Recent content by Spikeywan

Hang on... If the vehicle is more fuel efficient when under more load, why don't we drive along with the brakes on, to increase the load, and improve fuel efficiency? Something's not quite right here. (Probably my understanding)

Has anyone got a link to something that explains why that formula is true?

If you were cruising at 30 mph through town in top gear, then you come out of town and wanted to accelerate up to say 70, which is better if you want to use as little fuel as possible? Originally, I thought it would be better to change down lots of gears, and use small throttle openings and...

Hehe. So the obvious answer was correct after all. Thanks guys! Still, it also explains why the MPG isn't much different between a standard rear sprocket and one with two extra teeth on it. And for the extra Smiles Per Gallon given by those two extra teeth, they're well worth it. I've...

Which is going to be the highest gear you have.

Yes. Thanks. Just processing it all now.

Here's a torque graph for you...

When I got my motorbike it had a non-standard rear sprocket with two extra teeth. I decided to swap it for a standard one. I expected to get a better overall mpg, but it didn't change noticeably. So... An engine has a red line at 14000 rpm. Peak power is delivered at 12000 rpm. Driving...

It seems to me that motorbikes are built to have a low centre of gravity. I can understand this, having dropped mine twice. Once it gets away from you, there's no stopping it, and having a low CoG helps to make the bike easier to handle in the garage. However, once you're riding it, then...

Motorbikes are tricky little buggers, aren't they. Fun though.

I think this explains why some accidents happen, because despite your instincts telling you the opposite, you have to initially turn towards the danger to miss it. Perhaps it's also responsible for the accidents that some bikers have on their own, when they enter a corner too fast, panic, and...

Thanks, guys. So the answer is yes, it is a necessity. You can't turn without it.

No question, I just wanted to share a thought... I saw a very old episode of Top Gear last night, where he put magnets onto the front of two model cars, and drove them at each other. Because the magnets were orientated so that they would repel, the cars couldn't crash. This was given as a...

Hi Jeff, Thanks for your help. I'm still a little unsure, though. What I'm trying to get at is; is this possible:? The front wheel is pointing straight ahead, and the bike is traveling in a straight line. The rider leans right. This causes the bike to lean right. The front wheel...

Hi Guys, We're having several debates on aspects of motorcycle turning and leaning on my bike forum, so I popped along here to see what you guys think. If anyone's bored or interested enough to join in, you'd be most welcome, but our arguments do tend to get a little scrappy. :redface...