Understanding Your Motorcycle’s Aerodynamics

Aerodynamics and wind resistance have a surprisingly large effect on your motorcycle and how it handles. By making your motorcycle more aerodynamic, you can improve the fuel economy and get better handling. If you’re interested in learning more about how to improve your motorcycle’s aerodynamics, check out this guide from St. Charles Harley-Davidson®.

The Basics

Does all this stuff about aerodynamics feel like it’s a bit above your head? Don’t worry! The basics are easy to grasp. Your goal is for your bike to have a narrow leading edge and taper outwards toward the back. This should allow your motorcycle to cut through the air. Anything that increases your overall surface area will also create more wind resistance, resulting in a less aerodynamic motorcycle.

What Impacts Aerodynamics?

Motorcycles are designed to be aerodynamic. Things that you add onto your motorcycle, such as cargo, accessories, and passengers, are what typically increase your wind resistance. There are a few ways you can help make your motorcycle more aerodynamic. One is to simply lean forward when you ride. Another is to equip your bike with a slanted windshield. You can also pack your belongings into multiple smaller, sleeker packages instead of one big container.

Benefits of Improving Aerodynamics

You may be wondering if it's worth it to put in all this time and effort in order to make your motorcycle more aerodynamic. A more aerodynamic motorcycle will not only offer better handling, it will also make your vehicle more fuel efficient. In other words, reducing your motorcycle’s air resistance is a cheap and easy way to improve performance.

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