|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2016 13:17:29 GMT -8
So you want to go fast but your mommy and daddy only bought you grom, that's OK because we all have to start somewhere, some of you are really tiny and shouldn't even be on a motorcycle but hey some of you midgets can really rock that 100000cc monster rocket. Whatever you ride, you can make it faster.
The basic mods for any bike is make it breath better, ride better, and stop better. Most if not all of these things can be accomplished to a certain extent for free! Yes free.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Nov 8, 2016 8:05:05 GMT -8
First we will discuss weight. A lighter bike will accelerate faster and stop faster but you can and will sacrifice handling if not lightened properly.
Weight is the number one problem for slow bikes, but in order to "lighten the load" you're going to need to know how weight affects a motorcycle, sure you could strip it naked and bolt every "lightweight race part" you can think of on your bike, but it's gonna handle like a squirrel running up a tree.
The most talked about weight issues on a motorcycle would probably be sprung & unsprung weight. Sprung weight is anything that adds wight to the bike above and the upper parts of the suspension, i.e. Frame or body. Unsprung weight is anything that ads weight to bike below as well as the lower part of the suspension. Wheels are an example of unsprung weight, but also centrifical weight which we will discuss later on in the braking section of this post.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Nov 8, 2016 8:21:35 GMT -8
Let's go into detail about sprung weight. Sprung weight affects the traction and breaking abilities of your motorcycle, be it cornering or just stopping at a intersection in town, your bikes handling will be affected drastically for every pound or so you remove from the bike. Although this is based on the automobile, it gives you a simple explanation of sprung and unsprung weight. (The following was written by Abhishek Chaliha, the entire article can be found here: www.zigwheels.com/news-features/auto-insight/sprung-mass-and-unsprung-mass/9188/)Sprung mass is the load sitting on top of the springs and unsprung mass is the weight connected to the bottom of the suspension. Read on to know more The weight of the engine, transmission, various mechanical and electrical components, passenger cabin, passengers and various other components whose weight is supported by the suspension of a car in total is called sprung mass. The weight of the wheels, tyres, brakes are considered to be the unsprung mass of a vehicle which is defined as the mass between the road and the suspension. The stiffness of the springs determines to what extent sprung mass reacts to the movements of a car. Loosely sprung suspensions are found in luxury cars that are set up for a comfortable ride as they can absorb bumps on the road and cushion the impact. However, a soft suspension will dive and squat under braking and acceleration and roll a lot during cornering. A stiff suspension set up will reduce dive and squat, it will also minimise body roll. But a stiff suspension compromises on ride quality which means that the ride will be bumpy and hard as the stiff springs are not capable of absorbing bumps on the road very well. Higher the unsprung mass of a car higher the force required to move the car forward. Higher force used to move the car forward means higher the force exerted on the springs of the suspension of a car. This effects the balance of the sprung mass of a car which affects handling, therefore car maker constantly try to reduce the unsprung mass of a car in addition to lowering the sprung mass of a car. But modern luxury and creature comforts demanded in a car by customers adds to the sprung weight of a car which affects handling and fuel economy. Car manufacturers are constantly in the quest to find materials that can be used to build a car which are highly rigid and weigh less. ^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^>^> under construction <^<^<^<^<^<^<^<^<^<^< |
|
