The problems which arise during the design of a motorcycle, may affect the proper functioning of the vehicle, and ride comfort. This type of problem is particularly found in sport where mechanical components which can cause malfunctioning should, be replaced quickly within a very limited time.
This work is an investigation of the swingarm component. The aim is to link objective data such as stiffness and natural frequencies (derived through the application of scientific method) with subjective information such as handling and comfort perceived by professional riders. The testers were two riders of the 2008 World SuperBike Championship. They were chosen to represent two kinds of driving behaviors: one of them had a affable riding attitude, whereas, the second was more aggressive.
Three motorcycle swingarms used in the 2008 World SuperBike Championship, were mechanically characterized: FEM and experimental investigations were performed. The characterization of the swingarm concerns, in particular torsional stiffness. The swingarm is a component with a semi-symmetrical geometry, but it has a very antisymmetric. In fact, there are two distinct values of torsional stiffness, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. In addition, the torque does not occur along the axis of symmetry of the swingarm, but it may deviate from the axis very clearly. The three swingarms analyzed have different antisymmetric behavior; these differences affect to the choice of which rider for good handling.