Supporting Member maximNikenGT Posted October 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted October 10, 2021 (edited) Has anyone run across an article or data on what the coefficient of drag Cd is in the Yamaha Niken? Never seen a data point like this and am curious as to what might be with the front end. According to Airshaper the Cd of a motorcycle is anywhere from 0.5-1.0, almost double that of a modern car. https://airshaper.com/videos/motorcycle-aerodynamics/qrH_QBOrqbw For reference purposes Car and Driver tested a Tesla Model S with a coefficient of drag =0.24. https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/blog_attachments/the-slipperiest-car-on-the-road.pdf Better yet, do any Niken owners have access our friends with access to a wide tunnel to run some tests? Edited October 10, 2021 by maximNikenGT 2019 Niken GT "Motorcycles - the brand is not important, the fact that you ride is." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted October 10, 2021 Supporting Member Share Posted October 10, 2021 I’m most decidedly NOT an expert in aero or fluid dynamics, but this primer from NASA is actually reasonably comprehensive yet easy to understand: https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/dragco.html Motorcycles are generally not very aero-efficient vehicles, with an upright profile, and lots of protrusions and edges to interfere with laminar air flow. Perching a rider on top just makes the problem worse… I have zero facts to base this on, but I suspect the FJ/Tracer/Niken are aerodynamically inefficient, even for a motorcycle. The CP3 motor feels like it has plenty of grunt to produce solid top speed numbers, but it really tapers off in a hurry above 100 - 110 mph, which has to be aero drag related. We won’t even discuss the infamous ‘aero wallow’ that the early FJs seemed susceptible to…. The bigger factor with the Niken may not be the drag coefficient, but rather the much greater frontal area relative to a conventional motorcycle fork. Anyone know an honest top speed number for a Niken, relative to a comparable Tracer? Inquiring minds want to know… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 That's a nice little paper Scott, thanks for sharing! 1 '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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