The Evolving Scholar (2023) https://doi.org/10.

59490/649dd1dceb4973f2ee0bd3e1

Bicycle and Motorcycle Dynamics 2023

Symposium on the Dynamics and Control of Single Track Vehicles
18 – 20 October 2023, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Type of the Paper: Extended Abstract

Influence of Rear Wheel Vertical Displacement and Target Sag on

Suspension Performance of a Cruiser Motorcycle
K. Peck1,*, and J. Sadauckas2

1
Vehicle Dynamics Group, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee, WI, 53222, USA; kasey.peck@harley-davidson.com; ORCID 0009-0004-8497-7691
2
Trek Performance Research, Trek Bicycle Corporation, Waterloo, WI, 53594, USA; jim_sadauckas@trekbikes.com; ORCID 0000-0002-6055-9047
*corresponding author.

Name of Editor: Jason Moore

Submitted: 29/06/2023
Accepted: 15/08/2023
Published: 15/08/2023
Citation: Peck, K. & Sadauckas, J. (2023). Influence of Rear Wheel Vertical Displacement and Target Sag on Suspension Performance of a Cruiser Motorcycle. The
Evolving Scholar - BMD 2023, 5th Edition.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY).

Abstract:

The design and optimization of two-wheel vehicle suspension provides an exciting design challenge due to the multitude of potential
layouts and interrelated variables to consider. Balancing these design factors to achieve the desired comfort and roadholding
performance (Lot, 2021) while also ensuring the vehicle achieves the desired trim state under the various operating conditions
(Cossalter, 2006), termed chassis control for the purposes of this paper, requires a deep level of technical understanding to execute
successfully. Consequently, a specific area of two-wheel vehicle suspension that has received little attention is defining the nominal
vehicle trim state in terms of target sag and the associated proportion of vertical wheel displacement to be used in compression versus
that available for rebound. For closed course racing vehicles, both on-road and off-road, the suspension displacement and target sag
are determined experimentally based on testing and iteration to obtain the sole objective of minimum lap time. Conversely, for
commercial on-road vehicles, suspension displacement and target sag are often constrained by numerous vehicle design requirements
such as seat height and packaging limitations. These design constraints require production-intent suspension displacement and target
sag to be determined early in the product development cycle. Until now, limited literature has been published regarding nominal target
sag and how best to proportion suspension displacement between compression and extension, though a general guideline proposes
~33% target sag as the starting point (Thede, 2010). The intention of this paper is to provide a deeper technical understanding of
suspension performance trade-offs between available suspension displacement and target sag using physical vehicle testing and
multibody simulations.

In this paper, two rear suspension layouts have been tested with different suspension displacements and target sags while maintaining
the same seat height and vehicle ride height. For all configurations both subjective rider feedback and objective data were collected
over discrete negative (downward) and positive events. Qualitative suspension performance was captured by a professional
motorcycle test rider, trained to articulate any tangible differences between the configurations on closed-course suspension events.
Quantitative suspension data was simultaneously collected on the vehicle including front fork and rear shock displacement and
stroking velocity, acceleration at the steer head and mid-frame, as well as vehicle pitch rate and pitch angle to correlate to subjective
ride feel. The analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data yielded suspension performance metrics that were used to correlate to a
multibody model. Simulation was conducted over various discrete negative and positive events of increasing size to quantify the
influence of sag on suspension performance across a wider range of bump conditions.

© 2023 Peck, K., Sadauckas, J. published by TU Delft OPEN on behalf of the authors.
ISSN: 2667-2812
The Evolving Scholar (2023) https://doi.org/10.59490/649dd1dceb4973f2ee0bd3e1

Table 1. Alternative rear suspension configurations compared during on-road testing

Results of the study show quantifiable improvements in both suspension comfort and road holding when using increased suspension
displacements and increased sag (more available rebound stroke), though degradations to chassis control were noted during aggressive
braking events. The increase in available extension displacement of rear suspension Layout #2 enabled a reduction in rear shock
rebound damping (Layout#3) without increasing the occurrence of topping. This reduction in rear shock rebound damping improved
road holding by allowing the rear tire to better follow the profile of negative road events and improved comfort through reduced
forward pitching of the vehicle over discrete positive events (Cao, 2011). Additionally, the increase in available extension
displacement reduced the spring preload force near full extension and enabled improved comfort by reducing the abruptness of
discrete positive events encountered while at the extended portion of suspension stroke. Analysis of the measured vehicle data
enabled the creation of objective suspension performance metrics and provided the necessary information to understand these
alternative rear suspension layouts using multibody modeling. Simulation results further expanded on the performance trade-offs
between the suspension displacement and target sag by enabling the analysis of additional bump configurations. Ultimately the study
provided systematic guidance on the nominal suspension displacement and target sag for the specific road-going motorcycle studied
and highlights sag as a critical tuning parameter often neglected in the literature.

Figure 1. Left: Example of surrogate on-vehicle data over discrete negative event (step-down) including rear suspension displacement
and velocity (solid black and grey dashed respectively) as well as pitch rate and pitch angle (solid green and magenta dotted). Right:
Summary of compression and extension displacement usage over a discrete negative event (step-down) at both 20 and 30 mph
comparing two surrogate rear suspension configurations differing in extension displacement and target sag.

References
Cao, D., Song, X., & Ahdmadian, M. (2011). Editors’ perspectives: Road Vehicle Suspension Design, Dynamics, and Control. Journal
of Vehicle System Dynamics. https://doi.org/10.1080/00423114.2010.532223.

Cossalter, V. (2006). Motorcycle Dynamics (2nd ed.). Lulu.com.

© 2023 Peck, K., Sadauckas, J. published by TU Delft OPEN on behalf of the authors.
ISSN: 2667-2812
The Evolving Scholar (2023) https://doi.org/10.59490/649dd1dceb4973f2ee0bd3e1

Lot, R., & Sadauckas, J. (2021). Motorcycle Design: Vehicle Dynamics Concepts and Applications. Lulu.com.

Thede, P., & Parks, L. (2010). Race Tech's Motorcycle Suspension Bible. Motorbooks.

© 2023 Peck, K., Sadauckas, J. published by TU Delft OPEN on behalf of the authors.
ISSN: 2667-2812