BikeSim is a VehicleSim tool specifically designed to simulate the dynamic behavior of motorcycles and scooters for engineers who do not have the months or years necessary to learn to use older simulation methods.

Current version: 2.0

BikeSim shares CarSim’s core architecture — providing engineers with the power and flexibility to dynamically evaluate virtually any two wheeled production or concept motorcycle. BikeSim analyzes the response to the rider's inputs — steering torque, braking, shifting, throttle, body lean, and lateral shifting of the body mass. Environmental inputs are included — aerodynamics, road geometry and friction. By modeling and controlling the complex interaction between the rider-machine-environment, BikeSim accurately simulates how rider behavior affects the bike’s overall performance under the environmental condition.

The BikeSim math model is based on a core model developed and validated by Professors Robin Sharp, Simos Evangelou, David Limebeer, and others at Imperial College, London using the AutoSim code generator (an earlier version of VehicleSim Lisp) from Mechanical Simulation. With the 2008 release of version 2, the math model has been extended to include a full powertrain, full nonlinear kinematics suspension, an enhanced rider positioning control, several enhanced tire model options, additional degrees-of-freedoms, and more extensions needed to provide an accurate simulation of most existing motorcycle design concept.

To satisfy strong demand from academia through the motorcycle and scooter manufacturers, BikeSim breaks new ground in offering a low-cost, accurate, and easy-to-use simulation package created specifically for the study of motorcycle dynamics.

Easy, Turn-Key Solutions

Over 100 kinds of data screens in the BikeSim data browser allow users to easily setup the bike properties, roads, and control inputs and quickly see the animations and graphical results. The bike and its properties are defined by parameters and tables that are measurable by tests or available from design software. Users run any simulated road test by just clicking a button. Our fast computational speed is completed in about 1/10 of real time on a 3 GHz PC. Many design variations are tested and automatically optimized using DOE software.