Citation

Terry S. Accid. Reconstr. J. 2010; 20(4).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Accident Reconstruction Journal)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article reports on a study requested by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) and conducted by the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC) to perform a series of motorcycle braking performance tests. There are five basic categories of motorcycles in the current market: Sport, Cruiser, Routing, Dual Purpose, and Scooter. Each of these is covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) 122 brake requirements. This article reports on the results from two identical tests conducted on each of the five motorcycle types. Data is collected, analyzed and report under six conditions: maximum effort braking on dry asphalt, maximum effort braking on wet asphalt, maximum effort braking on dry and on wet concrete Belgian Block surface, braking in a corner, and maximum effort braking with wetted brakes. The purpose of the evaluations was to determine whether there are modes of operation to which a rider and motorcycle can be exposed where the braking system could provide improved safety, but which may not be adequately addressed within the current regulations. The author provides detailed data from the tests, then a lengthy concluding section discussing brake temperature related issues, rider confidence level versus the usage of the available traction, clutch engaged versus disengaged stopping, wetted drum brake evaluation, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) and Linked Brake System (LBS) considerations, brake pad friction material considerations, test sequence considerations, and lane restrictions. The author notes that the rider of a motorcycle plays a significantly higher role in terms of evaluating the performance characteristic of the vehicle than does the driver of other types of vehicles.