[simpits-tech] Sim bikes! (was: Air & Space Smithsonian....)

[Matt Bailey]

Hmmmmm, actually, we don't want the bike body to tilt, we actually need 
vertical g loading (more or less impossible.......) since turning is 
accomplished by balancing the bike with centrifugal force. Centrifugal force 
overcomes gravity, tilting the sim bike would introduce unrealistic side 
loads (like tilting a flight sim in a coordinated turn). Force sensors to 
detect rider lean would be good though, I think.

>From here on I'm speaking of "traditional" bikes, where you turn the fork 
with the bars rather than using the bars strictly to lean the bike (GP500). 
It seems force feedback is needed. As the sim detects rider lean (and the 
simulated bike is banked), it would need to pull the steering into the 
direction of the lean. In upright position, steering force should be almost 
neutral, perhaps just a bit positive stability (self-centering) or maybe just 
resistance. So maybe the hardware wouldn't be quite as complex as we first 
anticipated, but the software sounds like a nightmare. Plus, I sure don't see 
how it could behave very convincingly without positive 1+ g-loads. FWIW, I've 
never driven a motorcycle, just bicycles, so take it for what it's worth. :)

	-Matt Bailey