Experimental Investigation of the Strength of a Motorcycle Frame Subjected to a Static Load: Development of a Test Rig

An experiment has been conducted to investigate the strength of a motorcycle frame subjected to a static load. The purpose of this investigation is to compare the results obtained from finite element analysis with experimental results. There are some differences between those two results and this is extensively discussed in the paper. Most of the differences are due to the difference in choosing and assuming the real boundary conditions. Despite those differences, some good results have been obtained and it is shown that the trend of the data is consistent.

In this paper, the description of the test rig will be shown along with the design criteria. The test rig was designed such that it simulates the real condition and that it has enough stiffness not to absorb the deflection of the frame when it is loaded. Measurement results were taken by the use strain gages located at the critical positions in the frame.