A motorcycle tyre is rounded and not flat like a slick for an F1 car. Technology has now enabled you to overcome some of the physics, but utilize it to your own advantage. A motorbike will never go through a curve as fast as a Formula One car because motorcycles only have two wheels. There's that limits the amount of rubber that's on the rotor getting in one time.
In case you missed this episode on the Playing with Science channel… We kick it into top gear as hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice explore the physics of motorcycle racing, riding, and assembly alongside adventure journalist Jim Clash and physics professor and motorcycle aficionado Charles Falco.
NOTE: StarTalk All-Access subscribers can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://www.startalkradio.net/all-access/motorcycle-racing-physics-on-2-wheels/
Photo Credit: SCrider (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons.
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