Chicken strips and what they mean re riding style?

[iaingsx1300r]

Just fitted my ZX14 with a new set of Conti Sport attack front and rear and after a few weekend jaunts, I have noticed that the chicken strips on the rear are nearly non-existant (couple of mm remaining) but significantly more at the front (20-25mm a side).
Is that indicative of my riding style and/or the bike setup to have such a large discrepency?? Curious if anyone is aware of any logic behind this?

[EJK]

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Have a watch.

[iaingsx1300r]

Cheers for that....The comments made throughout the vid appear to vindicate my riding style or, at the very least, imply that it is not an issue (chicken strips on the front) unless I am riding like a mad bastard or out on the track

[Paul in NZ]

I have albatross strips on my tyres.... Quite proud of them really....

[iaingsx1300r]

Amen to that Paul - I was more worried that I may have been riding like a Wabbit that what others actually thought of me strips aye? :niceone:

[ellipsis]

...if you are worried about what others think of your chicken strips, then I dont really think that the strips are the problem...

[Paul in NZ]

Amen to that Paul - I was more worried that I may have been riding like a Wabbit that what others actually thought of me strips aye? :niceone:

You ride a ZX1400 - everyone automatically thinks youre a nutter anyway... ;-)

Nah - chick strips pfft... who cares - as long as you are having fun, getting to your destination and getting home its all chicken soup mate...

[Maha]

You ride a ZX1400 - everyone automatically thinks youre a nutter anyway... ;-)

Nah - chick strips pfft... who cares - as long as you are having fun, getting to your destination and getting home its all chicken soup mate...

The strips of chicken made, are things to be very proud of and not to be scoffed at by the hero's that have thwarted theirs into oblivion.

Confucius once said ''he without strips of chicken, have cock the size of quail''.

[iaingsx1300r]

...if you are worried about what others think of your chicken strips, then I dont really think that the strips are the problem...

Ahhhhh Mr Ellipsis; but I don't (care what others think)! I was concerned that the strips (disparity between front and rear) was a reflection of my riding style or bike geometry tis all aye?

[Maha]

Ahhhhh Mr Ellipsis; but I don't (care what others think)! I was concerned that the strips (disparity between front and rear) was a reflection of my riding style or bike geometry tis all aye?

Front will always be wider than what's on your rear tyre.... geometry at work.

[ellipsis]

Ahhhhh Mr Ellipsis; but I don't (care what others think)! I was concerned that the strips (disparity between front and rear) was a reflection of my riding style or bike geometry tis all aye?

...granted...

[iaingsx1300r]

...granted...

Just realised you were the same chap interested in the Kawa H1D I sold a wee while back (Neil?). Did you manage to locate one in the end?

[ellipsis]

...g'day mate...no, but it is the closest I have come to lying to and cheating on my wife for 23 years...I have overcome the madness yet again...I'm kinda glad I didn't also...go away I'm starting to get a murmur in my pants and cry at the same time...

[Akzle]

what a fucken pussy. If you cant drift the front end, you should stick to tricycles or hardleys.
:yes:

[ellipsis]

...must be a slow day in paradise...

[george formby]

What? Wasted rubber? With the cost of tires nowadays, you must be minted:laugh:
I got mis matched tires on me bike & have the opposite situation, nowt unused on the front but a bit of spare on the back. It does not encourage me to ride overly enthusiastically.
Having said that, I do know how to get the front scrubbed right to the edge on a matching pair without risking life or limb or using power tools.
Impresses the mouth breathers & shallow thinkers no end.

[roogazza]

Trying to use all the tyre and grind as much steel off the stands and pegs as possible, was vital when we were young.:crazy:288550

[george formby]

Trying to use all the tyre and grind as much steel off the stands and pegs was vital when we were young.:crazy:

Titanium hero blobs make huge white sparks.... :shifty:

[iaingsx1300r]

Trying to use all the tyre and grind as much steel off the stands and pegs was vital when we were young.:crazy:

Yeah but I rode H1's back then so it was mandatory as it was a constant battle to get the things around a corner (with me still on it)!

[nzspokes]

Trying to use all the tyre and grind as much steel off the stands and pegs was vital when we were young.:crazy:

That is brilliant. I can think of a few bikes I can do that to. :killingme

[ducatilover]

I'm not entirely convinced about the supposed idea that no chicken strips = fast riding. I have no chicken strips on my Pilot Powers on my old crapper and I am by no means fast, the edges are even balled up. I was once so slow that I died of old age. I think crap suspension will help get rid of chicken strips and crap riding/low pressures.

I blame John Key, the cunt.

[Madness]

I'm not entirely convinced about the supposed idea that no chicken strips = fast riding. I have no chicken strips on my Pilot Powers on my old crapper and I am by no means fast, the edges are even balled up. I was once so slow that I died of old age. I think crap suspension will help get rid of chicken strips and crap riding/low pressures.

I blame John Key, the cunt.

What about that "custom" front end geometry you brewed up on it, or did you fix that in the end?

[ducatilover]

What about that "custom" front end geometry you brewed up on it, or did you fix that in the end?

Yup, it's fine. Even has nicer internals now, unlike yourself. :bleh:

[awa355]

Trying to use all the tyre and grind as much steel off the stands and pegs as possible, was vital when we were young.:crazy:

Some used to grind the pegs, stands and anything else down with a hand grinder just to impress simpletons with their riding skills. :(:(

[Road kill]

My rear tyre has wide strips but the front wears very close to the edge.

Rear wide 16",front skinny 19" stupid fuckin' thing.

Bike has never put a foot wrong but I'll still replace the front with a 17" someday.

[AllanB]

Varies between tyres on the same bike too.

The Pilot Powers I ran had zero Chicken Strips on the rear, changed to RA2 and always had 5 mm or so on the rear despite no reduction in speed, grip etc.

Also something I have noticed is the width of tyre changes quite a bit between brands. The 180 rear Conti was actually 175 - Power was a bit over 180 (183 I think) T30's I've just spooned on 181. Pilot Road was 184.

Fronts vary too ........


T30's have only had one shortish ride - rear strips need some work!


Best not to get too worried about them - somewhere I read a statement from (I think) Aaron Slight that the meaty grippy bit of the tyre is not the edge - you can't power it on if riding on the edge. This makes sense and backs up the you may be riding faster without hitting the tyres edge theory.

Fucked if I know really.

[Big Dave]

Only rookies care.

[iaingsx1300r]

Thanks everyone - As I said previously, the concern was with potential geometry issues...I sure as hell dont plan to drag by sorry ass all over the tarmac to feather off the edges and get an all over scuff!

[ellipsis]

...tyres are funny things...like Groucho Marx...only a little more serious...hahahehe...serial...

[mossy1200]

I got chicken strips on my 3rd wheel.:devil2:

[iaingsx1300r]

Good to see another 14 out there even if it is articulated (Mossy1200). Curious...do you get the brief cam rattle on startup? Put a post up a wee while back to see if anyone had fitted a manual tensioner but not a lot came out from under the rocks on that one.............

[mossy1200]

Good to see another 14 out there even if it is articulated (Mossy1200). Curious...do you get the brief cam rattle on startup? Put a post up a wee while back to see if anyone had fitted a manual tensioner but not a lot came out from under the rocks on that one.............

No rattle.
haven't heard anyone on 14 sites mention it either.

[ellipsis]

I got chicken strips on my 3rd wheel.:devil2:

...soft cunt...

[Drew]

Varies between tyres on the same bike too.

The Pilot Powers I ran had zero Chicken Strips on the rear, changed to RA2 and always had 5 mm or so on the rear despite no reduction in speed, grip etc.

Also something I have noticed is the width of tyre changes quite a bit between brands. The 180 rear Conti was actually 175 - Power was a bit over 180 (183 I think) T30's I've just spooned on 181. Pilot Road was 184.

Fronts vary too ........


T30's have only had one shortish ride - rear strips need some work!


Best not to get too worried about them - somewhere I read a statement from (I think) Aaron Slight that the meaty grippy bit of the tyre is not the edge - you can't power it on if riding on the edge. This makes sense and backs up the you may be riding faster without hitting the tyres edge theory.

Fucked if I know really.
Oh my goodness. Someone with some technical info. You shall be burned.

Tyre sizes are relative to a few things, and for some reason not actually truely represented by the numbers on the side. Jay Lawrance might be able to explain why, I honestly can't think of a time someone explained it to me for me to recall incorrectly.

Chicken strips mean squat. If they're huge it means someone is very cautious I think, but there's nothing to judge about those people till they start harping on about how good they are on a bike.

[Banditbandit]

Chicken strips mean squat. If they're huge it means someone is very cautious I think, but there's nothing to judge about those people till they start harping on about how good they are on a bike.

Yeah .. that's about it .. knew a guy with a GSXRthou - claimed he was a very fast rider ... looked at his rear tyre - it was bald down the centre but sill looked slick and had mold marks anywhere where it might have contacted the road if it had been leaned over ...

Fast in a straight line .. but he'd rarely even leaned the bike ...

[raziel1983]

Good to see another 14 out there even if it is articulated (Mossy1200). Curious...do you get the brief cam rattle on startup? Put a post up a wee while back to see if anyone had fitted a manual tensioner but not a lot came out from under the rocks on that one.............

Had a 06 ZX14 that did it, Just takes a sec for the hydraulic tensioner to kick in, Normal.

Also, Had a random guy at a servo (filling his car) grinning smugly while looking at my rear tyre, He then asked me if my bike had to much power or do I use the rear brake a lot, Because my tyre was worn in the middle.....

[mossy1200]

Had a 06 ZX14 that did it, Just takes a sec for the hydraulic tensioner to kick in, Normal.

Maybe the 1441 motor doesn't have the same system.

[iaingsx1300r]

Had a 06 ZX14 that did it, Just takes a sec for the hydraulic tensioner to kick in, Normal.

Also, Had a random guy at a servo (filling his car) grinning smugly while looking at my rear tyre, He then asked me if my bike had to much power or do I use the rear brake a lot, Because my tyre was worn in the middle.....

Yeah, that seems to be the consensus for earlier models like mine. I'll have a dig around to see if the 2013 tensioner is interchangeable - thanks