Motorcycle Riders - Hanging off & The Science behind it

Hanging off: You see MotoGP riders do it, I sometimes do it, and you probably do it.

But how does it actually work? Why should we do it? And Is it really as effective as you think it is?

Lets figure this stuff out.

#motorcycle #racing

[Mark-wwbt]

If Mike was my science teacher in school, I would've gotten things so much better

[satriaputra]

Me :
what?... *rewind 10 sec...
what?... *rewind 20 sec

[Gnerko]

A few degrees lean angle is quite significant in racing. Would be more interesting to calculate the difference in cornering speed for the given maximum lean angle of a motogp bike.

[mrnice]

You are a Physicist or an engineer? I (as a physicist) say that your analysis is pretty spot on! Kudos!

[scldma]

4 degrees is a very significant difference... the fact that one is more or less capable to benefit from those degrees in terms of lap time is a completely different story...

[PalomboDylan]

This is my main thing that captivates me about MotoGP and motorcycle racing in general. The science behind all this is absolutely memorizing

[Dr.Twisty]

What about the "sail effect" of hanging off which increases wind resistance on the inside of the turn and facilitates the turn? I think that alone explains why you were faster on long sweepers hanging off. Long sweepers are high-speed turns and increasing wind resistance on the inside of the the bike by itself will turn the bike and allow less lean angle and more confidence to go faster.

[arjunp]

Man you are a goldmine.. By far the best YouTube channel for riders! You definitely deserve more views!

[dbomb]

Well as an 32 years old and a 2003 R6 rider for 7 years now, i got to say that your body going out of the bike is really important, I'm almost always using batlax tires and they wore off very quickly but the grip is awesome, the thing is when your tires are wearing off you feel the rear dancing and the more you lean the motorcycle, more dangerous it is and I try to lean my body more and the bike less so that i won't go to the ground and up until today, i never went, i got some close calls and learn to lean my body more without the bike and it works wonders... All this in the city were the roads are bad and you have traffic and lights, not on track were you go full speed without worrying with other vehicles, and I'm not a reckless driver, sure i did over speed limits sometimes but when there's no traffic and plenty of space to do it. Anyway, if you're talking about safety and not speed, yeah leaning is very important to me, i feel more safe to maneuver my bike and faster if something happens in the city by adjusting my body more and less the bike just because my body would interfere less and toke more time in some situations than the bike and i can alter the direction with the bike smoother while my body is still changing positions. In my honest opinion, just drive the way you feel more comfort because it's not only the race or speed, the feeling of riding a bike is something i can't feel on anything else and that's the most important thing to me. Please be safe and enjoy your corners fellow riders. Sorry for bad inglish, love from Portugal 👊😎

[damonjackson]

This is by far the best informative video i've seen on youtube in a long time. You sir have earned a sub

[MotoPolus]

Hanging off and keeping that few degrees margin allows faster correction in an unexpected situation. Being able to tighten the curve might be very helpful on road conditions. Thanks for the movie!👍🏼

[Tobeon]

Wow... Thank you. (I am an engineer with Ph.D.)..You just explained something I have been feeling, but just could not explain while I am riding for some times. ... Yes, body position (or hanging off) is important, but 'slow in' and 'fast out' with as good of line selection as possible at my level is the key !!! THANK YOU.. 🥰

[HavasiP]

Dalahorse and proper pronunciation of Husqvarna, I like this video.

[Gasthauz]

This is slightly above my paygrade but I just love the scientific approach. And the editing is great. Hats off to you, sir.

[jochemvannoppen]

Love your videos man, I only watch your channel for a couple of hours but I learned so much of you appreciate it!

[Marco-clpb]

When you have not that great tyres (or below optimal temperature) or the pavement is not that grippy those few less degrees of bike angle really make a difference tho

[mrkoopsy]

Lean angle is interesting and great work Mike. However, lean angle is only relevant for cornering speed if the ultimate tyre grip is affected, so what is the relationship between wheel angle and tyre grip (cornering force)? Perhaps the cornering force is more for +4 degrees from around 40 degrees (larger contact patch)? Perhaps race tyres are designed to give bigger contact patch at high lean angles compared to say a touring tyre where a larger patch is desirable with bike upright, for load capacity and good tyre life? So many questions!!!

[steveoliver]

Awesome analysis Mike. I haven’t seen anyone else in video land take such a comprehensive approach. There’s usually so much opinion and bragging involved in others viewpoints

[baelavay]

More hanging off -> less lean of the bike -> more tyre contact -> more traction -> faster corners

[elbu]

Something to think about is the stability a bike gets when hanging of (half butt) and still maintain most of the pressure through the outside leg and footpeg. Cornering always creates movement in a bike, but when stable you can let the bike do its thing and concentrate on the lines. Compare it with a trailer with the COG before or after the axle.