Lesson 1: Motorbikes

Have you ever been riding your bike and wished it could go faster? Well, engineers had the same idea when they invented the motorcycle. Motorcycles are bigger, heavier and much faster than bicycles, but they have similar parts

In this lesson, we will look at motorcycles like engineers. We will be introduced to the forces that act on the motorcycle and the caster effect which keeps it balanced. So strap on your helmets and get ready to learn all about motorcycles.

Lesson Keywords 

Balance: is the ability to maintain a controlled body position during task performance

Force: any action that maintains or changes the motion of a body or distorts it

Gravity: an invisible force that pulls objects toward each other. For example Earth’s gravity is what keeps you on the ground and what makes things fall.

Caster effect: the steering ease and the stability of the vehicle in a straight line

Centrifugal force: is the energy of a moving object in a circle trying to stay in a straight line when it cannot

Momentum: mass multiplied by velocity. Momentum is a vector quantity; i.e., it has both magnitude and direction

Human-powered: a machine which has power which is provided by human movement

Tandem Bicycle: a bicycle that can be ridden by two people at once

Kickstand: a device that allows a bike or a motorcycle to stay upright without leaning it on a thing or a person