Thread: Suspension ??
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Old 03-24-2009, 10:19 AM   #24
ceo012384
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: MA
Moto: 06 R6 (race), 04 CRF Tard (race)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Awesome View Post
Part of that can be suspension setup, but a big contributing factor to this is that the average rider comes much closer to using the potential of the rear than the front. Using the capabilities of the front end of the bike is something few riders will ever explore, and this can leave parts of the front tire unused or barely used. Trying to read a tire can be a very complicated thing. There are a lot of variables involved, and many times people interpret what they are seeing incorrectly.
Agreed.

In general, on a sportbike, the front tire chicken strip is often a decent indicator of how far you're pushing. The rear strip is gone long before you are close to the limits.

You'll usually only see a front chicken strip completely gone on a track bike.

It doesn't mean your bike is set up incorrectly like you mention in your initial post though...

The edge profile of the front tire is usually a lot steeper than the rear because it's narrower and needs to be pinched together to fit on the narrow front rim... therefore it requires more lean angle to remove the front strip.

After being on the track my front tires still often have about 5mm of unused tire. I'm slow, though...
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