not yet.

 

Pfft. Chicken strip thread. So predictable. Guys showing off pictures of edge-to-edge wear who live in mountainous areas or who do track days, and guys who live in places where everything is straight freakin line riding defending why they don't need to do that on the street. Usually followed by defensive fact-filled posts about safety and anti-macho blah blah.
Whatever.

 

Amen!

 

No real mountains. No track days. Just a goofy old man on a bike. =)

 

I always pose with my nuts next to my strips. They cover the area of my tire not scrubbed

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

Haha... This was a topic back on the R1
Forum when I was there. After about 70 miles up twisties this is all I got. Not interested in testing the OES sliders...

 

There is something to be said about not riding on the very edge of the tire...so you leave some room for error....BUT not using MOST of that rear tire {on the street} means you're pretty slow in the cornering game. Any more than 1/4 inch of chicken strips means you could be cornering faster. Lean the bike over until you have a 1/4 inch left ...and THEN it's time to start hanging off a bit. Most bikes come with geometry that won't allow using all the front tire....so the front chicken strips would always be wider than the rear are. If you change tire brands.....that rule doesn't apply.

 

My front with 1/4" chicken strips on the rear tire:

 

Only real turds care about other peoples stuff, Ride your own ride. Quit being a douche, and have fun.

 

Who are you calling a douce?

Also, I was referring to myself as Oldfart, and I was totally impressed with Younglion's lean capabilities.

 

It used to bug the crap out of my boss at the shop when a 100% street rider would come in with 1-2" chicken strips in a 180 or 190mm tire and ask for a 200. "Why? You aren't using the tire you have now." {But, it looks cool.} "It's more unsprung weight and can slow the handling down." {But, it looks cool.} "Fine. It's also X more expensive." {How much was that 180 again?} LOL

 

.25" left. .5" right.

It doesn't matter anyway. I'd like to test my limits on the track, but I'm not taking the 09 to the track as insurance won't cover a crash and I don't want to not have the 09 around.

I would however like to pick up an older beat on R6 just for track days.

 

... It doesn't matter anyway. I'd like to test my limits on the track, but I'm not taking the 09 to the track as insurance won't cover a crash and I don't want to not have the 09 around.
I would however like to pick up an older beat on R6 just for track days.

It's great to have a dedicated track day bike. In 2000 a 70mph fawn catastrophically converted my first street SV650 into a track bike, and I bought a 2nd new SV650 for the street. Was great having the same model for both track and street, spare parts, mods, feel etc. I don't recommend the fawn method, but you can buy someone else's salvage 09 for the track.

Yes, I've seen a lot of nice street bikes become not-so-nice at the track, but I don't rule out recommending a rider do their first track days on a street bike either. Just don't push your limits hard, use the track to improve your street skills, not to start a podium chase. Pick a good track day organization, their Beginner/Novice group will be like a school, well controlled etc.

 

I'm working on removing my chicken strips, not because of ego, but because I want to be sure the tire is scrubbed right to the edge in case I ever really need to haul it over in an emergency. I'm mainly waiting for warmer weather and for the roads to clean up, then they'll be gone.

About contact patch, keep in mind that even if you have no chicken strips, in all likelihood you have barely been to the edge of the tire. The main portion of the contact patch will still be a good few inches away from the edge of the tire. Most tire profiles get steeper as you get to the edge so the contact patch stays uniform. FYI, I have about 1/8" chicken strips front and rear on my track bike (using a 190 on a 5.5" rear rim), running amateur racer pace. Loads of traction "at the edge".

 

Just a little plug for Sportbike Track Time.....they/we are known for having the very best Novice program in the track day world

 

Mmm all this chicken strip talk is making me hungry.

I don't have strips, but I'm way slower in the corners than all of my riding buddies. Must have something to do with my form?!

 

Mmm all this chicken strip talk is making me hungry.

I don't have strips, but I'm way slower in the corners than all of my riding buddies. Must have something to do with my form?!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but that body position going the wrong way, is going to get you in trouble sooner or later. Correct body position in that corner could probably reduce your lean angle at least 10 to12 degrees and get you around the same corner just as fast or faster.....with a whole lot more tire surface on the road.

 

LOL.... actually the FZ makes me corner like that sometimes because I feel like I'm on my dirt bike!