Re: rims

[Steve Makohin <wateredg@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 1/19/04 7:20 AM, James H. Nazarian, Ph.D. microdoc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
wrote:

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Don MacQueen" <dmac@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: rims
>
>
>> I know this is rude, J.H.N., but do you believe that "extra heft"
>> improves stability too???
>
>It depends on where the extra heft is, Don. To a Sumo wrestler, his well
>placed "extra heft" (compared to an average person) certainly does improve
>his stability. There also seems to be some sort of correlation between the
>"extra heft" found in nearly every bike included in the category "the
>world's greatest touring and large sport touring bikes", and their "improved
>stability" (as compared to an average motorcycle)...

Just to add to what Jim said, if we look to the K1200RS "sports bike" we 
note that it has a few issues: The relatively hefty mass and long 
wheelbase make the machine reluctant to execute rapid directional 
transitions. This makes for a poor sports bike, so as a "sports tourer", 
the K1200RS leans heavily towards the touring side with some sporting 
capability (good power + styling cues) thrown in. But if we look at the 
entirely different <G> K1200GT, a "Grand Tourer" (a subclass of the 
"sports tourer" class of bikes, leaning much towards the "touring" side), 
we notice that it performs very well at high highway speeds due to its 
relatively hefty mass and long wheelbase. And yes, the "extra heft" 
improves stability in that case.

As you can see, the more appropriate question is not "does 'extra heft' 
improve stability", but rather, "does 'extra heft' improve stability, and 
if so, under what conditions?" On virtually any motorcycle, extra weight 
(within reason) improves high speed straight-line stability, but the 
penalty is a reduction of agility, reduced acceleration, possibly 
increased braking distance, and more of a "handful" for the rider in 
terms of balancing at a stop, maneuvering in rapidly changing conditions, 
and recovering from dicey situations.

- -Steve

 Oakville, Ontario, Canada
 2000 R1100S/ABS, Mandarin

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