Chicken strips front but not rear - what is this telling me?

[darkwolf]

I recently completed a track training day at Ruapuna run by Mainland Motorcycle School and have noticed that the "chicken strips" on the rear tyre are gone. WOOP I guess. But they are still there by about half an inch on the front tyre. Now I'm not worried about getting rid of them, I'm just interested in what I should be able to gather from this.

On the day - as with regular riding - I ran 29 PSI on the front 32 on the rear on my VTR250.

Firstly, is it normal for the front tyre to scrub less than the rear? I figure it may be, on the basis that the front tyre is turned into the corner to a certain degree, therefore the need to lean is less - right or wrong?

If it isn't normal - could it be because of the lower pressure at the front? I don't believe this to be a cause of the wear as I would have thought that a lower pressure would have resulted in a larger contact patch and therefore more wear on the front that the rear.

The bike does not have adjustable suspension. Could it be my 101KG created larger load on the rear?

Am I reading too much into this and should I just not stress?

[puddytat]

pretty normal I'd say...

[jrandom]

This is normal. The front strips usually go last. If you look at your tyre profiles, assuming your tyres aren't fucked, you'll note that the front one probably curls up around the side a little more. As you start going faster and leaning the bike over further, what's left of the contact surface will get used up on the front as well as the rear.

Point to note. Are you running a properly matched set of tyres? Same manufacturer and model front and rear?

Different brands have different profiles and are designed to be ridden on as matched sets. And personally I'm against the common practice of running a stickier tyre on the front and a 'touring' tyre from the same manufacturer on the rear, due to this profile issue - the curve of the rear tyre will be shallower, and you'll find yourself running out of rear tyre profile far too early for the way the front wants to tip in. Just because two different models of tyre are both made by Michelin, or Metzeler, or whoever, doesn't mean that they're necessarily designed to work together.

You probably don't have anything to worry about, though. Just go forth and scrub what's left off. Although the nature of your bike and its tyres may simply be such that the bike itself cannot provide enough lean angle to scrub the whole of the front. This isn't unknown. Some bikes can't even scrub the whole of their rears (ER6s with 160s on the back, for instance, if I recall correctly). Don't worry about it. Just enjoy your riding.

:sunny:

[Subike]

i often run the rear "chicken strip" off of the tire, but never the front
I would actually be concerned if I did, that front tire is all that keeps you going around the corner remember.
I would rather have 10mm of usable rubber left on the front, than be going over that edge and not having enough.
As for mixing brands? Phift!

[darkwolf]

I should have added - the tyres are Pirelli Sport Demon front and rear. And that's good to know.

[AllanB]

Very normal. Often depends on the bike too, some seam to have identical CS front and rear others less rear more front.


Tell you something weird I was running Pilot Powers (sport tyre)- no rear chicken strip, I have changed to Conti Road Attack 2's and loving these tyres, I can ride faster in corners than I was on the Powers BUT there is still 10mm of chicken strip on the rear! All to do with profiles I guess.

[sugilite]

You have a matched pair, and that sounds pretty normal, so nothing to worry about. To be absolutely sure, you could just check the stock front tyre size against what you have on the bike.

[G4L4XY]

I'm the opposite, i've got minimal (2mm) strips on the front and like (5mm) on the back but thats from road use only and I hardly get the chance for a decent ride in the twisties.

[NighthawkNZ]

not eating enough chicken?

[mossy1200]

Man up and buy some 80 grit sandpaper before your mates see the lines of shame.

[ducatilover]

Man up and buy some 80 grit sandpaper before your mates see the lines of shame.

Same goes for the knee and toe sliders!

[Madness]

I'm the opposite, i've got minimal (2mm) strips on the front and like (5mm) on the back but thats from road use only and I hardly get the chance for a decent ride in the twisties.

Your tyres have been fitted incorrectly. Remove the wheels and swap them over.

[ducatilover]

Your tyres have been fitted incorrectly. Remove the wheels and swap them over.

Or they're as fat as fuck and sit on the handle bars?

[darkwolf]

Man up and buy some 80 grit sandpaper before your mates see the lines of shame.

Nah - I'm sweet, nothing to fear... I've got no friends :nya: oh wait :crybaby:

But seriously not worried about the presence of chicken strips, just wanted to be sure there wasn't something wrong with the suspension or something.

[mossy1200]

Nah - I'm sweet, nothing to fear... I've got no friends :nya: oh wait :crybaby:

But seriously not worried about the presence of chicken strips, just wanted to be sure there wasn't something wrong with the suspension or something.

The vtr prob has 3 inch front rim and if your tyre is 110 or 120 the strips wont go away unless you fall off alot

[ducatilover]

The vtr prob has 3 inch front rim and if your tyre is 110 or 120 the strips wont go away unless you fall off alot

I just realised I have none front or rear...uh oh.

[mossy1200]

I just realised I have none front or rear...uh oh.

Dont worry one day they will seal the roads in the village of Feilding.Gravel must be hard on those tires aye.

[ducatilover]

Dont worry one day they will seal the roads in the village of Feilding.Gravel must be hard on those tires aye.

I buff 'em with the angle grinder, it balls the rubber up and makes me look like Rossi. We don't have gravel in Feilding, that got washed away last rice season. (better update that, just moved out of Feilding two days ago)

[Kermit250]

I'm the opposite, i've got minimal (2mm) strips on the front and like (5mm) on the back but thats from road use only and I hardly get the chance for a decent ride in the twisties.

I would advise you checking your tyre pressures :facepalm: Lots of people think it must be suspension, it's usually tyre pressure.

[G4L4XY]

I would advise you checking your tyre pressures :facepalm: Lots of people think it must be suspension, it's usually tyre pressure.

Well no the front tyre is older than the rear, tyre pressure is fine.

[ducatilover]

Well no the front tyre is older than the rear, tyre pressure is fine.

Is your rear pre-load wound right up then?

[Shadows]

i often run the rear "chicken strip" off of the tire, but never the front
I would actually be concerned if I did, that front tire is all that keeps you going around the corner remember.
I would rather have 10mm of usable rubber left on the front, than be going over that edge and not having enough.
As for mixing brands? Phift!

What he said for the most part. I tend to use all of the available rear tread, but I've never managed to use the edges of the front tyre while still holding on to the handlebars.

Unless you ride hard, matching tyres on front and rear isn't completely necessary provided they have similar characteristics. Not only do all bikes track differently, also because a front tyre generally wears at half the rate of a rear tyre in normal riding, they really only match in profile for a couple of thousand clicks anyway. Especially if your bike has a bit of poke.

Personally though, I don't compromise on what is without a doubt your cheapest and best insurance, so I always make sure I have a matching set of tyres and replace them well before they are worn out.

[Kermit250]

Well no the front tyre is older than the rear, tyre pressure is fine.

As in front tyre on from previous owner? What pressure is "fine"? Don't mean to come across like a prick, just trying to share what I've found useful.

I have found noticeable differences in handling when just changing a couple of PSI in the front. So meaning a small change can make a big difference. How often do you check them?

[ducatilover]

As in front tyre on from previous owner? What pressure is "fine"? Don't mean to come across like a prick, just trying to share what I've found useful.

I have found noticeable differences in handling when just changing a couple of PSI in the front. So meaning a small change can make a big difference. How often do you check them?

Tyre pressures need to be spot on.
My ZZR6 would spin/slide the rear at 32psi with a cheap IRC, at 36 it was fine (although the tyre lasted less than 1000k/2 weeks)
I run 32 front and 36 rear on mine and it feels rock solid (power 2cts seem to be helping though)
I had the front/rear on my VT250 spada at 29/32 and it handled like a truck, front ran wide, no feel etc, another few PSI up it and she handled very nicely.

[The Singing Chef]

I only managed to get rid of the front chicken strips on one spirited ride I did, but on my track bike I often have a large chicken on the front, have got a pilot road 2 on the rear and a Diablo Superbike slick on the front. Never had any issues with it but would prefer to have two matching tyres.

[Kermit250]

Yep had 34 in the front and 36 on the rear on the F4, handled like a steam roller, pushed up 2 psi in each and now its just divine! Much better positive feel as well, especially when nearing the edges :innocent:

[Kermit250]

I only managed to get rid of the front chicken strips on one spirited ride I did, but on my track bike I often have a large chicken on the front, have got a pilot road 2 on the rear and a Diablo Superbike slick on the front. Never had any issues with it but would prefer to have two matching tyres.

Wow, that's quite a um combination of tyres, both very different in nature, what is it like??

Do you find that you have a better body position and smoother throttle control, etc when you are riding the track bike as opposed to the road bike? Although I would imagine the slick on the front probably has quite an aggressive profile

[ducatilover]

Yep had 34 in the front and 36 on the rear on the F4, handled like a steam roller, pushed up 2 psi in each and now its just divine! Much better positive feel as well, especially when nearing the edges :innocent:

I think I'll have to ride it to believe you mate...

[The Singing Chef]

Wow, that's quite a um combination of tyres, both very different in nature, what is it like??

Do you find that you have a better body position and smoother throttle control, etc when you are riding the track bike as opposed to the road bike? Although I would imagine the slick on the front probably has quite an aggressive profile

Yea it is an interesting combo! It isn't bad actually the front isn't too aggressively shaped which more or less matches the rear.
Yea I have slightly better body position etc... on the track but I try to merge my skills for both styles. Though I am definitely pushing much harder on the track so everything starts to matter a bit more than it would on the road.

[nodrog]

Yep had 34 in the front and 36 on the rear on the F4, handled like a steam roller, pushed up 2 psi in each and now its just divine! Much better positive feel as well, especially when nearing the edges :innocent:

I just did big wees!

[caspernz]

Same goes for the knee and toe sliders!

Belt sander with the coarsest belt, reputation to uphold :facepalm:

[gatch]

Nar that's normal for sport demons buddy. I honed out 3 ? sets of them on me ol' spada. The rear isn't very radiused in comparison to the front.

When you do start hooking into that last 8-10mm of front tread, you'll have your knee down, then your elbow. And your head, your back, your arse and your forearm..

As an aside I run 28front and 26rear on the track. 34 all round on the road. Seems to go alright.

[caspernz]

Yeah well, I run a rear tyre of 160 width, whereas the standard is a 150. On the 150 I was running off the end of the tread, now on the 160 I've got maybe 4-5 mm of chicken strip. On the standard sized front, a 120 I've got at least 10 mm of chicken strip. Tracktime doesn't make much difference to this...oh well, bring on that belt sander :facepalm:

[SMOKEU]

My gixxer does exactly the same thing to the tyres that the OP was talking about. I was actually wondering if that's normal, but it's all good to know that it is.