Andrew Trevitt Archives | Inside Motorcycles Magazine

Trevitt’s Blog: Can Two-Strokes Make a Comeback?

Andrew Trevitt — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 20:16:53 +0000

KTM and Husqvarna recently announced that they will be producing two fuel-injected two-stroke models for 2018, as part of their respective enduro lineups. (The Husqvarnas will be essentially rebadged KTMs, as are most of the company’s models.) While most manufacturers, including KTM and Husqvarna, offer a range of two-stroke dirt bikes, there have been few […]

Trevitt’s Blog: Cornering ABS and using the rear brake

Andrew Trevitt — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 00:53:37 +0000

One rider aid that is available on an increasing number of new motorcycles is cornering ABS, sometimes incorporated into a stability control package. In its basic form, a cornering ABS function takes into account the motorcycle’s lean angle to adjust brake pressure, increasing the ABS effectiveness beyond a simple straight-line stop. However, as I outlined […]

Trevitt’s Blog: Electromagnetic Valve Control (video)

Graeme Jones — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:47:28 +0000

While variable valve timing has been a hot topic over the last few weeks with the introduction of the updated GSX-R1000 featuring Suzuki's innovative mechanical VVT system, many companies are working toward the next step in this area: eliminating camshafts completely and controlling the valves directly using electromagnetic actuators. There are many stumbling blocks to electromagnetic valve actuation (EVA), but a research group in the Control and Automation Laboratory of the University of British Columbia has created a new type of actuator that may make EVA a very realistic option in the not-too-distant future.

Trevitt’s Blog: What’s a Qualifying Tire Worth?

Andrew Trevitt — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 19:23:50 +0000

At the final rounds of this year's Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship series, held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Dunlop offered qualifying tires to the top 10 riders for a separate, 15-minute final qualifying session. This was new for many of the competitors, as qualifying tires have not been used in the series for several years. Jeff Williams was one of the riders in the top-10 session, and I was able to get some data from the Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR1000RR that he was riding for the weekend.

Andrew Trevitt’s Blog: Transfiormers – Daring to be different in a sea of Moto2 uniformity

Andrew Trevitt — Sat, 09 Jul 2016 00:31:53 +0000

Last month, Spanish rider Ricard Cardus won an FIM CEV (Campionato Espagnolo Velocita, a European Championship) Moto2 race at Catalunya in Spain. That in itself is not overly surprising; Cardus has been racing in the Moto2 World Championship for several years with a handful of top-10 finishes to his credit. What's more noteworthy is the motorcycle he was aboard: Transfiormers.

Trevitt’s Blog: Backing it in

Andrew Trevitt — Sat, 28 May 2016 01:47:58 +0000

We see all the time now road racers “backing it in” to corners, sometimes with the rear end of the motorcycle out of line with the front just as much as dirt track or supermoto racers. Using engine braking or the rear brake, these riders are skidding the tire just enough that the rear end […]

Trevitt’s Blog: Anti-Squat in Theory and Practice

Andrew Trevitt — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 23:25:40 +0000

In previous blogs, and in the print version of the magazine, I have discussed anti-squat and how it relates to chassis setup. Anti-squat is a very important tool in making a motorcycle lap quickly at the racetrack, especially a powerful superbike, but at the same time it’s one of the least understood setup parameters. Some […]

Trevitt’s blog: Ducati’s MotoGP wings

Andrew Trevitt — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 03:21:31 +0000

Over the past several seasons of MotoGP, Ducati has occasionally experimented with wings on the side of the Desmosedici to influence its aerodynamic characteristics. Yamaha also used wings in the latter part of last season on the M1, and wings have sporadically appeared on other bikes in the past. Until late last year the wings in use have been quite small, but during testing this year the Ducatis have sprouted two very large wings on each side.

Trevitt’s Blog: Motobot – Can it Beat Valentino Rossi?

Andrew Trevitt — Thu, 28 Jan 2016 03:25:54 +0000

At the Tokyo Motor Show last year, Yamaha introduced its Motobot, a humanoid robot that rides a YZF-R1. Video was released showing the Motobot riding in an open area, mostly going in a straight line, but the intention is for Motobot to ride the bike on track sometime next year and eventually beat the lap times of none other than Valentino Rossi. That is a tall order.

Trevitt’s Blog: Identifying (and quantifying) smooth riding

Andrew Trevitt — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 22:16:20 +0000

We know that riding smoothly is one aspect of quicker lap times at the track and being safe on the street: Gentle, precise throttle inputs, fluid body movements and steady lean angles mid-turn are just some of the characteristics of what you'd consider a smooth rider. Jorge Lorenzo is a perfect example, with a glass-smooth riding style that looks like he is going much slower than he actually is.

Trevitt’s Blog: The Ideal Line

Andrew Trevitt — Fri, 23 Oct 2015 23:20:25 +0000

Watch any road race practice session and you will see riders trying different lines almost every lap, as they search for the quickest way around the track. By race time the experimentation is done and the top riders rarely stray more than a few inches from their chosen lines, but sometimes you will still see significant differences between riders. The best line through a particular corner or sequence of corners is not always the obvious choice, and depends on a number of factors.

Trevitt’s Blog: Rossi vs. Lorenzo For The Title

Wally Nesbitt — Sun, 27 Sep 2015 01:22:43 +0000

With just a handful of rounds remaining in this year’s MotoGP World Championship, it’s almost certain that the championship will go to either Valentino Rossi or Jorge Lorenzo. The two Movistar Yamaha riders are atop the standings, both with more than a race worth of points in hand over Marc Marquez in third place. It’s […]