Chicken Strips / Lean Angle

[Cormanus]

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer!

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer! I gotta thump him in the skull and bust him acrost the jaw wunst in a while to keep him in line.

Hey you'd really like to read about my buddy Steve Costigan, too!

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy:

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy: Yep, I'm just channeling Robert E. Howard's "Breckinridge Elkins" from time to time! Cap'n Kidd bein' Breck's crazy, unruly horse which can ride faster and farther than any hoss that ever lived, but needs to be slugged on the jaw and punched on the nose to keep him in line. That ain't abuse because Cap'n Kidd generly bites a chunk or two outa Breck's leg and then tries to buck him clean off like there was a painter on his back!

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime.

 

[The Spaceman_imp]

Too old to play those games anymore and not many roads to practice the craft in south Georgia. That said, the CB handles well and with some sticky tires would acquit itself well on a challenging road I think.

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."

 

[Tortuga_imp]

Too old to play those games anymore and not many roads to practice the craft in south Georgia. That said, the CB handles well and with some sticky tires would acquit itself well on a challenging road I think.

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what I'll call "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."
I take it yours are huge then Spacey?

(Chicken strips, not penis(s)!!)

Seriously though, you're right. It's a total irrelevance and has no bearing on the enjoyment of a motorbike.

I'll crawl back to my oil thread

 

[mininsx_imp]

You can get rid of "chicken strips" on a parking lot if you want, it has no bearing on riding ability, really. :biker:
That being said, I don't have any on my CB and I haven't dragged any hard parts to "get rid of them."

 

[Red Mist_imp]

Too old to play those games anymore and not many roads to practice the craft in south Georgia. That said, the CB handles well and with some sticky tires would acquit itself well on a challenging road I think.

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options." That was a terrific essay. Code is the best writer in the motorcycle business today. He doesn't need to sugar-coat everything in order to be "liked" or published. Only other exception is Freddie Spencer (who doesn't use a ghost-writer, BTW).

May I state for the record I didn't start this thread...but the question asked is very legitimate. A good way to quickly start touching those peg feelers down is to take one of Keith's schools!

Here's a link to the article:

Tread Envy | CODE BREAK

I just re-read it and it is so, exactly, correct. The particular issues with the CB1100 are 1) The bike handles quite well and the wide bars encourage quick turning, so despite the heavy weight of the bike, it can be heeled over very quickly, right to the maximum lean angle and more; 2) The suspension is soft, so once leaned in, the force of turn-in and/or any bumps in the road quickly eat up your cornering clearance; 3) Whilst cranked over to maximum lean, bumps tend to feed steering input to the handlebars because they're wide, creating a lot of little errors in your line, which are exacerbated yet again by the soft suspension.

The solutions are (much) better rear shocks, a bit thicker fork oil, and perhaps a fork brace, which would allow the bike to hold a tighter, smoother line, but the first order of business is the ride the thing within its limits.

Problem is that magical engine saying "Rev me, rev me, rev me..." :rofl:

P.S. I also recommend Reg Pridmore's CLASS.

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer!

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer! I gotta thump him in the skull and bust him acrost the jaw wunst in a while to keep him in line.

Hey you'd really like to read about my buddy Steve Costigan, too!

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy:

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy: Yep, I'm just channeling Robert E. Howard's "Breckinridge Elkins" from time to time! Cap'n Kidd bein' Breck's crazy, unruly horse which can ride faster and farther than any hoss that ever lived, but needs to be slugged on the jaw and punched on the nose to keep him in line. That ain't abuse because Cap'n Kidd generly bites a chunk or two outa Breck's leg and then tries to buck him clean off like there was a painter on his back!

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime.

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime. Let me know if you can find it! Seems to be out of print, even in digital...

 

[Tortuga_imp]

Good points Red. You and Spaceman are becoming my favourite contributors.

I think we could all learn something from the CSS.

Maybe somebody should give some advanced riding tutorials on the forum?

:idea:

 

[Cormanus]

Too old to play those games anymore and not many roads to practice the craft in south Georgia. That said, the CB handles well and with some sticky tires would acquit itself well on a challenging road I think.

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options." That was a terrific essay. Code is the best writer in the motorcycle business today. He doesn't need to sugar-coat everything in order to be "liked" or published. Only other exception is Freddie Spencer (who doesn't use a ghost-writer, BTW).

May I state for the record I didn't start this thread...but the question asked is very legitimate. A good way to quickly start touching those peg feelers down is to take one of Keith's schools!

Here's a link to the article:

Tread Envy | CODE BREAK

I just re-read it and it is so, exactly, correct. The particular issues with the CB1100 are 1) The bike handles quite well and the wide bars encourage quick turning, so despite the heavy weight of the bike, it can be heeled over very quickly, right to the maximum lean angle and more; 2) The suspension is soft, so once leaned in, the force of turn-in and/or any bumps in the road quickly eat up your cornering clearance; 3) Whilst cranked over to maximum lean, bumps tend to feed steering input to the handlebars because they're wide, creating a lot of little errors in your line, which are exacerbated yet again by the soft suspension.

The solutions are (much) better rear shocks, a bit thicker fork oil, and perhaps a fork brace, which would allow the bike to hold a tighter, smoother line, but the first order of business is the ride the thing within its limits.

Problem is that magical engine saying "Rev me, rev me, rev me..." :rofl:

P.S. I also recommend Reg Pridmore's CLASS.

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer!

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer! I gotta thump him in the skull and bust him acrost the jaw wunst in a while to keep him in line.

Hey you'd really like to read about my buddy Steve Costigan, too!

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy:

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy: Yep, I'm just channeling Robert E. Howard's "Breckinridge Elkins" from time to time! Cap'n Kidd bein' Breck's crazy, unruly horse which can ride faster and farther than any hoss that ever lived, but needs to be slugged on the jaw and punched on the nose to keep him in line. That ain't abuse because Cap'n Kidd generly bites a chunk or two outa Breck's leg and then tries to buck him clean off like there was a painter on his back!

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime.

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime. Let me know if you can find it! Seems to be out of print, even in digital...

If you want to pay big bucks for a collector's edition, Amazon has it Post Oaks and Sand Roughs: Howard, Robert E.: 9780937986936: Amazon.com: Books

I'll keep searching.

 

[emptysea]

I read the Code article and several other of his pieces. All great stuff and thanks to RedMist for posting the links.

First, I prefer to call them "Safety Strips".

Second, I have touched a boot down three times on the left side...always because I had my toe under the shifter rather than back on the peg as it should be. We will see how I do at The Dragon in two weeks.

 

[Tortuga_imp]

I'm not professing to be Keith Code or anything, but I always try to maintain a 'balls of feet on' policy on the foot pegs.

This allows you to hold onto the bike with your feet and knees, and take the weight off your hands. Extreme bar inputs cause most problems mid corner. Gripping the bike with the legs allows better control, freeing up the arms to hold the bars lightly and allowing body weight shifts to NOT affect steering.

 

[Red Mist_imp]

Too old to play those games anymore and not many roads to practice the craft in south Georgia. That said, the CB handles well and with some sticky tires would acquit itself well on a challenging road I think.

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options."

Keith Code has an article on "Chicken Strips" in the May edition of MotorCyclist. He acknowledged that for a lot of riders (squids) the strips are nothing more than what might be called "penis measures."

But he made another point: "accurately gauging lean angle and traction is a critical safety point. If a cornering situation demands more lean angle than you can safely deliver, you become road bait... The ability to use all of the available lean angle expands your options." That was a terrific essay. Code is the best writer in the motorcycle business today. He doesn't need to sugar-coat everything in order to be "liked" or published. Only other exception is Freddie Spencer (who doesn't use a ghost-writer, BTW).

May I state for the record I didn't start this thread...but the question asked is very legitimate. A good way to quickly start touching those peg feelers down is to take one of Keith's schools!

Here's a link to the article:

Tread Envy | CODE BREAK

I just re-read it and it is so, exactly, correct. The particular issues with the CB1100 are 1) The bike handles quite well and the wide bars encourage quick turning, so despite the heavy weight of the bike, it can be heeled over very quickly, right to the maximum lean angle and more; 2) The suspension is soft, so once leaned in, the force of turn-in and/or any bumps in the road quickly eat up your cornering clearance; 3) Whilst cranked over to maximum lean, bumps tend to feed steering input to the handlebars because they're wide, creating a lot of little errors in your line, which are exacerbated yet again by the soft suspension.

The solutions are (much) better rear shocks, a bit thicker fork oil, and perhaps a fork brace, which would allow the bike to hold a tighter, smoother line, but the first order of business is the ride the thing within its limits.

Problem is that magical engine saying "Rev me, rev me, rev me..." :rofl:

P.S. I also recommend Reg Pridmore's CLASS.

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer!

I guess yer gotta keep the preshar on him sos he doesn't turn around and bite yer! I gotta thump him in the skull and bust him acrost the jaw wunst in a while to keep him in line.

Hey you'd really like to read about my buddy Steve Costigan, too!

Did it again this morning, left peg scraping. Standard weight rider (~160 geared up), shocks set to standard (step 2).

The bike is quite easy to turn with those wide bars and narrow tires. The lean angle sensor in my brain is not calibrated to Cap'n Kidd. He likes to turn but starts digging in early.

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy:

I like that turn of phrase. I always read your posts in a sort of 'authoritative drawl', if you'll excuse me saying so. I'm around 200lb and have mine set on click 3 at the back and tweaked half a line firmer on the forks.

With only 422 miles racked up of which I did only 318 I suspect I'll settle in to the bike and become a peg grinding guru.

I must admit, this evenings ride was more natural feeling and I think I'm getting my groove with Dixie. hy: Yep, I'm just channeling Robert E. Howard's "Breckinridge Elkins" from time to time! Cap'n Kidd bein' Breck's crazy, unruly horse which can ride faster and farther than any hoss that ever lived, but needs to be slugged on the jaw and punched on the nose to keep him in line. That ain't abuse because Cap'n Kidd generly bites a chunk or two outa Breck's leg and then tries to buck him clean off like there was a painter on his back!

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime.

Post Oaks and Sand Roughs? I'll try it sometime. Let me know if you can find it! Seems to be out of print, even in digital...

If you want to pay big bucks for a collector's edition, Amazon has it Post Oaks and Sand Roughs: Howard, Robert E.: 9780937986936: Amazon.com: Books

I'll keep searching.

If you want to pay big bucks for a collector's edition, Amazon has it Post Oaks and Sand Roughs: Howard, Robert E.: 9780937986936: Amazon.com: Books

I'll keep searching. Saw that, yep, I'll hold off until the Nook edition comes out! Now, about them chicken strips, I'll take a triple-order with a side o' bakin grease...

 

[12cb96vfr_imp]

body position > chicken strips any day. I love that term because when I hear guys talk about it I know to stay away from them lol. IMO If you ride hard enough on the street to not have any chicken strips you either 1) don't know how to get off the bike or 2) know how to use body position and ride wayyyyyy too fast for the street. Either way I see it as an accident waiting to happen; I've also noticed that guys that obsess over chicken strips typically aren't very good at riding.

LOL I'll have to find the picture, I'm on another forum and someone posted a "show a pic of your chicken strips" thread, so I cut and pasted chicken fingers all over my tires on my VFR, then on my Warrior (which was slammed, not good for corner carving) I played dumb and acted like I thought the bigger the chicken strip the better it was, I had them all worked up hahhahahah

 

[dave]

Dudes, let's get personal here.

I've only done 370 miles odd on mine but I've still got a pink stripe on part of my rear tyre. I've scrubbed it to within a half inch of the edge, but obviously not enough to wear the paint off.

I was interested to know, what tyres have you got fitted, how big are YOUR chicken strips, if you have any, and how long before you cranked it over fully?

Also what sort of lean angles are you achieving, and has anyone one scraped the pegs?

Photos would be ACE!:celebrate:

Videos would be AMAZINGSSS!

Here's a pic of the wife and me on the VFR on Mt Palomar (I think - how do I upload pics here?)

 

[AzBob_imp]

I've got about 1mm or so of chicken strip/safety margin on my tires, apparently. Haven't touched down any hard parts. On my CBR, I've got around 2cm.

 

[Tortuga_imp]

I've got about 1mm or so of chicken strip/safety margin on my tires, apparently. Haven't touched down any hard parts. On my CBR, I've got around 2cm.

So you lean further on your CB than your CBR? :exclamation:

 

[Robo_imp]

I've got about 1mm or so of chicken strip/safety margin on my tires, apparently. Haven't touched down any hard parts. On my CBR, I've got around 2cm.

So you lean further on your CB than your CBR? :exclamation:

So you lean further on your CB than your CBR? :exclamation: The CB probably runs out of rubber faster than the CBR

 

[Tortuga_imp]

180 rear vs 140 rear, I get it.

 

[bigsheep_imp]

260 lbs rider who has ridden a CB on a race track with both 140/70 tires and 160/60's. Both tires were close to new when I hit the track, by design. With the 160/60's I touched peg feelers on both sides and still had approx 1/2"-3/4" unused tire surface. With a 140/70 tire after a track day I had approx 2-3mm of unused surface. Also the peg feeler touched and the crash bars did not. My crash bars are SWMotech. There was a post somewhere about an engine guard scraping resulting in a crash, I'm going to assume that was a different brand/model. I discovered this thread looking for the actually maximum lean angle of the bike as I was comparing it to the HD1200 and the Indian Scout out of curiosity...Anybody know?

 

[Rocky_imp]

I have chicken strips and am proud of them - albeit they are quite narrow.
I don't feel any pressure or need to ride the tires on the street/road to their very edge.
I enjoy a "spirited" ride, but I know when enough is enough. The days of "riding like you stole it" are long gone. These days, at my age of nearly 80, are just all about the ride.

 

[Django]

260 lbs rider who has ridden a CB on a race track with both 140/70 tires and 160/60's. Both tires were close to new when I hit the track, by design. With the 160/60's I touched peg feelers on both sides and still had approx 1/2"-3/4" unused tire surface. With a 140/70 tire after a track day I had approx 2-3mm of unused surface. Also the peg feeler touched and the crash bars did not. My crash bars are SWMotech. There was a post somewhere about an engine guard scraping resulting in a crash, I'm going to assume that was a different brand/model. I discovered this thread looking for the actually maximum lean angle of the bike as I was comparing it to the HD1200 and the Indian Scout out of curiosity...Anybody know?

You need to put the suspension to max and hardest extend to get more lean angle.

Then you can use shorter foot pegs to lean more.

You still will have some chicken strips on 160 rear tire. As the rim, which is made for a 140, is a little bit narrow for the 160, the 160 tire get more bent, resulting in more bow. That's why you cant ride it to the edge.

However, it's no problem to get rid of chicken strips on a 140: