Front wheel drive and two wheel drive on bikes?

[bak189]

SCTA/BNI Rule 7.I (under sidecar)....." A sidecar is a three-wheel vehicle leaving two tracks with only the rear-most wheel driving" ..........................

[bak189]

AMA (BUB) Rule 10.E. (under sidecars)..."Steering
by front wheel only"

[bak189]

SCTA/BNI Rule 7.I.5. (under sidecars) "Only the front wheel may be used for steering"

[Dean Los Angeles]

SCTA/BNI Rule 7.I (under sidecar)....." A sidecar is a three-wheel vehicle leaving two tracks with only the rear-most wheel driving" ..........................

Another example of a poorly written rule. If you put the sidecar wheel as the "rear-most" you could drive it.

[sheribuchta]

Bob  The rule goes on to say "the front wheel track shall be entirely covered by the rear"   



    Sheri Buchta

[bak189]

Sheri.......I know the rest of the rule.....I wrote it in the late 1970's...........................................................

Dean....it is quite obvious you know little or nothing about how a good handling sidecar works.......Sorry, to be be so blunt, but what you noted would never work.......with the sidecar wheel 'rear-most" you could NOT DRIVE IT........

[willieworld]

Bob  dont give away all of the sidecar secrets   LOLLL  Merry Christmas      willie

[kiwi]

I don't know how this got onto sidecars, I am referring to 2 wheels only.
As I said originally the front wheel or 2 wheel drive was my main question, which has been answered. The point being that there is little point in designing/building something that even if it did work, in the end you are not allowed to race it.
I have built and ridden a recumbent tricycle with the rear wheel steering. This was quite acceptable as far as handling went. Thrust SSC was also the same layout and that obviously worked as well. I wouldn't try it on a 2 wheeler though and I don't know of any that have achieved a good handling bike with rear wheel steer.
I have read some reports on the 2 wheel drive dirt bikes and the testers were quite impressed by them in certain types of terrain. I wouldn't rule out the idea for LSR (except of course that you can't use it) just because it hasn't come to anything in the commercial marketplace.

[dwarner]

While I am not a bike person gut feeling would say front drive/front steer would be difficult at best. I am unfamiliar with the two wheel drive bikes. Is there some sort of limits for the front drive/front steer such as was on the rear wheel steering trucks of a few years ago, 4 deg. I think?

The rule book addresses the rear steer problem on cars only. I don't think it has been addressed for bikes. I would contact Van before cutting pipe.

The SST was a computer controlled rear steer with very close limits. If you see a cockpit clip of Andy Green driving the car you will see a lot of steering correction. I think by the time he moved the steering control the on board computer had alresdy done its thing. He is also quoted as saying that was the last time he would drive that configuration.

If you are thinking of a bike streamliner remember that all streamliners are moving closer together. Take a look at the 2009 changes and you will see that bikes and cars will be inspected by both types of inspectors.

DW

[willieworld]

Dan,
Took a look at the new rule changes and I can't find anything about it saying anything about inspections. Let alone combine the inspection for streamline cars and bikes.
Maybe I missed that. Could you please point it out for me.

Thanks Sheri Buchta

[John Noonan]

Dan,
Took a look at the new rule changes and I can't find anything about it saying anything about inspections. Let alone combine the inspection for streamline cars and bikes.
Maybe I missed that. Could you please point it out for me.

Thanks Sheri Buchta

Willie,

You may not have heard it however MC streamliners will also be inspected in the car line of the inspection process or may have an auto inspector looking/inspecting the MC streamliner in 2009 and beyond.

[Dean Los Angeles]

Dean....it is quite obvious you know little or nothing about how a good handling sidecar works.......Sorry, to be be so blunt, but what you noted would never work.......with the sidecar wheel 'rear-most" you could NOT DRIVE IT........

Didn't say anything about good handling. Just said you could do it. I picture about 6,000 rpm. Not the engine, the sidecar.

[Milwaukee Midget]

I have read some reports on the 2 wheel drive dirt bikes and the testers were quite impressed by them in certain types of terrain. I wouldn't rule out the idea for LSR (except of course that you can't use it) just because it hasn't come to anything in the commercial marketplace.

I'd be very interested in how power was applied to both the front and rear wheels of a bike.  Some sort of differential through the triple tree?

Chris

[generatorshovel]

Here's how Yamaha and KTM tackled the 2 wheel drive motorcycle challenge
http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/132775166.html
Tiny

[McRat]

Wow!  Very interesting.  If I'm reading it right, it says 5% of the power goes up front from a hyd motor, but increases speed in sand 10%, and drops lap time on road race bikes.  The front only gets power if the rear tire is spinning faster than the front.  Certainly not a Rokon, which was closer to a farm inpliment than a race bike.