Moto 2 drifting

[hiro]

I was noticing how the Moto 2 riders get the bike a little sideways going into turns, much more than Moto 3 or MotoGP riders. Any reason for that?

[Al Z. Heimer]

15 minutes ago, hiro said:

I was noticing how the Moto 2 riders get the bike a little sideways going into turns, much more than Moto 3 or MotoGP riders. Any reason for that?

Yes. 

[hiro]

22 minutes ago, Al Z. Heimer said:

Yes. 

OK. Thanks.

[Lawrence1]

Drifting looks cool but it's not the fastest way through the turn. 

[TimTheAzn]

14 hours ago, Lawrence1 said:

Drifting looks cool but it's not the fastest way through the turn. 

Tell that to Marquez, Vinales, Rossi, pretty much everyone in the MotoGP paddock except Lorenzo lol.

In my limited experience about getting the rear end loose,its happened to me under hard down shifting and letting out the clutch, the motor will slow the wheel enough for it to skid a second while the wheel speed and motor catch back up to each other. For me, its accidental and has only happened 1 or 2 times. For them, its part of their riding style. @hiro

Slipper clutches are supposed to help this issue. I've never had one to play around with.

Edited May 15, 2017 by TimTheAzn

[Tonik]

20 minutes ago, TimTheAzn said:

Slipper clutches are supposed to help this issue. I've never had one to play around with.

I had one on my last bike, it worked well.  Although I only hit it once or twice.

[Lawrence1]

Drifting is not the same as sliding the bike.

I stand by my statement.

[TimTheAzn]

19 minutes ago, Lawrence1 said:

Drifting is not the same as sliding the bike.

I stand by my statement.

Well, some people dont know the difference. Shouldve given you the benefit of the doubt. But I agree, drifting is not the fastest way around the track.

[hiro]

I mean, it just seemed more extreme in the Moto 2 class. I was wondering is that was just me, the riders in that class, something to due with the bikes, or maybe the track at that time. What I saw was happening during breaking. I've heard that some racers like to slip the rear wheel a little to get the bike pointed quicker.

[i-Zapp]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 9:08 PM, hiro said:

I was noticing how the Moto 2 riders get the bike a little sideways going into turns, much more than Moto 3 or MotoGP riders. Any reason for that?

i actually asked that same question a while back (maybe another forum) and never really got a good answer. Having pondered this further since then, maybe these thoughts might help...First you have to ask why is it happening: it's certainly not for show, so it's either an artifact of the balance and traction of the bike that happens "just because", or it's induced by the rider to get the bike turned quicker.

In either case, the physics are fairly simple - under severe braking there's little to no traction offered by the rear tire, and if the bike is turned during this time (yaw) then that loose rear wheel will begin to slide sideways since there's little to hold it inline with the direction of travel. Add some rear brake *not me!* or downshift and whatever lateral traction you had disappears.

But why more so in Moto2???  I think the Moto3 bikes are light enough where the weight transfer is not dramatic enough to have as noticeable an effect, AND they maintain more corner speed than Moto2 or even MotoGP (ie, maybe they intentionally DON'T brake that hard, or for as long). And i guess it's possible that the million dollar MotoGP bikes are so much better that they don't move around as much as Moto2 (longer wheelbase, lower Cg, better brakes, better clutches,...) except maybe when Marquez is trying to bump Rossi from pole. MM backs it in better than most SuperMoto riders!

Edited May 16, 2017 by i-Zapp

[hiro]

They always drift in the proper direction, so I guess there's a tiny amount of lean, or at least offset weight, while the rear is light. It's very distinct from a power drift. I like it!