KNOW WHY CRUISER BIKES HAVE LONGER WHEELBASE !!

If you look at the motorbikes around you, you will notice the overall length of every motorbike is different. For example, Bajaj Avenger is having more overall length as compared to Yamaha R15. Other motorbikes like Bajaj Avenger for example Royal Enfield Meteor, Honda Revel, etc are also having a higher overall length. These bikes are made for longer route touring and are called cruisers. In this article, we will understand the reason behind the higher overall length of cruiser motorbikes.

One factor which decides the overall length of the motorbikes is the wheelbase. The wheelbase is the center to center distance between the front and rear wheels. Wheelbase plays an important role in the handling of a motorbike. When the wheelbase on the motorbike is long, the motorbike has better stability on the road. Which simply means the motorbike will keep going in a straight line very easily and changing direction easily is a bit tricky. The same is inverse in the case of motorbikes with a shorter wheelbase; the motorbike can be easily maneuvered, but it loses out on the stability of staying on the road. There are chances of the motorbike to wobble easily under extreme speeds which do not happen in the case of longer wheelbases.

Cruiser motorbikes are designed to run straight on highways covering long distances with ease that is why they have a longer wheelbase. Also, a long wheelbase makes a bike less wheelie-prone, and because the rider sits farther from each wheel, he gets a smoother ride. On the other hand, sports motorbike like Yamaha R15, Honda CBR, etc tend to have shorter wheelbase as it makes them compact and light and also makes them very easy to move around and corner at higher speeds. Also, shorter wheelbases tend to be more responsive to steering input.

In short, the longer the wheelbase, the more the stability and less the maneuverability; the smaller the wheelbase, the less the stability and more the maneuverability. We hope you might have got an idea of how wheelbase affects the handling of a motorbike. Thank you for reading this article.