Section 02
Geometry
Four numbers settle how a machine behaves before anyone chooses an engine: head angle, trail, wheelbase and where the mass sits. All four are measured at rest and none of them stays put.
Start here
Rake and trail
The head angle and the distance the contact patch trails behind the steering axis decide how willingly the machine turns and how hard it resists.
All of Geometry
4 pieces
- 01
Rake and trail
The head angle and the distance the contact patch trails behind the steering axis decide how willingly the machine turns and how hard it resists.
- 02
Wheelbase
Long is stable and slow to turn, short is quick and nervous; almost every other decision is negotiated against it.
- 03
Weight distribution
Front-to-rear bias decides which end lets go first, and it changes with fuel load and a passenger.
- 04
What a number hides
Static geometry is measured at rest; under braking the fork compresses and every figure changes.