Lean angles, technique, and chicken strips

[RayW]

I was wandering through the forum reading various posts about riding technique and proper ways to hang off in curves, and then some other comments poking fun at the width of someones "chicken strip" ie. the strip of virgin rubber on the edge of the tires and got to thinking....... :huh: :headbonk:

From what I understand the idea of "hanging off" in a curve is to change the center of gravity so you can take a curve faster(?) without having to lean as far.

SO........if a person is riding and using the proper technique he wouldn't be leaning the bike over as far....so his "chicken strip" would be *WIDER* than some fearless squid that is scraping pegs but using bad technique. :blink:

The rationalization for me then is that the next time someone gives me a hard time about the width of my chicken strip I can look at them with distain and retort back on their lack of technique! :yahoo:

Ray

 

[DonRed7]

A sander and 10 min's and you've got nothing more to prove,......

cheers

-Don

 

[madmike2]

If you are secure in who you are and what your capabilites are, why are you worried about someone else's opinion?

Need a pat on the back? Here: :thumbsupsmileyanim: , AND here: k: ! There, feel better about your tire's appearance? Now go riding with them!

I ride with owners who can "ride-the-pants" off me (Mr. Smooth, exskibum, rsvlfeej, O'vale, James Burleigh, et al). Who cares? As long as we are all smiling and we are ready to ride again tomorrow, its all good!

 

[DonRed7]

If you are secure in who you are and what your capabilites are, why are you worried about someone else's opinion?
Need a pat on the back? Here: :thumbsupsmileyanim: , AND here: k: ! There, feel better about your tire's appearance? Now go riding with them!

I ride with owners who can "ride-the-pants" off me (Mr. Smooth, exskibum, rsvlfeej, O'vale, James Burleigh, et al). Who cares? As long as we are all smiling and we are ready to ride again tomorrow, its all good!

That was my thrust with the "sander" thingy... Mike.....

Annnd i don't think Ray is a poser (NOT that you infered that in any way)..but prolly more so bringing up something that he's been realizing more and more lately as a techinical part of riding properly.

-when i feel the need to hang off i'm + 50% the legal posted....it's time to take it to the TRACK.

Cheers

-Don

 

[Auburn]

If you are secure in who you are and what your capabilites are, why are you worried about someone else's opinion?
Need a pat on the back? Here: :thumbsupsmileyanim: , AND here: k: ! There, feel better about your tire's appearance? Now go riding with them!

I ride with owners who can "ride-the-pants" off me (Mr. Smooth, exskibum, rsvlfeej, O'vale, James Burleigh, et al). Who cares? As long as we are all smiling and we are ready to ride again tomorrow, its all good!

+1 :thumbsupsmiley:

When I road raced, I sold many sets of race tire take-offs to people who wanted look cool and have no "chicken strips" on their tires. Best part was I sold them for more used then I paid for them new...go figure :clapping: :lol2:

 

[noob]

Hmmm,

I always thought the riders that hung off did so because the bike was at maximum lean already, and the only way to get more speed was to hang off?

Anyway, one thing for sure, hanging off on public roads sure won't make any police officers that see you very happy...

chicken strip

 

[twowheelnut]

Yer thinkin' way too much. Sit back, crack a long neck and flip on South Park.

 

[madmike2]

Eye gots HUGE chicken strips, cuz ah neber git mah murdersickle a-leanin' thet fur ober. AH laiks tuh wher out the middul uh mah tars. Yew kud be askin' enyybuddy who follers me.

That was my thrust with the "sander" thingy... Mike.....
Annnd i don't think Ray is a poser (NOT that you infered that in any way)..but prolly more so bringing up something that he's been realizing more and more lately as a techinical part of riding properly.

Yes, I understood. I was just hoping to get Ray to understand that very thing. When all some riders have to do is compare "chicken strips" it becomes a bragging contest when we could be actually riding, and in THAT riding, the truth would come out. Capiche?

-when i feel the need to hang off i'm + 50% the legal posted....it's time to take it to the TRACK.

That would get me a ticket I can't afford or I'd be replacing parts I don't want to even think about.

+50%?--aroun' these hyar parts, thet'd git yew killed daid! :dribble: Uh course, 'lessen yew wuz uh rilly guhd ryder. Win et gits tuh thet, ah'm a guuuuhd "watcher".

 

[Silent]

I love chicken strips

:dirol:

 

[exskibum]

Stop! You're all right, but twn's advice is most spot-on.

Chicken strips don't really tell the true story.

Just as Ray says -- if your center of gravity is inside, your bike doesn't have to be leaned as far to get the same radius turn as when the CG is not inside. A really bad rider will wear off his chicken strips pushing the bike down with his weight shifted outside.

Racers do hang off so they can maximize turning capability (i.e., go beyond where the lean angle would take them without the advantage of shifting CG inside). A really good rider will wear off his chicken strips in the twisties for that reason, but you can't keep up with him or her like you can with the really bad rider. Most people are in the middle, and there's nothing wrong with riding within your capabilities.

Noob was also right about attracting cop attention. So don't drag the knee but do shift your shoulders.1 If you are on the balls of your feet, you can shift your butt on occasion so that your lower leg is against the back of the fairing (on the FJR) -- good form, not looking too overtly aggressive, allows a greater margin of error and ability to deal with that sudden tight radius turn amid the easier ones. Or don't. Ride at the speed that is comfortable to you for the conditions and in consideration of your readiness to deal with very sudden unforeseen obstacles.

1This is probably the most important part of any "hanging off" anyway -- even if by itself, it doesn't look like what many picture when "hanging off" comes up here (image of Rossi almost dragging an elbow on a MotoGP track).

 

[2WheelTiger]

Pic of my FJR.

NOT! Don't worry about your chicken strips. Streetbikes should have them. Racebikes should not.

 

[RayW]

WOW!!! 10 replies!! Cool!! Seriously I was mostly just havin' a bit of fun. Probably should have posted this in the "Jokes" area. It's an interesting idea though. And I'm the last person to try and pose as a Rossi wannabe. In fact I always tell people that the capabilities of the FJR are wasted on me.

But to really be serious. I've had my bike license for quite a few years. Got my first bike in 1975. But the other side of that was the 12 year lay out after I sold that first bike. And later, even though I owned a couple more bikes before the FJR, I never got to put much milage on them. So now I'm on the FJR, commuting to work on it almost every day and enjoying the heck out of it, but my skills are a bit lacking. At least now I'm old enough to recognise that and be a bit more carefull and work to improve my skills.

It's fun to put the tips and techniques into practice and see the results. I was just noticing on my way home tonight that I can start the bike leaning into a turn using poor technique by not leaning my body that much and as I need to turn a bit tighter to make it around the curve I leaned my body but not the bike and the turn tightened up without any more noticible lean angle to the bike. Physics 101! It really demonstrated what good body position can do for you.

That said I was also extreemly surprised when I got home tonight and just for kicks checked my "chicken strips" and found them quite a bit thinner than the last time I checked!! WOO-HOO!! My skills are either improving or I'm just being more stupid.

Ray

 

[dcarver]

Ray... you got the term incorrect.

They are not CHICKEN STRIPS, rather

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MATURITY MARGINS!

 

[RayW]

Ray... you got the term incorrect.They are not CHICKEN STRIPS, rather

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MATURITY MARGINS!

:rofl: :thumbsupsmileyanim: I LOVE that one!!!

 

[madmike2]

My skills are either improving or I'm just being more stupid.
Ray

Welllll....yes!

MATURITY MARGINS!

:rofl: :lol2: k: That's good, Don!

 

[Kevin Daly]

Pic of my FJR.
NOT! Don't worry about your chicken strips. Streetbikes should have them. Racebikes should not.

what grit of sandpaper did you use on those?

looks like they got up to temp! hope you were on the track

 

[2WheelTiger]

Pic of my FJR.
NOT! Don't worry about your chicken strips. Streetbikes should have them. Racebikes should not.

what grit of sandpaper did you use on those?

looks like they got up to temp! hope you were on the track

Yeah, the pic is off my R1. I was instructing at Hallett MRC a couple of years ago.

 

[RayW]

Yeah, the pic is off my R1. I was instructing at Hallett MRC a couple of years ago.

I've been to that track once. A friend of mine was racing a G-production Triumph Spitfire in the SCCA and I was on his pit crew one weekend. Really nice track and not real commercial at all. We camped at the track and I remember how the sky looked at night. Since there were no lights to spoil your night vision the number of stars you could see was amazing! The coyoties howling at night were something too....at least to this city boy.

I just wish I could have been in the car on the track rather than in the pits. My friend did let me ride with him on his victory lap though, since it was my birthday. :yahoo:

 

[2WheelTiger]

Yeah, the pic is off my R1. I was instructing at Hallett MRC a couple of years ago.

I've been to that track once. A friend of mine was racing a G-production Triumph Spitfire in the SCCA and I was on his pit crew one weekend. Really nice track and not real commercial at all. We camped at the track and I remember how the sky looked at night. Since there were no lights to spoil your night vision the number of stars you could see was amazing! The coyoties howling at night were something too....at least to this city boy.

I just wish I could have been in the car on the track rather than in the pits. My friend did let me ride with him on his victory lap though, since it was my birthday. :yahoo:

It's a highly technical course for motorcycles.