What makes a good rider?

[skelstar]

I think if you spend too much time thinking about what you should be doing you'll probably friggin crash.

If theres two schools of thought that don't have hard evidence of whether it works well or not, then probably means that there is not 'right' answer and its going to be down to what works for you.

That works for me

[Morcs]

I thought if you rode like a hyperactive spider monkey with hemorrhoids that you were both fast and fucking cool??

Ive just found a new signature hehe...

i agree too...

[Morcs]

Buell don't go for a low CoG.

They go for mass centralisation. The means that the main mass of the bike rotates about the mass centre of the bike, which is in line with the centre of rotation, causing the least disturbance to suspension and tyres possible during direction transitions and braking and acceleration.

I did say Centre of mass, not Centre of gravity... read carefully

[The Stranger:Me]

Buell don't go for a low CoG.

They go for mass centralisation. The means that the main mass of the bike rotates about the mass centre of the bike, which is in line with the centre of rotation, causing the least disturbance to suspension and tyres possible during direction transitions and braking and acceleration.

From Buell:

Mass Centralisation: The motorcycle’s centre of mass is located as low as possible and centralised within the chassis. For example, the muffler is located below the engine and between the wheels, rather than the high-and-aft position typical of most sportbikes. Fuel is carried within the hollow spars of the aluminium frame, rather than high on the motorcycle in a traditional fuel tank. For the same reason, the swingarm doubles as the engine oil reservoir. The result is a motorcycle that feels almost intuitively responsive to rider input.

[Ixion]

So Les, answer me this:

Buell go to huge lengths to get the centre of mass low by many means. But like you said, that a lower centre of mass (CoM) equates to greater lean angle and conversely a higher CoM will mean less lean is required.

So are buells not one of the best handling bikes?

What Mr Jim2 said. It's the old story, no free lunches.

If a high CoM were the magic answer to good handling , all we'd need to do would be mount a cannon ball on a long pipe .

High CoM means less lean needed for the same speed. But it also means greater outward force on the tyres (that sticky issue again). And much more pendulum effect when switching direction, or when hitting a bump. Remember our hypothetical scenario was very artificial. No bumps , perfect simple corner etc. In the real world, we don't usually assess a bike as good handling or not by how it behaves in a gentle smooth perfect surface corner. We assess it by how it handles a "bad" corner. And bumps bring a whole RAFT of other things into the picture. We also assumed that the bike had a rigid front and rear end. As soon as you add suspension you've got new issues. That high CoM is going to give the suspension a MUCH harder time than a low centralised mass.

Basic message I was trying to get across was bike design is an art. There's no magic way to design the perfect bike. Otherwise all the manufacturers would do it. Likewise, hanging off, or foot down , may be a perfectly valid way to go round a corner. But its not axiomatically the fastest way round , or the "right" way, or the "big boys'" way. (It may be considered a "cool" way, I don't know anything about that. I don't do cool). So if someone is hanging off, or motarding, they should have a reason for doing it.

[Bonez]

This particular corner Bonez is on about they were giving me a hard time about last night. It was a while ago and a nice fine ride up the managawekas and a corner that I thought was 90 degrees turned out to be 180 degrees and I had a bit of a lockup and took my gsx600f offroading for a bit. They like to bring it up cause I am a tad (is that the correct word) hardish on guys who fall off their bikes.
However on this occasion, Although a bit of off roading and closeup fence inpection I did not fall off or drop the bike................

Because the fence held you up..............................And the mighty GB toodled off into the distance .

[yod]

Because the fence held you up..............................And the mighty GB toodled off into the distance .

a honda was in front AGAIN!??!?!?!

this is getting boring...

[Finn]

They go for mass centralisation. The means that the main mass of the bike rotates about the mass centre of the bike

Kinda built like Dover then.

[James Deuce]

Poor bugger. Amazing how they settle down with a lass and a wee bairn and they turn into a beachball. Why just the other day I looked down and couldn't see my feet (Size 13) let alone anything else important. I can't remember if I'm Jewish or not.

[Disco Dan]

Poor bugger. Amazing how they settle down with a lass and a wee bairn and they turn into a beachball. Why just the other day I looked down and couldn't see my feet (Size 13) let alone anything else important. I can't remember if I'm Jewish or not.

ahhhhhh......

[Kittyhawk]

Haha...

What would make him a good rider???

[peasea]

Haha...

What would make him a good rider???

A Fatboy???

[aff-man]

what makes a good rider.... Well my stunning good looks do help.

listen to the advise of more experienced riders BUT always find a way to ride that makes you feel comfortable, If you try something and it doesn't feel right, it may not be the thing for you.

[coreys]

A good rider IMHO is one that comes home alive.
But seriously...a rider that knows his/her limits as well as those of his/her bike. Also if you can ride a bike and get off with stupid grin on ya face....you're Ok by me
(ps you have to be able to scull a pint)

[Big Dave]

A good rider IMHO is one that comes home alive.
But seriously...a rider that knows his/her limits as well as those of his/her bike. Also if you can ride a bike and get off with stupid grin on ya face....you're Ok by me
(ps you have to be able to scull a pint)

Yeah - I'm with that - 'survival' over a period of time indicates a good rider.

'Smoothness' has a lot going for it too.

I rate 'predictability' highly.
My little mate Rusty won a world proddy bike championship and knows how to steer them. He said, 'The best compliment you can pay a bloke on the road is that you can predict when, where and what they are going to do. They are by far the safest because it's the same as I'm gunna do and I'm not gunna run up their arse.'
Pragmatist our Russ.