You’ve Never Seen A Motorcycle Steer Like This Before

The bizarre design is meant to solve problems that motorcyclists face on track

Motorcycles are fast, thrilling, and capable machines, but when it comes to maximizing grip through corners, motorcycles face inherent limitations. One fabricator in South Australia believes he may have found a way to change that.

His name is Kent James Shillitoe, and his invention, dubbed the Kejashi, is a radical new motorcycle steering concept. At its core, it separates the front wheel from the main frame, allowing it to move independently. The potential benefits could be groundbreaking.

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This design is trying to solve a problem that motorcyclists face. When they turn, they struggle to maintain the same levels of grip that a car can. The problem is a complex one and goes beyond the scope of this article, but we’ll try to simplify it. Motorcycles inherently have less grip than a car because they have just two tires. Riders lean over to make the most of that grip, but even there they’re limited.

Why Motorcycles Struggle with Grip

On top of that, motorcycles can’t take advantage of the same aerodynamic surfaces that cars can. When they lean over, the aero bits that could contribute to downforce are now at an angle that actually hurts cornering ability. These are the issues that the Kejashi is trying to solve for. It features an offset trailing steering system design. That means that the front of the bike moves independently of the rear during turns.

This reduces the amount that a rider must lean over. “Offsetting the weight toward the inside of the turn, that’s what the GP guys are trying to do with their bodies,” Shillitoe told New Atlas. “But moving the wheel toward the outside of the turn naturally offsets the weight of the bike and the rider toward the inside, and reduces the amount of lean angle required.” There are other benefits here.

A New Take on Suspension and Aero

First, because the bike remains more upright, the suspension can do its job more effectively. Second, it makes the giant active wing you see here more effective too. Just like the steering system, it moves when the rider provides steering input. Turn left, and the wing moves right. Steer the other direction, and the wing switches position, always maintaining a position that allows downforce to remain as downforce.

Shillitoe is still working on the design and hopes to continually improve it over time. His testing has been understandably limited to this point. Hopefully, with some additional exposure and some support, he’ll push this new steering system to the limit to find out if it’s the next big thing in motorcycle technology.

Credit: Kent Shillitoe