Chicken strips and tyre size

[Esceptico]

Saw a Street Triple parked up this morning as I was walking in town. Centre of the tyre was worn but there were chicken strips of around 3cm-4cm on the rear tyre.
Got me thinking. My base assumption would be that the bigger the tyres then potentially the larger the size of the chicken strips. So for similar amounts of lean someone with 160 rears would have smaller strips than someone on 190s. But then the tyres are not the same shape and perhaps that makes a difference. What is correct?

[Esceptico]

Andy XRV said:

Dog Star said:

The F4 has a Michelin Pilot Power 3 on it, and the curve is much more pronounced - they tyre itself actually *looks* thinner.

On the R1 I have gone right over off the edge and beyond, very clearly done.

On the F4 I have no doubt that I'm riding faster and that it handles better - I swear I'm really leaning it over. I'm still about a centimetre from the edge. On the upside I know I can take it quite a bit further over and still not compromise my contact patch.

Same here. I have PP3's on the Multistrada and the one and only time I got to the edge was Druids bend on a track evening. Whereas I have the same size PR3's on my commuter with almost zero strips from day to day riding.

PP3's are great tyres

That is counter-intuitive. Does someone out there have an explanation?

[Esceptico]

S

LeadFarmer said:

It's nice to scrub those chickens off isn't it. But as the legend known as Chris Rossiter said to me, road riders should see chicken strips as a safety margin.

Not sure I would agree with that. Sounds too much like "speed is dangerous" whereas the truth is that inappropriate speed in dangerous. Surely the same with lean angle. 20 degrees around a blind bend with junctions the other side might be too much whereas 45 degrees on a clear, dry bend with sticky tyres and good Tarmac is safe.

[Esceptico]

legzr1 said:

You're at the edge of your tyre, banked right over naturally, on your favourite smooth B road bend.

Everything is great.

Then you need to tighten your line for whatever reason.


What then?

I think you need to give a realistic reason for having to tighten your line. To be at an extreme lean angle and safe you would have to be on a clear bend, no oncoming traffic, good road surface etc. It is precisely because there are no reasons for a change in line that you could lean over further.

Secondly even if you are lent over enough to eliminate your chicken strips that doesn't mean that you are at maximum lean.

[Esceptico]

moanthebairns said:

Who really "decks" it though.

I mean really. Who on the road goes in at track lean angels on a piece of road that is 1/3 the width of the narrowest UK track.

What with bumps, grit, cars, pot holes, drains, st surface. You'd have to be a Bullst merchant or living on borrowed time.

Just because you don't (and incidentally I most certainly don't either) doesn't mean that some people can't do it safely. You don't need to have big angles of lean on the road to make swift progress (you probably go fastest by minimising the time the bike is lent over). Wheeling is 100% pointless (and less safe than remaining on two wheels). Should people stop that as well?