The Effect of Handlebar Fairings on Motorcycle Aerodynamics

A series of wind tunnel experiments were used to quantify the mean and unsteady aerodynamic forces on a motorcycle fitted with a handlebar fairing and a handlebar windshield. The results have shown that the positive aerodynamic yaw damping of the steerable front frame tends to stabilize wobble mode when a handlebar device is present. The mean front-frame yawing moments as a function of yaw angle were harder to interpret without use of a dynamic simulation. Static arguments were advanced to suggest that cross-wind response may be reduced with a fairing or windshield mounted.