Chicken Strips

[dlevett]

Has anyone else found that, on the 1200 GS, the rear tyres get to the edge before the front does?

My rear tyre is 'used to the edge' , but the front still has the moulding 'bobbles' on (mind you I am a bat fastard if that makes a difference )

I would have thought that, if the tyres were 'matched in size', you would reach the edge of the tyres, both front and rear, at about the same 'lean'.

I guess I could always cut the 'bobbles' off the front tyre to make me feel better

 

[Malcvtr]

This is perfectly normal. The rear tyre is wider than the front. On every bike I've ever owned, the rear has got to the edge before the front. My advice would be to stop worrying about it and just enjoy riding your bike

Mind you, back in the 70s, it seemed we never used to notice "Chicken strips" or ever talk about them

Malc

 

[Shep]

Mind you, back in the 70s, it seemed we never used to notice "Chicken strips" or ever talk about them

Malc

Agreed, less posers about then, and just getting somewhere without using a tool kit was a bonus, & anyway tyres in the 70's very rarely wore out cos they would rot off the rims long before they were bald

Shep

 

[dlevett]

Malc,

I'm not particularly 'worried', more interested.

In my younger (and thinner) days I used to ride sports bikes and my GSXR used to wear the outside 1/3 of the front tyre more than either the centre of the front, or the rear.

All bikes have a thinner front tyre than rear, but I would think that the 'wear' is more down to the geometry of the bike and the 'ratio' between the two.

Anyway, the GS is a great bike, and handles much better than I expected it to so, as I said, more of an interest question than a 'problem' or 'worry'.

Cheers,

Dave.

 

[PhilBolton]

Prior to my 12GS I had several Tigers, same size wheels, same type and size of tyres as GS.
I was quite chuffed 'cos I could run right to the edge of the rear tyre and then some (see my avatar), footrest hero blobs down and chamfered boots.
But as above the front never came anywhere near the edge.
What I have noticed with the GS is that it does use a lot more of the front tyre than my Tigers did, I'm almost to the edge in fact.
Maybe it's down to the geometry of the front end, I don't know, maybe the telelever. Bit of a black art, suspension, eh!

Phil

 

[PhilBolton]

Incidentally, I see that the un-used part of tyre is referred to as chicken-strips, I've always called them " must-try-harder-stripes"

Phil

 

[TheWarlock]

You could always run a file or some sandpaper along the "chicken strip" to give the impression that you're dead 'ard. Won't work because everyone will know, but it never stopped some sad gits I know of.

 

[rdover]

To be sad and scientific about teh whole thing, it seems that the usage of the edges of the front tyre are more dependent on the type of corners and riding style than simply the width of the tyre.

eg. on my Round the Bend test runs (3 days to go, gulp!), where the roads are generally low speed but very tight corners the front gets leaned less than on medium speed medium corners.

I have no chicken strips on either tyre but that does not make me a hero, just someone who rides on serious twisty back roads at reasonable speed. I've seen really slow guys with tattered tyre edges because they are bad riders and are 'leading the front' by dragging the front brake into the corner and putting increased load.

Frankly, given the cost of tyres, I want to use as much of the beggars as possible!

 

[Malcvtr]

"In my younger (and thinner) days I used to ride sports bikes and my GSXR used to wear the outside 1/3 of the front tyre more than either the centre of the front, or the rear."

Well, I've never heard of anyone getting to the edge of their front tyres before they get to the edge of their rears. I guess you live and learn...

But I really don't understand how this can be unless someone was using a lower profile front than rear

I was using a shorthand term when talking about the rear being wider than the front. Isn't the obvious thing that the curvature (cross-section) of the narrower front tyre would be sharper than the wider rear and therefore you would have to lean over further to get to the edge of the front?

I'm sure someone with technical expertise will be along soon.

 

[dlevett]

As someone said - a black art indeed

The suggestion that it depends on the type of riding (type of cornering) seems to make sense - i.e. a lot of slow but very tight bends producing a different front-to-rear wear pattern to higher speed 'sweepers' - perhaps more 'steering input'?

I wonder if the telelever front end and the paralever (?) rear end makes a difference?

Anyway - an interesting debate for a slow Tuesday afternoon

 

[GSmonkey]

If you look at the profile of a rear relative to the front you will see its a lot flatter, hence the major difference between chicken / piss strips.

I'd agree that riding faster roads tends to use more of the front. I'd imagine that this is just to do with the tyre deforming over bumps.

Overall I'd say its a good thing to have a little bit more left on the front than on the back - I'd worry if it was the other way round.

Never had a bike that won't scrub the rear in totally without really trying, so I always look and wonder what people with any chicken strips on the rear are doing. It doesn't indicate that you necessarily ride the bike well, just that you can lean it.

 

[sycomoto]

very hard to get the front right over.

The only bike i've ever got to the edge of the front on was my supermoto race bike and this is because you can load the front very hard. Sportsbikes ie gsxr's can get close again depends on riding style ie hang right off over the front and push the front. Not big or clever on the road If your down to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch on the front yer doing fine, any more and your risking a bout of tarmac arse surfing. Be proud to have no chicken strip on the rear and don't worry about the front.