New motorcycle tires are coated in a thin but slick layer of mold-release compound. Chicken Strips are what's left of the mold-release compound after you've scrubbed it off the center area of the tire. The width of the chicken strips shows how brave you are.

When you buy new tires, the best thing to do is to find an empty parking lot and do some lazy figure-eights. Make your turns progressively faster and with greater lean angles. The idea is to scrub off that goo under controlled circumstances. You never want to suddenly turn so hard that you're riding entirely on an area of the tires that hasn't been scrubbed off yet.