Rumblings

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Laureen Theodore BIO

Hello my name is Laureen Theodore from Warren, Ohio. I have been married to Michael [Theo]  for 31 years and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. I have been nominated for Treasurer. I have 11 years of banking experience with 2 of them being in charge of the computer program of the bank employees training for federal compliance. I am a first generation Pentecostal and have had the Holy Ghost for 35 years. I have been the Sunday school superintendent for 5 years, Vacation Bible School director, part of the praise team, alter worker, home prayer group leader, part of the outreach team and the ladies eastern region chaplain for Azusa Street-Riders.

What the Azusa Street-Riders ministry means to me; My life was forever changed on March 31st , 2010 when our 19 year old son was killed in a tragic car accident. Since my son rode motorcycles with us a friend suggested my husband check out the Azusa Street-Riders. Michael along with our pastor went to a biker Sunday in southern Ohio a couple of months after the accident. The people we have met through ASR have become family to us. The ASR members that have known me from the beginning know that for me ASR was all about my husband and his healing. I was just in the background trying to figure out where I fit in while dealing with my own grief. Because of this amazing ministry and the people that have been there for me and prayed for me it has changed my world. Three years ago I began to feel like I was a part of this ministry and had a purpose of my own instead of just following my husband, we are now in this together. The Azusa Street-Riders ministry is in my heart and soul and it is my desire to work together to see this ministry grow and be a blessing to others as it has been to us. As always pray for Gods will and purpose when making your decision on who to vote for. Thank you and may the Lord richly bless you.
Laureen Theodore

 

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2017 Early Rally Registration

Praise the Lord Everyone,

Rally Pre-registration ends July 17. Register online now and save or you will have to purchase at the door after that date for $30.
Register now and SAVE!

https://www.azusastreetriders.com/store/2016-early-asr-rally-registration/

If you have not renewed your membership you will not be able to vote at the rally this year. You have to be current prior to rally. I will be updating the list on July 18. It must be postmarked, phone or paypal with July 17th date.

If you are a chapter please make sure to bring your Motorcycle for Missionaries contribution. If you don’t have someone attending the rally please send your contribution to me by July 20. You can call me at 609-742-6539 and pay by phone or paypal.

We want to thank everyone who has supported this ministry through contributions, purchases and their time every year. We are all ambassadors of Christ and without all of you allowing God to use you to reach lost souls the laborers would be few. The harvest is ready and so are Azusa StreetRider members.

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Absentee Ballots

Just a quick reminder that all absentee ballots must be RECEIVED no later than July 14th.  Absentee ballots will not be accepted after July 14th.  Feel free to contact me via email, text, phone call, or on FB messenger and I will get the absentee ballots to you.  My contact info is listed below.

Michael Luttrell
Secretary
Azusa StreetRiders
MLUTTRELL79@YAHOO.COM
(502) 681-7155

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Almost Time!!

It is the most exciting time of year for the Azusa StreetRiders. Not only is riding weather in full swing, we are also rapidly approaching the 7th Annual National Rally and our annual business meeting. This is always a great time of refreshment and renewing while having tremendous church, riding, and fellowshipping with our ASR family. As we prepare for this event, I want to encourage every one of us to reflect upon our purpose within the ASR along with our mission as a whole. We must continually remind ourselves that our purpose is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ and salvation message of Acts 2:38 to a world that is hungry and seeking fulfillment through various avenues. We fulfill this mission through various methods. It is imperative that we are individual witnesses and incorporate personal evangelism in our life. Our chapters organize and host local events throughout the year. Motorcycles are donated through the Motorcycles For Missionaries program to ministers that provides a new avenue for them to reach even more people efficiently and timely. The common denominator in each of these avenues is us; each individual member of the ASR. Each one of us must be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Ghost for direction in our personal lives, in our chapters, and for the direction of the ASR as a ministry and organization. As we reflect on the purpose of the ASR, I also ask that each of us spend extra time in prayer in regards to our upcoming annual business meeting. I am confident of your knowledge that we will be electing three of the board positions; President, Vice President, and Treasurer. We are blessed with great nominees. Each of these nominees have given of themselves to the ministry of the ASR and have proven through time and efforts that their heart is in the ASR. That being said, every organization is at a critical juncture when faced with a possible change in leadership at three out of four elected offices. However, the ASR isn’t just any organization. The ASR is an Apostolic ministry. We MUST know and follow the direction of the One that this ministry is to represent. For that reason, I cannot adequately stress the importance of seeking His direction and will for the upcoming election. I implore each of you to join me in prayerful consideration that will enable each of us to cast our ballots with certainty that, ultimately, the will of God will be accomplished. I look forward to seeing you in Texas!!

Blessed to Serve,
Michael Luttrell
Secretary
Azusa StreetRiders

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Mark Hardin bio

Mark Hardin bio:

It is with great appreciation that I submit this not so short bio for our ASR constituents to consider for the upcoming elections. I’m a country boy at heart and not much for politicking. It shows the growth of this organization that we have multiple candidates capable of carrying on the vision of this ministry.

I’m a third generation Apostolic minister. My grandfather and dad both exampled a love and concern for souls…in both the physical and spiritual needs. My grandpa came out of the world during the prohibition days. He made his own brew back in them hills of southern Indiana and never backed down from a fight. When he came to the Lord, at a brush harbor revival, he fought for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Clarence Hardin left an example of miracles, signs, and wonders for me to believe in.

My dad followed suit by starting or reviving several churches from Indiana to South Dakota, Louisiana to Illinois. No matter the challenge his example taught me to persevere and hold to Truth. He cared for the soul, disregarding race or social status.

I briefly mention these men because it is their combined example that has provided me a heritage of serving others. When I signed up with ASR it was after 2yrs of meeting some of the leadership. I had started several interest based outreach programs, such as “Christian Trail Rides”. If I could get them to ride a horse with me long enough, I could share the Gospel with them. As I heard the heartbeat for souls coming from those I met (and I already rode a bike with a group of neighbors), I was all in. I never dreamt of moving into any further leadership role other than wearing a patch and leading people to Christ by what it represents…this Acts 2 message.

Coming out of High School, I didn’t know what I wanted to be or do, so I had the opportunity to travel with a band called David and the Giants as sound man and roadie. That “gig” led me to Bible College in Houston TX, then came home to a 30yr carrier in the printing industry, with management, sales, and business development experiences. All along, serving in our local church in just about every capacity except pastor. I had a life change in 2010 when the company I worked so hard for was bought out by another and they let our whole sales staff go. I knew the Lord was in it, but it was still a painful separation. I then determined to move more full time into the ministry, which has led to writing a book, “Cultivating a Culture of Caring” and beginning to evangelize when the doors open.

I am a principled individual that finds my strengths in organizational skills. I’m a softer spoken evangelist that believes if the Spirit moves it, nothing will be able to stand in front of it. I’m on a hunt to find the same keys that the Book of Acts Church had with God…not so that we can display power, but that God will speak to and through this earthen vessel to meet the needs of hurting people. If the lame walk, the dumb talk, and the blinded eyes are open then there will be no need for outreach. The lost will be coming to you. One thought I would leave with us…if the ASR Ministry can tap into the same Holy Ghost power that was given to our forefathers, then we can turn this world upside down by the power of the Holy Spirit. One would not need to doubt if he/she has received the Holy Ghost, for once a Holy Ghost filled ASR Member lays hands on them, they shall receive and It will evidence with speaking with other tongues…following closely behind…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness… It is our lacking that causes many to not receive. I’ve said it many times, “I have not arrived until my shadow heals the sick as it did in the book of Acts!” Wouldn’t it be appropriate that those who have been set free, and feel such freedom when the wind is blowing in our ears, that we would become Apostles of the Gospel to such a degree that we are called upon to bring revival to churches and whole communities…as they did in Acts when folks had not received the Holy Ghost, they called for delegates to come and lay hands on them that they would receive. That, my brothers and sisters is what we are called to do…in the jailhouse to the church house!

I pray that gives you a glimpse of who I am…my heartbeat…my dream for the ASR Ministry going forward. My old pastor told me many times, “Mark, don’t bring a problem if you don’t have a solution to offer. Go pray till God provides some direction and then bring the problem.” I’ve found that to be sound advise, and, it makes me pray before I do anything else.

I would close with this…we have great men and women already in leadership, and we have the same in the various candidates that have been nominated (nominated not running…I believe is the theme, so it makes it hard to commercialize and politic). So, whoever the body votes into any position, you will not hear me moan and groan…I will continue to win souls and grow this great outreach ministry to the best of my ability in the area in which I am contained.

God bless and keep you all…I look forward to seeing all of you in Texas!

Keep The Faith,mark

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Lydia Diaz Bio, Position nominated for: Treasurer

I started in 2008 working the ASR website and store. My husband and I became Roaming Ambassaders for ASR in 2010. We would go to many events as ASR representatives during the course of the year and helped with starting new works in the churches using motorcycle ministry as an outreach. In 2011 I was voted in as Treasurer for ASR and I am currently still in that position. I have over 30 years experience in bookkeeping and accounting and I used to serve on the school board as well as the SJ chapter board. Most importantly is that I have a desire to reach lost souls. I was called when I was in 3rd grade and have had a personal relationship with God while growing up. When I was 22 I was lead to a church that preached the truth and it has been 38 years since I was baptized in Jesus Name and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. We are more than just a board we are representatives of Jesus Christ.

ASR is the Army of Jesus Christ and the gifts of the spirit are our weapons. Prayer and fasting will allow us to use our weapons in spiritual warfare and we will be victorious.

Ephesians:

6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Lydia
ASR International Treasurer

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60,000 Mile Motorcycle Tires Would you buy them?

The other day I was discussing tires with a non-motorcyclist friend of mine. He is a very smart man that is in management who is well schooled in physics and logic. Imagine my surprise when I learned that not only were a few tire facts not understood by him, but that most of my motorcyclist friends, whose lives depend in no small part on their knowledge of our sport, have the same blinders on.

When I told my  friend that motorcycles can almost always stop more quickly than cars, I did not get the typical agreement based on the popular misconception that this is true because cars are heavier than motorcycles. Instead, he challenged that fact based on the ‘increasing popularity of ABS system on cars.’

  • Stopping distance is not determined by weight! You will recall that Galileo (I originally said ‘Sir Isaac Newton’ in error) crushed the popularly held belief that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones. Falling is an acceleration. Braking is simply a negative acceleration.
  • ABS was not designed to enable you to stop more quickly. (Goggle  Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS).)

As we got on with our discussion of tires he happened to mention that he had just purchased a set of new tires for his car and that he expected to get about 60,000 miles from them before they wore out. This seemed to please him very much. I’m afraid I may have caused him to have second thoughts on the matter as our conversation continued.

I told him that I had a set of ‘high mileage’ (by motorcycle standards) touring tires on my motorcycle and that I would be happy to get anything in excess of 20,000 miles from them. He was amazed to learn that I paid nearly as much for my rear tire alone as he spent for all four of his car tires, particularly since I would have had to replace them three times before he replaced his once.

It must have sounded defensive on my part when I told my friend that if the manufacturer of my motorcycle tires was to announce a new tire with an expected life of 60,000 miles they would have trouble selling them.

I explained that the reason a motorcycle can stop faster than a car is that its tires provide better traction than automobile tires. Our traction is better because the rubber compounds our tires are made of are softer and thus ‘stickier’. Beyond their price in dollar terms, better traction tires cost mileage – they wear out faster than harder tires. [Obviously, stopping is a function of your brakes. With the assumption that your vehicle was designed with brakes that are more than sufficient to lock (stop your wheels from turning), regardless of speed, then the stopping of your vehicle must be limited by available traction, not brakes.]

(It is a curiosity to me that many motorcyclists brag about the mileage their tires provide – actively seeking to buy higher mileage tires without a thought to relative traction provided. I suppose that they believe the higher mileage is provided without traction cost – but is it?)

However, given a choice between buying tires that lasted three times as long or those that allowed faster stopping, it would be a no-brainier for most motorcyclists. If a motorcycle tire could be made that provided 60,000 miles of life, by virtue of being made of harder rubber compounds, the manufacturer could not give them away.

Well that concept got the attention of my friend! Can’t you just imagine the thoughts running through his head: 
Maybe.

The problem is that there is no way for a consumer to know what level of traction one tire has as compared to another. There is no indication on the tire sidewall, for example, that lists its traction, and there does not appear to be standards available to the consuming public that facilitates comparisons. It is entirely possible, though unlikely, that a rubber compound can be developed that provides longer life without sacrificing traction.

But there are other reasons that most motorcyclists should consider before buying a tire with a long wear life expectancy. For example, about every other tire that I have had to replace was the result of tire damage rather than normal wear and tear. (three nails in three tires just last year alone, severe sidewall cracking along with similar cracking in the tread grooves, cupping, etc.) If you push your tire all the way to the end of it life you are putting your self at risk with loss of traction.

Maybe the discussion above explains why no manufacturer has announced a 60,000 mile motorcycle tire – yet. I wouldn’t buy one if they did. Would you!
Michael Theodore
National Road Captain

 

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International Board Nominations / Elections

Elections will be held for ASR international President, Vice President, and Treasurer at the annual business meeting this year. As always, it is imperative that we include prayer and fasting throughout the election process including nominations and voting. We must focus on Him and His will to allow His direction for this ministry to be fulfilled.

All nominations must be submitted no later than June 15. Nominations will not be accepted after June 15. Nomination ballots are available and are posted on the ASR website. You can also request the nomination ballots from me if you have issues accessing them from the website for any reason. My contact info is listed below. Feel free to contact me on FB messenger, email, text, or call and I will get the nomination ballots to you. Absentee voting will be underway shortly after the close of the nominations. Please stay tuned to the website and the Azusa StreetRiders Facebook pages.

Also, I am asking everyone to please help me get the word out. Chapter presidents, please be sure to communicate this information with your chapter.

Blessed to serve,
Michael Luttrell
Secretary
Azusa StreetRiders
mluttrell79@yahoo.com
(502) 681-7155

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Weight Transfer What is it, why does it happen, and why should you care?

When you change speed (accelerate or decelerate) the weight of your motorcycle (including you) shifts in such a way as to put more or less load on your tires. You do not have to weigh the load on your tires to know this with certainty because you can see it happen by observing your front-end ‘dive’ when you brake.


Traction is proportional to the weight carried by your tires. Thus, when you brake your front tire gains traction while the rear one loses it. Clearly losing too much traction is dangerous since the result is that your tire will slide.

Despite what you may think, weight transfer can be controlled beyond simply adjusting your acceleration and braking rates. That is, how fast you change speeds is not the only thing that determines weight transfer. Surely you would be interested in minimizing the odds of losing traction during a panic stop? Read on… 

Braking Transfers
Ignoring wind resistance, essentially all the forces that try to slow you down when you apply your brakes are at ground level. That is, at the contact patches of your tires. On the other hand, the inertia of your bike works not at ground level, but directly through its center of gravity (CG.) Since the CG is higher than ground level the resulting net force translates into a torque. In other words, braking does not simply shift weight forward, it tries to shift it down in the front and up in the rear.

The higher the CG is, the greater the torque. (If the CG was at ground level the torque would be zero.) On the other hand, the longer your wheelbase is, the lesser the torque. This is just another way of saying that the amount of weight transfer resulting from a change in speed is a function of the ratio of the height of the CG to the length of the wheelbase.

Gravity is acceleration. At ground level gravity tries to make you fall with acceleration at the rate of about 32.2 feet per second per second (henceforth  fps/sec.) This acceleration is called ‘1 g.’

‘Weight’ is a force. Weight is simply how hard a mass is trying to fall to the center of the earth because of gravity. Like inertia, gravity works directly through the CG of an object.

When we brake we apply force which we will simply call a braking force. Braking is nothing more than a negative acceleration. Thus, when the total braking force is such that your bike’s forward speed is being reduced at the rate of approximately 32.1 fps/sec, you are decelerating at the rate of 1 g. That is, your braking force then equals the weight of the motorcycle (including the rider). If your motorcycle weighs 1,000 pounds, then braking at 1 g means you are applying 1,000 pounds of braking force.

You can calculate the amount of weight transfer involved in any stop knowing only the braking force being used and the ratio of CG height to wheelbase length. For example, if the total braking force is 1,000 pounds, your CG is 20 inches off the ground, and your wheelbase is 63.4 inches long: 

Wt.Transfer = Braking Force times CG ratio

Wt.Transfer = 1000 lbs. * 20/63.4

Wt.Transfer = 1000 lbs. * .3155

Wt.Transfer = 315.5 lbs. 

[We are here discounting entirely the effects caused by tire distortion and suspension compression. Not because these are not important, but because they are of secondary importance to an understanding of these principals.]

Now, just because the bike weighs 1,000 pounds and is sitting on two wheels does not mean that at rest there are 500 pounds on each wheel. Here again we need to know something about the bike’s CG. Only if the CG is exactly in the middle of the bike (between contact patches) will the weight be evenly distributed. If the CG is closer to the front wheel than the rear one, for example, then there will be more weight on the front tire than on the rear when the bike is at rest (not moving). Further, unless there is an upward or downward movement of the bike, the sum of the weight carried by the front and rear tires must equal the total weight of the motorcycle and rider.

Let us assume that at rest the weight is evenly distributed. Then we now know that while braking at 1g, because of weight transfer, there will be 815.5 lbs. (500 + 315.5) on the front tire and only 184.5 lbs. (500 – 315.5) on the rear tire. Because traction is a function of weight carried by a tire it is clear that there is not a lot of traction left on the rear tire at this time.

Let us look very carefully at what this weight transfer example is showing us. You have heard that you have about 70% of your stopping power in the front brake. This example shows that we have applied 1,000 lbs. of braking power to the tires of the bike. If it was ALL the result of using only the front brake, then we have wasted what traction is still available to us from the rear tire and, worse, we have locked our front tire and started a skid! This, because virtually all standard tires lose their ‘sticktion’ (stick/friction) when confronted with more than about 1.1g of braking force. With 815.5 lbs. on the front tire it could with reasonable confidence handle a braking force of 897 lbs. (1.1 * 815.5), yet we applied 1,000 lbs. to it. At least in this case our front brakes could deliver nearly 90% of our stopping power, not just 70% – but not 100%, either.

Now let us look at what would happen if the CG happened to be 30 inches high rather than 20: 

Wt.Transfer = Braking Force times CG ratio

Wt.Transfer = 1000 lbs. * 30/63.4

Wt.Transfer = 1000 lbs. * .4732

Wt.Transfer = 473.2 lbs. 

The front tire would have 973.2 lbs. of weight on it and the rear would have only 26.8 lbs. This is close to doing a ‘stoppie’!!!

What we are beginning to see is that if the CG gets to a height of 1/2 of the length of the wheelbase we can expect to do a ‘stoppie’ if we use 1g of braking force. Further, if we use even the slightest amount of rear brake in such a configuration when we are slowing at the rate of 1g, we can expect to lock the rear wheel.

One more example – we will attempt a 1.1g stop with this ‘higher’ bike: 

Wt.Transfer = Braking Force times CG ratio

Wt.Transfer = 1100 lbs. * 30/63.4

Wt.Transfer = 1100 lbs. * .4732

Wt.Transfer = 520.5 lbs. 

At this point we have transferred MORE than the entire weight which had been on the rear wheel – we have left the rear wheel with NEGATIVE 20.5 lbs. on it. I.e., our rear wheel has been lifted off the ground!!!!

Notice, please, that the CG does NOT remain at a constant height during aggressive braking. If we use exclusively front brake, then the front-end will dive and the rear-end will lift. This could result in the CG remaining at the same height, but more likely it will get higher. We have already seen that a higher CG means more weight transfer. Further, as the front-end dives the result of the compression of the front shocks is a shortening of the wheelbase of the bike. This, like raising the CG, results in a higher CG to wheelbase ratio, and therefore more weight transfer. [As an aside, if your bike has an anti-dive feature (TRAC, for example) then MORE weight transfer occurs to the front wheel than without it. This, because the CG is held higher. In other words, anti-dive INCREASES the odds of sliding your rear tire!]

If only the rear brake is used there will be a weight transfer to the front tire which will tend to compress the shocks. Additionally, however, use of the rear brake tends to LOWER the rear-end of your motorcycle and lengthens its wheelbase, (the swing arm become more level). The net effect is to lower the CG of the bike. This offsets neatly the fact that the compressing front-end shortens the wheelbase at the same time. However, since there is a weight transfer, the rear-end gets lighter while braking which quickly limits how much braking power you can apply before you skid that tire. In other words, you must use the front brake for maximum stopping power.

From the above discussion I think you can now see that the use of your rear brake along with the front brake leads to less weight transfer than if you use only the front brake, and why the use of both at the same time always results in maximum stopping power.

When a rider mounts his motorcycle he both raises the CG and moves it towards the rear. The heavier the rider, the more significant these changes to the CG are. We already know that as the CG rises it causes more weight transfer during speed changes. This raising of the CG is far more significant than is its shift towards the rear. (This, because the height of the CG is small compared to the length of the wheelbase.)

What this adds up to is that the heavier the driver of the motorcycle, the easier it is for braking to cause a breakaway of the rear-end. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate this potentially deadly problem? You bet! In a panic stop the driver should bend from the hip and elbows and lean forward! This will cause the CG to lower and move forward. A lower CG is more significant than its slight movement forward. In summary, there will be less weight transfer with him leaning forward than if he was sitting straight up in the saddle, there will be less compression of the front shocks, and less shortening of the wheelbase. I.e., less likelihood of losing rear-end traction.

Anything else? Yep. Always pack your saddlebags with heavy items towards the bottom. Every pound below the CG lowers it, every pound above it raises it. 

Accelerating Transfers – Straight Line
This article has so far focused only on weight transfer associated with braking. It should be obvious that exactly the same phenomenon happens when you accelerate – the amount of weight transferred is determined by your rate of acceleration and the CG ratio (height of CG divided by length of wheelbase.) Though you may not believe that you have an ‘anti-dive’ component for your rear wheel like you may in the front, you do. The rear wheel does not push the frame forward directly. It pushes its ‘swing arm’ forward. Since the swing arm pivots on the frame aft of your CG, and since that pivot is almost invariably higher than where the swing arm attaches to the rear wheel, any accelerating force applied through the rear wheel tries to lift the frame of the motorcycle. I.e., rather than calling this an ‘anti-dive’, think of it as an ‘anti-squat’. This keeps the CG higher than it would be otherwise and the result is that there is greater weight transfer to the rear tire (and correspondingly higher traction results.)

Accelerating Transfers – In A Curve
Constant Speed
And what about weight transfers when you are in a curve? You have heard the terms ‘over-steer’ and ‘under-steer’ before, I’m sure. Over-steer means that when you are in a curve your rear wheel is more likely than the front one to lose traction (i.e., your sliding bike will end up pointing towards the inside of the curve.) while under-steer is the opposite. Weight transfer to the rear tire from acceleration leads to over-steer (greater slip angle on rear tire) while braking in a curve, because of weight transfer to the front, leads to under-steer (greater slip angle on front tire.) Both are deadly concerns if you push tire loads to their limits!! (On the other hand, if you have a choice you would almost certainly want a little over-steer rather than under-steer because a brief slide of the rear tire is easier to correct than a similarly brief slide of the front tire.)

It would be a deadly mistake to try to use the kind of weight transfer analysis we have discussed so far in an effort to learn how much acceleration to use while in a curve to equalize tire loads! (I now assume that you have read and understand the article entitled ‘Delta V’.) The weight transfer calculations we have been looking at so far deal with consequences of longitudinal acceleration. In a curve you are also subject, even if maintaining constant speed, to centripetal acceleration.

Unlike longitudinal acceleration (changing your speed), which changes your tire loading in a simple proportion to the CG ratio, centripetal acceleration increases tire load in proportion to the SQUARE of your change in speed. The formula to determine these forces is: 

Force = Mass times Velocity squared divided by Radius
F = M*V^2/R
You can assume that most street tires will lose traction when they are subjected to about 1.1 g of force. So how do you tell whether you are close to 1.1 g when in a turn? Simple. If your effective lean angle is 45 degrees, you are experiencing 1 g of centripetal force. And, from the formula above you see that the force is extremely sensitive to velocity. This means that a very minor increase in speed could easily push you past the 1.1 g limit.

What you should understand from this is that using acceleration (speed change) to balance tire loads while in a curve is foolish. (In general, however, you will want some (minor!!!) acceleration in a curve as this tends to increase the slip angle of the rear tire which increases traction, and because you want your rear-end suspension modestly loaded to enhance control.)

Now you know why you want to be sure the load distribution on your bike is set properly BEFORE you hit the road. 

Accelerating Transfers – In A Curve
Exiting The Curve
While a modestly increasing speed makes great sense while you are riding through most of a curve, it is understood that some people find great pleasure in rolling-on their throttle as they exit those curves.

Just a little thought, based on all that we have talked about so far, should now convince you that you must be conservative in this practice while you are leaned over hard, and that you need to be BOTH widening the curve and standing the bike taller as you do it.
In the case of the front tire, acceleration merely reduces loading because of weight transfer. Thus, traction is diminishing in proportion to that acceleration (i.e., traction is a function of the types of material that are being pressed together and the force pressing them together – since the load is diminishing due to weight transfer, so is traction.)

The effect of acceleration on the rear tire is quite different, however. You would correctly assume that weight transfer resulting from acceleration would increase traction on the rear tire. It does, during modest acceleration. But acceleration (increasing speed) is accomplished using the rear tire only. That is, there is no longitudinal acceleration affecting the traction of the front tire, just the rear one. 

Longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration are vectored, which means the resulting acceleration force is the square root of the sum of the squares of those forces. (In other words, more than either of them, but not as much as both.) As the rate of acceleration increases it quickly overwhelms the effect of increasing load on the tire (which increases traction) and begins to consume that traction faster than it is being added. 
 If you increase speed or decrease the radius of your turn, your lean angle will get larger. When your lean angle gets to 45 degrees, the lines will start at 1.0 and even a slight acceleration will push the lines over 1.1 – which means you will soon be exploring the joys of road rash.
Sorry my charts would not upload for some reason.
In summary, there are a few obvious reasons to care about weight transfer:

  • Traction is directly proportional to the amount of weight carried by a tire – managing weight transfer is managing traction.
  • Misloading your motorcycle can result in substantial handling problems – particularly in a curve.
  • In order to manage weight transfer intelligently you need to have a good idea of where the center of gravity of your bike is and what happens to it when you add a passenger or luggage.
  • Traction will probably be lost if tire load exceeds about 1.1 g. If you are in a curve and are leaning at 45 degrees, you already have 1.0 g tire loads. Enough is enough.
  • Stopping with your elbows locked guarantees more weight transfer and a higher center of gravity – both undesirable from a control point of view.
  • Rolling-OFF your throttle (or braking) if you are ‘hot’ in a curve is almost certainly more dangerous than simply leaning farther into the curve – because weight transfer will unload the rear-end which reduces rear tire traction.
  • Under-steer and Over-steer both yield slides when load limits are reached – balancing the weight reduces the risk.
  • And who said you would never use math once you graduate from school.
          Michael Theodore
          National Road Captain

 

 

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May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month

May Is Motorcycle Awareness Month

With the beginning of Motorcycle Awareness Month on May 1, the American Motorcyclist Association is issuing a special appeal to motorists to be aware of their driving environment, check mirrors and blind spots before changing lanes and, especially, to watch for motorcyclists.

“The warmer weather in May brings out the riders who have been unable to ride all winter, so it presents an excellent opportunity for us to educate the non-riding public about the safety issues that affect motorcyclists every time we roll out of our driveways or onto a trail,” said Rob Dingman, AMA president and CEO. “The AMA is monitoring more than 1,124 state and federal bills that would affect motorcycling safety or motorcyclists’ rights, including many that deal with rider safety.”

Among the top awareness issues in 2015 are distracted driving and the need for motorcyclist and driver training.

Sean Hutson, AMA government affairs manager for on-highway issues, said state legislatures are considering more than 150 bills that deal with distracted driving. Those bills range from prohibitions on minors using personal electronic devices to bans on the use of electronic devices by any driver.

Rather than solely seeking bans on specific forms of behavior, though, the AMA advocates legislation that includes enhanced penalty options to be determined by the courts in cases where distracted driving results in a crash.

In addition, the AMA supports training programs for motorcyclists — including advanced skills courses – and more thorough education for motorists. A new law in Michigan, for example, requires motorcycle- and bicycle-awareness and safety instruction in all of the state’s courses for new drivers.

Drivers can avoid crashes with motorcyclists by taking extra care and looking twice to spot motorcycles in traffic — especially at intersections — respecting the motorcyclists’ space on the road and by not following too closely.

Motorcycle Awareness Month, launched by the AMA in the early 1980s and adopted by many state motorcycle-rights organizations, government entities and AMA-sanctioned clubs, is observed each May.  Ride Safe and be aware of everything around you while you ride.

Michael Theodore

National Road Captain