https://www.cycleworld.com/sto...-carry-their-weight/

Kevin Cameron, the greatest technical writer for the masses, of all time! This topic interests me because Ducati Multistradas are superb sport tourers but kinda tall for short people when come to a stop.




How Motorcycles Carry Their Weight
Where to put the major masses and what that means for a motorcycle’s acceleration and handling.

Kevin Cameron
By Kevin Cameron
April 12, 2021

...
"At a standstill, a heavy, high-CG bike can feel like it’s about to overpower you. I’ve seen a few riders pinned by their tipped-over heavyweights. The 800-pound tour rigs therefore locate mass as low as possible (Gold Wing six!) to give the largest possible variety of riders confidence that they can handle the weight. Once in motion, that low CG, so far below the rider, passenger, fuel, and luggage, suffers the P-38 effect; it offers large resistance to quick roll maneuvers. But we’re touring, not weaving through a slalom course. Motor­cycles are compromise. Pick yours." ...

For a MotoGP bike, WSBK bike, or your common street bike, you always want the mass low as possible. Big reason why almost all of the GP bikes (sans Yamaha who are using a crossplane 4, but have a prototype V4 circling the test tracks) are V4’s. The Vee can be mounted lower in the chassis.

Yea the Multistrada is tall in the saddle to give ground clearance for rocks, puddles, and terrain unbecoming.

Similar style bikes are the Vstrom and BMW GS.

I rode the Pikes Peak edition Multi. It was really fun, comfortable seating position, and was capable of Slat lake terrain.

They are popular on my forum.

I've lowered my Versys 650 which is of that same adventure style to be able to flat-foot when stopped. In the past I've enjoyed riding off road, but these days I have no confidence in being able to pick it up alone. Last time I dropped it off road I broke a collar bone. I'm too old to take a heavy bike off road any more.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
For a MotoGP bike, WSBK bike, or your common street bike, you always want the mass low as possible. Big reason why almost all of the GP bikes (sans Yamaha who are using a crossplane 4, but have a prototype V4 circling the test tracks) are V4’s. The Vee can be mounted lower in the chassis.

I believe rather than as low (or high) as possible you want it as close to the center roll axis as possible, mass centralization. On a right turn the upper part of the bike moves right while the bottom and tire contact move left. I remember Kevin writing about that when I believe it was one of the Japanese manufacturers was able to lower the COG by a good amount on one of their race bikes after relocating a few heavier components to lower in the chassis. The rest of the bike was unchanged. They were surprised when they discovered the riders were a little slower getting leaned over and back upright and it was very apparent through S curves and running them back to back the racers rode the previous version with the higher COD consistently faster through corners.

Edit; I should have read the posted article first because Kevin discusses it there.

“English experts believed low CG gave the best handling, but today’s quick-handling bikes all have fairly high CGs. When you roll your bike over for a turn, it is not rolling around its tire footprints. It is rolling around its CG.”