Why do road bikes have clip ons?

[Hedgetrimmer]

Pushing 40 into a distant memory eh 


Noggy, a lot of the space under the big fuel tanks on sports bikes is often largely taken up by the airbox. The fuel is generally held low down for weight distribution/centre of gravity reasons (although you can go too low with C of G on bikes - it's more a race car thing really, as the 500 GP boys found out when the designers of some of those consulted with car people and it focced the handling right up.


Paul, dropping the bike on the forks definitely quickens the steering a bit, and without much loss in stability - well, not till around max chat anyway    The shock just makes it all so much better with handling the bumpy bits without the whole plot getting completely out of shape, everything more settled and controlled - much, much better. Well worth it.


Oh dear, have we hijacked Noggy's thread? What a shame 

[noggythenog]

I dropped my yolks & scraped my bellypan.........& raised them back again




So a lighter bike or a smaller lighter bike........it can counter the ill effects of not having "bolt ons"    then can it because the comparative weight of the rider & the bike means that it is more planted at the front on corners without fancy bolt ons can it?


But as a bike gets heavier & carries more weight into a corner then it becomes more important for the rider to be heavier to componsate because you want that corner weight going down & not forward & into a hedge & unless you're on the pies like me then crouching or bolt ons are the way of adding weight......is that correct???

[Yamazer-92]

If we've established clip ons are for sports bikes to get weight over the front wheel to give better handling an aerodynamics for track / sport use, I have a new question.


Who the foc decided to fit them as standard to the Suzuki GS500e? First thing I got rid of when my dad gave me his old project bike. That's like fitting an F1 rear wing to a Citroen Saxo

[JoeRock]

As I've said before - a lot of sport touring bikes have them as well because they're more comfortable over distance - you can get tucked down more behind the fairing, and you get a much better balance between your feet, and ass/back  -the wind lifts you up a bit so there's no weight on your wrists!


Personal preference - I prefer the riding position of sports bikes, find it comfier than upright bikes. Also find it easier to ride quickly with them. That said, for dickabout riding flat bars have their benefits - my dad's FZ1 pulled bloody brilliant wheelies with that engine and you being sat so far back and up!

[Grahamm]

That was a simillar thread i had saved up, are strap ons comfy while riding then are they Mtread???

I can sell you one, so you can find out for yourself... 

[chaz]

these look nice?

[Andy FZS]

Noggy what happened to a man of few words; )

[BIG MAC]

If I recall Eddie Lawson managed fine without

[Hedgetrimmer]

If I recall Eddie Lawson managed fine without

Seem to remember he made good use of them on the YZRs 

[Razgruff]

just skimmed this,
 has any body mentioned headstock trail rake angles ?

http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/RakeEx/RakeEx.htm

[noggythenog]

just skimmed this,
 has any body mentioned headstock trail rake angles ?

http://www.tonyfoale.com/Articles/RakeEx/RakeEx.htm

Thanks Razgruff

[taylor]

I wonder is the suzuki intruder a strap on?

[Millietant]

If I recall Eddie Lawson managed fine without

Seem to remember he made good use of them on the YZRs 

And on his Z 1000 !


The American Superbike class race bikes in the late 70's/early 80's didn't have clip on's and iirc messers Cooley, Cooley, Spencer, Lawson, Rainey and co didn't have any problems making them go round corners quickly :-)

[Hedgetrimmer]

If I recall Eddie Lawson managed fine without

 
Seem to remember he made good use of them on the YZRs 

And on his Z 1000 !


The American Superbike class race bikes in the late 70's/early 80's didn't have clip on's and iirc messers Cooley, Cooley, Spencer, Lawson, Rainey and co didn't have any problems making them go round corners quickly :-)

Spencer, Lawson et al came from dirt tracking, with "normal" handlebars, where drifting was the technique needed. They adapted that style first to the superbikes:





and then to the GP 500s. But if straight bars are so good for speed, why does no one use them in MotoGP, road racing, BSB, WSB etc? Just because talented riders can manage with one thing, it doesn't mean they can't do better with something different.