Guys, I have seen a photo of a frt guard for a TT2 that has a small wing/foil that stands off the back of the mudguard about 60 to 70 mm rearward of the forks. Obviously something to do with air flow....but what ? Sorry it wasn't a photo that I could put up here. Peter
Mike how did you do that ? that is the photo I was looking at....? My bet is it's not just cosmetic, if the japanese did it then there is a small gain. But IF it's not performance/speed related I'm pretty sure it could direct more air towards the rear cylinder ?
surely it,s little more than a customising gimmick,or am I missing something.One thing for sure,it doesn,t float my boat. Now maybe if it was painted RED,
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:13 am Posts: 659 Images: 0 Location: Sydney, Australia
Red!
There is an explanation for this modification of course! You see that all motorcycle front mudguards are shaped the same as a wing. This of course creates LIFT, which explains why front wheels are often seen lofting high into the air! The modification below cancels out the LIFT caused by convex shape and additionally creates a "ground effect" result that sucks the front wheel back onto the ground!
There is also one more benefit in that cool air flowing over the mudguard is actually diverted up and over the hot engine. This creates what motorcycle engineers call the "hot-air balloon effect" whereby the increased heat of the engine thru lack of cool air makes the engine lighter - like a hot air balloon! Less weight means more nimble handling and better power to weight ratio!!
It is very rare to see this modification on a modern motorcycle for two reasons. 1. The wider 17" front wheel means increased surface area on the scoop which in turn causes too much down force which has been known to cause the front tyre to blow out under the increased pressure and high speed. 2. The hot air balloon effect does not work on a water cooled motorcycle.
All this from a single scoop on a front mudguard!!
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A great example of the amount of lift that can be generated by a front and rear fender would be a modern day motocross bike. With large fenders front and rear these bikes fly through the air like aeroplanes!
Mike, I just happen to have some spare (extremely rare) original F1 wheels that would really complete your project monty.
It would be a shame to see you having to fit some of those strange 17in wheels just because you couldn't find the "REAL" items. I feel that we need to help out our brothers in these matters. It will be my loss of course, but... Now your bike will be the special bike that it should be !
Pretty good story Mike! You forgot to mention the Helium inflation factor the factories abandoned after the fender spoiler was developed. The wheelies were uncontrollable when the two features were combined. I seem to remember Honda having a deflector on the front fender of the CBX to deflect air to the oil cooler. I don't think an overly light front end would have been a concern on a barn door like the CBX.
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