How low can you Go?

[ConcreteCarver]

As a new rider I'm pretty much taking things fairly easy out there (usually!). I noticed I do have some "chicken strips" on my tires (maybe an inch?), so I know the bike is capable of faster/tighter cornering.

So how do you know how far you can safely lean? Does a bike usually give signs its reaching its limit? Or is it just low-side time if you push too far?

[UberGoober]

There are some real racers on the board that have definite opinions on chicken strips, who can tell you the signs but in 20 plus years of riding I don't think I have ever reached the edge of my tires.

I just don't ride that hard on the street, there's no reason for it really.

[coronadozx]

like my grandfather always says, "go 'til you hear glass break."

don't worry too much about your chicken strips, they really do not tell the skill level of a rider. you can get rid of your chicken strips just by weaving and swerving back-and-forth.

[leemajaz]

good question.

Originally Posted by ConcreteCarver

As a new rider I'm pretty much taking things fairly easy out there (usually!). I noticed I do have some "chicken strips" on my tires (maybe an inch?), so I know the bike is capable of faster/tighter cornering.

So how do you know how far you can safely lean? Does a bike usually give signs its reaching its limit? Or is it just low-side time if you push too far?

you will know when you have reached the limit when the bike either violently slingshots you through the air or lays you down on your side with your leg stuck under a 300+lb machine.

the bike is capable but the rider ,however may not be ready for what the bike can dish out.

ride within your limits and be safe on that thing!

[phail]

I was trying to find this picture that gives you an idea of how your contact patch looks at different angles on the tire, but I cant seem to locate it. PM Zxhunter, I think hes the one that posted it, and probably has it saved on his hard drive.

Even with no chicken strips, it doesnt mean you're contact patch is so far on the edge of the tire that you're going to crash.

[CBRAWR]

if you're able to get rid of chicken strips on the street you're probably riding way too fast or you have some sweet ass roads

[leland]

Originally Posted by CBRAWR

if you're able to get rid of chicken strips on the street you're probably riding way too fast or you have some sweet ass roads

From your 954 pics seems like you have some good roads. Are you in Missouri also?

[SU Laxplaya21]

I am curious too, not really about the chicken strips but how do you learn on a bike how hard you can corner? On a car its relatively easy, most cars understeer, on my car however I have dialed most of that out. It is pretty neutral at this point and predictable. On a car you can push it to the rear starts to come out and you control the drift, if you know what you are doing. However on a bike, when you begin drifting you are most likely on your way to some unpleasant repercussions.

[ConcreteCarver]

Well as a new rider I can't say I have anything to prove, so really am not concerned about having chicken strips or not. But they do show me that the bike has potentially higher limits than I have tapped yet (or am likely to in the near future).

I was just curious how you know if you are actually reaching those cornering lean limits of the bike? Assuming warm tires and good conditions. (do you start touching a peg??)

[coronadozx]

Originally Posted by ConcreteCarver

... (do you start touching a peg??)

this is where your riding form comes in, leaning off your bike and throwing your knee out helps determine how far your bike is leaning and how much further you can lean in one direction. once you get your knee to touch, then you can pull it in a bit and lean further over.

it all comes with time and practice. definitely sign up for a trackday and see if they offer instructional classes during your trackday. that will add to your riding skill and knowledge immensely. highly recommend it bro.

[R1100S-Rider]

Just take some sandpaper and go along the edge!

[Ivan_markII]

I can't speak for others but my personal experience was to start off on 50, 80, and 125 cc 2-stroke street machines. The 80 and 125 had the same chassis. Those bikes lean so far over and their tires grip like velcro that it requires you to feel that itty bitty limit on what lean angle and a slide feels like.

So eventually when you get to a big 4-stroke streetbike (by big I mean anything over 400cc) there's so much mass and inertia that it reacts pretty slowly to whatever you do.

The problem is you don't know how much grip you really have and since lean is a direct function of grip then you're basically guessing. What you need is a way to test grip. If you're a dirt biker and you have a lot of small bike experience then you'll be able to add throttle (while standing the bike up coming out of a corner) enough so that you start sliding. You can also snap the throttle open and then close it really quickly--it spins then grips the tire so quickly that you won't highside. This what I do and is a pretty neat way of testing grip.

If I had to learn motorcycles again I would get a dual-sport bike, put knobbies on it, and just slide around on it. Street, track, or dirt...you need to get a very clear understanding of what a slide feels like. Otherwise you're just playing Russian Roulette.

Finally, consider what kind of bike you're on if you make a mistake and crash. A small bike will usually just skip along the ground. A 600cc SS will flip and crunch. A DP bike might not even show any damage.

[Fargin_Bastige]

Originally Posted by ConcreteCarver

As a new rider I'm pretty much taking things fairly easy out there (usually!). I noticed I do have some "chicken strips" on my tires (maybe an inch?), so I know the bike is capable of faster/tighter cornering.

So how do you know how far you can safely lean? Does a bike usually give signs its reaching its limit? Or is it just low-side time if you push too far?

My advice is to not worry about the lean angle and concentrate on taking the turn properly.

Turn in points, exit points, etc..

These are the things that truly help your corner. You can rub off your chicken strips at 10mph in a parking lot. Lean is not an indicator of proper technique.

[07 600rr]

I've worn the michelin man off my tires more than once. You'd be amazed how far you can actually lean it over. On my zzr I scraped the lower fairing on the road at deals gap, but I was riding pretty aggressive that day.

[Fargin_Bastige]

The music sucks, but you'll get the idea. Just because your are leaned over, it doesn't equal better cornering.