The Traffic Accident Reconstruction Origin -ARnews-

Re: Motorcycle drag factors

Joseph Shreve (jwshreve@sierranet.net)
Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:43:20 -0400 (EDT)

Bob, first off, how do we know the motorcycle rider was using both brakes. Inexperienced riders generally don't do that. They use the rear brake only. If the tire marks were pretty straight then it is safe to conclude that both brakes were being used, however if the tire marks were in an "S" shaped pattern you can bet that the rear brake was the only one being used.

The last test I did was in the summer of 1994. The surface was a generic ashphalt/concrete surface. The motor was a Kawasaki 1000 with an experienced and highly trained rider. We used a radar unit to monitor the speed and a pavement spotter to mark the beginning of braking. He made 3 runs at 30 mph. The distances to stop were within a foot of each other. He used both brakes. The drag factor came out to .9g. The same surface was measured with a drag sled and came out with a drag factor of .7g.

Hope this helps. If you need excerpts from the offical report on the testing let me know and I will FAX them to you.

Joseph
Joseph Shreve
jwshreve@sierranet.net

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