There is, unfortunately, a difference between cool and functional.
Motorcycles turn because, as the bike gets leaning off the center of the Tires, the circumferance becomes smaller. This is demonstrated easily by taking a styrofoam cup, putting it on its side on a table, and pushing it. It goes in a circle, because the bottom has a smaller diameter than the top. Motorcycle tires do the same.
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A smaller tire will turn faster, because it takes less to get it from the big circumference in the center onto the smaller circumference on the side. Simple as that.
So, maybe a big tire is faster in a straight line? Wrong again. The amount of traction you have is a product of the weight of the bike and the co-efficient of friction. In other words, the stickiness of the tire on the road, and the weight of the bike. If you have a bigger contact patch, the weight is spread over a larger area, but the amount of traction does not change.
Wonder why racers have Wide tires? It increases the tire wear, so the tires last longer.
Simple as that.
Oh, and wide tires definitely look cool. No doubt about that.
The post Myth – Wide Tires and Motorcycle Handling appeared first on Michael Padway.
