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Well the answer depends on the riders knowledge about the motorcycle owned and a little knowledge about weight distribution in that motorcycle.
Let's dive into the technical aspects first.
The*distribution*of the load on the two wheels under static conditions is generally greater on the front wheel of racing*motorcycles*(50-57% front, 43-50% rear); and conversely, it is greater on the rear wheel in the case of touring or sport*motorcycles*(34-50% front, 50-57% rear).
How Important is Weight Distribution?
Body position and weight distribution are two of the main components of riding motorcycle safely.Given the speeds one could be travelling, and the fact that rider balances on two wheels, if the rider aren’t balanced balanced on motorcycle appropriately it will unfortunately result in an accident of some sort, Many motorcycle accidents arise due to uneven weight distribution.
The first thing to think about when it comes to ensuring correct body positioning and weight distribution, simply stand beside motorcycle with the side stand up and hold it with one hand on the grip, one would notice it doesn’t take much effort or strength to hold it up when it’s vertical. But to turn, motorcycle one needs to lean, and this is where correct positioning can make or break this nice, neutral balance.
Not falling off the motorcycle, involves distributing weight appropriately at the correct time.* And this means understanding a little bit about motorcycle dynamics, i.e. gravity.*The height of the centre of gravity of the motorcycle plays an imperative role in determining the way one should distribute weight when riding.*The displacement of the centre of gravity due to the presence of the rider/added weight depends on the relation between the mass of the rider, mass of the added weight and that of the motorcycle.* Thus, to keep the centre of gravity central, and prevent the toppling over, the rider must ensure the use of his/her weight in contrast with the motorcycles weight, to balance it.This means leaning more to the rear or to the front; or more to the left or the right.
As a rider one has forward-to-back and side-to-side weight distribution to think about. The rider needs to think about when to sit and when to stand. Then there’s the blending of all of these movements in a smooth, instinctive way to get the ideal result. This takes a lot of practice and can take many years.
Coming back to the actual question.
All-terrain motorcycles tend to have a high centre of gravity, meaning the front wheel will tend to lift when accelerating, and the rear wheel may tend lift when breaking.*In contrast, extremely powerful motorcycle has lower centre of gravity, which means the rear wheel tends to slip during acceleration and the front wheel tends to slip when breaking, here on board electronics( i.e ABS, Traction Control) plays a vital role in maintaining the stability of motorcycle.
So when one adds any heavy accessorie like crashgaurds, luggage systems, saddle assemblies, top-racks etc.
One must ensure to counter the added weight in order to maintain the engineered centre of gravity.
Pros & Cons of aftermarket crashguards.
Pros: 1. Protects the rider during a crash.
2. Protects the body parts of the motorcycle during a crash.
Cons:
1. During a crash the loads which comes on the crashgaurds are distributed on the motorcycle frame/chassis. Designers at motorcycle companies design the crash guard and it's mounting point in such a way that it doesn't affect the alignment of the motorcycle frame or chassis, where as in aftermarket accessories, frame are rigidly designed and have multiple mounting points.
2. So with multiple mounting points on the motorcycle frame/chassis, the load during a crash disturbs the alignment on the motorcycle, and as a result many other problems start to arise.
• Un-even tyre wearing.
• Motorcycle T- Assembly getting affected.
• Increased vibrations.
All of the above points affects the overall alignment and leads to poor riding experience, so make aure before you add any accessories on your motorcycle, check with the brand about the above points.
Thank & Regards
Puneet Gupta
Automobile Engineer.
Let's dive into the technical aspects first.
The*distribution*of the load on the two wheels under static conditions is generally greater on the front wheel of racing*motorcycles*(50-57% front, 43-50% rear); and conversely, it is greater on the rear wheel in the case of touring or sport*motorcycles*(34-50% front, 50-57% rear).
How Important is Weight Distribution?
Body position and weight distribution are two of the main components of riding motorcycle safely.Given the speeds one could be travelling, and the fact that rider balances on two wheels, if the rider aren’t balanced balanced on motorcycle appropriately it will unfortunately result in an accident of some sort, Many motorcycle accidents arise due to uneven weight distribution.
The first thing to think about when it comes to ensuring correct body positioning and weight distribution, simply stand beside motorcycle with the side stand up and hold it with one hand on the grip, one would notice it doesn’t take much effort or strength to hold it up when it’s vertical. But to turn, motorcycle one needs to lean, and this is where correct positioning can make or break this nice, neutral balance.
Not falling off the motorcycle, involves distributing weight appropriately at the correct time.* And this means understanding a little bit about motorcycle dynamics, i.e. gravity.*The height of the centre of gravity of the motorcycle plays an imperative role in determining the way one should distribute weight when riding.*The displacement of the centre of gravity due to the presence of the rider/added weight depends on the relation between the mass of the rider, mass of the added weight and that of the motorcycle.* Thus, to keep the centre of gravity central, and prevent the toppling over, the rider must ensure the use of his/her weight in contrast with the motorcycles weight, to balance it.This means leaning more to the rear or to the front; or more to the left or the right.
As a rider one has forward-to-back and side-to-side weight distribution to think about. The rider needs to think about when to sit and when to stand. Then there’s the blending of all of these movements in a smooth, instinctive way to get the ideal result. This takes a lot of practice and can take many years.
Coming back to the actual question.
All-terrain motorcycles tend to have a high centre of gravity, meaning the front wheel will tend to lift when accelerating, and the rear wheel may tend lift when breaking.*In contrast, extremely powerful motorcycle has lower centre of gravity, which means the rear wheel tends to slip during acceleration and the front wheel tends to slip when breaking, here on board electronics( i.e ABS, Traction Control) plays a vital role in maintaining the stability of motorcycle.
So when one adds any heavy accessorie like crashgaurds, luggage systems, saddle assemblies, top-racks etc.
One must ensure to counter the added weight in order to maintain the engineered centre of gravity.
Pros & Cons of aftermarket crashguards.
Pros: 1. Protects the rider during a crash.
2. Protects the body parts of the motorcycle during a crash.
Cons:
1. During a crash the loads which comes on the crashgaurds are distributed on the motorcycle frame/chassis. Designers at motorcycle companies design the crash guard and it's mounting point in such a way that it doesn't affect the alignment of the motorcycle frame or chassis, where as in aftermarket accessories, frame are rigidly designed and have multiple mounting points.
2. So with multiple mounting points on the motorcycle frame/chassis, the load during a crash disturbs the alignment on the motorcycle, and as a result many other problems start to arise.
• Un-even tyre wearing.
• Motorcycle T- Assembly getting affected.
• Increased vibrations.
All of the above points affects the overall alignment and leads to poor riding experience, so make aure before you add any accessories on your motorcycle, check with the brand about the above points.
Thank & Regards
Puneet Gupta
Automobile Engineer.
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