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In the present work, we study motorcycle dynamics under conditions where the motorcycle-rider combination encounters either a step or a channel parallel to the direction of travel. Analyses are presented from the points of view of geometric, analytical and experimental approaches. As with passenger cars and trucks which encounter so-called “edge drop-offs,” the results depend on the magnitude and shape of the step or channel, velocity of the motorcycle and control input(s) of the rider, if any. Results show than for many common disturbance situations, difficulties may be experienced by the rider.

Coast down testing with full-scale vehicles on level and inclined roads offers an inexpensive approach to road load determination and, in particular, aerodynamic force evaluation, provided that drag component extractions can be accurately achieved under random instrumental disturbances and biased environmental conditions. Wind tunnel testing of large vehicles, especially truck/trailers, to establish their aerodynamic drag is costly and also may produce questionable results when the effects of the moving road, blockage, wake/diffuser interaction, and rotating tires are not properly simulated. On the road, testing is now conveniently and speedily carried out using GPS-based data acquisition and file storage on laptops, allowing instantaneous on-board data processing.