Relationship between Handling, C of G, Power and Steering.

Over a period of time I have posted a lot about the handling of my Seeley 850. And I have mentioned that it tightens it's line in corners which gives the rider greater confidence and allows better power delivery. There is interesting discussion in the following video between Wayne Gardner and Freddie Spencer, about 500cc Honda and Suzuki MotoGP bikes in 1989 and 1990. It shows the 1993 Suzuki 500, which had a motor delivering more torque than many others, and also tightened it's line in corners. It had less outright horsepower, but won the World Championship in 1993. There is a video in which Sir Alan Cathcart tests it, which is available from Duke Video. Apparently the Centre of Gravity was altered by raising the motor. This caused the bike to rock forward and backwards more when braking and accelerating which changed the way the bike steered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op8Y0rvZZbk