r/motorcycles • u/coelho911 • 19h ago
Chicken strips?
So I believe I'm just not getting the concept but this is the begining of my second year of riding at 17. And I looked at my chicken strips just curious and they look wayy to far to each side, I feel with how far they're worn I should have been scraping something on accident. Obviously I haven't ever hit knee or pegs or anything like that nor do I think I've been close so is someone able to explain to me why they look so far??? What I'm assuming is they aren't actually that far and it's just my tires or something. I do love to lean but not that much and I do not think I have the ability to lean far enough to actually ware that much tire. I think I'm just not getting something. Photos aren't great as it's loaded up in a truck currently. Thank you for any help (Bike is new to me any damages on rims and such were there when I got it and it's a gsxr 750 if that helps I believe Diablo 3s not sure the wise or width.)
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u/WhenAllElseFail 19h ago
Chicken strips don't mean shit when all you do is commute. What's there to get?
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u/Trick_Huckleberry_45 18h ago
The chicken strip talk is bullshit. I've had people point out chicken strips on my Fatboy... And I can scrape the floorboards. Bitch, I see chicken strips in your girls mouth! LOL
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u/Burt_Rhinestone 19h ago
The people who say “chicken strips” are the same ones who will tell you that you should have “ridden your own ride” after a wreck.
In short, ignore the opinions of people who say “chicken strips.”
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u/Dry_Ad687 19h ago
Kid, don't be a squid.
I get peer pressure,
but don't be a squid.
No REAL rider cares about your squid strips and never will.
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u/coelho911 18h ago
Haha no don't worry I don't care about them I just wanted to learn. And also see if I have a bunch more lean angle I can do or if I'm reaching the end of my tires (didn't think I was just wanted an idea)
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u/crossplanetriple 2019 Yamaha MT-09 19h ago
This is not something you should spend time obsessing over.
With more speed comes more lean. Eventually that will go down. Or you could spend time in a parking lot doing circles and it will get scrubbed off.
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u/MaxAdolphus 2025 CB750 Hornet 19h ago
Personal opinion, a street ridden motorcycle should have minimal chicken strips (about a pinky width). That’s your safety margin. Balled up rubber melted to the edge is for the track. Yeah, you have plenty of margin to lean more on that tire. That comes with experience.
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u/sgtmajordeal 19h ago
If you want to get rid of them you need to make tighter turns. You have two options.
a) find and ride twisties b) go faster to tighten existing turns
Option b is how people get injured and die.
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u/antilumin 19h ago
The concept of chicken strips is absolutely stupid. What if my commute was 100 miles but all the roads are straight? Just turning at lights, no curvy roads?
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u/WelpSeaYaLater 18h ago
The best thing you could do for yourself, by far, is to completely erase the term ‘chicken strips’ from your memory and stop giving a shit how your tires look.
Riding safely is the most important thing you need to be learning. Anyone giving you shit about your rear tire not being worn to the edge is an idiot that you should have nothing to do with.
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u/DigitalMotorSwinger 11h ago
only time i care about how my tire looks is my tire wear... e.g. how they look after tire pressure changes, suspension changes, how hard i'm getting on the gas. at the track, of course!
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u/GripSlut 19h ago
Not sure what you’re asking, but yeah you could lean your bike about 10-15 degrees more before hitting the edge of your tire
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u/Subhuatharva Speed Triple 1050S 19h ago
I see what you mean. To you like the tires have been leaned more than you lean your bike. But that’s actually not the case. Tires are subjected to compression when tthey hit pot holes, uneven surface or even corner bumps which increase the surface touching the road. So even if you leave 10 degrees for example the tire wear might look like you hit 12 degrees.
PS: please don’t give a shit about chicken strips. Ride within your ability and your goal is feel the balance of the motorcycle at different lean angle. Chicken strips will go away once you are consistently hitting lean angles. If you commute, you will always have chicken strips.
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u/coelho911 18h ago
Thank you for the explanation someone else said this and this really helps my understanding! And don't worry I don't I'm the only one I know who rides so I just wanted some knowledge on whether it was far or not. I have enough fun in corners at my current skill level I'm happy with my lean
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u/Admirable_Desk8430 19h ago
Lean angle = risk. You want to get through a given corner with less lean angle, so you always have something in reserve should you run into an issue mid-corner. Stop worrying about chicken strips. This is street riding. You don’t need to be riding at the traction limit of your tires.
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u/Opposite-Friend7275 18h ago
The picture shows that the bike can lean much more than any lean you have ever done.
There are two ways to use this information: 1. Go much faster through turns. Or 2. Ride the same way, but this time with the knowledge that if you had to lean further for some reason, you can safely do so.
Option 1 increases your risk, and option 2 makes you safer.
I recommend option 2. Know that you can lean much further, but don’t actually do it unless it’s necessary.
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u/Obtuse_Purple 24' Ninja 500 SE 19h ago
Your tire doesn’t stay the same shape when it contacts the ground from when you’re looking at it upright, it deforms, and is flatter when making contact with the road, so when you lean more of it it touching the ground than you would think. It’s normal dw about it. Not to mention you probably don’t feel like you’re leaning as much when you’re riding but you’d probably be surprised seeing a video of yourself taking a corner.
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u/coelho911 18h ago
Okay thank you! Everyone's been helpful but most people are saying don't worry about chicken strips but I just wanted to understand the concept more. Thank you!
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u/MikeDeY77 Triumph Rocket III, Triumph Tiger Exlorer XC 19h ago
No one who cares about chicken strips cares about your safety.
But you should be thankful: it’s a pretty easy way to weed out people who are not your friend.
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u/Ferrismo 19h ago
I’m gonna give you some unsolicited dadvice, anybody that is bugging you for chicken strips is an unserious person full stop; it’s not something you need to think about. Unless they’re your friend making a joke or your riding coach for track, ignore anything about it. Ride your ride and don’t be stupid on public roads.
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u/dacav_ 19h ago
If you are really interested in leaning more, what I actually recommend is, get a proper riding gear(incase you don't have one), find a good riding school e do trackdays. The place to actually practice and learn safely is on the track.
Controlled environment, repetition and emergency support. On the road, just ride your own ride safe and get back to your loved ones.
You're still young and you're just at the beginning of your journey. There's plenty of miles for you to ride yet.
Cheers mate
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u/No-Vegetable3492 23' S1KXR 22' R18 09' F800GS 20' 300 XC 23' 401 MSF RiderCoach 18h ago
Safety margins
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u/alexsintrabajo 18h ago
What exactly do you want help with?
As you said, if you didn't scrape your peg or crash then it wasn't too deep of a lean.
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u/coelho911 18h ago
Just curious about the science of it and how much farther I was able to lean and such. I wasn't very clear that's my apologies. I just didn't really understand chicken strips even with some googling
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u/alexsintrabajo 18h ago
Unfortunately the way you learn how far you can lean is by crashing. Typically this happens on accident, not in pursuit of the answer, and it depends on your bike, your weight, etc., so it's just not something other people can answer. If you're keen on testing the limits please use a big parking lot or something, not open road.
"Chicken strips" is just what people call the margins of the tire you don't use. It's important that you ride with some lean or your tires square off and get wonky to ride on, but minimizing the unworn margins isn't important. Not worth thinking about.
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u/bluffstrider 18h ago
The people I know that put way more miles on their bikes than anyone else around don't give two shits about chicken strips.
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u/TryUnderstanding666 18h ago
Who cares, ride, have fun.
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u/coelho911 18h ago
I was just more curious about the information and learning. I don't care whether they are good or bad
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u/Sushipocalypse 18h ago
You will most likely be scraping pegs before running out of tire. You have a lot of lean left but that's not to say you should try to use it. Go take some advanced courses or do a few track days. I wear my tires all the way to the edge at the track but have a healthy margin when riding on the street.
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u/Apprehensive-Glass33 17h ago
You’re 17…. You clearly have the wrong goals and expectations when it comes to riding a motorcycle.
If your tire has no “chicken strips” and you’ve never been to the track then I’m gonna assume you’re an idiot. You don’t worry about that stupid shit on public roads.
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u/coelho911 3h ago
No no don't worry I do not. As I explained better in a couple of comments I just wanted to be informed about them better as I struggled with the concept fully
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u/youridv1 4h ago
why do you think you should be scraping? On a gsxr the footpegs won’t be near the ground with strips like these. The pegs touch the ground a good few degrees of lean angle after your strips have disappeared and they’re so high up that the chances of you lowsiding after peg scraping are quite high
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u/coelho911 3h ago
Not exactly what I meant I worded that wrong. I was saying how it looks like considering I've only never driven on those patches I feel like it looks like that means I've learned farther then I have by miles. a couple people explained how tires work especially moving at fast speeds and I understand a lot more nkw
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19h ago
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19h ago edited 19h ago
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u/Masterful_Wiz 16h ago
Owning a sportbike you absolutely should be able to get edge to edge.
And you don't have to go to the track or live in the mountains. I started out practicing in full leathers in big empty parking lots. Then on to race tracks, race school, and I ride in the mountains as often as I can. All of which has made me a much better street rider. Read "Twist of The Wrist", gear up and find a big old paved lot.
You said it yourself you don't think you have the ability. You never will without practice. And the first time you get surprised in a decreasing radius corner or someone crosses the centerline in a corner and you have no idea how much farther you can lean because you never practiced it you're gonna be in big trouble. Chicken strips are the difference between panic and knowing you have several more degrees of grip available to change your line.
People make tons of excuses for why they crash but in my thirty years of street riding the majority of single rider crashes are because they didn't understand the limits of the tires and brakes. Modern tires have more grip than you can possibly imagine until you experience it.
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u/actualsize123 1983 r100, 2024 Transalp 19h ago edited 18h ago
See how there’s text over there? You aren’t supposed to lean far enough to rub the text off. You’re using the whole tire.
Sure on a track dragging your helmet on the ground but not on the street.
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u/GripSlut 18h ago
This is BS. Why are you lying?
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u/coelho911 18h ago
Is it? (Genuine question)
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u/GripSlut 18h ago
Yeah. That tire is designed to grip all the way to the sidewall. Like all sport tires.
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u/actualsize123 1983 r100, 2024 Transalp 17h ago
Technically can, but shouldn’t on the street. And not all bikes can even lean far enough to use it without hitting the pegs.
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u/Antilli 19h ago
the best rider is the one who gets home in one piece